Apple is reportedly planning to open a local center for iOS device repair in Russia, in the wake of a lawsuit that charged Apple doesn’t provide sufficient support for its products in the country. (Via The Moscow Times)
An Apple customer, Dmitry Petrov filed a lawsuit last year, claiming Apple chain stores and service companies were not equipped to deal with screen repairs. Petrov could not get his warranted device’s screen fixed or replaced.
Petrov refused to pay extra to get his already warranted device exchanged through an outside provider, refused to get his device exchanged for a new one, and refused to use the services of an outside center for an extra fee of up to 30,000 rubles ($469). Instead, he sued Apple for violating consumer rights and asked for the necessary smartphone replacement screens to be available in Russian service centers.
At the moment, in place of repairing devices, Apple simply swaps them out for a new unit. Problems occur when customers, such as Petrov, refuse the replacement, and instead insist their device be repaired.
Petrov argued that Apple violates Russian laws on consumer protection because it is not providing the supply of necessary spare parts for repairs.
Currently when Apple equipment breaks down in Russia, the majority of customers are given entirely new products in service centers, according to letters sent by Apple to the court and obtained by Vedomosti. However, in the case of a broken display, 100 percent of products are neither replaced nor fixed.
According to the letters, replacing the display requires a complex calibration procedure involving “big and expensive” equipment, which can only be done with access to the iPhone operating system under the protection of the Apple network.
While it isn’t certain when Apple will open the central repair shop in the country, it will not be cheap. One unidentified employee of an Apple partnership corporation told reporters that he believes it will cost between $1 and $2 million to setup the center.
