After the sale of the iPhone 12 without chargers, Procon in Rio de Janeiro fined Apple R$12.27 million. In addition, the agency also issued notifications to the iPhone 13 and 14 models, which will be launched in September, and if irregularities are proven, fines can individually add up to another R$ 12 million, totaling a loss of R$ 36 million for the North American company.
The consumer protection body argues that the charger is an indispensable part of the use of the device and the absence of it can be configured as a tying sale, that is, when a supplier conditions a product to the purchase of another. According to Igor Costa, executive director of Procon-RJ, in an interview with O Globo, the practice generated an increase of US$ 6 billion (R$ 30 billion) in the company’s revenue. Apple claims that the measure is linked to a sustainability policy.
The agency notified the iPhone 13 and 14 models to find out if the shipment of charger is present in the sales of the devices. In the case of 13, it is part of a sanctioning process and the company has 20 days to respond. For model 14, which has not yet reached the stores, the investigation is preliminary and the response period is five days.
Apple has already been fined R$ 10 million by the São Paulo Procon because of the same issue. In Fortaleza and Florianópolis, the agencies also carried out the same action. In addition, a Bill 5451/2020, authored by federal deputy Marcelo Ramos (PL-AM), is currently pending in the Chamber of Deputies, which makes it mandatory to supply a battery, headset, charger and any tools essential for the operation of an appliance. The PL is in the Constitution and Justice and Citizenship Commission awaiting the report of the rapporteur.
Do you own any Apple devices? Did you go through the same situation of missing the charger? Leave your comment!
- The Apple iPhone 13 is available from FastShop for BRL 5,099 and in Magazine Luiza for BRL 5,579. The cost-benefit is medium and this is the best model in this price range.
- The Apple iPhone 12 is available at Magazine Luiza for BRL 4,300. The cost-benefit is medium but this is the best model in this price range.
