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EU Says Apple's Warranty Advertisements Are Unacceptable
An anonymous reader writes "The European Union believes that Apple should be investigated for the way that it advertises warranties on their products. EU Justice Commissioner Viviane Reding wrote to the member countries which is 27 to ask them to check whether Apple retailers failed to let buyers know about the right to a minimum 2-year warranty for products such as the iPhone and iPad under EU law."
On the plus side, apple will now sue anyone with sleazy advertisements.
They're trying to make people think that they will have to pay for something when in fact Apple is required by law to provide it for free.
Help I am stuck in a signature factory!
The European Union is strict about consumer law so that consumers will be comfortable buying across national boundaries within the Union. It's part of the "single market" concept which defines the EU.
"A practice is misleading if it contains false or untrue information or is likely to deceive the consumer, even though the information given may be correct. In particular, this information relates to: ... the consumersâ(TM) rights on aspects of the sale of consumer goods."
Here's how Apple misleads customers: Start at the Apple UK site. Try to find warranty information. The "support" page does not mention a warranty. There's "AppleCare Products - extend support coverage for your Apple products." Going to that page, we see "All Apple hardware comes with a one-year limited warranty (1) and up to 90 days of complimentary telephone technical support.". Down at note 1, in grey 77% white type, there's a link to "Apple Products and EU Statutory Warranty" Only there does Apple admit there's a 2-year warranty.
It is. It's fraud.
The customer is entitled to the 2 years warranty anyway, even without paying the 1 year extension. So selling it something for money he is entitled anyway is fraud.