back to article Samsung: Posting of fake HTC hate was 'unfortunate'

Samsung staffers slated smartphone arch-rival HTC in fake online reviews - and now a Taiwanese watchdog is investigating. Sammy has since ended the practice of allowing its employees to post anonymous comments, describing the whole affair as "unfortunate" and one that went against its "fundamental principles". It has even been …

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  1. Frankee Llonnygog

    The recent incident was unfortunate

    As in, 'unfortunately, we got caught'.

    1. Crisp

      Re: The recent incident was unfortunate

      I was just thinking the exact same thing. Why is it that they always say something like that only when they get caught.

      They then say "We will continue to reinforce education and training for our employees to prevent any future recurrence." like it was some rogue employee that did the deed, rather than an actual co-ordinated marketing strategy. Which I found odd because they admitted that they have suspended anonymous "marketing activities".

      1. Tom 35

        Re: The recent incident was unfortunate

        " like it was some rogue employee"

        It could be + bad management.

        Place I worked before we had a marketing goof buy an "opt in email list", then proceed to spam the crap out of people. Said he was not spamming, it was an "email blast". Went to his boss who did the three monkeys routine even when I warned we would be black listed.

        Then we got black listed...

        Then it was all an unfortunate incident.

    2. LarsG
      Meh

      Re: The recent incident was unfortunate

      Yeah, so now we know why the phone has been getting such 'great' press, bet they also got people to write favourable reviews while knocking HTC down.

  2. Chairo

    Ouch!

    That is pretty much the worst PR nightmare, possible. And Samsung losing the face in front of those Taiwanese is kind of a national shame.

    I guess lots of people will lose their job, soon.

    On a related note- what about all those HTC bashing comments on El Reg?!?

    1. Worm
      Meh

      Re: Ouch!

      Well to be fair, unlocking a HTC is much more convoluted compared to a Samsung. So I am not surprised that there are negative comments on here about HTC.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Ouch!

        You work for Samsung?

      2. EddieD

        Re: Ouch!

        Really?

        Makes this http://www.theregister.co.uk/2011/05/27/htc_bootloader_unlock/

        look kind of suss...

        1. Worm

          Re: Ouch!

          As stated - more convoluted, not impossible. Mainly because they are shipped with potentially different versions of the ROM. In the point and click age who wants to scroll tirelessly though hundreds of suggested ROM names until you find the right one?

        2. Worm

          Re: Ouch!

          Well just like the Olympics I only use tech that has been field tested for 2 years+

          (either that or I buy cheap 2nd hand phones)

          But from my perspective I stand by my comment, my desire was a bitch to unlock but my S3 was a whore in comparison.

          1. Frankee Llonnygog

            Re: Ouch!

            "my desire was a bitch to unlock"

            And that, sir, is poetry.

        3. Raz

          Re: Ouch! @EddieD

          It would have been nice to happen to all HTC phones. I bought an Amaze 4G in December 2011. It came, of course, locked. I was able, using HTC's site, to get a code to unlock the bootloader so I can install new ROMs, but I did not get S-OFF.

          S-OFF came relatively late, probably 6 months (which means ages in mobile) in the life of the phone, and it implies a wire trick, not only messing around with software. See for yourself http://unlimited.io/juopunutbear.htm

          I am not even sure if there are more complicated procedures to get S-OFF on any other Android phone.

          The fact that it is hard to S-OFF and the method came late made a lot of developers leave the Amaze 4G, and as a consequence the ROM variety is not that great, which is a factor for me when choosing a phone.

          The phone hardware is nice, but HTC would have to be light years ahead of everyone next time I will buy a phone to be even considered in my choice. Before I had an HTC/Tmobile G2, which was easier to S-OFF.

          I never owned a Samsung, so I can't comment on that.

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Ouch!

      "That is pretty much the worst PR nightmare, possible."

      Anyone involved with the BBC in the last year would probably disagree with that...

      1. Chairo
        Pint

        Re: Ouch!

        Anyone involved with the BBC in the last year would probably disagree with that...

