Apple products must come with three-year warranty in Spain
Apple will be required to offer at least three years of warranty in Spain after the country approved a new national consumer protection standard.
Credit: Apple
The Spanish Council of Ministers recently approved extending the existing warranty period to a mandatory three years, Spain-based blog iPadizate has reported. According to Spain's Ministry of Consumer Affairs, the move is meant to take the country a step further toward a circular economy.
It isn't clear when the new regulation will take effect, but it will impact all new Apple devices sold in the country. That includes both iPhone and iPad models, as well as Apple Watch and Mac devices.
Along with the additional year of warranty coverage, manufacturers will be required to keep spare parts for devices for a minimum of 10 years, up from five. Spain is also bumping its limitation period from three years to five.
There are other details in the new consumer protection regulations, including mandating that consumers be able to choose whether they want a replacement device or a repair for a defective product.
Apple officially offers a one-year warranty on iPhone products in addition to local rights provided by country-specific consumer laws.
This isn't the first time Apple has had to comply with local regulations that differ from its own policies or procedures. In France, for example, Apple is required to keep shipping EarPods with its iPhone devices. Apple has also been forced to include chargers with new iPhones sold in the Brazilian state of Sao Paulo.
Credit: Apple
The Spanish Council of Ministers recently approved extending the existing warranty period to a mandatory three years, Spain-based blog iPadizate has reported. According to Spain's Ministry of Consumer Affairs, the move is meant to take the country a step further toward a circular economy.
It isn't clear when the new regulation will take effect, but it will impact all new Apple devices sold in the country. That includes both iPhone and iPad models, as well as Apple Watch and Mac devices.
Along with the additional year of warranty coverage, manufacturers will be required to keep spare parts for devices for a minimum of 10 years, up from five. Spain is also bumping its limitation period from three years to five.
There are other details in the new consumer protection regulations, including mandating that consumers be able to choose whether they want a replacement device or a repair for a defective product.
Apple officially offers a one-year warranty on iPhone products in addition to local rights provided by country-specific consumer laws.
This isn't the first time Apple has had to comply with local regulations that differ from its own policies or procedures. In France, for example, Apple is required to keep shipping EarPods with its iPhone devices. Apple has also been forced to include chargers with new iPhones sold in the Brazilian state of Sao Paulo.
Comments
If that were to be the result, upgrade cycles would probably be extended but pricing would be irrevelant in the context of the reasons for this change (which I haven't heard anything about yet anyway).
For over a decade now the cost of recuperating, recycling and safe disposal of electrical and electronic equipment has been included in the purchase price.
At this point in time very few people are aware of that fact because it didn't have a major impact on price. I doubt that an extra year of warranty will have either.
In UK the customer protection is stronger again and generally prices are slightly less in UK.
Be nice to know when it will take effect.
In some parts of the world the manufacturers work hard to avoid cellular phones and pads being regarded as products with a more than 5 year lifecycle (which they are wrt technical construction and quality). Now, they are regarded as products ment to last more than 3 years, hence 3 year warranty.
There are some other nice rules protecting consumers too: If a device fails within 6 months of purchase, the seller/manufacturer has the burden of proof - to show it's not a production flaw. After 6 months, the consumer has the burden of proof. Also: Credit to Dell for their policy replacing monitors with flaws. They ship the new one first, and when you receive the replacement you return the old one.
Businesses/Corporations are not covered by the consumer laws, hence the need for Apple Care or the great Thinkpad service contracts.
Prices will probably go up but not by much. The warranty in Spain is already 2 years, and there are other European countries with more demanding laws and yet the price isn’t too different.
The actual proposals were in response to ongoing EU evaluations of all manner of consumers protections (which should be fully updated by 2024 if all goes to plan) .
The info is here:
https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/A-9-2020-0209_EN.html#
Perhaps of note to you would be this snippet which I find interesting and beneficial:
"7. Stresses that goods with digital elements require particular attention and that the following elements should be taken into account within the review of Directive (EU) 2019/771 to be carried out by 2024:
as far as the cost of goods goes, if it applies to all smart phones, it shouldn’t affect Apple more than any other company. If anything, it should help Apple. As I said, they already support their phones longer than many/most manufacturers so any relative cost increase should affect other devices more. Apple’s hardware is also well constructed - I don’t think I’ve ever had an iPhone fail in less than 4-5 years, including devices family members own.
[excised corporate bootlicking commentary; it has no effect on anti-regulation types but to make them more brick wall-like]
The history of most products is that multiple year warranties were THE NORM, and for a long time. As in, back when things used to cost LESS, be built BETTER, and LAST LONGER. People's lack of memory, and tendency to think “the way it is now is the way it’s always been” is a great boon to corporatism.
Reducing warranty, making products shorter lived & less robust... these are just ways corporations have increased their profits over the decades. There’s so very little left to squeeze out of the stone, but they keep trying because the rich executives and primary shareholders can never be satisfied.
With all the things companies have done to lower their own expenses, few have lowered prices of products. Economy of scale has covered adding complexity to products at lower price points (because it just gets integrated into standard parts), but then they raise those prices as well.
Look at packaged goods: packages get filled less, and even get slightly smaller, but the price is “the same” as it was before the packaging change; all to fool customers into not seeing the increase in price. Same for electronics: shorter warranty period, shorter lifespan, fewer options, less support, more disposable... and don’t forget reductions in labor force, outsourcing of labor to “cheaper” (more abusive) regions and erosion of benefits.
And every time someone says “we need to regulate this to improve things”, some laissez-faire capitalist screams “that will increase prices!!”
It’s not because monstrous corporations have no room in their profit margins to lower prices for customers. In lowering company costs, when choosing to increase profits without also lowering the cost to customers, it’s just greed. We have a culture that supports and worships this greed and primes people to attack anyone who suggests ethics ought to matter.
Any company that increases their prices over government doing the right thing and mandating a 3-year minimum “stand by our own products” warranty period is doing it for greed. Don’t help them brainwash the masses into believing it’s necessary.
"H. whereas Directive (EU) 2019/771 is to be reviewed by 2024; whereas a number of measures aimed at creating the right conditions for increasing product durability and ensuring a high level of consumer protection, as well as a competitive business environment, should be assessed in preparation for this review; whereas the two-year legal guarantee period might not be appropriate for all product categories with a higher estimated lifetime;"
"product categories". That is quite clear. It will probably be the same in Spain but first, the law must be published in the state bulletin.
The ambition is not to punish manufacturers but to encourage them to actually provide the product they have sold. And, off course, to make sure that the consumer gets what he/she purchased and get reimbursed if not.
There should hardly be extra costs for the manufacturers as they most likely would have had these costs in the production, design and quality control IF to keep and ensure the required quality anyway.