iPhones must be fixed in Hyderabad, not Bengaluru, Apple told

HYDERABAD: The Telangana State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission has told Apple India that it cannot ask its customers to go to the Bengaluru service centre to get defects in iPhones rectified. The commission stated that the company was indulging in unfair trade practices and intimidating customers.

Warning that failure in complying with this order would result in serious consequences, the commission directed Apple to instruct its authorised service centre at Secunderabad to look into the grievances of three of their customers in their presence and check their instruments.

The bench of president Justice MSK Jaiswal and member K Ramesh gave the order after hearing three separate complaints by I Prakash Chand Patawari, Pritam Patawari and Vikas Patawari from Secunderabad who bought three iPhones for Rs 80,000 each in October 2015.

When the phones developed defects, Apple asked them to take these to an authorised service centre in Bengaluru. Apple has said it does not possess an efficient service centre in Hyderabad or Secunderabad. Moreover, it argued that the customers who have not gone to Bangalore to rectify their phones could not raise any consumer disputes.

“Your action is highly condemnable. How can you ask the customers to go to Bengaluru when you have an authorised service centre at Secunderabad? You have sold such costly instruments to Indians. And when they do not function, you do not assist them. This clearly amounts to unfair trade practice. You are holding the customers to ransom,” the state commission told Apple.