"An Italian regulatory agency has taken action against Apple for its sale of AppleCare extended warranty programs that overlap with standard warranties required by European law, effectively selling customers warranty protection that they do not need.

Apple's standard warranties are good for one year, with AppleCare extended warranties pushing that coverage out to a total of two or three years depending on the product. EUROPEAN LAW REQUIRES, HOWEVER, A STANDARD TWO-YEAR WARRANTY, OVERLAPPING OR ENTIRELY COINCIDING WITH APPLE'S SEPARATE APPLECARE OFFERINGS. Complicating the issue are differing warranty requirements for manufacturers and sellers, requirements that Apple has apparently argued are being satisfactorily met but with which regulators disagree.

The actions taken by the Italian consumer agency could result in fines levied against Apple and serve as the basis for civil actions by customers."


"FOLLOWING FINE, APPLE ALERTS ITALIAN CUSTOMERS TO THEIR FREE 2-YEAR WARRANTY.

Apple has begun alerting its Italian customers that they have a right to a two-year warranty on Apple's products as provided by Italian law. The move comes after Apple was issued a $1.2 million fine for allegedly misleading customers—the court decision documenting Apple's violation is now linked directly from the store.apple.it page.

Italy's Consumer Code provides all Italian customers with a two-year warranty that covers products that were defective at the time of sale. In December, Italy's Antitrust Authority accused Apple of obscuring this fact by pushing its own AppleCare Protection Plans, which extend coverage beyond the company-provided one year to three years.

The court decision linked from the Italian Store page details how Apple must change its marketing language for its AppleCare Protection Plans to reflect the existence of the two-year consumer code warranty. Directly linking the document, which also details the fines Apple had to pay, is an oddly transparent move by the company, but may be used to support the company's court appeal to the fine."


Πηγές:

http://www.macrumors.com/2011/05/27/apple-hit-with-tax-lobbying-protest-italian-investigation-into-applecare-offerings/

http://www.setteb.it/procedimento-dellantitrust-italiano-contro-apple-sulle-garanzie-11157

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-16339651

http://arstechnica.com/apple/news/2011/12/apple-hit-with-12-million-fine-for-misleading-italian-consumers.ars

http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/news/2012/01/apple-alerts-italian-customers-to-their-free-two-year-warranty.ars

http://store.apple.com/Catalog/it/Images/comunicazione_a_tutela_dei_consumatori.pdf


Η ΣΧΕΤΙΚΗ ΕΥΡΩΠΑΪΚΗ ΝΟΜΟΘΕΣΙΑ, Η ΟΠΟΙΑ ΟΡΙΖΕΙ 2 ΕΤΗ ΕΓΓΥΗΣΗ ΓΙΑ ΟΛΑ ΤΑ ΠΡΟΪΟΝΤΑ:

http://europa.eu/youreurope/citizens/shopping/shopping-abroad/guarantees/index_el.htm