Australia watchdogs to Apple: Give us two-year warranties
The agreement between Apple and Australian watchdogs falls in line with the country's Australian Consumer Law.
Apple and Australia's Competition and Consumer Commission have agreed to terms on how the iPhone maker will handle warranties in the countries.
The ACCC announced Wednesday that Apple has agreed to provide warranties on products purchased within two years. In addition, the company says that it may provide "remedies" to issues after the two-year period, if they fall under the Australian Consumer Law (ACL).
The ACL stands at the center of the debate between Apple and Australia. The law provides consumers with certain guarantees whenever they buy products. Namely, ACL ensures that warranties are kept in effect "for the amount of time that it is reasonable to expect, given the cost and quality of an item." In other words, warranties under the ACL have no expiration date.
The ACCC investigated Apple this year over claims that the company "had made a number of false and misleading representations to a number of consumers regarding their consumer guarantee rights, including that Apple was not required to provide a refund, replacement or repair to consumers in circumstances where these remedies were required by the consumer guarantees in the ACL."
According to the ACCC, Apple was simply trying to enforce its own return and warranty policies, rather than those governed by the ACL.
Nearly all Apple products are included in the deal, including iPods, iPhones, Macs, and iPads. Even non-Apple products and software are included in the agreement.
(Via The Wall Street Journal)