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Samsung ear buds causing irritation for some customers

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TORONTO -

When people had to work from home due to the pandemic, sales of home office equipment surged and that included items like headphones and ear buds.

Some companies issued new high end wireless and noise cancelling models like Samsung, which released the Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro in January of this year. 

Johnny Cheng of North York bought a pair for about $260, but said when he started using them he felt irritation in his ears almost right away. 

“I started to have itchiness every time I put them on,” said Cheng. 

Cheng says he didn't wear them very often, but each time he did the irritation got worse so he stopped using them as they became too painful to wear. 

“I started getting itchiness within both ears and one of the ears was getting really red and hot liquid started to flow from my ear," said Cheng.

When he did a Google search he found some other users around the world had also had a bad reaction to the ear buds. 

A Samsung message forum with customer comments showed users complaining of “allergic reactions,” “burning sensation in my ear,” and ears that had become “wet and inflamed.” 

Cheng said when he contacted Samsung Canada someone did take down his complaint, but he said no one got back to him. 

“They are very comfortable and everything is perfect in technical specs. It seems it's the silicone, that there is something in this material that is causing people irritation," said Cheung.

CTV News Toronto reached out to Samsung Canada and a spokesperson told us “Customer satisfaction is Samsung’s top priority.”

“Although rare, certain people experience a reaction to wearing ear buds. This can be as a result of a variety of factors such as allergies, wearing the ear buds for prolonged periods, exposure to sweat or skin care products and other usage habits. We encourage customers to follow the care and use instructions for the device and encourage any customer with questions regarding their Galaxy Buds Pro to reach out to us directly at 1-800-SAMSUNG.”

Consumer Reports has advised that cleaning headphones and earphones is necessary after prolonged use. 

In Cheng's case, he said he only used the Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro several times. After we contacted Samsung Cheung was issued a full refund. 

Some people may be more prone to irritation when using ear buds. If it happens to you stop using them and if you have headphones or ear buds you may want to check the cleaning instructions as cleaning can also help them sound better and last longer.

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