leeds, west yorkshire, united kingdom – 7 july 2021: sign above the samsung experience store on briggate in leeds
The Competition and Market Authority (Agcm) announced a new sanction for Samsung Electronics Italia, the Italian division of the Korean giant, and for the partner company Personal Renting. The sanction came due to the smartphone and tablet rental service. According to Agcm, in fact, this service would present some violations of the law. In particular, the sanction is linked to misleading advertising messages and an aggressive commercial policy on the part of Personal Renting. Let’s see the details.
Samsung fined for cell phones for hire by Agcm
The fine for Samsung is 150 thousand euros while Personal Renting has received a fine of 300 thousand euros. The Samsugn smartphone and tablet rental service provided for a 24-month contract but the companies would have omitted essential information such as the presence of significant penalties in the event of damage or loss of the device. Personal Renting was also sanctioned for aggressive business practice. We will see if the company will propose a service of this type again in the future after the sanction received by Agcm.
The Authority’s comment
According to reports from Agcm, Samsung has “spread misleading advertisements regarding the rental service offer using statements and omitting some essential information, such as the application of important penalties in case of damage or loss of the rented devices”. Agcm also underlined that the modest amount of the sanction is linked to the collaborative attitude of the two companies that facilitated the investigations.