Apple Adjusts Warranty Coverage in Australia to Comply With Consumer Protections Law

[69650]

If they did that they wouldn't have enough profit to sustain it. A big part of why they have that money is that many folks don't have issues in the first year that require replacing anything.

No No No. If you go to the independent Mac dealers you can buy a MBP-R with a 2 year warranty as standard right now. One department store here in the UK is even offering a FREE 3 year warranty on all MBP-R purchases at the moment. I don't think they are going to go broke any time soon by doing that. In fact they are flying off the shelves and they can't get enough to meet the demand.

The MBP-R is an expensive top of the range piece of kit. It's not a cheap plastic computer you can buy for a few hundred quid/dollars, but it still comes with the same crappy 1 year warranty as that cheap machine.

If I'm going to spend 2 or 3 grand on a laptop I expect it to last and be of premium quality and I shouldn't have to shell out another 300 quid for a warranty to cover my arse because Apple laptops are so badly made that many develop faults before they should do.

A little less profit and little more focus on customer satisfaction is required from Apple right now if they want to maintain their halo.

 

[Lancer]

I agree and for most they will have no problems for the usable life of the computer but stuff happens and things stop working so a good warranty is essential. As is backing up.

FYI I didn't see anything in the local new about this, maybe it's too new and will take a few days to filter through?

ETA - here might be an answer.
http://www.smh.com.au/technology/te...rranty-switch-under-wraps-20130318-2gahc.html

You would think Apple would want people to know their stuff is covered for 2 years. I'm seriously going to find out if AppleCare covers me for 2 more years, so 4 in total!

 

[charlituna]

No No No. If you go to the independent Mac dealers you can buy a MBP-R with a 2 year warranty as standard right now. One department store here in the UK is even offering a FREE 3 year warranty on all MBP-R purchases at the moment.

And what else is that store selling that gets them more profit to off set the costs they might have to pay. If any since that free warranty might be them covering the costs of buying the Apple Care plan so they won't have to actually pay anything. There are resellers here that do that. When you bring it to them for service they tell you it will take a couple of weeks then they take it over to Apple and take the credit for them fixing it. All the while claiming they are an Apple authorized repair center.

And these offers are just on rMBP, you say they are flying off the sleeves but you have no numbers. Flying can mean 5 a week or 50. Who knows. But if the number is low enough then they aren't losing that much. More this is a loss leader trick to get bodies into the store to buy other things as well or be talked out of waiting for that rMBP to come back into stock.

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You would think Apple would want people to know their stuff is covered for 2 years. I'm seriously going to find out if AppleCare covers me for 2 more years, so 4 in total!

Depends on how the coverage works. If its like the EU laws and its on the seller then they don't want to be advertising it too strong or folks will assume that its the Apple limited warranty that doesn't care where you bought it.

And I highly doubt that this does jack to the length of Apple Care. Particularly if you bought it before any of this went down.

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What the article doesn't mention is how people were told the warranty was only 12 months when it really is 24 months, and they were sold extended warranty.

That's outright theft.

Its only theft if they are legally required to cover the same kind of service.

Before now, the two year period was a suggestion not a legal mandate. In fact it reads like it is still just a suggestion but Apple, without legal requirements to do so, has decided to take up that suggestion on their own.

Also, is the law requiring seller or manufacturer provided serviced. If it's seller than Apple's one year warranty isn't the same. Because it doesn't care where you bought it in terms of Apple Store, carrier store, Best Buy etc. as long as the source was a legit seller you are good. Same with Apple Care.

And is the law about any defect or only those at time of purchase. If the later, Apple's one year is not the same because it only cares about whether you caused the issue. If you did, you pay. If not, who cares when it broke, they fix it. Same with Apple Care. And many of these 'time of purchase' laws require you to prove it was such if you've had it more than 6 months or so. The idea being if you had it for over six months it couldn't have been that broken etc. Apple's one year and Apple Care have no such requirement.

Not to mention that with Apple Care you get free phone support for anything including user stupidity for the whole period. That right there can be worth the cost for many.

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Normally you should get in the European Union also 2 years of warranty because it's a European law.

No it isn't. it's 2 years of buyer protection for defects present at delivery from the seller. You didn't buy in the EU so you don't get that protection cause you don't have a seller to go to. You'd have to back to your seller in AU under applicable laws.

