Italy fines Apple for deceptive business practices in promoting iPhone
The fine filed for 10 million euros against Apple is produced for announcing the water resistance of the iPhone despite this applied only for laboratory tests
Italy’s market regulator has filed a 10 million euro fine against Apple for “deceptive and aggressive business practices” for promoting that latest iPhone models had water resistance without specifying that this was only guaranteed under laboratory conditions.
In its latest mobile flagships, the iPhone 8, X, XS and 11 families, Apple used as one of its commercial claims its water resistance, up to 30 minutes from one to four meters of depth depending on the model.
This advertising involves two “misleading and aggressive commercial practices“, as ruled in a statement this Monday by the highest regulator of the market and competition in Italy, the Autorità Garante della Concorrenza e del Mercato (AGMC).
According to the Italian body, Apple did not clarify that this resistance to water was only guaranteed in “specific conditions” such as laboratory tests with the use of static and pure water, but “not in the normal conditions of use of the consumer device.”
Likewise, the Italian authority has also referred to the fact that the iPhone warranty does not cover liquid damage, leading to “misleading consumers” after advertising claims about its resistance. The AGMC has described Apple’s refusal to bear the costs of these repairs as “aggressive business practices”, and has fined the Italian division of the US company 10 million euros.
Source: dpa
