AppleCare+ class action suit clams refurb devices aren't as good as new

A class action lawsuit has been filed against Apple in California having to do with how the AppleCare+ warranty operates. The suit was filed on Wednesday of this week and argues that Apple isn't meeting the contract that comes with an AppleCare+ warranty. Specifically the suit claims that devices that are replaced under warranty with refurbished replacements don't meet a specifically clause in the contract.

The suit alleges that the clause claiming refurbished devices are "equivalent to new in performance and reliability" is false. The lawyers for the suit say that a refurbished device is a "secondhand unit that has been modified to appear to be new" and therefore can't be equivalent in durability and functionality as a new unit. The suit was filed after plaintiff Vicky Maldonado purchased third generation iPad and then cracked the screen after owning it for six months.

Maldonado had to replace her tablet at an out of pocket cost of $250 since the damage was accidental in nature, but was told that for another $100 the AppleCare+ program would replace the tablet if similarly damaged in the future. The woman is claiming that the replacement iPad she was given under the warranty didn't function properly and since it had impaired functionality, the tablet wasn't equivalent to new.

The woman purchased another iPad, this time a fourth gen model, in 2013 and says that she wasn't informed that she would get a refurbished device if she damaged the tablet. When she tried to get a repair for the device in May 2015, she was given a refurbished device instead. The filing in court clams that the device she received wasn't equivalent to new in performance or reliability. There is no indication of when this case might be heard in court, but there is a chance it could change how Apple handles warranty replacement devices.

SOURCE: Apple Insider