Which is basically moot of you are in the first year or have Apple Care cause neither cares when the 'defect' turned up or where you bought the item. As long as it wasn't user damage they will hook you up.

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You were always covered by the Australian Consumer Guarantees Act regardless of what Apple had on their website.

An act that suggested 2 years but didn't mandate it. So Apple was never acting against the laws. They weren't the issue, the folks that wrote the act and passed it without a clear time line for coverage periods were the issue

 

[aka777]

It's too bad Australia doesn't let the free market work without interference. If people value a longer warranty, they will buy computers that have them and those that don't will lose out in the marketplace. It's Econ 101.

LOL.... Right, because this is working out so well in Amerika... Especially (R) states where consumer typically have zero protection.

Prime example of this is are the cellular and broadband markets in America, which are a virtual monopoly in almost every market. In addition, a prime example of why we are ranked close to last for competition and have the lowest value for cell and broadband service.

 

[charlituna]

After quoting the UK Sale of Goods Act saying it's of unsatisfactory quality

And what does what that act say about the issue of defect at any time and defect at time of purchase. Because most of those Sales laws are clear that they deal with defects when you bought it. And a SuperDrive going out after 12 months of functioning is hardly a defect at purchase, certainly not in any clear cut way.

You walked in hot and got told to contact Legal likely because they know the above to be the case and their lawyers are happy to straighten you and your lawyers out on the issue. As for your 'I'm never going there again you hear me' I really doubt Apple cares. They still get their money and they have one less entitled asshat jerk (which is how that staff will have perceived you to be) to deal with.

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Instead of fighting about us vs them can somebody answer my question please!!!!


My MBP was purchased last June (2012) so can i wait till May 2014 to purchase Applecare? And if i do will it be only for an additional 1 year or 2?

Nope. You have until May of this year. Because Apple Care is an extension of Apple's manufacturer's warranty to any local statutory program. So the conditions for buying AC aren't affected by any change in this law or how Apple responds to it.

 

[aka777]

Most of our bums are not homeless, and you can make $40,000+ being a professional pan handler. Being homeless is largely a choice, and at any rate we spend more per 'welfare' recipient than the median household income here. Our amount of dollars spent is not the issue. We spend over 1.6 trillion a year just on the elderly.

As far as minimum wage goes...is this wrong? http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/14/minimum-wage-world_n_2686049.html#slide=2109619 In US dollars it equals $9.53 an hour in AUS. The last UN report I read Aussies have less disposable income than Americans.

NOTHING is free. You guys pay for it one way another.

Incorrect: http://www.fairwork.gov.au/pay/national-minimum-wage/pages/default.aspx - It's over $16 per hour USD. That's the minimum, not the average. I have friends who moved there and are working in mining, who earn well over $225K + healthcare + 6 weeks vacation + perks. Now compare this to the "job creators" in states like Texas, with people processing rebates and coupons for what $8.50 an hour.

Let's look at the Big Gov Aussies for a sec, their deficit is one of the lowest in the world, at about 30% of their GDP; versus our 100-105%. Their unemployment rate is about 5.4%. Their median wage is well over $57K per person, with their government workers being $59K, versus our $43k per 'household'.

A median house in Sydney today is selling for $680K, versus the $180K in Texas; even less in most red voting states (ironically). Their cities are ranked in the top 10 globally for livability. Whereas, not one of ours makes the top 50; not one Red State city makes the top 100.

In fact, the unlimited (indefinite) welfare payments in Australia is actually more than someone working 40 hour week minimum wage here. Refer to the above points when you fell like stating Biog Gov will fail. Especially when considering the fact that Aussies are now the 2nd wealthiest people on the planet; right after the fellow Big Gov Swiss, whose minimum wage is about $23 per hour, and their unemployment rate about 3%.

The world has change and Big Gov has not failed as ya'll RWers wished it would. In fact, it now makes up 19 of the top G20 economies.

 

[69650]

And what else is that store selling that gets them more profit to off set the costs they might have to pay.

Are you kidding me? Apple has $130 Billion in the bank, the vast majority coming from the iPhone. They could always use that cash pile to offset the additional costs if you're that bothered. They are not exactly skint. MBPs represent a tiny proportion of Apple's business now. It would cost them hardly anything to make this change but would garner them a great deal of respect amongst Mac users. Hell they'd probably even sell a load more MBPs because people wouldn't be put off by the extra £300 for the extended warranty. There is a limit to how much many people will pay no matter how good the MBP-R is.

