13-year-old South Korean girl sues Apple for not paying iPhone repair costs

[News_Editor]

13-year-old South Korean girl sues Apple for not paying iPhone repair costs

2010-10-19 08:17:55 GMT+7 (ICT)

SEOUL (BNO NEWS) -- A South Korean teenage girl has sued Apple Inc. to demand that the U.S. company pays the repair costs for her damaged iPhone, according to the Yonhap news agency on Tuesday.

Yonhap, citing court officials, said the 13-year-old girl, identified only by her family name Lee, had bought an iPhone 3G in February. Within several months, however, the phone broke and had to be repaired.

The girl then brought her device to an authorized repair shop earlier this month, where the phone was repaired. However, Apple Inc. apparently would not refund the repair costs, after which she filed a lawsuit against the company.

Apple did not immediately comment on the lawsuit.

-- © BNO News All rights reserved 2010-10-19

[axact]

It sounds like the 1st poster has a problem with people who have money... Jealousy is a bad trait !

Clever girl, not too many 13 yr olds would even know how to sue, I smell parental involvement

Edited October 19, 2010 by axact

[harrry]

I do not know about this case but I have the utmost sympathy with people taking action against companies who do not fully support their product.

[bangkokcitylimits]

It sounds like the 1st poster has a problem with people who have money... Jealousy is a bad trait !

Clever girl, not too many 13 yr olds would even know how to sue, I smell parental involvement

When the device is registered on her name she is probably the one to take action, pushed by her parents I guess. When this is a 13 years old it's easy page filling for the hungry media, nothing more as for Apple this is daily stuff.

Probably a dispute about the license of the repair shop etc.

[TheMac]

- where the phone was bought?

- did she bought it new or second hand (knowing that the iPhone 4G should be on the market)

- what was the damage?

Not knowing that, we can't comment on the case but I would tend to agree why a 13yo child needs an iPhone.

[lomatopo]

SEOUL (BNO NEWS) -- A South Korean teenage girl has sued Apple Inc. to demand that the U.S. company pays the repair costs for her damaged iPhone, according to the Yonhap news agency on Tuesday.

Most hardware warranties do not cover damage, abuse, etc. However if there was a defect and it was within the warranty period ( 1 year ) then Apple should repair/replace at no charge. Potentially bad PR for Apple

Full(er) story...water damage

13-year-old S. Korean demands free iPhone repairs

SEOUL, Oct. 19 (Yonhap) -- A South Korean iPhone user filed a lawsuit against Apple Inc. for the first time, demanding that the U.S. handset maker pay repair costs for her damaged phone, court officials said Tuesday.

The 13-year-old girl, identified only by her family name Lee, bought an iPhone 3G in February that broke months later. She brought her device to an authorized repair shop earlier this month.

However, her free repair request was rejected because the company said that she dropped the smartphone in water. It said the color of a tag attached to the side of the phone changed to red, meaning that the phone had contact with water.

She lodged the damage suit against Apple's Korean unit before the Seoul Central District Court, seeking some 300,000 won (US$269) in compensation, marking the country's first civil action against the global electronics company's after-sales service policy.

"I never dropped my phone in water but they insisted that I did, just based on the color change," Lee said.

"I heard that the tag can be discolored from humidity... The company has not taken any action to prevent the color change. That means it provides poor-quality goods."

Since the global giant's mega-hit iPhone made its debut in South Korea in November last year, consumer complaints about Apple's customer service policy have risen steadily. Nevertheless, the company has sold more than 1 million iPhones within about nine months.

The U.S.-based electronics company requires South Korean consumers to purchase a refurbished phone for some 300,000 won when his or her iPhone is damaged or stolen, instead of providing the free repair service it offers to customers in other countries during the warranty period.

[floridaguy]

I remember the days when cell phones came out and people said that there was no way anyone needed to have a mobile phone. I also remember Bill Gates saying no one would ever need more than 4 megs of ram or some such, maybe it was hard drive space. There is a value to new technology, such as smartphones, ABS, etc, that some will always denounce and ridicule.

There are some very legitamate reasons for a 13 year old to have a smart phone such as the iPhone. There is the safety factor. iPhones 3GS's have built in GPS, and compass and you can track the phone from your own phone. As a parent, I like to know where my 14 and 12 year olds are. I like being able to see exactly where they are if I need to. Also, if they are lost, they can get turn by turn walking or driving directions in their own language, bus routes, subway routes, etc. If my children are lost, I would rather they relied on technology to get them somewhere safe than taking the risk of asking a stranger. There is also the convenience. Shopping, barcode scanning, photo taking, email, text. If I want my kids to pick something up from the market, they can't read Thai, so I can often email or SMS them a photo of what I want. No 900 baht Nokia will do any of this.

