In order to combat the grey market in Mexico, Samsung will begin to lock mobile phones that are illegally imported and sold in the country. Motorola had implemented similar measures before.
Samsung said that from this Wednesday, will be those in the past three weeks in Mexico to activate the illegal import of cell phones to lock. The company said, “At Samsung Mexico, we are committed to the safety of our users and comply with local regulations in each country where we operate. Starting October 11, those smartphones from the gray market that have been activated in Mexico since September 21, 2023 will be locked.”
Additionally the company said that for those affected by the lockout, it will offer a 30% discount coupon that can be used on its official website, which is valid until December 31, 2023.
The so-called gray market has become a major headache for Mexican handset makers, with some brands importing a quarter of their handsets into Mexico illegally, according to industry data. These devices are brought into Mexico by third parties and are often sold at lower prices, but do not comply with local standards and can pose risks; a problem that has become so serious that manufacturers are now not only resorting to tactics such as locking up their phones, but also seeking to change the law to prohibit them.
In fact, in mid-February of this year, Samsung began to send messages to users of illegally imported phones warning them that their phones did not comply with Mexican regulations, while in July of last year Motorola became the first company to begin blocking the gray market for the purchase of devices.
At the time, Samsung’s legal director in Mexico, Daniel Pérez-Cirera Santacruz, said that they had found that between 15% and 20% of Samsung phones sold in Mexico came from the gray market, a number that changes every month; however, for other companies, the number could be as high as 25%.
Samsung also said that they will conduct a communication campaign to warn users of the consequences of purchasing gray market phones, with the participation of its manufacturers and industry participants.
Samsung and Motorola are said to account for nearly half of all smartphone sales in Mexico, and more companies are expected to take such measures.
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