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Italy threatens Apple with fine, temporary closure of operations over warranty demands

Monday, July 2, 2012 · 4:00 pm · 38 Comments

“Apple Inc was threatened with the temporary closure of its operations in Italy and with further fines of up to 300,000 euros ($377,500) if it does not offer customers a free two-year warranty as demanded by Italian law,” Reuters reports.

“Italy’s AGCM competition and market authority has already imposed fines of 900,000 euros on divisions of Apple, which offers a paid technical support service, for failing to tell customers about their rights to free assistance,” Reuters reports. “But months after the previous fine, Apple has failed to comply with the antitrust request, the watchdog said.”

Reuters reports, “The AGCM said in its monthly bulletin that Apple was continuing to adopt unfair commercial practices in Italy and noted this could eventually lead to the closure of its Italian operations for up to 30 days.”

Read more in the full article here.

Categories: News

Tags: Italy, warranty

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Comment Feed

38 Comments

AshvlEd

Monday, July 2, 2012 - 4:05 pm · Reply

The Italians should lighten up. You want two years warranty, then pay for it like the rest of the civilized world.
- Ton
  
  Monday, July 2, 2012 - 4:18 pm · Reply
  
  If Apple wants to sell in the whole of Europe they should warant for 2 years like the rest of the world. Read something about EU consumer protection?
  - Derek Currie
    
    Monday, July 2, 2012 - 4:52 pm · Reply
    
    Of course!
    
    And at the same time, Apple should jack up the prices of all its products the cost of 1 year of AppleCare. It really is that simple and that punitive.
    
    Tough if you don’t like it EU. You pay for what you get.
    - Ton
      
      Monday, July 2, 2012 - 5:13 pm · Reply
      
      Nonsense. You’re saying Apple stuff is allowed to break after 1 year? The EU demands for consumers that the manufacturers warrant basic expected use for their sold products. That is at least 2 years for consumer goods. If Apple’s products are so much better then their competitors then they should have no problem picking up the tab for that 1 time it does go wrong. Btw Apple is not the only one trying to get the consumer to pay extra. All cons.goods. outlets try to sell some kind of ‘insurance’ some with extra’s like on-site pickup and return. Not all get press coverage offcourse.
      - Ivar
        
        Tuesday, July 3, 2012 - 6:12 am · Reply
        
        Yes! Civilized world? Do you think they know that the art collection in Florence alone is larger than the art collection in the rest of the entire world? I am not crazy about Italy, but a lot of civilization springs from it.
        
        An iPhone, Macbook etc should last as long as 3 years at least. In my opinion, the last longer than that for the build quality of Apple products, so it should not be a big deal.
        
        Civilized world. The nerve!
  - Tessellator
    
    Monday, July 2, 2012 - 6:53 pm · Reply
    
    Just include the price of Applecare in the MSRP. Bam, problem solved: 3 year warranty included with all apple products.
    
    That the Italians will pay more for products is to be expected (after all nothing is free). If they want to pay less they can just buy it in a another EU country and carry it back across the border.
- dev
  
  Monday, July 2, 2012 - 6:37 pm · Reply
  
  America is not part of the civilised world – it is merely the richest country.
  - Abraham Bainbridge
    
    Monday, July 2, 2012 - 8:16 pm · Reply
    
    It depends on what you measure. Average wealth per adult in the USA is below that of many significant countries. By this measure USA is about tenth, and is slipping fast.
  - Radio
    
    Monday, July 2, 2012 - 8:25 pm · Reply
    
    Not the smartest, either
    You do pay very low taxes though
- davylow
  
  Tuesday, July 3, 2012 - 9:50 pm · Reply
  
  Apple can increase the unit price to pay for the ‘free’ warrantee, like other companies do that sell within Italy.
Malvado

Monday, July 2, 2012 - 4:16 pm · Reply

Govt knows best
althegeo

Monday, July 2, 2012 - 4:18 pm · Reply

Italians want everything done their way.

Take their government debt for instance. Please.
Goalie

Monday, July 2, 2012 - 4:23 pm · Reply

I’ve got a better idea, Just leave Italy all together. Better yet, sell then at the boarders of Italy and you won’t have to worry about it. They will still take them back into the country but Apple won’t have to pay for some bullshit idea and their government won’t get a dime. haha
- Derek Currie
  
  Monday, July 2, 2012 - 4:54 pm · Reply
  
  Nah. Give Italy want they want:
  Higher prices for Apple products.
Bimmerdude

Monday, July 2, 2012 - 4:24 pm · Reply

if you chose to do business in a country then you must abide by their laws.. it seems that we require that of foreign countries as well. Our laws end at the shoreline.. if apple dislikes giving free 2 year warranty service they can choose not to do business there… that my friends s called capitalism!
- Pridon
  
  Monday, July 2, 2012 - 4:52 pm · Reply
  
  Simple. Raise the PX in Italy by 10 Euros and gvie the buyers a free second year. Then the Italians can buy them from another European country that are part of the customs union and import them duty free.
  
  Do you really think Samdung is offering a two year warranty on their POS tablet.
  
