A Lviv resident who ordered a Samsung washing machine online is suing the manufacturer after the appliance sent to him had control panel instructions in a language other than Ukrainian. Lviv is located in western Ukraine, a predominantly Ukrainian-speaking region.
Svyatoslav
Litinsky, a senior lecturer at the Ivan Franko National Univeristy in Lviv, told
local media that the Samsung washing machine he purchased from the online store
Deshevshe violated the law on
the principles of state language policy by not having product labeling or marking
in the official state language, which is Ukrainian.
“Samsung Electronics Ukraine Company doesn’t consider
the lawsuit of Mr. Litinsky S.V. to be valid. However, the company is seriously
concerned about this lawsuit, since Samsung Electronics historically made every
effort to provide its consumers all over the world with products of unrivaled
quality, comfort and functionality,” the company said in a statement sent to Kyiv Post.
Furthermore, the company said, “All the
products of Samsung Electronics Ukraine which were officially imported to Ukraine
correspond to the acting legislation of Ukraine, including regulations related
to the writings made on home appliances. Thus, the model of Samsung washing
machine, which became the subject of the lawsuit, includes the manual, which
contains detailed instructions in Ukrainian, with translations of all the
writings and symbols, located on control panels.”
Litinsky referred to a section of the
consumer rights protection law and the law on state language policy, under
which the national and regional languages must be present on goods.
He is seeking
compensation from Samsung in the amount of Hr 105, or $13.
Nadia
Brihinets, department head at the State Inspection of Ukraine for Consumer Rights
Protection, said in an interview with Lviv 24 news that
consumers’ rights protection laws state that labels on all appliances should be
available in the state language.
If the
necessary information is not available in the state or regional language on the
item, then a fine of 30 percent of the cost of the item should be imposed on
the seller, she added.
Litinsky told local media he was
acting in defense of Ukrainian-speaking consumers and he expects to win his
case.
A Lviv court held its first hearing
of the case on Monday, Feb. 18.
Kyiv Post staff writer Christopher J.
Miller can be reached at [email protected].
