Apple Threatened To Face Fines Of Up To € 300,000 In Italy

Italian law demands that customers who buy electronic products in the country have the right to get two years of free assistance, irrespective of other warranties offered by a manufacturer. However, like everywhere else, Apple offers a 1 year limited warranty for its products in Italy. As a result, Italy’s competition regulator is now threatening Apple Inc with fines of up to € 300,000 ($381,000) if it does not offer local customers a free two-year warranty as demanded by Italian law, reports Reuters.

According to the source:

The AGCM competition and market authority has already imposed fines of 900,000 euros on divisions of Apple, which offers a paid technical support service, for failing to tell customers about their rights to free assistance.

But months after the previous fine, Apple has failed to comply with the antitrust request, the source said. The company currently offers a free one-year guarantee scheme, which can be extended to two years on payment of a fee.

“The antitrust (authority) has opened a procedure of non-compliance against Apple, complaining about two unlawful practices,” the source told Reuters.

“If they do not comply, they risk fines for up to 300,000 euros,” the source said.

Apple appealed against the Italian antitrust fine but lost in court earlier this year.