Except Apple doesn't give you additional warranty coverage in the EU. That's pretty much what this article is about.
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European Consumer Groups Criticize Apple's Warranties
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Except Apple doesn't give you additional warranty coverage in the EU. That's pretty much what this article is about.
Wirelessly posted
It's about time they were bought to task. Charging premium prices with 1 year is ridiculous. Shows how much faith they have in their products. Sales of goods act will definitely be on your side with apple products because of their prices.
Good customer service and offering a reasonable warranty are completely different issues.
It's about time they were bought to task. Charging premium prices with 1 year is ridiculous. Shows how much faith they have in their products. Sales of goods act will definitely be on your side with apple products because of their prices.
Good customer service and offering a reasonable warranty are completely different issues.
And if that is what the article is about then it is nonsense.
Warranty and statutory rights are completely different things. Apple, as the manufacturer of Apple products, gives you a one year warranty, according to their terms. Completely separate from that, the seller of the product, whether Apple or anyone else selling Apple products, has to fix problems according to the consumer protection laws in your country. These are totally separate things. If you check Apple's warranty terms, you will see that these warranty terms are in addition of your statutory rights and don't affect your statutory rights.
So if there is a problem with your product: You check the manufacturer's warranty and check what rights that gives you. Then you check your country's consumer protection laws and check what rights that gives you. Then you pick what's best for you and use that to get the problem fixed. For example, if you buy an Apple product from a store that goes bankrupt, then your statutory rights are worth nothing, but you still have Apple's manufacturer warranty.
I didn't know that ownership of electronics was a "right."
I guess you DO learn something everyday.
Owning electronics is not a "right". But getting the product warranty that is guaranteed BY LAW for the product that you purchased actually IS a right.
So I hope that now you really have learned something today.
$250, 20% of the cost of a Macbook Pro 13 to add on 2 years of warranty
Ripoff is an understatement. A lot of PCs come with more than 1 year standard, I wish Apple would try to compete. They boast their reliability and consumer satisfaction, back that up.
Ripoff is an understatement. A lot of PCs come with more than 1 year standard, I wish Apple would try to compete. They boast their reliability and consumer satisfaction, back that up.
Indeed. I'm glad for you. Now move along and contribute to a thread that does relate to you.
In electronics, the parts that fail 95% of the time are power supplies and batteries.
Capacitors in power supplies undergo a lot of strain, and should be replaced after about 5 years. Lucky if a capacitor even under light strain lasts 10 years.
I'm currently repairing one power supply, two amplifiers, one PC and one Sky HD box. What has failed on them all, the capacitors that are directly wired to the voltage regulator. Sometimes the opto-coupler is at fault too. I usually replace all 3-4 capacitors, opto-coupler, diode and regulator, the parts only come to $1-$2.
So many people throw a $1,000 TV away and the problem is two capacitors that cost ¢20.
Capacitors in power supplies undergo a lot of strain, and should be replaced after about 5 years. Lucky if a capacitor even under light strain lasts 10 years.
I'm currently repairing one power supply, two amplifiers, one PC and one Sky HD box. What has failed on them all, the capacitors that are directly wired to the voltage regulator. Sometimes the opto-coupler is at fault too. I usually replace all 3-4 capacitors, opto-coupler, diode and regulator, the parts only come to $1-$2.
So many people throw a $1,000 TV away and the problem is two capacitors that cost ¢20.
I'm confused - are you suggesting that regulation caused Dell to ship cheap computers with 90 day warranties?
That couldn't happen here in the EU - the regulations here would prevent them offering such a short warranty. The price they can set themselves, but they have to offer an adequate warranty.
I don't think so. By keeping 1 year warranty as standard, Apple encourages people to upgrade/buy new every year. Having 2 years warranty might make more people inclined to keep their product longer, instead of buying new or upgrade.
But overall, yes Apple should give 2 years warranty for the price they charge today, no doubt about that. They have the highest profit margins in the industry, and can afford that. They just don't have the moral to do it. Behind the scenes it's all business.
This is an excellent answer. In German we have even two different words for the two different "warranties". The EU one we call "Gewährleistung" and the manufacturer's warranty we call "Garantie". The EU directive makes sure that the buyer doesn't get a broken item from the seller. It's essentially a kind of limited warranty, and Apple's warranty comes on top of that and is mostly (but not entirely) useless in the EU.
I think his point is more related to the differences between the EU and the US in terms of consumer mentality.
