Class action lawsuit claims Siri doesn't work as advertised

Posted:
in General Discussion edited January 2014


A New York man is suing Apple over falsely advertising its Siri voice assistant, alleging that the company's ads convey a "misleading and deceptive message" about the iPhone 4S-only service.



The suit filed on Monday by Frank M. Fazio, who is seeking damages as an individual and on behalf of similarly vexed iPhone 4S users, claims that Siri is far less responsive and accurate than Apple's commercials depict, reports the Wall Street Journal



From the lawsuit filed in federal court in California:

Quote:

[I]n many of Apple’s television advertisements, individuals are shown using Siri to make appointments, find restaurants, and even learn the guitar chords to classic rock songs or how to tie a tie. In the commercials, all of these tasks are done with ease with the assistance of the iPhone 4S’s Siri feature, a represented functionality contrary to the actual operating results and performance of Siri.



Fazio claims that the real-world performance of Apple's voice-recognition service is spotty at best, and unusable at worst. He gives the example of using the virtual assistant as a navigational aid, saying that when asked for directions to a certain location, "Siri either did not understand what Plaintiff was asking, or, after a very long wait time, responded with the wrong answer.”



Going further, the law firm representing Fazio and the class, Robbins Geller, said that Siri is “at best, a work-in-progress.”











Although Apple failed to respond to questions regarding the suit, the company's website clearly notes that Siri is a beta product, meaning that it is not finalized and polished.



The suit also does not make mention of the fact that in its latest commercial focusing on Siri, Apple issues a disclaimer stating that the service's sequences were shortened for advertising purposes.



Full copy of the filed complaint:

Apple iPhone Siri Cpt





[ View article on AppleInsider ]

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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 157
    BETA means BETA!
  • Reply 2 of 157
    dave k.dave k. Posts: 1,306member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by AppleZilla View Post


    BETA means BETA!



    Generally public has no idea what that means...
  • Reply 3 of 157
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by AppleZilla View Post


    BETA means BETA!



    Many people don't know what "Beta" means.
  • Reply 4 of 157
    hellacoolhellacool Posts: 759member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by AppleZilla View Post


    BETA means BETA!



    Though I think this guy is moron, does it say anywhere in the commercial Beta? I can not see it at work? Regardless, these lawsuits are getting insane.
  • Reply 5 of 157
    Thank you for saying that. This seems ridiculous to me. Just the idea that he found an attorney so hungry for notoriety to file it.
  • Reply 6 of 157
    That fool, he is probably just holding it wrong!
  • Reply 7 of 157
    justflybobjustflybob Posts: 1,337member
    Siri just called you.



    She wants you to know that your 15 seconds of fame are up.
  • Reply 8 of 157
    apple ][apple ][ Posts: 9,233member
    I don't have an iPhone 4S, so I haven't tried SIRI, but I do know one thing. I've seen some videos of people using SIRI, and some people have speech defects. SIRI is obviously not always going to understand some foreigner speaking with a laughable crappy accent, and other people who have never learned to speak properly. That is those people's problem. Go make an appointment with a speech therapist or something.



    I'll be testing out the dictation feature on the iPAD this friday, and I expect it to work pretty good, since I don't speak like a retard.
  • Reply 9 of 157
    hellacoolhellacool Posts: 759member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by 2foxxy4u View Post


    Thank you for saying that. This seems ridiculous to me. Just the idea that he found an attorney so hungry for notoriety to file it.



    Thats the problem, when you become the big dog on campus, everyone wants a bite. Throw enough crap at the wall something will stick. What I do not think these lawyers realize is that Apple seems to love litigation and will not roll over on a settlement like most business's do and they will be in for a lengthy expensive fight that they may lose and have to eatthe costs of. A few of those and the lawyers will put away the pitchforks.
  • Reply 10 of 157
    bigpicsbigpics Posts: 1,397member
    There are trolls beyond Apple-centric sites.



    In this case trolling for dollars......
    "The first thing we do, let's kill all the lawyers."

    ~Wm. Shakespeare
  • Reply 11 of 157
    hill60hill60 Posts: 6,992member
    That's it, I'm moving to the US and suing God because the world isn't perfect.
  • Reply 12 of 157
    bloggerblogbloggerblog Posts: 2,462member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Apple ][ View Post


    ...I'll be testing out the dictation feature on the iPAD this friday, and I expect it to work pretty good, since I don't speak like a retard.



    LOL don't blame yourself if it didn't understand you now, you hear?
  • Reply 13 of 157
    Maybe Siri doesn't understand "stupid", "greedy", sleazy", etc ?
  • Reply 14 of 157
    jlanddjlandd Posts: 873member
    So it's "“at best, a work-in-progress". Like most early versions of anything in this world. Assumed the lawyer would leave out such non-damning statements if they're looking to detail its awfulness into damages.
  • Reply 15 of 157
    hill60hill60 Posts: 6,992member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Apple ][ View Post


    ...I expect it to work pretty good, since I don't speak like a retard.



    "pretty well"



    (Just so you don't sound like a retard.)



  • Reply 16 of 157
    she doesn't assist me at all. this siri beta. i mean why does she even has a last name anyway. beta what a dumb last name.
  • Reply 17 of 157
    mstonemstone Posts: 11,510member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Hellacool View Post


    Though I think this guy is moron, does it say anywhere in the commercial Beta?



    Even I forgot that it was Beta. I guess I was preoccupied with the plausibility that a high school teenager could find a guitar, learn a B minor 9th, get a band together, somehow afford two collectable pre CBS Fender amps, have two girlfriends at the same time and become a Rock God all in the span of 6 months since the release of Siri. I must have been doing something wrong back when I was in HS.
  • Reply 18 of 157
    apple ][apple ][ Posts: 9,233member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by bloggerblog View Post


    LOL don't blame yourself if it didn't understand you now, you hear?



    hehe.



    Well, the last time I tested out speech control on a Mac was about 10 years under OS 9, and even though I didn't find much use for it, it did understand me pretty good and I was opening and closing windows using speech, and doing other functions.



    I would obviously assume that SIRI is way more advanced than what I tried back then.
  • Reply 19 of 157
    Ironic that Fazio is suing. Rmember the SNL parodies of frivolous lawsuits? "At the law firm of Green & Fazio, we know that some of the most lucrative lawsuits are nuisance suits. You see, today's large corporations and wealthy individuals would rather settle out-of-court than deal with the headaches, the harassment, of endless emotionally draining litigation. And no one harasses defendents like Green & Fazio."





    I sue Verizon, 'cause I get all depressed any time my cell phone is roaming.

    I sue Colorado, 'cause you know, I think it looks a little bit too much Like Wyoming!

    I sue Neiman Marcus, 'cause they put up their Christmas decorations way out of season.

    I sue Ben Affleck ... aww, do I even need a reason?

    ? I'll Sue Ya, "Weird Al" Yankovic
  • Reply 20 of 157
    apple ][apple ][ Posts: 9,233member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by hill60 View Post


    "pretty well"



    (Just so you don't sound like a retard.)







    I'm allowed to make mistakes, because there's this one poster here called Flanuer or something like that, and he seriously claims that I am a paid shill and that I am fake because I write too perfectly and never make mistakes, according to him. Somebody with my kind of opinions would not be able to use proper grammar, according to him again. Who exactly I would be a paid shill for, I have no idea. Google? Samsung?
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