        Well, I wouldn't call that history a "PR nightmare" anymore, however. I suppose there are degrees of catastrophic failure that are off the normal scale.

        Depressing - I think I need a beer now...

    3. MrXavia
      Holmes

      Re: Ouch!

      Forgetting to include an SD card slot on their flagship phone is worthy of HTC Bashing...

      Its like they looked at apple and went, what bad feature can we copy?

  3. Anonymous Coward
    Megaphone

    Haven't Microsoft been doing this for years?

    How do they get away with it?

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Haven't Microsoft been doing this for years?

      Are you suggesting Eadon works for a MS PR firm?

      Eadon always manages to make me think that the MS alternative is better than the world view he presents... And I suspect Steve Ballmer may be his father....

  4. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Dirty.

  5. Combustable Lemon
    Trollface

    They aren't quite at the same level as Apple yet then...

    They had to pay people to do it.

    *Is not paid by anyone, just couldn't resist, honest..*

  6. Turtle

    Terminological Inexactitude!

    "Now the Taiwanese Fair Trade Commission has launched a false advertising probe that could clobber Samsung (2011 net income: $18.3bn) with a fine of up to $836,595 (25m New Taiwan dollars, £547,000)."

    I'm not sure that "clobber" would be the right word. Better choices might have been "tickle" or "amuse' or "beguile" or "induce laughter in".

  7. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Samsung are deceptively putting other manufacturer's sub-par panels in their TV's

    Samsung are also deceptively putting other manufacturer's sub-par panels in their TV's. Pretty sly really :-

    "Many DON'T HAVE SAMSUNG PANELS - HUGE quality difference"

    http://www.amazon.com/review/R32G9D1HHDBR45/ref=cm_cr_pr_viewpnt/177-9464537-3398446#R32G9D1HHDBR45

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Samsung are deceptively putting other manufacturer's sub-par panels in their TV's

      You know you are buying a TV right, not a TV panel???

      1. Destroy All Monsters Silver badge
        Thumb Down

        Re: Samsung are deceptively putting other manufacturer's sub-par panels in their TV's

        "Pretty sly really"

        That makes no sense. "Oh yeah, I will totally ruin my brand by passing off bad quality stuff with my name prominently on it".

        Not even creating a secondary label? I don't think so.

    2. Fihart

      Re: Samsung are deceptively putting other manufacturer's sub-par panels in their TV's

      Yeah, it's called second sourcing. Most manufacturers use components from a range of suppliers -- often from rivals, most obviously when they don't themselves make a suitable component. Hard drives are a good example -- where a manufacturer didn't make a drive of a particular size they'd add one from a rival (and probably the rival did the same).

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Samsung are deceptively putting other manufacturer's sub-par panels in their TV's

        Fihart: "...second sourcing. .."

        But this particular case has a more distasteful stench to it than you're acknowledging. The devil is in the details. Take a close look at the Amazon reviewers comments. Its not that Samsung don't make the components that they need, its that within the same model range, they are *sometimes* using sub-par components from their competitors.

        Now why are they ONLY SOMETIMES doing that? And why isn't it necessary to disclose this on the outside of the box? Instead you have to order the TV off Amazon, open it up, and then return it if you find you've been sold a dud. That is pretty sly, because most consumers won't know to check these details... Even if they've read reviews, they won't know their supposedly identical TV model may differ substantially in quality...

        It appears that Samsung is playing the same game albeit on a component level. But its the screen for Christ-Sake. I for one find this game a little underhanded. but I'm grateful to the power of the marketplace that disgruntled buyers have used Amazon to spread the word. The power of the branding, eh?

  8. LPF

    Well....

    It certainly does explain some of the forum posts on the reg regarding the iPhone 4 and the bruhaha over apple maps, I wonder how many people were samsung tools making it a bigger deal than it was!

  9. MrXavia
    Facepalm

    I doubt they are the only ones that do this....

    If Apple/HTC/Nokia/Microsoft are not at this kind of game, I would be shocked...

    1. The_Regulator

      Pretty sure MS has no-one here at El Reg

      I just mention something good about WP or win 8 and I get the barrage of thumbs down.....

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