Apple fined $1.2 million in Italy over warranty practices; Appeal planned

Opinion
Dec 31, 20111 min

Last week, Italy fined Apple $1.2 million for failing to provide consumers with 2-year warranties, free of charge, as provided by Italian law.

Last week, Italy fined Apple $1.2 million for failing to provide consumers with 2-year warranties, free of charge, as provided by Italian law. Further, Italian regulators claim that Apple misled customers as to the extent of their warranty coverage. Note that Apple does provide free warranty coverage, but only for a 1-year period. Anything after that 1-year period requires additional payments.

In a statement on the matter, Italy’s anti-trust authority explained that Apple was found liable for “bad commercial practices that harmed consumers.” Specifically, Apple was found guilty of charing customers for warranty protection that they should have been receiving for free and failing to explain this to consumers.

For its part, Apple plans to appeal the decision, a message it relayed to The Register late last week. It remains unclear, however, what the bases of Apple’s appeal will be.

yoni heisler

Yoni Heisler is a technology writer and Mac nerd who's been using Apple products for well over 21 years. He actively covers a wide variety of Apple topics, from legal news and rumors to current events and even Apple related comedy and history. Got an idea, comment or suggestions? You can reach him at iOnApple1@gmail.com or follow him on Twitter at @EdibleApple where he's also a part-time contributor.

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