Apple fined in Italy, accused of misleading warranties
Italy has fined Apple 900,000 euros, or about $1.2 million, accusing the tech giant of selling consumers two-year AppleCare warranties when they were entitled to free two-year warranties under Italian law.
The Italian Antitrust Authority said in a statement that instead of offering consumers a no-cost two-year warranty and tech-support plan, Apple offered only a one-year plan and charged consumers an extension fee for the second year in the form of its AppleCare Protection Plan.
This resulted in Italian consumers being misled into paying for something they should have received at no extra cost, according the agency's statement, which was reported earlier by the BBC.
The one-year warranty and the second year as an AppleCare purchase is the same warranty that Apple offers in the U.S. and many other countries.
Apple officials were unavailable Tuesday for comment on the announcement.
In addition to the fine, the antitrust agency said, Apple has 90 days to update its Italian website to reflect that it now offers a free-of-charge two-year warranty.
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-- Nathan Olivarez-Giles
Nathan Olivarez-Giles on Google+
Image: A screen shot of AppleCare two-year warranties being sold in Apple's online Italian store. Credit: Apple
