The Organization of Consumers and Users (OCU) has presented a class action lawsuit against Apple for the short useful life of the iPhone 6. This body accuses the US company of deliberately hiding the battery problems of these phones through software updates, which pushed users to buy new phones. In a press release released on Thursday, the OCU specifies that this lawsuit defends the interests of 400,000 people affected in Spain, who were caused economic damage of between 40 and 80 million euros. Claim between 99 and 189 euros of compensation per mobile of this range.
The OCU denounces that Apple “updated the software in the different models of the iPhone 6 to mask the performance problems of its batteries, knowing that this would cause a slowdown and loss of performance of the phones.” “By doing this,” continues the OCU, “users thought that the iPhone had outgrown them, because they were more slow, a fact that pushed them to change their model”.
The complaints of the OCU against the technological giant for the problems of the iPhone 6, 6s, 6 Plus and 6s Plus models began two years ago. In a 2020 release He explained that he went “on multiple occasions” to the company to claim compensation from those injured. “Unfortunately, these attempts to find an amicable solution for the benefit of consumers did not lead to a satisfactory solution.”
In other countries, Apple has already been forced to compensate customers who bought its phones. In May 2020, an Italian court confirmed a fine of 10 million euros imposed by the regulatory body in this country for the performance problems of versions 10.2.1 and 11.2.0 of the iOS operating system. “This deliberate action formed the basis of a class action lawsuit in the United States that Apple has preferred to settle out of court. for a total amount of 500 million dollars, which the aforementioned company will pay to the affected consumers”, recalls the OCU. In France, the technology company agreed to pay 25 million euros.
The OCU demands compensation from Apple for users in Spain “not only for the damage caused by the change of mobile or battery to which they were forced, but also for moral damages: the loss of performance of their devices caused them to see frustrated their expectations and their degree of satisfaction with the brand”. The figure they claim, between 99 and 189 euros, is justified by the sum of the amount of the battery (between 29 and 89 euros), plus 10% of the purchase price of the mobile (between 699 and 999 euros, depending on the model). ).
The consumer organization assures that it will assume “the necessary expense to initiate this judicial dispute, paying the fees of lawyers and solicitors, so that those affected do not have to incur any cost.” “In case of losing the legal action, those affected will not have to bear the costs of the process,” he concludes.
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Planned obsolescence is not only a problem because of the economic damage to buyers. It is also because of the damage it inflicts on the environment. Technological waste from electronic devices contributes to this problem due to the high contamination of its components. According to the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), an average of 50 million tons of technological waste is generated worldwide every year, a figure that could reach 120 million tons in 2050 if current habits are maintained of consumption.
From January 1, 2022, after the modification of terms of the consumer lawthe warranty on tech products is three years (instead of two), and parts should be available for a decade (instead of five years) after the product goes out of production.
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