I wouldn't want my 14 year old walking around with a professional camera, which costs several times more than an iPhone, around their neck. That invites thieves and kidnappers. And if my kids want to learn piano, then they can download and read the music sheets on their iPhone on the train home. After that, they could photoshop the photos they took on their hi-res camera on their iPhone and post it online for their friends and family back in our home country to see.

Meanwhile, a 900 baht Nokia is just a phone.

Edited October 23, 2010 by cdnvic
removed deleted quotes

[floridaguy]

Oh yeah, I forgot, iPhones have a flashlight built in as well.

[nikster]

The U.S.-based electronics company requires South Korean consumers to purchase a refurbished phone for some 300,000 won when his or her iPhone is damaged or stolen, instead of providing the free repair service it offers to customers in other countries during the warranty period.

Really? I find that hard to believe. Also what's the "or stolen" doing there? Surely, providing a replacement phone for cheap is a good thing when my phone got stolen?!

I smell BS all over this story.

The Apple policy (world-wide) is to replace lost phones, or ones with water damage, for a fee - $250 sounds about right. I don't think Korea would be any different. Apple also replaces or repairs phones for free if within the warranty period, and if covered under the warranty. It's understandable they don't cover phones dropped in water.

What's contentious is whether or not the humidity sensors really work. In this case it appears the service center didn't believe the girl and she sued them. Hopefully that will get Apple to be more lenient about its humidity sensors - there are about 5 different humidity sensors in the phone, and if only one or two on the outside are red, they should replace the phone for free (and they usually do, at least in the USA).

[onnut]

I remember the days when cell phones came out and people said that there was no way anyone needed to have a mobile phone. I also remember Bill Gates saying no one would ever need more than 4 megs of ram or some such, maybe it was hard drive space. There is a value to new technology, such as smartphones, ABS, etc, that some will always denounce and ridicule.

There are some very legitamate reasons for a 13 year old to have a smart phone such as the iPhone. There is the safety factor. iPhones 3GS's have built in GPS, and compass and you can track the phone from your own phone. As a parent, I like to know where my 14 and 12 year olds are. I like being able to see exactly where they are if I need to. Also, if they are lost, they can get turn by turn walking or driving directions in their own language, bus routes, subway routes, etc. If my children are lost, I would rather they relied on technology to get them somewhere safe than taking the risk of asking a stranger. There is also the convenience. Shopping, barcode scanning, photo taking, email, text. If I want my kids to pick something up from the market, they can't read Thai, so I can often email or SMS them a photo of what I want. No 900 baht Nokia will do any of this.

I wouldn't want my 14 year old walking around with a professional camera, which costs several times more than an iPhone, around their neck. That invites thieves and kidnappers. And if my kids want to learn piano, then they can download and read the music sheets on their iPhone on the train home. After that, they could photoshop the photos they took on their hi-res camera on their iPhone and post it online for their friends and family back in our home country to see.

Meanwhile, a 900 baht Nokia is just a phone.

I agree with this statement very much. I bought my first iPhone so I could send photos straight to my sister phone to phone of my little boy, her nephew! I then got my wife one because of the same reason. we take photos and upload straight away to facebook and videos to utube for my family at home. great. e-mails, skype for free calls over wifi. so many uses.

I will be making sure my son has one when he is old enough as well.

[bangkokcitylimits]

I remember the days when cell phones came out and people said that there was no way anyone needed to have a mobile phone. I also remember Bill Gates saying no one would ever need more than 4 megs of ram or some such, maybe it was hard drive space. There is a value to new technology, such as smartphones, ABS, etc, that some will always denounce and ridicule.

There are some very legitamate reasons for a 13 year old to have a smart phone such as the iPhone. There is the safety factor. iPhones 3GS's have built in GPS, and compass and you can track the phone from your own phone. As a parent, I like to know where my 14 and 12 year olds are. I like being able to see exactly where they are if I need to. Also, if they are lost, they can get turn by turn walking or driving directions in their own language, bus routes, subway routes, etc. If my children are lost, I would rather they relied on technology to get them somewhere safe than taking the risk of asking a stranger. There is also the convenience. Shopping, barcode scanning, photo taking, email, text. If I want my kids to pick something up from the market, they can't read Thai, so I can often email or SMS them a photo of what I want. No 900 baht Nokia will do any of this.

I wouldn't want my 14 year old walking around with a professional camera, which costs several times more than an iPhone, around their neck. That invites thieves and kidnappers. And if my kids want to learn piano, then they can download and read the music sheets on their iPhone on the train home. After that, they could photoshop the photos they took on their hi-res camera on their iPhone and post it online for their friends and family back in our home country to see.

Meanwhile, a 900 baht Nokia is just a phone.

