The anti-trust authority working out of Italy has seen it appropriate to levy a fine of over a million dollars against Apple because it says that the company misled consumers with various warranties associated with Apple products. The lawsuit against the company suggests that Apple did not properly inform customers that they are eligible for two years of assistance for the repair and servicing of their device for two years after purchasing it.
The anti-trust body suggests that Apple should have informed customers about the assistance that they would have been eligible to receive for two years after their initial purchase as directed by Italian law. Apparently Apple encouraged customers to purchase an additional warranty service that was somewhat redundant regarding the otherwise free service that people in Italy are eligible for. The Italian government has suggested that Apple needed to more clearly showcase its free service before offering the paid service to customers.
One of the questions that people are asking these days regarding how much companies need to explain warranties is how much responsibility a company might have regarding the disclosure of certain benefits associated with a particular product. Some people have suggested that such industries would do well to be modeled after how used car dealers must now inform customers of various eligibilities regarding California Lemon Law and whether any vehicles being sold on the lot would be covered under such warranties. Most industries do provide warranties to buyers and especially on big ticket purchases, investigating the benefits of a warranty should be an automatic project anyway.
