Apple ordered to pay Chandigarh user after sudden Apple ID block

Tech-giant Apple Inc. has faced an order from Chandigarh consumer forum to pay Rs 5,000 to user Gurdeep Kaur for her undue harassment as well as unfair trade practice, and litigation costs.

Gurdeep Kaur, a resident of Sector 17 had bought an Apple iPhone which began to stop working roughly 10 months later due to her own Apple ID getting blocked. This, the complainant, Kaur alleged was not due to her requests for doing so or any other misuse of the service during her use.

Following multiple store visits requesting action, Kaur filed the complaint which has led to the Rs 5,000 compensation being charged to the giant last week. The Apple dealership, Anmol Smart store, from whom she had bought the device did not participate in the proceedings.

During the ordeal, Apple claimed that the blocking was due to damage by the complainant, rendering the phone’s warranty void and the firm not attributable to it.

However, the forum ultimately nullified this assertion as it hadn’t found any evidence anywhere of the same. Exactly it said, “Consumers who wilfully destroy damage or negligently handle a product are not eligible to claim any relief under the Act… it did not appear to be convincing to us, as the product in question is not found to be damaged, rather it was only the complainant’s Apple ID which had got blocked. Moreover, the Opposite Party (Apple India) has miserably failed to adduce any documentary evidence in support of its claim, like the receipt of a complaint by anybody else other than the complainant due to which they blocked the Apple ID,” according to The Indian Express.

Thus, this case ended with the Cupertino, California based corporation having to pay Rs 5,000 – 2,500 for compensation and 2,500 for the cost of litigation, to the consumer. It would also have to unblock her Apple ID. Kaur had bought her iPhone 6 32 GB for Rs 30,700 in Chandigarh in April 2017.