If you know how to use this functions and you have a good reason for having it, sure it's nice it's there ! But I don't need a GPS device as I have no transport company, etc. Often the reason for buying an iPhone is mainly based on stupid emotions.

I know a middle aged dude who is proud owner of a glossy iPhone but doesn't know how the dam_n thing works, so he tried to make me the person responsible for changing ringtones and other settings. When I say 'no thanks, too hard for me too, why don't you get a normal phone like me, at least then you know how to make a call' He doesn't like that..

Back to basic !

[Zolt]

It sounds like the 1st poster has a problem with people who have money... Jealousy is a bad trait !

Clever girl, not too many 13 yr olds would even know how to sue, I smell parental involvement

I smell that daddy's a lawyer.

[onnut]

Not everyone is tech savy! so yeah then I understand why not get one, but to those guys and girls who are tech savy and can afford things like that, then why not. I dont say anything to people who have a 6 years old Nokia model, if thats what they want then thats good.

[floridaguy]

I remember the days when cell phones came out and people said that there was no way anyone needed to have a mobile phone. I also remember Bill Gates saying no one would ever need more than 4 megs of ram or some such, maybe it was hard drive space. There is a value to new technology, such as smartphones, ABS, etc, that some will always denounce and ridicule.

There are some very legitamate reasons for a 13 year old to have a smart phone such as the iPhone. There is the safety factor. iPhones 3GS's have built in GPS, and compass and you can track the phone from your own phone. As a parent, I like to know where my 14 and 12 year olds are. I like being able to see exactly where they are if I need to. Also, if they are lost, they can get turn by turn walking or driving directions in their own language, bus routes, subway routes, etc. If my children are lost, I would rather they relied on technology to get them somewhere safe than taking the risk of asking a stranger. There is also the convenience. Shopping, barcode scanning, photo taking, email, text. If I want my kids to pick something up from the market, they can't read Thai, so I can often email or SMS them a photo of what I want. No 900 baht Nokia will do any of this.

I wouldn't want my 14 year old walking around with a professional camera, which costs several times more than an iPhone, around their neck. That invites thieves and kidnappers. And if my kids want to learn piano, then they can download and read the music sheets on their iPhone on the train home. After that, they could photoshop the photos they took on their hi-res camera on their iPhone and post it online for their friends and family back in our home country to see.

Meanwhile, a 900 baht Nokia is just a phone.

If you know how to use this functions and you have a good reason for having it, sure it's nice it's there ! But I don't need a GPS device as I have no transport company, etc. Often the reason for buying an iPhone is mainly based on stupid emotions.

I know a middle aged dude who is proud owner of a glossy iPhone but doesn't know how the dam_n thing works, so he tried to make me the person responsible for changing ringtones and other settings. When I say 'no thanks, too hard for me too, why don't you get a normal phone like me, at least then you know how to make a call' He doesn't like that..

Back to basic !

That is funny. Then I agree that guy has no reason to have one, because he doesn't want to know the possibilities of the phone. For me, I am often caught on my motorcycle and realized I left my GPS in the car and the iPhone works great to get me unlost. We all know how easy it is to get turned around in Bangkok and lose an hour getting back to where you needed to be. But, if all you need is a phone and a clock (I use mine for that also, since I stopped wearing a watch when I moved here to Thailand), then any model will do.

[asiawatcher]

The breakdown of 3G S is quite common and I have a few friends who were gladly upgraded to iPhone4 after Apple were unable to fix the problems. But I have not heard of anyone suing Apple. Good luck with that!

[onnut]

The breakdown of 3G S is quite common and I have a few friends who were gladly upgraded to iPhone4 after Apple were unable to fix the problems. But I have not heard of anyone suing Apple. Good luck with that!

Not had any problems with my 3Gs and it is one year old now. Touch wood.

but when it dies I will go for the 4 but am hoping it lasts until the 5G or whatever comes after the 4G model.

[bangkokcitylimits]

That is funny. Then I agree that guy has no reason to have one, because he doesn't want to know the possibilities of the phone. For me, I am often caught on my motorcycle and realized I left my GPS in the car and the iPhone works great to get me unlost. We all know how easy it is to get turned around in Bangkok and lose an hour getting back to where you needed to be. But, if all you need is a phone and a clock (I use mine for that also, since I stopped wearing a watch when I moved here to Thailand), then any model will do.

When living in Bangkok a GPS device is no excessive luxury indeed, I envy the taxidrivers who find every hidden alley blind !

Calling back the weird Cheng Wattana - Tiwanon intersection in west-Nonthaburi, think it cost me a 10 times before I understood how to get on the north bound road, very tricky one... Good old Bangkok... I miss it sometimes.

[LaoPo]

Not knowing that, we can't comment on the case but I would tend to agree why a 13yo child needs an iPhone.

