Apple Error 53: iPhone Maker Accused of Misleading Customers
Apple is being accused of misleading its customers after a sting operation conducted by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) involving the error 53.
For those who do not know, error 53 is what happens after updating to iOS 8 or 9 the iPhones whose Touch ID fingerprint sensors were replaced by a third party.
The iPhones basically become unusable after the software jump since the operating system will identify it as unauthorized access due to a mismatch between the sensor and the smartphone.
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Cases of error 53 issues began back in late 2014 until early last year. According to The Guardian, one in every 1,000 iPhones is affected by it.
Some folks over at ACCC posed as customers and asked the staff from all 13 retailers of the company in Australia about the error 53 message.
The agency said they were advised by the staff they spoke to that they are not entitled to free replacements or repair if they previously brought their iPhones to repair shops not licensed by the software giant.
"In each call, Apple Australia represented to the ACCC caller that no Apple entity ... was required to, or would, remedy the defective speaker at no cost under the [Australian consumer law] if the screen of the iPhone had been replaced by someone other than Apple Australia or an Apple-authorized service provider," the ACCC's court claim alleged, as per The Guardian.
ACCC also claimed that the information regarding error 53 on Apple's website misinform users of their rights. As per the agency, the Cupertino company advises those who encounter the issue to "contact Apple Support about pricing information for out-of-warranty repairs" if they had their devices repaired in third-party shops.
In response, Apple said that they have no intention to mislead and they would have informed real customers of their rights under the consumer law and not in "hypothetical circumstances" like what ACCC used.
The company also emphasized that the message on their website regarding error 53 does not exactly say affected users are not entitled to free replacement or repair.
Apple said the website only pertains to the conditions of the company's own limited warranty, adding that it is just a portion of the communication to be had between the tech titan and its customers over error 53.
