Cellphone case company's splashy claim does not hold water, says ASA

A cellphone case that is supposed to be “water-resistant” could not withstand a splash of water from a sprinkler.

That is what Mona Coetzee claimed in her complaint to the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) about Rugged SA’s ELITE 360° Tank Armor Case for her iPhone 8.

The company states in the online advertisement for the product that it is: “Water-resistant. Waterproof grade with IP54‚ effectively prevent splash in life without mobile phone invasion‚ leisure constraints.”

The ASA said they gave Rugged SA a chance to refute the allegations and back up its sales claims.

“Instead‚ [Rugged SA] chose not to respond to the complaint.”

When TimesLIVE visited the online advertisement on Tuesday evening‚ it was still up - and still claimed the product was water-resistant.

The ASA said the advertisement showed a picture in which a “substantial amount” of water is splashed on the phone.

“It makes the somewhat incomprehensible claim‚ ‘Effectively prevent splash in life without mobile phone invasion’‚ which the Directorate [ASA] understands to mean that it prevents harm to the mobile phone for the normal splashes one might encounter in life.”

The ASA said a reasonable consumer cannot expect a case to protect their phone when they go swimming or the phone is submerged‚ but can expect protection from a splash of water.

The ASA ruled the claims are unsubstantiated and therefore misleading.