The ads said the phones could be used in swimming pools and seawater, but in reality they weren’t as water resistant, and charging them wet could damage the charging ports.
An unknown number of affected customers went to Samsung for repair. While some did it for free, others had to pay between AU$180 ($126) and AU$245 ($171) to get the job done, the court ruled.
Samsung said the issue only affected the seven models released between 2016 and 2017 and does not affect current phones. The company’s lawyers had initially denied that the company had misled consumers and that the handsets could be damaged by immersion in water.
The fine imposed exceeded Samsung’s profits during the time those ads were running.
Judge Murphy called on Samsung not to cooperate with the investigation, but Samsung denies that. The survey initially included 15 smartphone models and more than 600 advertisements.
Samsung is committed to providing all of our customers with the best possible experience and we regret that a small number of our Galaxy users have experienced an issue with their device related to this matter.” – Samsung said.
