Apple Smacked With $9 Million Fine For Misleading Aussie Consumers

Apple has been fined $9 million in Australian federal court for making “false or misleading representations” to consumers regarding their rights under the Australian Consumer Law.

According to the ACCC, Apple was found to have misleadingly told “at least 275 Australian customers” that had been hit by 2016’s “error 53” debacle that they would no longer be eligible to have their phone or tablet fixed or replaced if it had previously been repaired by a third-party repairer.

Customers hit with “error 53” found their iPhones and iPads irreparably bricked after downloading an iOS update.

ACCC commissioner Sarah Court says that, despite what a company might lead you to believe, having something repaired with someone else does not by itself void Australian consumer guarantees:

If a product is faulty, customers are legally entitled to a repair or a replacement under the Australian Consumer Law, and sometimes even a refund. Apple’s representations led customers to believe they’d be denied a remedy for their faulty device because they used a third party repairer.

The Court declared the mere fact that an iPhone or iPad had been repaired by someone other than Apple did not, and could not, result in the consumer guarantees ceasing to apply, or the consumer’s right to a remedy being extinguished.

The ACCC told the ABC that the fine represents “one of the highest” fines so far in Australia for breach of consumer law but, as the broadcaster notes, it doesn’t really make a chip in the company’s $1.25 trillion worth.


The Cheapest NBN 50 Plans

It’s the most popular NBN speed in Australia for a reason. Here are the cheapest plans available.

At PEDESTRIAN.TV, we independently choose and write about stuff we love and think you’ll froth too. We have affiliate partnerships so we might get a bit of money from any purchase you make based on our recs, cool? Cool. FYI – prices are accurate and items in stock at the time of posting.

More Stuff From PEDESTRIAN.TV