Samsung Electronics has spent up big on an advertising blitz to raise awareness of its recall of faulty washing machines responsible for dozens of house fires across Australia.
But it has come two years too late, with a law firm already canvassing the potential for class action on behalf of consumers who have been injured or had their homes and property damaged by the machines because they were unaware of the recall.
The advertising campaign comprises prominent ads across major metropolitan newspapers and associated websites including smh.com.au; metropolitan and regional radio stations; second-hand reseller sites eBay and Gumtree, which were found to be advertising the recalled machines as late as last week; social media sites including Facebook and Twitter; and search engines.
Media analyst Steve Allen estimated the blitz could cost Samsung up to $180,000.
Fairfax Media last week revealed more than 83,000 of nearly 150,000 faulty Samsung washing machines sold across Australia had not yet been serviced to prevent a water leakage fault which can cause electrical fires, despite a recall of the six affected models being issued back in April 2013.
Samsung said there were 181 "incidents" nationwide since the recall, including over-heating, smoking or catching fire, though Fairfax Media believes these may be under-reported due to many local fire authorities not always recording the brand of appliance involved in an electrical fire.
Fair Trading NSW, which has been working alongside Samsung in managing the nationwide recall, said it believed Samsung had made "genuine repeated efforts to alert and contact consumers".
However numerous consumers said they were never contacted directly by Samsung or the retailer who sold them a faulty machine, despite their contact details being on file.
In the wake of the revelations, compensation law firm Shine Lawyers said it has been in discussion with affected consumers and was considering launching a class action against Samsung.
Shine Lawyers solicitor Peter Gibson said Samsung could face hundreds of thousands of dollars in compensation claims as a result of its faulty washing machines causing injury and property damage.
"Those affected may be able to recover compensation for pain and suffering, medical and rehabilitation costs and costs for the repair and replacement of damaged property," Mr Gibson said.
"If there are ongoing health effects, consumers may also be able to recover damages for future medical treatment or lost wages depending on their situation."
One of the firm's clients, Debbie O'Keefe, 48, stepped on a piece of burning plastic after her Samsung washing machine erupted in flames at her home near Walkerston in rural Queensland.
"I was taken to hospital by ambulance because I fainted; I couldn't walk properly, it took weeks to heal," she said.
But the emotional repercussions continue to take their toll.
The fire broke up her home; her 18-year-old daughter moved out with her boyfriend because the fire had cracked her bedroom windows.
Ms O'Keefe spent five weeks living in the burnt-out house after the fire, which "smelled disgusting" due to the fire damage, before eventually moving into temporary accommodation paid for by Samsung.
She said the $30,000 repairs to her rented property were taking too long, so she moved out – only to have the real estate agent chase her for rent on the six-month lease she'd signed.
"I just wasn't coping afterwards ... I fell apart," Ms O'Keefe said.
"It was an awful time. I felt like I was fighting the world ... I couldn't stop crying."
Samsung reimbursed Ms O'Keefe for damaged contents but she believed she was "dudded", with the company chasing her for receipts for damaged items during the "stressful" aftermath, and awarding compensation at depreciated value.
It's a similar story to the one told by the Jordan family, which is still negotiating compensation with Samsung four months after a January house fire.
Ms O'Keefe is now living with her son Zac, 23, on the northern beaches of Mackay.
She said she would be "at the top of the list" to join the class action lawsuit if it goes ahead.
Mr Gibson said manufacturers had a legal duty to ensure consumers using their products weren't exposed to harm, and could be held liable for "any defect in the product or its components under common law negligence or Australian Consumer Law".
After questioning by Fairfax Media, federal minister Bruce Billson last week asked the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), which has overarching regulatory authority over product recalls in Australia, to assess Fair Trading NSW's effectiveness in handling the Samsung product recall.
Mr Billson said he believed the recall was "ineffective".
Mr Gibson said Samsung should be doing "all it reasonably can" to address the defective products "as a matter of priority".
