Samsung, the company in trouble for allegedly copying the iPhone when it came out, is in even more trouble today. Seems the South Koreans have come out in a rash after various tech bloggers accused the company of conning them into being tradeshow reps for them - and if they didn't do it, they couldn't get home.
One report in today's Guardian reveals that two bloggers were told by Samsung "it would pay for their flights and accommodation to cover the IFA trade fair in Berlin, where the season's biggest tech announcements are made, under an outreach programme called Samsung Mobilers. But the dream turned sour when Clinton Jeff and a colleague were told on arriving that they would be issued with uniforms and expected to work as staff on the booths". It was left to Nokia stallholders to help them get home when they refused.
A misunderstanding? Well, somebody else has come forward alleging similar and it's feared it could be the tip of the iceberg. The Guardian says "Quiqueré, who has been a "brand ambassador" for Samsung since 2010, was told she had won a competition to come at the company's expense to the Olympics in London in August, along with a group of bloggers. She went expecting to be a guest at events, because Samsung was a major sponsor of the Olympics, for which it paid more than $100m. Instead the group found that the six-day trip involved barely any visits to events. Instead they were meant to create promotional videos and photos..."
There's no such thing as a free lunch but this does sound, without knowing all the facts, a tad dodgy.
You can read the full blurb here. Suffice to say if they come chapping on our doors the South Koreans will get the Size Queen door (the S3 is just too big for us!) slammed right in their face.
