Italians, by law, are guaranteed two years of free tech support whenever they buy new products, so why was Apple charging Italian customers a fee for something that was supposed to be free?
That’s a question an Italian watchdog group wants to know, and why they fined Apple $1.2 million for misleading customers.
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“The country’s Antitrust Authority said Apple had failed to inform shoppers of their legal right to two years’ technical support, recognising instead only a one-year standard warranty,” reported the BBC.
“It said the firm’s action had led people to pay extra for Apple’s own support service, which overlapped in part with the free guarantee.”Apple has filed an appeal to the decision which some see as shady.”
We believe our warranty policy in Italy complies with local requirements and respects consumer rights,” a spokesman said.
$1.2 million is but a raindrop in a bucket water worth trillions. According to the the authority, the penalties apply to the iPhone maker’s three local divisions – Apple Italia, Apple Sales International and Apple Retail Italia.
The Authority fined the firm 400,000 euros for failing to recognize the length of the statutory guarantee, as set out in Italy’s consumer code, either on its website or at point of sale.
Wish we had that authority here, don’t you?
SOURCE: BBC
