Samsung did not answer calls from China Daily as of press time on Thursday.

The company's smartphones became overnight sensations on the Chinese mainland last year, helping the company to achieve a sales volume of more than 30 million to become the country's top smartphone seller. Its market share last year was nearly 18 percent, compared to 11 percent for Apple, according to Strategy Analytics, a market research firm in the United States.

But over the past year, an increasing number of consumers in China have complained that their Samsung phones crash frequently after several months of use. Many said they are dissatisfied with the company's response to its malfunctioning phones.

"I spent 800 yuan ($132) to have my I9300 (a model in the Galaxy S3 series) repaired last week after it turned to a dead brick. But where can I claim the refund?" asked Xu Houyao, a 26-year-old white-collar worker in Shanghai.

Consumers also said they had to pay for repairs even within the warranty period.

"What's ridiculous is the prices in authorized maintenance centers are different and are negotiable," said Cai Mengsha, who was initially charged 960 yuan but paid 700 yuan for repairs to her mobile phone at a store in Shanghai's Xuhui district.

In CCTV's reports this week, it said the smartphones crash because of a faulty memory chip and claimed that the company's customer service policies are different from in other countries and regions.

Consumers in Britain, Japan and Hong Kong can have their products repaired for free, CCTV claimed.

"The electronics giant showed a lack of integrity and commercial ethics toward the consumers on the Chinese mainland and it clearly violates the country's laws and regulations," said Qiu Baochang, head of the legal team of the China Consumers' Association.

"If the company doesn't change their practices, the industrial and commercial administrative agencies can punish it according to the Law on the Protection of Consumers' Rights and Interests."