 

[royf29]

What is wrong with people here. This should be a case of saying 'Nice one Aussies, wish my country had the common sense to do the same!'

Instead you're all rooting for price hikes to penalize a country that protects its consumers.

Muppets!

People on this site are just Apple fanatics that believes that Apple is like their buddy. Well good news. Its not. its here to sell only.

I think a lot of people on this site have personal problems that temporally heal by focusing all their energy on a brand.

Anyway I think it is sad. I will next read the BB article and see how these unfortunate people react while their Holy Friendly corporation is being "attacked"

 

[abhibeckert]

If apple have confidence in their quality built product, people won't need to claim warranty.

That's bullcrap.

Nobody in the world sells good quality hardware anymore except for server grade gear and a few exceptions (such as the mac pro).

A proper server costs something like $40,000. Ever seen a $40,000 notebook? No? That's because they're made from dirt cheap components.

Apple's build quality is better than a home-made PC from parts you buy on ebay but the fact is there are lots of warranty claims in the first 12 months and would be even more over 2 years.

More warranty claims means higher expenses for apple, higher expenses means higher retail price. It might only be $50 higher, but it will go up.

What the article doesn't mention is how people were told the warranty was only 12 months when it really is 24 months, and they were sold extended warranty.

They didn't lie, the free AppleCare warranty is 12 months and has 90 days tech support, the 3 year one is 3 years warranty and 3 years tech support. There is a difference between a manufacturer warranty (which is valid worldwide) and a sales warranty (which is only valid at the store where you purchased it). If people are too stupid to understand that, they should have asked for clarification.

There is no law saying "computers have 2 years warranty" in australia. The law is that they have to last a "reasonable" amount of time. The definition of "reasonable" probably changes depending on exactly what component failed and how it fails. I had a 4 year old mac battery replaced by Apple once, because failing after 4 years is not reasonable when the thing might burst into flames suddenly.

Every time I've ever asked a store in australia (never been to an Apple store btw) what the warranty is on a piece of electronics, they have always told me 12 months. It seems Apple has changed their interpretation of what "reasonable" is, nothing more. If something failed out of warranty you always had the option of complaining and they might cover it, that's still true today and goes beyond two years... it depends on what the failure is.

 

[Fruit Cake]

I searched for ASUS stocks, and in Taiwan (where they are from) their stock is worth less than $12USD. Not traded on US markets.



And? Buy an ASUS, if Apple starts losing sales they might rethink their market strategy.


I am sure if Apple offered a 2 year global warranty their stock would go down, and then we would get more doom and gloom posts about how Apple is on the way out.

And I do like ASUS for PC stuff. I bought a Maximus V Extreme and a 660TI from them last year.

Hmm what's the stock price got anything to do with the warranty length? To me a warranty is a gauge of how much faith a company has in their products for the price it's sold.

Should a $2500 laptop only be expected to last ONE year?

Is apple trying to tell me they sell overpriced junk?

 

[Fruit Cake]

That's bullcrap.

Nobody in the world sells good quality hardware anymore except for server grade gear and a few exceptions (such as the mac pro).

A proper server costs something like $40,000. Ever seen a $40,000 notebook? No? That's because they're made from dirt cheap components.

Apple's build quality is better than a home-made PC from parts you buy on ebay but the fact is there are lots of warranty claims in the first 12 months and would be even more over 2 years.

More warranty claims means higher expenses for apple, higher expenses means higher retail price. It might only be $50 higher, but it will go up.


They didn't lie, the free AppleCare warranty is 12 months and has 90 days tech support, the 3 year one is 3 years warranty and 3 years tech support. There is a difference between a manufacturer warranty (which is valid worldwide) and a sales warranty (which is only valid at the store where you purchased it). If people are too stupid to understand that, they should have asked for clarification.

There is no law saying "computers have 2 years warranty" in australia. The law is that they have to last a "reasonable" amount of time. The definition of "reasonable" probably changes depending on exactly what component failed and how it fails. I had a 4 year old mac battery replaced by Apple once, because failing after 4 years is not reasonable when the thing might burst into flames suddenly.

