IPhone Warranty in europe

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Level 1

8 points

IPhone Warranty in europe

Hello, i think this topic is already been discussed but not focusing on Europe. I bought an iphone in france when i was working there and i had it legally unlocked by paying extra money. now i moved to italy and my iphone has a crack in the outer shell starting near the ringer switch. It is still under warranty. I understand the apple limited warranty, but in the european union i think any product bought in any country should have the same warranty in any other country. Customer care in italy seems to disagree. did any of you encountered the same problem (warranty)? if so, how did you get apple to help you out?

MacBook Pro IMAC

Posted on Mar 15, 2010 5:26 AM

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Answer 1

fcastellucci Author

Level 1

8 points

Mar 15, 2010 6:55 AM in response to Tamara

i understand what you guys say, but the issue is that in europe there is a law protecting customers which basically states that, regardless of what the manufacturer says, there are some rights that need to be protected. so, apple can't decide unilaterally to do what it wants, but needs to abide to the laws of the countries where they operate. i was wondering whether anyone in europe had anything to say about it.

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Answer 2

Mar 15, 2010 7:00 AM in response to fcastellucci

fcastellucci wrote:
apple can't decide unilaterally to do what it wants, but needs to abide to the laws of the countries where they operate.

I have no doubt that Apple is operating within EU laws. If not, it's up to the governmental authorities in the relevant countries to take action. So, perhaps your best course of action is to contact your local government...

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Answer 3

Mar 15, 2010 5:38 AM in response to fcastellucci

Apple warranty service on iPhones is only provided in the country of purchase. That's stated clearly in the terms of the warranty. To obtain warranty service, you'd need to return to France.

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Answer 4

Tamara

Level 6

13,738 points

Mar 15, 2010 6:12 AM in response to fcastellucci

The warranty is country specific in Europe. You have a French phone and the warranty is only valid in France as Italy does not stock replacement French phones.

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Answer 5

Mar 15, 2010 7:06 AM in response to fcastellucci

Apple has been doing the same since 2007 when the original or first generation iPhone was released in France, Germany, and the UK. If Apple were violating some law there in regards to this, very more than likely Apple would have been called on this long ago.

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Answer 6

Mar 15, 2010 12:43 PM in response to Allan Sampson

Allan Sampson wrote:
If Apple were violating some law there in regards to this, very more than likely Apple would have been called on this long ago.

I would disagree with this - Apple is knowingly in breach of EU legislation over electronic warranties which sets a MINIMUM 2 year warranty for all devices sold.

They say there is only 12 months warranty offered and yet to sell in the EU, they are legally obliged to provide 2 years and do not have the right to 'exclude' themselves.

They just ignore the law as it suits them and few have bothered to challenge it as the stores have been told to deny the law exists - I've heard them tell consumers precisely that.

Good luck to the OP in getting them to change - unless you have a friendly lawyer.

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Answer 7

Tamara

Level 6

13,738 points

Mar 15, 2010 12:55 PM in response to Graham Outterside

The wording of the EU directive is kind of slippery from what I've read. It's not a cut and dried you have a 2 year warranty against manufacturer defects.

http://europa.eu/legislationsummaries/consumers/protection_of_consumers/l32022en.htm

It seems like "the in conformity" is where the directive is a bit slippery. I've been reading discussion on a bunch of different forums where this is used to deny warranty work on various types of electronics.

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Answer 8

Mar 15, 2010 1:08 PM in response to Graham Outterside

Apple is knowingly in breach of EU legislation over electronic warranties which sets a MINIMUM 2 year warranty for all devices sold. And it's within 2 years, not a min

That's not strictly true. The EU directive applies to the seller of the item. It does not affect the standard 1 year manufacturers warranty.

Also, the 2 year period the EU thing gives is less than what we in the UK already have ("up to 6 years") under the Sale of Goods Act.

Read: http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/2009/may/23/tesco-consumer-guarantee

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Answer 9

fcastellucci Author

Level 1

8 points

Mar 16, 2010 10:48 AM in response to Julian Wright

Thanks everyone for your posts and the distinction between sellers and manufacturers warranty. If I understand you correctly, it means that the manufacturers warranty provided by apple is limited and totally legal in EU. the only warranty that should be applicable for me is the sellers which, in my case, is in france. So, basically i either have it fixed in france or i'm stuck with my cracked iphone.

Has anyone managed to get apple to fix their iphone in a different country from purchase? i want to re-emphasize that my iphone was legally unlocked, so i'm not trying to do anything illegal here.

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Answer 10

Tamara

Level 6

13,738 points

Mar 16, 2010 12:33 PM in response to fcastellucci

It'll need to go back to France because Apple does not offer an a la carte repair service.

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Answer 11

fcastellucci Author

Level 1

8 points

Mar 18, 2010 6:21 AM in response to Tamara

do you honestly think that apple is behaving correctly? really? i bought an iphone in august 09, i paid 150 Euros to have it unlocked by them, and now i can't get it replaced in the country where i moved? do you honestly think it's appropriate what they're doing?

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Answer 12

Mar 18, 2010 6:23 AM in response to fcastellucci

Yes.

Try it with a washing machine and you'll get the same answer.

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Answer 13

Mar 18, 2010 7:41 AM in response to fcastellucci

do you honestly think that apple is behaving correctly?

It's entirely up to the company involved.

For Christmas I purchased a Sony digital photo frame for relatives in another European country. Sony do offer a Europe wide warranty on their photo frames. Inside the box was a leaflet detailing where to send the item for repair in each country, regardless of the country it was purchased in.

So, different companies have different policies. There's no Europe-wide or World-wide laws saying what they must do though...

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Answer 14

fcastellucci Author

Level 1

8 points

Mar 18, 2010 10:01 AM in response to Julian Wright

i've been moving around enough in europe and i've always, i mean always, had things repaired regardless on where i bought them. Even with apple. I had a faulty time capsule bought in france and replaced in italy without any problem.

i don't think it's entirely up to the company and i actually think there is a Europe-wide law saying what the seller needs to do, which is providing warranty for 2 years. The issue might be whether apple is the seller or just the manufacturer.

In any case, thanks for your input. i honestly don't believe it's fair what they're doing and i'm determined to figure it out.

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