Premium tech and electronics company Samsung has topped the NSW Fair Trading’s complaints register with more than 400 complaints in just the first six months of this year.
From January to June 2023, Samsung racked up 416 complaints, where the quality and supply of the goods, conduct of the company, and requests for refunds were amongst the common issues.
NSW Fair Trading Commissioner Natasha Mann said the organisation receives more than 80,000 requests each year from consumers requiring its helps sorting out issues, and that publicly releasing details of the complaints worked to create a fairer marketplace.
“Many of these complaints could be avoided if businesses resolved disputes more efficiently with their customers when things go wrong,” she said.
“Consumers have a right to repairs, replacements and refunds if a product or service they pay for isn’t up to scratch.
“They should also expect that any problems with a seller are handled and resolved within a reasonable time frame.”
Samsung sells electronics goods including mobile phones and televisions, as well as whitegoods such as fridges and washing machines, in Australia.
In a statement to Information Age, Samsung said it apologised to customers for any inconvenience.
“The resolution of consumers’ grievances has been our priority,” the statement said.
“While we have recently had a month-on-month decrease in cases, we are committed to continually improving our customers’ experiences.”
Fellow tech giant Apple found itself at number 9 on the list, with 103 complaints received by Fair Trading related to the quality of its goods, service, and repairs.
Mann said all complaints to Fair Trading are carefully assessed before deciding what action to take, which can include advice to the seller, warnings, and penalty notices.
“NSW Fair Trading takes every legitimate complaint seriously and carefully determines what action should be taken to resolve the issue and protect consumers.”
Consumers can lodge complaints to NSW Fair Trading here.