Every time I've ever asked a store in australia (never been to an Apple store btw) what the warranty is on a piece of electronics, they have always told me 12 months. It seems Apple has changed their interpretation of what "reasonable" is, nothing more. If something failed out of warranty you always had the option of complaining and they might cover it, that's still true today and goes beyond two years... it depends on what the failure is.

It's a very grey area. Most will say 12months or whatever the manufacturer states. The onus is then on the customer to take it up with the authorities to enforce consumer law. Some wont know at better and just buy/pay whatever the manufacturer states. The more savvy will not take it lying down.

Should a $1000 phone only be expected to last one year because apple says it should? I would expect a $99 phone to last a year, and a $999 phone to last MUCH longer then that.

I'm pretty sure If the United States had such laws in place you also would be towing the same line. (Unless you're a shareholder).

 

[NedBookPro]

That's bullcrap.

Nobody in the world sells good quality hardware anymore except for server grade gear and a few exceptions (such as the mac pro).

A proper server costs something like $40,000. Ever seen a $40,000 notebook? No? That's because they're made from dirt cheap components.

Apple's build quality is better than a home-made PC from parts you buy on ebay but the fact is there are lots of warranty claims in the first 12 months and would be even more over 2 years.

More warranty claims means higher expenses for apple, higher expenses means higher retail price. It might only be $50 higher, but it will go up.


They didn't lie, the free AppleCare warranty is 12 months and has 90 days tech support, the 3 year one is 3 years warranty and 3 years tech support. There is a difference between a manufacturer warranty (which is valid worldwide) and a sales warranty (which is only valid at the store where you purchased it). If people are too stupid to understand that, they should have asked for clarification.

There is no law saying "computers have 2 years warranty" in australia. The law is that they have to last a "reasonable" amount of time. The definition of "reasonable" probably changes depending on exactly what component failed and how it fails. I had a 4 year old mac battery replaced by Apple once, because failing after 4 years is not reasonable when the thing might burst into flames suddenly.

Every time I've ever asked a store in australia (never been to an Apple store btw) what the warranty is on a piece of electronics, they have always told me 12 months. It seems Apple has changed their interpretation of what "reasonable" is, nothing more. If something failed out of warranty you always had the option of complaining and they might cover it, that's still true today and goes beyond two years... it depends on what the failure is.

Yeah, yeah... I know... apple can NEVER do wrong. I get it.

.

 

[Veradun]

This is great! But I have a query.

I didn't get AppleCare at the time of purchase. When I talked to the Apple store specialist about that, he said that I can purchase it only during the first year from date of purchase, since that is the coverage given by the limited warranty. After that I can't apply for AppleCare.

But now that the limited warranty has been bumped to 2 years, will I be able to purchase AppleCare during the two years I am now covered for? (as in, beyond the first year of purchase but before the second year is up)

And since AppleCare is an extra two years of coverage, will this effectively guarantee me 4 years of peace of mind?

I hope I made sense.

 

[king756]

And what does what that act say about the issue of defect at any time and defect at time of purchase. Because most of those Sales laws are clear that they deal with defects when you bought it. And a SuperDrive going out after 12 months of functioning is hardly a defect at purchase, certainly not in any clear cut way.

You walked in hot and got told to contact Legal likely because they know the above to be the case and their lawyers are happy to straighten you and your lawyers out on the issue. As for your 'I'm never going there again you hear me' I really doubt Apple cares. They still get their money and they have one less entitled asshat jerk (which is how that staff will have perceived you to be) to deal with.

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Nope. You have until May of this year. Because Apple Care is an extension of Apple's manufacturer's warranty to any local statutory program. So the conditions for buying AC aren't affected by any change in this law or how Apple responds to it.

1) was the first time I used the super drive
2) a DVD drive even with average used is expected to last more than 12 months. See of satisfactory quality at a link some one posted for me to look at http://whatconsumer.co.uk/faulty-laptop-rights/
3) I doubt apple care if they loose one customer. Unfortunately I am not the exception otherwise governments wouldn't be chaising them on there warranty practices, for Australia, EU to care they has got to of been an awful lot of complaints.
4) I didn't walk in blazing. I did get aggregated when a leaflet was pulled out with big bold words and told the don't apply and then having a geography lesson the uk isn't in the eu and keen on the upswell of a USB drive rather than fixing a faulty product within the sales of goods act providing no way to escalate.

