2023-05-15 18:46:06
An investigation was opened in December 2022 for misleading commercial practices and planned obsolescence after a complaint filed by the French association Halte à l’obsolescence programmed (HOP) against the American smartphone giant Apple, the Paris prosecutor’s office said on Monday.
The investigations into this complaint denouncing a faulty repairability of the apple devices were entrusted to the national investigation service of the Directorate General for Competition, Consumer Affairs and Fraud Prevention (DGCCRF), according to the prosecution, which confirmed a announcement of the association.
The HOP association, which had already obtained a fine of 25 million euros from Apple in 2020 for lack of information in the so-called battery case, was this time targeting the practice of “serialization”, or “pairing”. In a press release, the association “is delighted to learn of the opening of an investigation by the Public Prosecutor and hopes that it will allow, thanks to the police powers of the DGCCRF, to sanction and demonstrate the criminal nature serialization practices called into question by the association”.
“Questionable practices”, according to HOP
“Serialization, unavailability of spare parts at reasonable prices and deadlines (outside the authorized circuit), unexplained defects following updates… are all questionable practices, leading one to believe that the manufacturer is above all seeking to sell ever more products. new equipment, to the detriment of consumers and the environment”, recalls HOP.
The association at the origin of this investigation recalls “that using a smartphone for one more year reduces its ecological footprint by 25% and that buying a refurbished smartphone rather than a new one can reduce its environmental impact and its cost up to 75%”.
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