- Samsung Electronics Australia has been ordered to pay $14 million in penalties after admitting it misled consumers about the features of various Samsung Galaxy phones
- The ACCC lead the proceedings against the electronics company, bringing focus to the water-resistance of the phones
- Between 2016 and 2018, Samsung Australia completed a marketing campaign which suggested the Galaxy phones could be submerged in pool or seawater
- The company now acknowledges the charging port could become damaged when submerged in water
Samsung Electronics Australia has been ordered to pay $14 million in penalties after admitting it misled consumers about the features of various Samsung Galaxy phones.
The ACCC lead the proceedings against the electronics company, bringing focus to the water-resistance of the phones.
Between 2016 and 2018, Samsung Australia completed a marketing campaign that suggested the Galaxy phones could be submerged in a pool or seawater.
However, the company has now backflipped on this campaign, acknowledging the charging port could become corroded and stop working if the phone was charged whilst still wet.
ACCC Chair Gina Cass-Gottlieb said the advertising campaign misled consumers.
“We reviewed hundreds of complaints from consumers who reported they experienced issues with their Galaxy phones after it was exposed to water and, in many cases, they reported their Galaxy phone stopped working entirely,” she said.
Samsung Australia has accepted it violated Australian Consumer Law by falsely advertising the water-resistant feature.
The ACCC has encouraged consumers who experienced damage to their Galaxy phone from submerging it in water to contact Samsung Australia.