Apple sued by teen for poor after-sales service

By Lee Hyo-sik

Apple has been sued for the first time here by a Korean iPhone user over its “poor” after-sales services. As hundreds of Korean consumers have already filed complaints about Apple’s subpar after-sales policies, similar lawsuits could follow.

According to the Seoul Central District Court Tuesday, a 13-year-old girl, identified only by her surname Lee, filed a lawsuit against Apple Korea, demanding the company refund her 290,400 won, the amount she paid to have her broken 3G iPhone repaired.

Lee said in a petition that she took her iPhone to Apple’s service center early this month as some functions were not operating properly.

At first, Lee was told that her phone would be fixed for free. But several days later, the center told her that she would have to pay 290,400 won if she wanted her phone fixed, claiming that a tiny strip of label indicating whether the phone was in contact with water or not had discolored.

“My phone was never in water. It is absurd for Apple to claim the problem is my fault. When my phone is disassembled during the legal proceeding, we will find out the truth,” she said.

Lee said there have been many cases that the strip of label turned red because of moisture in the air, not because the phone was submerged in water.

“Apple did not install any safety features to prevent iPhone from being damaged from moisture and water. It is entirely the manufacturer’s fault.”

She then contended iPhone is more vulnerable to humidity than other smartphones, stressing Apple should have notified users of the problem. “But there is no such indication whatsoever in its warranty or service manual. It is totally Apple’s responsibility.”

Lee’s father, who filed the suit on behalf of his teenage daughter, told Yonhap that they decided to sue Apple to protect the rights of Korean consumers, adding there are many cases in which the label became discolored even if the iPhone was never in the water

Apple has been entangled in a series of legal battles in recent months. Nokia, the Finnish cell phone maker, has sued Apple, claiming the U.S. firm infringed upon its patent. Two iPhone users in the U.S. have also sued Apple over iPhone 4’s poor voice reception.

10대 소녀 "아이폰 공짜로 고쳐달라" 첫 소송

애플사가 한국 아이폰 사용자로부터 최초로 아이폰의 부실한 사후관리(AS)에 대한 소송을 당했다. 수백명의 한국 소비자들이 이미 애플사의 부실한 사후관리정책에 대해 불만을 제기했기 때문에 비슷한 소송이 줄을 이을 것으로 보인다.

19일 서울중앙지법에 따르면 이모(13) 양은 망가진 자신의 아이폰을 수리할 때 든 비용 29만400원을 지급하라'며 아이폰 제조사의 한국법인인 애플 코리아를 상대로 손해배상 청구소송을 제기했다.

이양은 소장에서 그녀는 이달 초 아이폰이 제대로 작동하지 않아 아이폰 서비스센터에 이를 가져갔었다고 말했다.

그러자, 처음에는 이를 무료로 수리해 줄 수 없다는 말을 들었으나 며칠 후 다시 “침수라벨이 변색했다”는 이유로 수리를 원하면 29만400원을 지불해야 한다는 얘기를 들었다.

이양은 "아이폰을 물에 빠뜨린 적이 없다. 애플사가 고장이 난 것은 내 잘못이라는 것은 터무니 없는 주장이다. 소송 과정에서 제품을 해체해 기판을 확인하면 진실이 명확해질 것”이라고 말했다.

이양은 "아이폰을 물에 직접 접촉하지 않았더라도 습기에 의해 라벨 색깔이 변한 사례가 많이 있었다”고 지적했다.