Apple Error 53 Resulted In $9M Fine In Australia

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Apple is having a tough time, as it has been hit with a AUD $9 million fine by the Federal Court in Australia. The fine came as a result of the very hated Apple Error 53 bug, which resulted in many users being affected last year.

According to the report by The Sydney Morning Herald, Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), Commissioner Sarah Court provided an explanation about Apple’s denial regarding the affected devices of Australian customers and the devices being repaired by a third-party without offering any remedy.

“[The customers said] they were being refused a remedy of any kind by Apple on the basis that their device had had unauthorised repairs, and those repairs could be as minor as just having a cracked screen replaced on an iPhone or iPad, which all of us need to do from time to time,” ACCC Commissioner Sarah Court said.

“So these consumers were being told, ‘because you’ve had this third party repair, you are not entitled to any remedy’.”

The ACCC stressed that “customers and consumers are free to have screens and other repairs done” by third-party services. However, this applies as long as the repair doesn’t result in “damage” of the underlying system of the phone.

Aside from the $9 million fine for Apple error 53, Apple offered a “court enforceable undertaking to not in engage in this kind of conduct in the future.”

According to a statement Apple showed its commitment towards the Australian consumer market, saying that it is going to continue doing what’s considered the best in order for consumers to be provided with excellent service for their devices.

“We’re constantly looking for ways to enhance the service we deliver and we had very productive conversations with the ACCC about this,” the spokesperson said.

“We will continue to do all we can to deliver excellent service to all of our customers in Australia.”

In 2016, Apple explained that Apple Error 53 appeared after a consumer had a Home button changed by a third-party service. The company was running security checks and since the Touch ID module was different, they couldn’t check the device. This issue was also the subject of a class action law suit in the U.S. However, it was thrown out because of lack of merit.

 

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