Are some of you living in Afghan caves or haven't you seen any children from 5 years and up in the past 10 years?

MOST children, in sophisticated and developed countries, starting from an age of 5, 6 years old carry a mobile phone.

LaoPo

[gregb]

However, her free repair request was rejected because the company said that she dropped the smartphone in water. It said the color of a tag attached to the side of the phone changed to red, meaning that the phone had contact with water.

She lodged the damage suit against Apple's Korean unit before the Seoul Central District Court, seeking some 300,000 won (US$269) in compensation, marking the country's first civil action against the global electronics company's after-sales service policy.

"I never dropped my phone in water but they insisted that I did, just based on the color change," Lee said.

"I heard that the tag can be discolored from humidity... The company has not taken any action to prevent the color change. That means it provides poor-quality goods."

This girl is smart and correct. Apple knows all about this problem, but there is no way to solve it. What's worse, they don't care what actually caused the problem. If they see the pink color, that's it. They won't fix anything. It is criminal of them to sell the phone in humid areas with this kind of a policy. They should either figure out a way to distinguish between real water damage and simply discoloration from humidity, or else abandon the policy entirely.

I hope this gets big. Real big. Apple needs to change their policy. They know what they are doing is wrong. They simply don't care. They save millions on warranty claims because they can legally deny coverage when water damage has nothing to do with the issue at hand.

Really the girl should start a class action lawsuit against them. They've done this to so many people I know it's not even funny. Apple isn't quite at the same level of evil as Microsoft, but they are darn close.

[nikster]

This girl is smart and correct. Apple knows all about this problem, but there is no way to solve it. What's worse, they don't care what actually caused the problem. If they see the pink color, that's it. They won't fix anything. It is criminal of them to sell the phone in humid areas with this kind of a policy. They should either figure out a way to distinguish between real water damage and simply discoloration from humidity, or else abandon the policy entirely.

They do have a way, actually. There's several of these humidity sensors deep inside the phone. I don't think humidity alone would cause the insides of the phone to get wet.

That said I agree that they seem to have a problem with their sensors, and they should really have a much more lenient policy to deal with this.

[Tywais]

Source:

"Total iPhones Sold Worldwide as of April 2010: 50 million." So say 10 Million were 3GS at .75% failure due to water is about 75,000 iPhone 3GS.

[harrry]

It seems from those graphs that the Iphone4 has twice the accident rate than others. It would appear that it is less able to handle normal use stress and hence less fit for use than the previous phone.

Edited October 20, 2010 by harrry

[tombkk]

Source:

"Total iPhones Sold Worldwide as of April 2010: 50 million." So say 10 Million were 3GS at .75% failure due to water is about 75,000 iPhone 3GS.

[tombkk]

The previous was an attempt to reply with quotes from my iPhone, sorry about that. Also, the embedded images don't show on my iPhone. But that's not the reason for the post.

0.75% is a very high error rate. Is that confirmed on those images? Motorola has a six-sigma quality policy, and I would have to look it up but I think it is about one in a million that can be defective.

[nikster]

I have an iPhone 4, and had a 3GS. The antenna issue is real, that's one thing. I can also imagine it's more prone to breaking - it's just this sliver of glass and steel, it seems like it would be more fragile merely due to physical attributes. The old one had a rounded plastic back, so if it, say, fell on the ground, there was a good chance it would fall on its plastic back and nothing would happen. The new one will have a much worse impact on concrete - the steel bands won't break, but they'll pass on most of the energy to the glass. Glass can break, and the iPhone 4 has 2 pieces of glass instead of one. So all in all the higher accident ratings were to be expected.

I now think the "bumpers" that Apple sells solve this problem, to be honest - but then the phone doesn't look nearly as nice, so not many people will use those. They really are bumpers, and I noticed they're very carefully designed to protect the phone from any impact - if the phone fell on the ground with a bumper on, it would be near impossible to directly fall on the glass (the bumpers stick out a bit), and the rubber/plastic would absorb most of the impact.

Another angle to explain the higher accident rate is that the 3GS had way more "cases" available right from the start - same form factor as the 3G, after all. So people would use cases more on the 3GS for two reasons: One, cases were more available, and, two, the 3GS cases don't spoil the appearance of the phone. iPhone 4 cases that look nice are few and far between.

Anyway apart from the antenna issue, I don't think there's anything wrong with the design. Rumor has it that new production runs have fixed the problem.

Consumers have already made up their minds in any case, as the iPhone 4 outsells the 3GS by orders of magnitude. You can still buy a 3GS. Yet people don't because the 4 looks so much better. Next to each other the iPhone 4 makes the 3GS look old and tired. Then there's the stellar screen, and the other goodies... impossible to go back.

[cdnvic]

I had to delete a few posts due to the immature comments made by one poster. You know who you are.