Samsung admits to misleading buyers on THIS Galaxy smartphone feature, fined Rs 75.50 crore in Australia: Report

Samsung Electronics, one of the world's largest smartphone makers, has been fined $9.65 million by Australia's competition commission for making a misleading claim on its smartphones. Samsung's Australian unit reportedly admitted to misleading buyers about some water-resistance features, the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC) said, Reuters reported. 

ACCC had booked the company in 2019. According to the news agency, the agency's chief at the time had said the company "falsely and misleadingly" claimed Galaxy phones were suitable for use in all types of water. 

The agency said between March 2016 and October 2018, Samsung ran advertisements claiming the phones could be used in pools or sea water but the competition commission received several complaints that they didn't work properly in water. Some smartphones broke down after being exposed to water. 

ACCC Chair Gina Cass-Gottlieb said the claim became an important selling point for the phones and many customers had been exposed to the misleading advertisements. 

With inputs from Reuters