US Local Broadcaster 'Fox 35 Orlando' Reports
TCL and Hisense Face Class Action Lawsuit for False Advertising
Consumers Claim "No Quantum Dot Technology in QLED TVs"
Similar Complaint Filed with Fair Trade Commission in South Korea
Fox 35 Orlando, a regional broadcast of the US Fox News, recently reported that China's leading TV manufacturers TCL and Hisense have been sued in a class action lawsuit in the US for false advertising and other reasons.
According to industry sources on the 18th, the media reported that TCL and Hisense were sued by US consumers in a class action lawsuit for "falsely advertising that some QLED TVs include QLED technology."
Fox 35 Orlando stated, "Consumers say the products are not satisfactory compared to the price they paid," and pointed out, "If the TVs had been properly marketed to reflect the actual technology installed, consumers would have chosen different TVs or even different manufacturers."
It added, "TCL and Hisense are not as famous as brands like Samsung, but in recent years they have increased their booth and press conference sizes at CES, entered various stores, and improved accessibility," explaining that by promoting premium specifications at relatively affordable prices, they have entered the living rooms of many American households.
Consumers participating in the class action lawsuit claim that TCL and Hisense's products either do not contain quantum dot technology at all or contain it at a negligible level, and that they paid unfairly higher prices because TCL and Hisense deceived consumers. Individual test results showing that the quantum dot technology is either insufficient to function properly or completely absent have reportedly been submitted as evidence in each lawsuit. However, both companies maintain their position that their TVs include the technology and will continue to market them accordingly.
Quantum dots are ultra-fine semiconductor particles only a few ten-thousandths the thickness of a human hair. Using quantum dots in displays allows for wide color reproduction, expressing colors closest to what the human eye sees, and adjusting the light source per pixel to properly display black. TVs using quantum dot materials are generally considered premium products. The term "QLED TV" is understood in the industry to imply that quantum dots are actually used.
In South Korea, Hansol Chemical, which manufactures quantum dot materials, discovered during market research that some of TCL's QLED TV products did not use quantum dot materials and filed a complaint with the Fair Trade Commission in November last year for violating the Act on Labeling and Advertising.
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