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> see the Samsung ad which they're currently being hauled over the coals for in Australia. For people not in the know, apparently Samsung is marketing its late

> see the Samsung ad which they're currently being hauled over the coals for in Australia. For people not in the know, apparently Samsung is marketing its latest phones as water proof with ads showing surfers and people fully clothed under water. ACCC does not approve of this, as the phones aren't IP rated for use in salt water. https://www.techradar.com/news/samsung-is-getting-sued-in-australia-for-misleading-galaxy-phone-ads https://www.techradar.com/news/samsung-is-getting-sued-in-au...

wccrawford 7y ago
And if the article I read is true, they aren't honoring the warranty in the case of water damage.
- dannyw 7y ago
  Correct, my phone died after briefly exposing it to salt weather on a beach. I was misled by the ads I saw, there was no implication except in very fine print that saltwater will immediately fry your phone.
  - TeMPOraL 7y ago
    Well, frankly, fuck them. Last year on vacation I was this close to taking my phone to the sea with me, because obviously it's "waterproof" (as their marketing copy tells me). Only my wife reminded me that just because they say it is, doesn't mean it actually is, and especially doesn't mean I should risk my expensive phone to test that theory on vacation.
    - 420codebro 7y ago
      Your wife is a saint. Just imagine how fucking pissed you would of been...
novok 7y ago
Samsung isn’t the only one. Apple is similar too in its carve outs for water damage in it’s warranty. Im guessing samsung weasels out of it by saying water ‘resistance’ vs proof, but still marketing it with surfers and such? My water resistant series 3 apple watch screen died after swimming in a pool the next day to give a personal example.
- citruspi 7y ago
  > My water resistant series 3 apple watch screen died after swimming in a pool the next day to give a personal example. That's... surprising. To be clear, I'm not saying I don't believe you. But I'm definitely surprised - I've got a Series 2 which I get wet every day and even use while swimming and I haven't had any issues. My mother has a Series 2 or 3 which she also regularly uses while swimming. Per Apple's documentation[0] > Apple Watch Series 2, Apple Watch Series 3, and Apple Watch Series 4 may be used for shallow water activities like swimming in a pool or ocean. [0] https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT205000 https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT205000
  - LMMojo 7y ago
    My wife's favorite watch is the Timex Women's Ironman Triathlon 50. The watch is labeled as being water resistant to 50 meters. Most complaints about this watch are that the band is crap and breaks after about a year of unextraordinary use. The other, is that after minimal contact with water, the inside of the watch face steams up. These aren't expensive watches, but they aren't cheap either. Not sure how a watch intended for Triathlon use has a reputation for the band breaking at the slightest stress and the inside of the watch fogging after an ordinary dip in 3 feet of water. How does a watch like this pass QA and not get investigated (or sued) for false advertising?
    - perl4ever 7y ago
      I would assume that it's not a QA issue, but rather it's designed to perform well enough that 95% of customers don't complain. If 95% of customers don't get it wet or don't get particularly angry when they do, then designing it to be more waterproof would under-optimize the company's resources. A lot of the things we take for granted about the benefits of living in a capitalist society are side effects of capitalists traditionally not being very good at their jobs and giving customers stuff/benefits unintentionally. That seems to be going away thanks to IT and increased testing of assumptions.
SkyBelow 7y ago
If someone were to post on twitter about how they would murder Samsung executives, then no matter how many small print disclaimers saying that 'they were talking about killing the expectations of the executives by showing them an enjoyable time like no other' would save them from legal prosecution. Advertisements should be treated the same. The way normal people view implications in the ads constitute the actual ad and no amount of fine print can change that.
logfromblammo 7y ago
They can claim it all they want. When I go to a water-involved activity, my phone goes into a zipper-lock plastic bag that is ostensibly for pills, but is exactly the size required for my phone. Then that bag goes opening-end first into another zippered plastic bag. A capacitative touch screen still works through two layers of plastic water resistance. It's usually the direct sunlight that makes it unusable. Even if I wasn't worried about the water, what about beach sand? If an advertisement told me my phone was bulletproof, and showed a video of one getting shot, I would take extra precautions to ensure that it never came into contact with loose bullets, and to store it well away from ammunition or containers that previously held ammunition. That is how much I proactively mistrust ad content.

