Electronics

Updated every Monday!   Subscribe to free weekly newsletter.

Samsung Tries to Kill Lawsuits Over Exploding Phones

Everyone has heard about the exploding Samsung Note 7 smartphones by now. Cars have caught fire when the battery in the phone ignited. People have been burned. Airlines banned the phone. And finally Samsung recalled them at a cost of over $5-billion.

But what about people who bought the phone and suffered personal injury or property damage? It seems like Samsung is trying to burn them twice.

*MOUSE PRINT:



20-second CBS Video

What? Deep in the product box they tucked a mandatory arbitration clause on page 16 of the instructions preventing people from suing them. What foresight (and sleaze).

*MOUSE PRINT:

mandatory arbitration

Watch the full CBS News story here.

Updated every Monday!   Subscribe to free weekly newsletter.

T-Mobile Intros Honest Pricing

Last week, T-Mobile announced something novel in the postpaid cellphone industry — the price you see advertised is the price you will actually pay on your bill — all taxes and fees included! And they did this by absorbing those charges not raising their prices.

For years, it has been an obnoxious game played by cell providers, cable companies, and rental car companies to grab your attention with a seeming low price, but then jack up the bill with all sorts of junk fees and taxes. And the real costs were never fully disclosed even in the mouse print of the advertising.

To dramatize the deceptive nature of these pricing ploys, T-Mobile released this short video:



To demonstrate how fees and taxes inflate customers’ bills, TMO offers a comparison.

TMO comparison


But lest you think that T-Mobile has completely found consumer religion, plans other than T-Mobile One still play the old game.

*MOUSE PRINT:

taxes and fees extra

Nonetheless, hats off to T-Mobile for taking the first step to bringing transparent pricing to cell service.

Updated every Monday!   Subscribe to free weekly newsletter.

Can You Drench Your iPhone in Water?

A new TV commercial by Apple depicts a senior citizen leaving his iPhone on loud in a puddle of water next to the swimming pool so he can hear dramatic music as he dives off a high tower.

iPhone sitting in water

Here is the commercial:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=La4HRfL5tV4

At the end of the commercial, the man finally dives into the pool causing a splash of water to hit the iPhone. And miraculously, it still keeps playing music.

water splash

What you probably missed in the commercial is the very faint disclaimer at the very end.

*MOUSE PRINT:

iPhone disclaimer

In case you still can’t read that, it says “Liquid damage not covered under warranty.”

So why does the ad seemingly tout the waterproof or water-resistant properties of the device if they are not willing to stand behind it? We asked Apple, but all a spokesperson would say is:

“iPhone 7 and 7 Plus are splash, water and dust resistance. The entire enclosure was reengineered to make the very first water resistant iPhone, enabling it to handle mishaps such as spills and splashes.”