Italy is a country shaped like a boot, and it’s is about to use its geographical likeness to unceremoniously kick the hell out of Apple.
9to5Mac reported recently that Apple’s warranty policies continue to fall foul of Italian authorities. The company was forced to pay a $US1.2 million fine for charging for the second year of AppleCare support and warranty when a free two-year warranty period is a requirement enforced by the European Union.
Now Reuters is reporting that Apple is being threatened with a temporary shuttering of its operations if it doesn’t comply.
The EU is bigger than you Apple... don't think you can mess with them.
Apple can say that its second year they are charging for phone support and third is additional warranty and phone, not that I agree with apple in any shape and hope they gry the boot I just remember hearing this before.
Apple could buy the EU and make everyone wear skivvies for the rest of their lives. I personally hate apple's business practices, but lets be honest, all these fines, and buying back the ipad name in China, its pocket change to apple.
Apple makes a lot of money, but I think Germany, France and the UK might be worth a bit. Apple might have to setle for buying Greece, Ireland and Spain.
LOL +1
At the current exchange rate against the Euro I think that's a slight exaggeration old boy...Christ, the OZ dollar's worth more than the USD.
Good to see a government with enough balls to look after its citizens.
A friend of mine works in a shop that sells mobile phones and accessories and was invided to an Apple unveiling a few years back. the iphone 4 or something. At the end he asked the person giving the talk what the expected life of the unit was. He was told 14 months and then the battery and such would have to be replaced but that the battery was excluded from the 2 year option for the extended warranty.
My friend asked the apple rep how they had gotten arround the mandatory 2 year statutory warranty law enforced by the ACCC.
He got a blank strare and then the Apple rep walked away without giving an answer.
Apparently Apple was under the impresion that their product would be exempt from Australian law. Soon after this is was announced that apple would be delaying the deployment of the iPhone 4 in Australia "becasue they didn't have the manufacturing capacity to fulfill all the orders."
You can draw your own conclusions.
Expected life of an iphone 4 is 14 months?? And Apple will never replace your battery they'll just give you a new phone. Sounds like a made up story mate.
Do you really think a company as big as Apple would purposely break the law and expect to get away with it? They have a public image to uphold and they're under constant scrutiny with people picking them apart constantly. Give me a break with this conspiracy theory garbage and use some common sense.
Every time my friend has gone in to Apple to fix her iphone 4 she seems to walk out with a "refurbished" model and $149 lighter. All within the 2 year contract period. No, his story doesn't sound made up at all.
" Do you really think a company as big as Apple would purposely break the law "
Mac, you gotta be kidding right?
ALL manufacturers and especially the retailers try this one on every single time when they say you're twelve months warranty has expired and it will cost you for repairs.
Yes, I not only think they will, but actually know they do.
Use some of your own common sense and see what's shakin' in the real world.
They reason they get themselves in hot water from time to time is because they fail to properly do their research in other countries before rolling out their products or terms and conditions.
Do you think they'd rather pay millions in fines and damage their reputation worldwide? They have enough money that they don't need to try to scam people for a few extra dollars. Wake up mate. You're wrong.
So in your own words they do break the laws after all??
Ignorance is no excuse.
Not even yours.
Funny, my sister's iPhone 4 was past the 12 months warranty, it stopped working, she took it to Apple, they hooked it up, came back and handed her a refurbished iPhone 4, no charge. So who's lying here?
INTERESTING....you should say that, Sony uses ONLY "refurbished" (second hand) parts on ALL Sony Cyber-Shot compact cameras it repairs. When your camera breaks the replacement part isn't brand new, I think that stinks, specially if it breaks 3 days after you bought it like I did.
"Do you really think a company as big as Apple would purposely break the law and expect to get away with it?"
....if they can get away with it ?...YUP !!!!!!!
I had the 2 year contract period and I walked into get my iphone 4 looked at becasue the home button was sticking. They didnt charge me a cent and they gave me a brand new one.
Did your friend have insurance on her phone?
"Do you really think a company as big as Apple would purposely break the law and expect to get away with it?"
I see what you did there...
Silly duckling, Apple IS the law!
Erp, I meant rabbit.
Not sure if you're trolling and thus won't call you an idiot. Planned obsolescence - it's no conspiracy, but a valid industrial design policy.
