AT&T is offering a one-time exchange for water damaged Samsung Galaxy S4 Active that is available for purchase only through its website and retail outlets.
Samsung and AT&T both promoted the Galaxy S4 Active as usable underwater even though it was not waterproof at the time of launch. Samsung offered the Galaxy S4 Active as water-resistant to customers but refrained from offering water damage warranty. Soon several complaints surfaced that the Samsung and AT&T advertisements misled customers, which resulted in damage to S4 Actives.
Several complaints later, AT&T said that Galaxy S4 Active owners can get a replacement for their water-damaged device.
The galaxy S4 was advertised as water-resistant and functional even after immersion in 3 feet water for up to 30 minutes provided all its ports were sealed.
"Samsung designed and tested the Galaxy S4 Active to adhere to IP67 standards for water resistance (1 meter for 30 minutes). If your Galaxy S4 Active has been damaged due to water exposure, bring it back to an AT&T retail store as soon as possible for a onetime exchange for another Galaxy S 4 Active," AT&T said in a statement sent to CNET via an e-mail.
AT&T has disclosed no details of the procedure for exchange of the damaged devices. Maybe the users can simply brings it in to a retail outlet and get a replacement. But AT&T will only exchange the S4 Active if purchased online through its website or from its retail store. So others who have bought it from Samsung or some other carrier may have to wait until the companies launch a similar replacement scheme.
On the other hand, Sony's Xperia Z devices did not report any water-damage complaints, but it doesn't come as a surprise as the company widely advertised that the Xperia Z is water-proof.
