On Thursday, Australia’s competition regulator announced that a court ordered Samsung Electronics’ local unit to pay a A$14 million ($9.65 million) penalty for nine misleading advertisements about a water-resistance feature in some of its smartphones.
The Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC) said Samsung Australia admitted to misleading buyers of some of its ‘Galaxy’ phones about the level of water resistance. The company was first sued by the regulator in July 2019.
In a statement, Samsung Australia stated that this was not an issue with its newer, current models.
According to the regulator, between March 2016 and October 2018, the company advertised in-store and on social media that the phones could be used in pools or sea water.
Samsung and the ACCC accepted that adjustments introduced to latest models of smartphones launched in Australia beginning in March 2018 did not pose such risks from water exposure, according to the corporation.
