Regulators in the Brazilian state of São Paulo fined Apple nearly $ 2 million on Friday for not including chargers in the iPhone 12 boxes, according to 9to5Mac and a Google translation of a report from Brazilian technical news broadcast Tilt
The consumer protection agency Procon-SP also accused Apple of misleading advertising and refused to fix faulty devices, and enforcement of unfair contract terms with consumers.
Starting with the iPhone 12 series, Apple announced it scraped the wall charger and earbuds typically bundled with earlier iPhones to reduce electronic waste, citing environmental concerns. At the time, critics argued that Apple’s decision had more to do with cutting shipping costs than saving the planet, and that any impact on the environment would likely be minimal.
Procon-SP asked Apple if the price of the iPhone 12 would be lowered because it didn’t include a charger, but the agency said it never received a response, 9to5Mac reports. In addition to the charger debacle, it accused Apple of refusing to fix devices that weren’t as water-resistant as advertised and of not helping customers who were experiencing “issues with some features” on their iPhones after iOS updates. Procon-SP also claims that Apple’s contract terms are too broad and shield Apple from responsibility, even if its devices are found to have hidden defects, the outlet said.
“Apple needs to understand that there are solid consumer protection laws and institutions in Brazil. It must respect these laws and institutions, ”said Fernando Capez, executive director of the agency.
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Apple didn’t immediately respond to Gizmodo’s request for comment, but we’ll be sure to update this blog if they do. It still has the option to appeal this decision through the Brazilian court. In all fairness, it’s probably easier for Apple to just pay the money and not even bother with it. $ 2 million dollars is a drop in the bucket if you earn more than that $ 100 billion, right away b, in revenue as Apple did in the first quarter of 2021 alone.