Oh my! Some people here have absolutely no idea what they are writing about...
2 year "warranty" is not a warranty per se. The European Union mandates that every new product (with some obvious exclusions such as food) has to be able to work for 2 years on normal wear and tear. New cars 3 years, used cars 6 months, to name the major exceptions. Also, the first half a year, the seller has to show that the buyer was at fault in case he wants to deny an exchange, after that, within limitations, the consumer has to argue that the product was at fault and caused the malfunction. Most of the times, this makes no difference. Almost all retailers will just replace within the first 2 years. This is national law in basically all European Union countries even though it is in the National Laws. It follows the EU guideline. BTW: This does not apply to commercial customers: a company buying phones is not protected the same way - they always have to show they were not at fault and can actually waiver the standard warranty in favor of better prices.
The higher prices people mention have nothing to do with that. VAT in the United States is about 0-10% (if you include local VAT), in the European Union 17-25%, roughly speaking. This accounts for the price difference. Also: In Europe, prices shown include VAT, in the USA usually not.
Now, about what Apple is at fault off according to the ruling:
By law, the company issuing a "extended warranty" including e.g. replacement if customer was at fault, switch outs instead of send-in repair etc. - has to inform the customer about the differences between what the company is required to do by law and what the benefit of the extension is. This did and does not happen in a majority of the cases and this is a violation of the law. Simple as that.
And then the ones talking down the Italian economy: The per capita debt is way below the US debt. ($36,841 ITA vs. $50,266 USA) and the % of GDP is about the same (108 ITA vs 103 USA). Please, don't start to argue about the latter; Germany has 142% and pays 0% intrest on new debt... there are simply other factors as well - and the Italian economy is not that bad. They just have different problems than the USA, but unless you are a macroeconomist and really have extended knowledge about that, don't just bash Italy. Don't forget: The last recession was caused by the American Real Estate crisis - not by Greece, Iceland, or Ireland...
2 year "warranty" is not a warranty per se. The European Union mandates that every new product (with some obvious exclusions such as food) has to be able to work for 2 years on normal wear and tear. New cars 3 years, used cars 6 months, to name the major exceptions. Also, the first half a year, the seller has to show that the buyer was at fault in case he wants to deny an exchange, after that, within limitations, the consumer has to argue that the product was at fault and caused the malfunction. Most of the times, this makes no difference. Almost all retailers will just replace within the first 2 years. This is national law in basically all European Union countries even though it is in the National Laws. It follows the EU guideline. BTW: This does not apply to commercial customers: a company buying phones is not protected the same way - they always have to show they were not at fault and can actually waiver the standard warranty in favor of better prices.
The higher prices people mention have nothing to do with that. VAT in the United States is about 0-10% (if you include local VAT), in the European Union 17-25%, roughly speaking. This accounts for the price difference. Also: In Europe, prices shown include VAT, in the USA usually not.
Now, about what Apple is at fault off according to the ruling:
By law, the company issuing a "extended warranty" including e.g. replacement if customer was at fault, switch outs instead of send-in repair etc. - has to inform the customer about the differences between what the company is required to do by law and what the benefit of the extension is. This did and does not happen in a majority of the cases and this is a violation of the law. Simple as that.
And then the ones talking down the Italian economy: The per capita debt is way below the US debt. ($36,841 ITA vs. $50,266 USA) and the % of GDP is about the same (108 ITA vs 103 USA). Please, don't start to argue about the latter; Germany has 142% and pays 0% intrest on new debt... there are simply other factors as well - and the Italian economy is not that bad. They just have different problems than the USA, but unless you are a macroeconomist and really have extended knowledge about that, don't just bash Italy. Don't forget: The last recession was caused by the American Real Estate crisis - not by Greece, Iceland, or Ireland...
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