Comments saying you should buy apple care. While it allows extra support and people with it can often walk in and out with new machines etc, your statory rights still apply. I had a cheap £400 Sony laptop, they repaired it outside of the 12 months with relatively little hassle. The Apple is a premium product but unless you buy in to there aftercare they don't care. This is why the EU are making them state your rights and chaising them.

 

[albusseverus]

Frankly, this situation hasn't changed at all.

Apple's warranty always read "benefits conferred by Apple's One Year Limited Warranty are in addition to all rights and remedies conveyed by such consumer protection laws and regulations, including but not limited to these additional rights".

This was always the case in Australia. The only thing that's changed is there's now a page of "explanation" as to how this applies in Australia. Which just reads "A reasonable period from date of delivery until the failure becomes apparent". Totally at the company's discretion.

Stories you hear about hero Geniuses that help people out when they had the option not-to are non-existent in my city (Brisbane, Australia).

If you crack your iPhone screen, there's no screen replacement price, there's no 'we're really sorry and we'll help you out' - it's full phone replacement price or nothing. $288.95 - cheap for an iPhone, not cheap for a screen replacement.
​

And the warranty can be interpreted just as unfavourably, for the customer as it was before. A leak claims 2 years will be honoured if the device is "between 13 and 24 months old and has not been subject to abuse or accidental damage, will automatically be flagged as eligible for repair" at the Genius bar.

We sure look forward to testing this. Especially with the high rate of false positives on the moisture detectors in our humid country. Sorry, pink, you must have dunked it… no warranty for you.

 

[bigubosu]

confused...

So can I go in now and ask for my iPhone 4S (purchased 2011 oct launch day) sleep/lock button to be fixed?

 

[macs4nw]

So if someone bought a Mac in Australia. A year later he flew to UK to work for 6 months and his Mac broke, would the person be covered by 2 years warranty or by 1 year warranty (assuming no Apple Care)?

Apple should make Applecare 2 years globally.

Because many people travel with their laptops, and individual governments are free to enact their own minimum warranty requirements (many European countries already have this two year warranty coverage), I agree that, in addition to being a selling feature, for consistency's sake, a two year world-wide warranty would make a lot of sense.

And with APPLE's build quality, it shouldn't add that much to the cost of products. It would, of course, also mean a lower price for that optional extra one year of APP.

 

[macEli]

So can I go in now and ask for my iPhone 4S (purchased 2011 oct launch day) sleep/lock button to be fixed?

Yep, I went in today in Australia to have that same issue resolved (and also bought my 4S near launch day) and they fixed it for free.

 

[harlequinn]

You were always covered by the Australian Consumer Guarantees Act regardless of what Apple had on their website.

The new Act is the Competition and Consumer Act 2010.
The old Act is the Trade Practices Act 1974.

The 2 year warranty Apple is now offering a voluntary warranty. Nobody is forcing them to offer this.

All consumers are (as you suggested) still covered by statutory warranty. This warranty may extend well past the voluntary warranty period and is judged by the price of the product (premium vs cheap), the type of failure, etc.

 

[Kwon Oh Hyun]

Would not want to be in Apple Service right now

From what I can tell some "parts" of Apple products are covered for a further 12 months beyond the original 12 months, if the device is purchased in Australia, being serviced in Australia and registered with Apple as being owned by a person residing in Australia.

Hmmm, here is a scenario for you, customer walks in to Apple store to get their 14 month old MBP fixed.

Customers "is this covered by my warranty?"
Apple "errr, I dont know it depends what bit is broken..."
Customer "your joking, right?"
Apple "errr, no. Also I need to see your passport..."

Don't get me wrong, I freaking love my But seriously for the current price they should ALL come with 3 year warranties!

 

[wshyang]

Then buy from someone else if you don't like it. All it does it cost you guys more money the more 'services' a company is forced to provide. Ain't gonna get something for free.

Wow, I really like that attitude. Whereabouts do you work? I might like to have a word with your hiring manager.

 

[Toltepeceno]

Sorry..... how many trillions of dollars did the US government use to bail out the US free market economy ?
And lets not get into all of the protections the US government has in place to protect its farmers, along with all the subsidies they get.

If you want to hold up the US as a free market, then I want to hold up China as a Democracy.

The government run USPS is doing MUCH better.