The US market is less regulated and the sentiment is that the free market will penalize those companies that hurt consumers so the state doesn't need to interfere. If a company does something bad, competitors, consumers or consumer advocacy groups step up and force the company to do the right thing by media pressure or boycott. (It happens all the time.)
In Europe there are tons of regulations (like this warranty one) which means that countries and consumers don't trust the free market thus the state needs to babysit consumers so they don't get screwed.
That's why he said that buying a product is not a right.
The US says: Companies have the right to sell anything but they can set their own conditions of sale.
Europe says: Consumers have the right to buy anything and they can set their own conditions of purchase.
While your post is quite accurate, this bit is a little misleading. No one is suggesting that consumers can/should set all the conditions of purchase; the condition is that companies cannot sell faulty products and walk away from them leaving little/no recourse for the purchaser; and that condition isn't set 'by consumers', but by the national and EU laws and agencies.
Actually, in the US a company can legally sell you a faulty product without warranty. If this happens to consumers they can start civil lawsuits or try class action. Although in most cases the company would just simply replace the faulty product with a working one no questions asked.
Sure, I was referring more to here in the EU.
I think you are spot-on about us not trusting the free market (or individual companies). Individual companies will act in their own interest, selling the least possible product/service at the highest possible price (without unduly annoying their potential customers, of course).
And competition/the free market works as long as another company is willing/able to jump in and provide a better service/product. Sometimes here the market seems to race to the bottom: if no company provides exceptional service/quality/value, the consumer has little choice or incentive to move; and the existing companies don't have to dip into their margins to innovate or improve.
It seems to me there is, generally, greater competition in the US - perhaps because of more readily available venture capital, or for cultural reasons - which is why the need for regulation isn't as great.
We already pay more. I don't understand all the fuss. According to many on this site Apple makes the best products in the world so a 2-year standard warranty won't pose a problem
Government intervention
This is an intervention that should not happen, the manufacturer of a product is the only one who decides for how long to warranty its products, if certain countries have a different policy, two things should happen, first, do not purchase the item and second, the manufacturer who does not agree with the laws imposed should not sale the item in those countries
This is an intervention that should not happen, the manufacturer of a product is the only one who decides for how long to warranty its products, if certain countries have a different policy, two things should happen, first, do not purchase the item and second, the manufacturer who does not agree with the laws imposed should not sale the item in those countries
the manufacturer can set any length warranty they like that is the manufacturers warranty, this law is to protect the consumer from the seller giving the customer a sellers warranty, ie if the product breaks because of you take it back to the seller, people are just getting confused because in this situation apple both builds the product and sells it in their own store.
ie you buy an iMac from PC world, it breaks 7 months later you don't take it to apple (although you can because apple gives you a 1 year manufacturers warranty) the law says you to take it back to the seller and they have to fix it.
in the same way you buy an iMac from the apple store you still get the 1 year manufacturers warranty, but you also get the 2 year sellers warranty it just happens that it is apple both times.
No one has the "Right" to a free warranty, wether or not a particular government deems it to be. To say you have a "right" to this "free" warranty is to say that you have a right to a portion of another persons life, by threat of government imprisonment, to do your bidding. You dont want to pay for someone to fix your broken crap, you want to force someone to do it for no payment at all. there is a word for that. It is called slavery. Nothing is free, and to demand things for free is to trample the basis of individual liberty. Want free stuff? Move to Greece, see how that works out for you.
Oh, and you didn't just haaaaappen to be given an iPhone, You made the choice to purchase it. If you reget that decision, thats your own fault. but let me guess, you want the gooooovernment to insure you against your own bad decisions so you never have to regret anything again.
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Free ?
No, its not free. it cost a bunch of dollars. All that people ask is for normal decent 2 year warranty for premium computers. Why, wouldnt you like it too ?
Well, now your response would be buy Apple care. I can't, it doesnt exist in my country. 1 year is all i have.
Then you should weigh that as a "con" before you make your purchase decision. if you dont like their warranty, or you think it might break, then buy a product from someone else who has a warranty you like. if you have to have an iPhone then suck it up and deal with it.
I know we cant agree on this, you in US are used to this consumer capitalism "green" thing. We are not. For you normal, me and here not.
If I pay 2800$ for last gen. mbp 15 base (thats what it costs here) then its not free. And I would like to have proper warranty protection. I am not aksing anything from the sky, which I overpaid as well.
Shure I will, I love apple products, but I cant follow this just pay pay pay philosophy. Just hope my overpaid mbp would be premium after all and wont break after 2-3 years.