Canberra, June 23 (UNI/Sputnik) Samsung Electronics Australia was issued a 14 million Australian dollar ($ 9.7 million) fine for misleading consumers in the company’s ads about water resistance of several Samsung Galaxy phones, Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) said on Thursday.
The company’s claims that S7, S7 Edge, A5 (2017), A7 (2017), S8, S8 Plus and Note 8 Samsung Galaxy phones which were claimed to be water-resistant turned out to be not so after the commission reviewed hundreds of consumers’ complaints, who had faced issues with the operation of their Samsung phones after they were submerged in water with some devices breaking down after exposure, the ACCC said in a press release.
“Samsung Australia’s water resistance claims promoted an important selling point for these Galaxy phones. Many consumers who purchased a Galaxy phone may have been exposed to the misleading ads before they made their decision to purchase a new phone,” ACCC Chair Gina Cass-Gottlieb said.
The advertising campaign, which was shown on the company’s social media, official website, and in stores, promoted the use of Samsung phones in pools and in sea water, “despite the fact that this could ultimately result in significant damage to the phone,” she added.
Over 3.1 million of Galaxy mobile phones were sold in Australia, according to the press release. In 2019, the ACCC initiated a case against the tech giant for deceptive advertising of water resistant features of Galaxy branded mobile phones.
UNI
