Warranty

Tim Cook issues open letter apologizing for warranty issues in China

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 18, 2016

If you've been reading the news lately, you've probably heard that Apple's been having some major difficulties in China. Over the last few weeks, it's been getting bashed by the state-run CCTV network and Chinese celebrities over its warranty policies.

The main issue is that some folks believe Apple provides customers in China with worse after-purchase service than it does in other countries, with reports claiming it replaces their goods with recycled components instead of new ones like in the US.

Apple has been fairly quiet on the criticism, until today...

EU scolds Apple over AppleCare warranty rights

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 28, 2019

Apple's woes over its shady warranty practices in Europe just took a turn for the worse as the European Union through the mouth of its Justice Commissioner Viviane Reding made it clear it has no intention of letting Apple off the hook. In her speech today, she criticized the tech giant for not complying with consumer laws in many EU states.

The Cupertino firm stubbornly insists on its AppleCare terms of service which aren't in sync with EU laws. The company had been previously reprimanded of failing to communicate in no unambiguous terms to its EU buyers that they are entitled to an additional year of coverage...

Apple’s warranty practices in Europe draw ire of a Belgian watchdog

Christian Zibreg ∙ January 15, 2013

Apple's warranty adventure in the European Union is far from being over. After the company failed to properly communicate to its Italian consumers that they were entitled to a EU-wide two-year warranty (first warranty year provided by the manufacturer and the second by the seller), for which it was fined $264,000 last month and $1.2 million in March, now Apple has gotten itself into trouble with a Belgian consumer watchdog, Test-Aankoop/Test-Achats...

Italy slaps Apple with a $264,000 fine in ongoing AppleCare warranty dispute

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 12, 2018

Autorità Garante della Concorrenza e del Mercato (AGCM), Italy’s antitrust authority, punished Apple over failing to comply with local laws concerning AppleCare warranties, a report Friday noted. After the company had faced a temporary closure of Italy operations and even removed its AppleCare products from all sales channels in the country (except for its online store), the country's regulator nevertheless fined the iPhone maker 200,000 euros, or approximately $264,000. This is in addition to the 900,000 euro (approximately $1.2 million) fine from March over failing to tell customers about their rights to free assistance, as mandated by EU laws...

In Italy, AppleCare products removed over warranty policy shenanigans

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 25, 2016

Bloomberg in October reported of Justice Minister Viviane Reding pushing EU regulators into probing Apple over its ambiguous warranty advertising in the European Union. And earlier in the year, consumer groups demanded that eleven EU countries pressure Apple into complying with EU's consumer laws. As a result, Apple's warranty plans with extended device coverage are about to be pulled from retail channels in Italy. Better still, Apple is finally informing buyers that EU law entitles them to a minimum two-year seller guarantee, free of charge...

EU to probe Apple over ambiguous warranty advertising

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 25, 2016

Bloomberg reports today that EU Justice Minister Viviane Reding is calling for local authorities in the European Union’s member states to see whether Apple complies with local laws pertaining to product warranties. If they determine that Apple did not advertise its warranty policies appropriately, the company could face an EU-wide probe into its practices by all 27 of the European Union’s member states.

Apple already clashed with Italy, where authorities found it guilty of selling its $99 a year AppleCare coverage even though a two-year warranty is mandated by the European Union, for which Apple was fined $1.16 million and even faced temporary closure of Italy operations...

Apple facing temporary closure of Italy operations over warranty scandal

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated April 4, 2018

Just as Apple escaped a snowballing PR catastrophe in Australia over false "4G" iPad advertising (it settled with Australian watchdog for $2.25 million), the company is facing trouble in Italy, where antitrust authorities are threatening closure of Apple's operations in the 60 million people market over misleading consumer with coverage advertising. The company has 30 days to make its case.

Cupertino was found guilty of selling its $99 a year AppleCare coverage even though a two-year warranty is mandated by the European Union. Furthermore, Apple's warranty covers only its products, while EU consumer protection laws require sellers to provide coverage for both first- and third-party products.

What's Apple gonna do in Italy?

Apple clarifies “4G” iPad marketing in Australia, warranty coverage options in the EU

Christian Zibreg ∙ March 30, 2012

Apple's doing lots of clarifying lately, that much is clear. Just this day, the company finally tweaked the problematic "4G" wording for the new iPad in Australia and clarified warranty coverage options in the European Union.

In both these instances, Apple moved only following regulatory pressure or when threatened with class-action lawsuits.

So, if you live in Australia and felt misled with Apple's "4G" iPad marketing in the country, you're in for a treat. Hop over to the iPad specs page on the Australia online Apple store and see an added line stating the device "is not compatible with current Australian 4G LTE networks and WiMAX networks".

Sprint reportedly readying Total Equipment Protection coverage for iPhone

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated April 18, 2016

Sprint, the third largest wireless provider in the United States, is reportedly in the process of readying its own warranty plan that should offer extended coverage to their iPhone customers, if a rumor published by SprintFeed is anything to go by.

The publication stopped short of saying whether Sprint's Total Equipment Protection coverage for the iPhone is anything like Apple's own AppleCare+ extended coverage that allows for two accidental damage repairs with a $49 service in exchange for a one-time payment of $99.

Just like AppleCare+, Sprint's Total Equipment Protection coverage reportedly will have to be purchased within a 30-day window. Sprint's regular Total Equipment Protection warranty covers both mechanical and accidental damage, loss or theft for a monthly payment of eight bucks. This translates to $96 a year or as much as $192 if matching a two-year span offered by the AppleCare+ coverage...

Last Call for iPhone Pre-Order Customers to Purchase AppleCare+

Cody Lee ∙ November 14, 2011

Last month we reported on Apple's latest iteration of its extended warranty service, AppleCare+. The plan differs from previous versions of AppleCare because not only does it extend your device's warranty, but it also adds low-cost coverage for accidental damage.

According to Gizmodo, if you pre-ordered your iPhone 4S or 8GB iPhone 4, today is your last chance to grab AppleCare+ for your new handset. The news comes from the AppleCare+ website, which claims that November 14th is the deadline for customers that pre-ordered...

Apple Relaxes Warranty Policy Involving iPhone’s Liquid Contact Indicator

Jeff Benjamin ∙ February 1, 2011

This is definitely a win for consumers. As you know, Apple places a small Liquid Contact Indicator inside the majority of their devices to identify whether or not the device has been subjected to liquid damage.

The reason for this is because water damage eliminates the consumer from being eligible for AppleCare. In other words, liquid damage isn't covered under warranty.

Obviously directly submerging your iPhone in a body of water is a good reason for Apple to deny your claims, but what if your iPhone's LCI triggered accidentally due to extreme humidity? What then?