Why phone maker Samsung is one state’s most complained about company

Tech giant Samsung has been named as NSW most complained about company, with a surprising item causing the most grievances.

The phone manufacturmer coped more than 400 complaints to NSW Fair Trading in the first half of 2023, the watchdog’s registry has revealed.

The South Korea-based company received a staggering 97 complaints in May 2023 alone, bringing the two-year total to more than 1000.

The data, recently released by the watchdog, also revealed it is white goods, not phones, that are most complained about by consumers.

Since July 2021, consumers had lodged 584 complaints about “electrical, electronic, whitegoods, and gas appliances”.

Smart phones and other mobile accessories came in second with 329 complaints, followed by smart watches and mobile music and gaming.

The majority of the complaints focused on the quality of the items, while others complained about supply of goods and refunds.

The complaint registry also revealed where the most complaints are being made, with more than 90 per cent lodged at one store.

A trader in Sydney Olympic Park coped a whopping 997 complaints, followed by 46 to the online store and one to Liverpool.

Water filtration distributor Tru Water was the second most complained about company in 2023 so far with 321 complaints.

On June 4, NSW Fair Trading issued a public warning to consumers dealing with SPG Consultants Pty Ltd, trading as Blu Water.

According to the data, Tru Water has received 434 complaints since July 2021, almost entirely relating to supply of goods.

Ticketek recorded the third-most complaints this year with 281, while Botox company Injectable Institute Australia coped 168.

Qantas rounded out the top five for the first half of 2023 with 160 complaints, following repeated criticism over delayed flights and services.

NSW Fair Trading Commissioner said Natasha Mann consumers should be informed about the products and services they buy.

“Releasing these complaints empowers everyone to create a fairer marketplace,” she said.

“Many of these complaints could be avoided if businesses resolved disputes more efficiently with their customers when things go wrong.

“Consumers have a right to repairs, replacements and refunds if a product or service they pay for isn’t up to scratch.”

As for June, electronic and white good resellers, as well as online booking services, were well represented.

Samsung-competitor Apple copped 24 complaints in June about its laptops and smart phones, owing to the quality of their goods.

Other notable companies on the list were Qantas – 17 complaints – and retailers JB Hi Fi, Good Guys, and Harvey Norman.

The tech and white good sellers all coped between 10-14 complaints, while Moshtix and Booking.com recorded 10 each.

In a statement, Samsung Australia said it was aware of the recent report by NSW Fair Trading.

“The resolution of consumers’ grievances has been our priority,” the statement read.

“While we have recently had a month-on-month decrease in cases, we are committed to continually improving our customers’ experiences.

“At Samsung, innovation and people are the core of what we do, and we apologise to customers for any inconvenience.

“We also thank each customer for their patience while we work through fulfilling their enquiries.”