  Italy tolerates sale of knockoffs of its Italian designer handbags sat kiosks at nearly every tourists sites. Scammers abound. No ADA type protections for physically impaired and no smoking regulations. And they are worried about a two year warranty. I was sorely disappointed with Italy in a recent visit.
  - chrisca123
    
    Tuesday, July 3, 2012 - 1:36 am · Reply
    
    “Raise the PX in Italy by 10 Euros and gvie the buyers a free second year. ”
    
    They already have a free second year.
  - Nicholas De Leo
    
    Tuesday, July 3, 2012 - 5:52 am · Reply
    
    No smoking regulations?
    Italy was the first country in Europe to approve a total smoking ban in all public places. It hasn’t even happened now in countries like Germany or Austria…
    No ADA-like protections?
    Are sure you’ve been in Italy?
- m159
  
  Tuesday, July 3, 2012 - 9:52 am · Reply
  
  I’ve been in Italy for the last three weeks. Does the warrantee requirement apply domestically? While they make some fantastic things like expresso machines, they also make stuff that couldn’t possibly last two years. And by the way, Apple appears to have sold tons of devices here.
Zulia

Monday, July 2, 2012 - 4:31 pm · Reply

They are just bitter because they lost the Eurocup 4:0 to Spain! What a beating they got!
- Observer
  
  Monday, July 2, 2012 - 4:54 pm · Reply
  
  Ouch :-O
  - Derek Currie
    
    Monday, July 2, 2012 - 4:56 pm · Reply
    
    Warning!
    There will be no football hooliganism around here!
- Fútbol Fan
  
  Monday, July 2, 2012 - 6:30 pm · Reply
  
  LMAO… You do have a good point!
- alyode
  
  Tuesday, July 3, 2012 - 5:49 pm · Reply
el Tritoma

Monday, July 2, 2012 - 4:32 pm · Reply

there has to be more going on than what is in this article. apple can’t be that dumb. why aren’t they getting the same treatment from all the other european countries since it is not just an italian law?
Raymond in DC

Monday, July 2, 2012 - 4:36 pm · Reply

If they want a longer warranty they can procure Apple Care. Alternatively, Apple could just raise the price for all to cover the longer warranty mandated by the government.

In a free market, the customer can decide whether the warranty is long enough. They don’t need the government to tell them.

My iMac is just over 4 years old. Not a lick of trouble. And except for a little gunk on the keyboard, still looks like new.
- Derek Currie
  
  Monday, July 2, 2012 - 4:57 pm · Reply
  
  You got it @Raymond In DC! We have attained harmonic convergence.
- dev
  
  Monday, July 2, 2012 - 6:40 pm · Reply
  
  A simplistic American response based on the non-existent free-market and the hatred of civilised EU law.
  - althegeo
    
    Monday, July 2, 2012 - 7:20 pm · Reply
    
    Well, at least one European understands America.
    
    P.S. Next time Germany gets frisky, you’re on your own.
    - Ivar
      
      Tuesday, July 3, 2012 - 6:17 am · Reply
      
      How old are you, althegeo? Do you know that we in Europe, yearly invite ALL the veterans from all over the world to celebrate them, applaud them, thank them, put them on a pedestal and cheer them? It has been so long that we are running out of veterans to cheer!
- chrisca123
  
  Tuesday, July 3, 2012 - 1:34 am · Reply
  
  “If they want a longer warranty they can procure Apple Care”
  
  They already have a longer warranty (two years). They do not need to procure AppleCare.
Bobchrb

Monday, July 2, 2012 - 4:44 pm · Reply

Seems to me Apple should just tack on the price of AppleCare which covers them for 3 years include it with each sale and be done with it. So those countries that demand a 2 year warranty AppleCare would already be included in the base price or any product apple sells there. A warranty is an insurance policy, surely the EU cannot expect businesses to free insurance so the cost of that product should reflect that mandated consumer protection.
mrplm

Monday, July 2, 2012 - 5:02 pm · Reply

A warranty is not an insurance policy, it covers product defects for a specified amount of time, it ensures you get what you pay for, and the 2 years term is mandated by a EU directive, Italy is just enforcing it. By the way the directive asks for the seller of the goods to give a 2 years commercial warranty to consumers, the manufacturer can set whatever warranty period it wants, and it is applicable when selling to other businesses. The issue here is for the Apple Store employees not being fair enough communicating warranty rights to consumers and pushing to sell Apple care without being clear on the fact that Apple care just extends the consumer warranty for 1 year.
akismet657

Monday, July 2, 2012 - 6:43 pm · Reply

Italian issue is not isolated. Australian consumer laws provide a statutory warranty that generally exceeds the manufacturers voluntary warranty.

Apple has fixed devices well after their warranty has expired because when push comes to shove they know they will lose in court if the consumer enforced their rights.

Seems that the US is out of step with other markets with regards to consumer protection policies. I have bought goods that come with a 12 month manufacturers warranty but only provides 90 days if sold in the USA.
mrfergus

Monday, July 2, 2012 - 7:27 pm · Reply

Yawn, don’t live in italy so don’t really care.
MEES

Monday, July 2, 2012 - 7:28 pm · Reply

Sell iPhones in Vatican City only
Nicholas De Leo

Tuesday, July 3, 2012 - 5:58 am · Reply

This is not an ITALIAN case, Apple is violating the consumer protection laws which are the same (about consumer warranties) all across the European Union.
Two years means two years, no matter if in Italy, Spain, Germany, Finland or the UK.
By the way there’s a simple trick: anywhere in the European Union, if you buy an Apple computer anywhere but in an Apple Store, you get two years warranty. You just have to be smart enough to buy them in the right place!
I’m in Germany now and I bought my Apple stuff from MediaMarkt. Result: 2 years warranty, like THE LAW requires.
b9bot

Tuesday, July 3, 2012 - 11:50 am · Reply

They say they can’t understand or are confused by Apple’s warranties. What is there to understand? Every Apple product has a 1 year warranty from the date of purchase. If you want to extend that warranty you are able to buy Applecare within that 1 year warranty period to extend your computer purchased warranty with an additional 2 years. Why is this so hard for them to understand?