“A year ago, Italy fined Apple 900,000 euros, or $1.2 million, in response to complaints of ‘unfair commercial practices’ related to the company’s AppleCare product warranties,” Sam Oliver reports for AppleInsider. “The Italian Antitrust Authority deemed that Apple did not provide adequate information to customers about the length of product guarantees, because local laws require companies to protect buyers with a free two-year warranty.”
“AppleCare warranties were eventually pulled from Apple’s retail shelves in Italy last month in response to continuing antitrust concerns associated with European Union warranty laws,” Oliver reports. “Customers can still purchase AppleCare from the company’s website, where a disclaimer notes that the product’s ‘benefits are in addition to two-year warranty from the seller under the Italian legislation to protect consumers.'”
Oliver reports, “While that change made Apple in compliance with the law, the Italian antitrust agency still opted to fine the company an additional 200,000 euros, or $264,000, according to The Next Web.”
Read more in the full article here.
Says more about corrupt Italian legal and political processes.
Rorschach, european law enforces 2 years free warranty for any product, any manufacturer. Apple is a big company, but must respect the law as other firms do.
Apple care extends the warranty from one year to two years, so you are paying twice for something included in the initial price according to the european low.
Apple care also includes replacement if you break the display, for example. That is a plus that indeed must be paid for, but Apple should redefine clearly that AppleCare is ONLY for that.
Right and wrong. And considering the massive corruption in Italy this begins to smell.
UE rules require a two year warrentee for items. Cool. Mfg defects ONLY.
Apple care covers replacement and tech support. . The warrentee only covers mfg defects.
Course if you are a broke country , any excuse for free money is a valid one.
Just a thought.
En
That’s right there’s no corruption in the gold old usa
Wow, how do the Italian espresso machine makers survive? My Italian espresso machines always crap out before 2 years.
You are wrong!
European law does not enforce 2 years real warranty.
Here exists two different warranties.
1) freely voluntary warranty from the factory. (example one year from apple)
2) 2 years warranty from the seller (!), could be walmart, but also Apple-Store, but this includes ONLY defects, that already has existed on purchase.!
In addition: After 6 month, the buyer is in condition of reversal of the burden of proof.
From my point of view, this attack against Apple is completely wrong. The enforced law is not a real warranty, and te be serious, mostly less that the freely warranty.
And unlike Samsung, Apple’s products very rarely screwup anyways. I’ve never Had Nor needed a warranty for an Apple product.
Lucky you. I’ve needed to bring/send in an iMac, three iPods, one iPhone, a Powerbook, an old CRT monitor, and a mouse over the thirty+ stint of my Apple ownership. Always got Applecare. Very thankful that I did.
Tell Tim Cook to check under the cushions for the spare change to pay this.
Hey let’s not forget this is the same Italian government that sentenced a number of scientists to JAIL because they didn’t predict an earthquake a few years ago that ended up killing scores of people.
This is Italian “justice” indeed.
Only $264K? That’s ridiculous. If Apple had done anything seriously wrong the fine wouldn’t be such a pittance.
Euro is predictably wrong. Right here it is. The much misquoted European two year warranty only coves issues present due to a manufacturing defect present from purchase being able to prove this is incredibly hard with accompany like apple rightly having sky high production values. Individuals have to PROVE that the defect was present out if the box.
AppleCare does NOT cover broken screens. In the us Europe or anywhere. That my friend euro is what insurance is for.
If Italy keeps hitting Apple with a $264,000 fine every year it will only take Ten Thousand Years to pay off Italy’s National debt.
That is if no interest is charged by its European benefactors.
Funny that the fine is exactly 0.0001% of Italy’s debt.