Samsung found itself in a legal fight with a customer from B.C. who wasn’t happy with the trade-in value they got for one of their devices.
The South Korean tech giant lost the tribunal decision that was posted online today.
RV, the applicant in the tribunal hearing, said that Samsung Electronics Canada “improperly changed” the trade value for his phone from $145 to $58. He claimed damages for the difference of $87 and $1,000 in punitive damages.
Samsung confirmed that it originally quoted $145, but added that RV didn’t disclose the damage that his phone had incurred, so it reduced the value to $58.
RV purchased a new phone from Samsung in May 2023 and, as part of the sale, traded in his old device. Samsung offers a tool on its website that allows you to assess a phone’s trade-in value before purchasing a new one. RV used the tool, which showed him a value of $145.
After that, he completed the purchase of his phone, minus the $145. He also sent his old phone to Samsung’s assessor, Assurant.
Assurant found damage, which led to Samsung reducing the value. On June 22, 2023, RV complained that there was no damage to the phone. Samsung offered an increased trade-in of $101.50, which RV didn’t accept. RV also requested more information about the alleged damage in an email that Samsung did not respond to. They also failed to respond to a follow-up email he sent.
On July 5, 2023, Samsung charged RV an additional $97.44.
Photos of the trade-in device were submitted as evidence.
“I find Samsung’s own photos prove the front display was functioning, and that there were no issues with the front glass. Because Samsung provided no photos of the phone’s back, I infer there were no issues with the phone’s back glass,” the tribunal said.
The tribunal accepted that the phone had some chips, but referred to them as “very minor cosmetic issues.”
The tribunal found that Samsung wasn’t entitled to reduce the value, and ordered the tech giant to repay RV $87.
While the tribunal dismissed RV’s claim for $1,000 in punitive damages, they did order Samsung to pay CRT fees. In total, Samsung was ordered to pay RV $219.66.