Well, the latest reports don’t seem to be good for Samsung’s marketing team, as Samsung Australia has been fined a penalty of A$14 million ($9.65 million) over misleading water resistance claims in its Galaxy smartphones. A good number of Samsung phones are touted to be water-resistant, and it is claimed that these Galaxy phones could be used in pools or seawater. But the truth is not what was advertised by Samsung.
Samsung phones, similar to other phones on the market, come with an IP rating to show water-resistant levels. Besides, these phones are water-resistant, not waterproof. There are certain limitations that one must keep in mind. For instance, an IP68 rating certifies that the device can be submerged in 1.5 meters of water for up to 30 minutes. However, it must be submerged in freshwater since the tests for assigning these ratings are conducted in controlled lab conditions. The devices are not tested in a swimming pool or at the beach.
This is Samsung’s second time getting penalized for the same misleading claim by ACCC
According to an official media release, Samsung Australia has been penalized for misleading its buyers of some of its Galaxy phones would function properly even when submerged (to a certain level) in all types of water. Moreover, the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC) said that Samsung Australia has admitted to these false claims on its smartphones. In fact, this is not the first time the ACCC has sued Samsung. Notably, the ACCC first sued the company back in 2019 for the same misleading water-resistance claims.
The ACCC said that between March 2016 and October 2018, Samsung ran in-store and social media advertisements that included nine ads claiming their phones could be used in pools and seawater. They received multiple user complaints from Samsung buyers saying that their phones would not function normally or even stop working entirely when exposed to water. Samsung is yet to respond or comment on this matter.
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