wccrawford 7y ago

And if the article I read is true, they aren't honoring the warranty in the case of water damage.

dannyw 7y ago
Correct, my phone died after briefly exposing it to salt weather on a beach. I was misled by the ads I saw, there was no implication except in very fine print that saltwater will immediately fry your phone.
- TeMPOraL 7y ago
  Well, frankly, fuck them. Last year on vacation I was this close to taking my phone to the sea with me, because obviously it's "waterproof" (as their marketing copy tells me). Only my wife reminded me that just because they say it is, doesn't mean it actually is, and especially doesn't mean I should risk my expensive phone to test that theory on vacation.
  - 420codebro 7y ago
    Your wife is a saint. Just imagine how fucking pissed you would of been...

novok 7y ago

Samsung isn’t the only one. Apple is similar too in its carve outs for water damage in it’s warranty. Im guessing samsung weasels out of it by saying water ‘resistance’ vs proof, but still marketing it with surfers and such? My water resistant series 3 apple watch screen died after swimming in a pool the next day to give a personal example.

citruspi 7y ago
> My water resistant series 3 apple watch screen died after swimming in a pool the next day to give a personal example. That's... surprising. To be clear, I'm not saying I don't believe you. But I'm definitely surprised - I've got a Series 2 which I get wet every day and even use while swimming and I haven't had any issues. My mother has a Series 2 or 3 which she also regularly uses while swimming. Per Apple's documentation[0] > Apple Watch Series 2, Apple Watch Series 3, and Apple Watch Series 4 may be used for shallow water activities like swimming in a pool or ocean. [0] https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT205000 https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT205000
- LMMojo 7y ago
  My wife's favorite watch is the Timex Women's Ironman Triathlon 50. The watch is labeled as being water resistant to 50 meters. Most complaints about this watch are that the band is crap and breaks after about a year of unextraordinary use. The other, is that after minimal contact with water, the inside of the watch face steams up. These aren't expensive watches, but they aren't cheap either. Not sure how a watch intended for Triathlon use has a reputation for the band breaking at the slightest stress and the inside of the watch fogging after an ordinary dip in 3 feet of water. How does a watch like this pass QA and not get investigated (or sued) for false advertising?
  - perl4ever 7y ago
    I would assume that it's not a QA issue, but rather it's designed to perform well enough that 95% of customers don't complain. If 95% of customers don't get it wet or don't get particularly angry when they do, then designing it to be more waterproof would under-optimize the company's resources. A lot of the things we take for granted about the benefits of living in a capitalist society are side effects of capitalists traditionally not being very good at their jobs and giving customers stuff/benefits unintentionally. That seems to be going away thanks to IT and increased testing of assumptions.

SkyBelow 7y ago

If someone were to post on twitter about how they would murder Samsung executives, then no matter how many small print disclaimers saying that 'they were talking about killing the expectations of the executives by showing them an enjoyable time like no other' would save them from legal prosecution. Advertisements should be treated the same. The way normal people view implications in the ads constitute the actual ad and no amount of fine print can change that.

logfromblammo 7y ago

They can claim it all they want. When I go to a water-involved activity, my phone goes into a zipper-lock plastic bag that is ostensibly for pills, but is exactly the size required for my phone. Then that bag goes opening-end first into another zippered plastic bag. A capacitative touch screen still works through two layers of plastic water resistance. It's usually the direct sunlight that makes it unusable. Even if I wasn't worried about the water, what about beach sand? If an advertisement told me my phone was bulletproof, and showed a video of one getting shot, I would take extra precautions to ensure that it never came into contact with loose bullets, and to store it well away from ammunition or containers that previously held ammunition. That is how much I proactively mistrust ad content.