I've never used Apple myself, but friends have had all kinds of issues with Apple when they've had problems with their phones. One example is an iPhone that stopped working after 13 months. It took 3 weeks to replace it with a refurbished model. Others have had similar issues. One got their phone back and the wifi didn't work. They wanted to charge her for their own dodgy repair, until she threatened to go to the ACCC
There's a reason Apple & their warranty issues often cause problems and make the news around the world. Never hear that about any other phone manufacturer.
Apple deserve what they get. They treat their customers with contempt after you purchase their prodicts
Sink the boot in big time Italy. We don't need no stinkin' patent trolls.
You're ignorant. Apple's enforcing patents they believe they own, as would (and should) every business, and is looking to enforce them through the correct and appropriate channels. Just because you disagree with their approach doesn't make them "patent trolls".
No, they're patent trolls.
No they're patent trolls. Look at their arguments in court. They used the "rectangle" as "their design" and said competitors could make their tablets different shapes. That's not just what random people said - that's what they presented in courts of law trying to get the Samsung tablet banned. What do you think the whole Pyramid storyline in The Office was poking fun at?
And they "invented" the thin design when competitors made theirs thinner. Now before the iPad other companies had the thinnest tablet. Remember again in a court of law they said that to differ from the iPad they could make their tablet "Significantly thicker" and "With a larger bezel"
I want to go to there
I think there will be more and more of this kind of push back at the manufacturers and the re-sellers.
They've been getting away with shonky treatment of consumers for far too long.
More and more people are becoming aware of their rights these days, and more and more are prepared to stand up for them.
Read through the ACCC's mandatory requirements.
http://www.accc.gov.au/content/index.phtml/itemId/322947
It's kind of surprising just what rights consumers actually have here in Oz at least.
Just recently I heard the ACCC has been given even bigger teeth by the government, only thing Gillard's done right thus far. I had a real estate agent try and get $695 out of me over some dodgy clause in the rental agreement, they backed off when I sicked the ACCC onto them lol.
Legally in australia Apple only has to give 6 months warrenty on its battery. All manufacuters do this and Apple has the best wearrenty system in the world, you walk in with a broken one and they replace it with a new one if its warrenty and if its your fault they charge you $200 bucks,. I cant see any other company doing that for mobiles. To fix a galaxy S3 out of warrenty for say its screen, is $350.00.
Toshiba warrant their batteries for the entire warranty period of the device.
That's better than Apples so called " best wearrenty system in the world "
Yeah, Apple warentees their products for the length of the 2 year warentee.
It's the same thing.
What the person is saying is if something happens OUTSIDE of the warentee, Like you flush it down a toilet or you shater the screen b throwing it at a brick wall, they STILL replace it for $200.
So, the Apple bit off a bit more than it could chew !?! ..guffaw-guffaw-what-eh ?
Why dont they add the cost to the price of the product and include the warranty like every other business has to?
Correct me if I'm wrong, but don't we have to be offered a choice if we want the extended warentee?
Most products I think have a standard warentee that protects a device for a cartain peroid. Like if you buy a washing machine and it blows up in two days.
But I think if you are incorporting an extended warrenty into the final price I believe in Australia we have to have been offered the choice to pay it.
I'm not sure though.
Apple could buy out Italy and the rest of Europe from cash reserves, so Italy being embarrassed by that fact is just chucking it's very light weight around. It's a feel good exercise for a defunct EU that's all.
Apple are well used to those who take cheap shots and can handle them, I think.
I am always amazed by the people who claim to have had a raw deal from Apple. I have bought heaps of them since Apple became available in Australia. Never once have I had a problem with Apple's attitude.
Any problems, and they have been few, have been sorted out quickly and professionally.
The amount of people in this thread that have misspelled 'warranty' is actually quite disturbing.
I was thinking exactly the same thing. And Dr W appears to be under the influence of Apple.
I must admit I'm a bit confused about the situation.
Apple: Hi Italy, this iPhone will cost $500 with 1 year warranty, or $550 with 2 years warranty.
Italy: Actually, you're not allowed to offer less than 2 years of warranty here.
Apple: Oh, ok, in that case this iPhone will cost you $550 with 2 years warranty, I retract my $500 offering.
Italy: SHENNANIGANS!!!
Isn't it just the same as our Australia Tax on electronic devices - we're paying for the extra goodies we come to expect as standard in Australia, like all the things the ACCC enforces?
Good point!