Apple Being Investigated Again By Brazil For Missing iPhone 13 Charger

Brazil’s Foundation for Consumer Protection and Defense (Procon-SP) has revealed that they’ve already started investigating Apple’s decision to once again sell the new iPhone without the charger, before it’s even started shipping in the country. The report by local publication TechTudo says that by 29 September, both Apple and Samsung will be notified for selling the charger separately from the iPhone 13, Galaxy Z Flip3, and Galaxy Z Fold3.

Apple already got in trouble with Procon-SP when it first decided to exclude the power brick from the iPhone 12, with the regulator fining the tech giant US$2 million (~RM8.3 million) earlier this year, which also included charges of misleading advertising and unfair terms. Even before they had taken action against the company, the regulator already concluded back in November that Apple’s move did not demonstrate environmental gain.

Procon-SP’s executive director Fernando Capez told TechTudo that it’s not legal to sell the phone and charger separately as “you can only charge the device with that power brick,” leading to customers being obligated to buy two products. Even though Apple already says on its website that the iPhone 13 doesn’t come with the charger in the box, he believes this is not enough – calling it “camouflaged information”.

Capez added that consumers already have an expectation of getting the charging brick with their smartphones and wants Apple to stamp the change on the packaging so that consumers are aware. For the record, while Samsung also followed Apple’s decision as well, the South Korean firm avoided a fine from Procon-SP by striking a deal to include a “gift” charger with Galaxy S21 pre-orders in Brazil.

The consumer protection regulator is looking into forming a class action to help any consumers who feel that Apple should give them a free charger, and advises consumers that for now, they should file a small claims suit in civil court. Apple did not give a response to TechTudo, though when the company was fined in March, they commented that “all iPhones sold in the country work with the available chargers, including third-party ones since they follow Anatel standards.”

Apple Gets US$2 Million Fine In Brazil For Excluding Charger From iPhone 12 Box

Back in October last year, Apple announced the iPhone 12 series of devices, and their lack of a charger. Half a year later, we now see one country, Brazil, issuing a fine to the company for that decision.

Brazilian consumer protection body Procon-SP issued a US$2 million (~RM8.2 million) to Apple over the weekend. The fine didn’t exactly come without warning. About the time Apple announced the iPhone 12, Procon questioned the environmental gains of not including a charger with the phone. A month after that, the regulator concluded that the company did not demonstrate environmental gain from the move.

In addition to not including a charger, Procon is also charging Apple for a number of other issues. These range from misleading advertising to unfair terms. According to 9to5Mac, the former is because Brazilian customers reported that Apple did not repair iPhone 11 Pro devices with water problems. As for the latter, the agency claims that the iPhone maker “exempts itself from all legal and implicit guarantees and against hidden or not apparent defects”.

While the fact that Apple getting fines may seem like a substantial event, it probably isn’t. After all, US$2 million is likely less than a drop of water for one of the largest smartphone makers.