Class action claims all Apple Watches are defective
The latest lawsuit over alleged defects in Apple products contends that the company owes $5 million in damages, because all Apple Watches are defective by design.
Via Trivia_Hawk on Reddit
Every model through the Series 3 contains "the same defect and/or flaw, which causes the screens on the Watches to crack, shatter, or detach from the body of the Watch, through no fault of the wearer, oftentimes only days or weeks after purchase," lawyers for plaintiff Kenneth Sciacca argue in a class action brought through the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.
"Apple knew that the Watches were defective at or before the time it began selling them to the public," the complaint continues. "Furthermore, consumers complained to Apple about the Defect almost immediately after Apple released the Series 0, Series 1, Series 2, and Series 3 Watches."
The company is accused of "actively" concealing problems, and denying the existence of any defect, instead labeling incidents as "accidental damage" and refusing to honor warranties.
Apple has addressed some Watch issues, such as separated back covers and swollen batteries on Series 0 units, and stripes on some GPS-only versions of the Series 3. Detached screens have also been an occasional complaint on public forums, but without any official response so far.
One possibility is that screen issues are actually connected to battery problems, since components are so tightly packed in any given Watch that a swelling battery could put too much pressure on the display.
AppleInsider has service data collated on every model of Apple Watch from release, similar to the data we have collected on the iPhone and Mac lines. However, with absolutely zero data on sales figures, and what appears to be escalating volumes of sales over the years, it's nearly impossible to draw any conclusion from it at present.
$5 million is nevertheless a low amount to claim in damages, since it would be unlikely to cover repairs or replacements for more than a small percentage of current Watch owners.
Via Trivia_Hawk on Reddit
Every model through the Series 3 contains "the same defect and/or flaw, which causes the screens on the Watches to crack, shatter, or detach from the body of the Watch, through no fault of the wearer, oftentimes only days or weeks after purchase," lawyers for plaintiff Kenneth Sciacca argue in a class action brought through the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.
"Apple knew that the Watches were defective at or before the time it began selling them to the public," the complaint continues. "Furthermore, consumers complained to Apple about the Defect almost immediately after Apple released the Series 0, Series 1, Series 2, and Series 3 Watches."
The company is accused of "actively" concealing problems, and denying the existence of any defect, instead labeling incidents as "accidental damage" and refusing to honor warranties.
Apple has addressed some Watch issues, such as separated back covers and swollen batteries on Series 0 units, and stripes on some GPS-only versions of the Series 3. Detached screens have also been an occasional complaint on public forums, but without any official response so far.
One possibility is that screen issues are actually connected to battery problems, since components are so tightly packed in any given Watch that a swelling battery could put too much pressure on the display.
AppleInsider has service data collated on every model of Apple Watch from release, similar to the data we have collected on the iPhone and Mac lines. However, with absolutely zero data on sales figures, and what appears to be escalating volumes of sales over the years, it's nearly impossible to draw any conclusion from it at present.
$5 million is nevertheless a low amount to claim in damages, since it would be unlikely to cover repairs or replacements for more than a small percentage of current Watch owners.
Kenneth Sciacca Versus Apple Apple Watch Class Action by Mike Wuerthele on Scribd
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Comments
Once again...this is more like Apple has over $250 Billion in the bank and they think they deserve a piece of it.
I agree with Melgross...if this was a serious issue, we would have heard a lot more about this. People LOVE to complain about their Apple product(s) not working/being defective.
Of course, the "Me Too" crowd is very popular these days so I wouldn't be surprised if this results in a major issue all of a sudden.
Its also likely that *if* there is an issue, that it’s related to battery health. You can’t have a tightly packed computer with a high-powered battery and not engineer a safety system to prevent a chain reaction in the event the battery vents. In that case the only way to go is up which means to push the screen out. That’s an engineering consideration that is VERY justified.
So, I fail to see what the lawsuit is about, as I recognize that manufacturing defects occur, whenever you make millions of anything. My experience was handled professionally, promptly and politely.
I thought about fixing the screen and re-glue the plate, but getting a refurbished S1 is cheaper than buying the new screen and repairing it myself...
Anyways, I'm getting a S4 this fall, I hope it last a long as my S0.
I'm happy for you that 'they' could care less. If 'they' couldn't have cared less you'd have had a something to worry about.
Sometimes the swelling of the battery can be so severe that it cracks the display rather than popping off. If there was any sign of impact around those cracks, then Apple would not fix the issue under warranty. In this instance, the technician who initially helped the customer, should have checked the device before shipping it out and telling the customer this would be a covered repair.
Other times what can happen is that the repair facility makes a misdiagnosis that the watch was damaged from impact, when it actually did break due to pressure from the battery swelling.
The swollen battery issue on the watch and no more common than it is on other Apple products. The bigger issue is that you can't have an Apple Store fix this issue and it needs to be shipped out, which can be frustrating for a customer especially if they rely on the watch as much as they do their iPhone.
This guy has no case, but the silver lining for customers is Apple might improve the training for technicians to examine and explain what happened to a customer before giving them incorrect expectations.
My original “Series 0” Stainless Steel watch, ordered on day one of release (4/15), had to be was replaced within two months of use (7/15) due to bluetooth connectivity issues.
The next two watches we purchased were either First Gen or Series 1, and are Alumimum models.
This week my son told me his black Gen 0/1 Alumimum watch started to bulge and came apart.
My Gen 0 Stainless watch has been used daily, were most of my family will not wear it 100% of the time like I do.
Original Series (0) April 24, 2015
Series 1 - ?
Series 2: September 16, 2016
Series 3: September 22, 2017
I am still wearing daily what is known as Series 0 since its launch (it’s even the initial launch day batch) and where I am located, the average climate is 32 degree C and high humidity. My partner has the same Series 0 though she wears it less frequently as I do. Even every single relative and friends and colleagues who have since gone out to get themselves either a Series 1 or 2 or 3, none of them have experience the issues mentioned in the article.
I have even bath with Series 0 on a few rare occasions when I forgotten I was wearing it and step into the shower. Till date, it is still working well despite not being certified as water resistant.