HTC has criticised Samsung for employing underhand tactics by posting fake negative reviews of the HTC One online.
The Taiwanese smartphone manufacturer has lambasted Samsung for allegedly paying Taiwanese students to write damaging online reviews of its flagship HTC One, and vows it will take action to protect itself if necessary.
Hinting that it is considering legal action, an HTC spokesperson said the company was made aware of Samsung’s underhand libellous reviews.
“We are disappointed that a competitor would resort to misleading consumers to discredit our innovation,” said an HTC spokesperson to V3. “HTC values its product innovation and design, and we will take appropriate actions to protect the interests of the company and our customers.”
Samsung has already been made aware of the incident and is taking action to make sure the same doesn’t happen again.
“Samsung Electronics Taiwan (SET) has ceased all marketing activities that involve the posting of anonymous comments, and will ensure that all SET online marketing activities will be fully compliant with the company’s Online Communications Credo,” said Samsung in a statement.
“We regret any inconvenience this incident may have caused. We will continue to reinforce education and training for our employees to prevent any future recurrence.”
The allegations were made in a local Taiwanese publication that said the South Korean company had hired student to criticise the HTC One whilst simultaneously promoting Samsung products like its upcoming flagship the Samsung Galaxy S4.
Samsung is currently being investigated by the Taiwanese Fair Trade Commission over the accusations, despite the company claiming yesterday that it had not yet been informed of the enquiry.
If found guilty, Samsung could face a fine of up to Tw$25 million and incur penalties for false advertising.
The HTC One is currently viewed as the biggest competitor for the South Korean’s upcoming Samsung Galaxy S4 flagship.
The HTC One is being classed as the biggest smartphone innovation currently available, due to its ground-breaking UltraPixel camera technology and photography features as well as its BlinkFeed news and social media aggregator.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
