After sparking controversy for shipping the iPhone 12 without a charger, Apple has been fined $2 million by Brazil’s consumer protection agency for non-compliance with the country’s Consumer Defense Code.
The Procon-SP organisation said Apple’s advertising claiming the iPhone models were water-resistant was misleading, and also said it had unfair warranty terms.
In December, 2020, the agency said Apple had to provide a charger along with the iPhone 12 and asked the company to explain why it was not doing so. While Apple went on to argue the environmental benefits of skipping including the power adapter, saying many users already had a spare charger, Procon-SP said the adapter was an “essential part” of the use of the product and shipping it would be against the Brazilian Consumer Defense Code.
The agency said Apple had not produced sufficient evidence of the environmental benefits of removing the charger and that Apple had not made it clear in marketing materials that one would not be included.
"Apple needs to understand that in Brazil there are solid consumer protection laws and institutions. It needs to respect these laws and these institutions," Procon-SP Executive Director Fernando Capez was quoted as saying.
Apple may still appeal the fine.
The agency had also gone after Apple rival Samsung, which after initially mocking the decision to exclude the charger, went on to ship its Galaxy S21 without one. After pressure, Samsung opted to bundle a “gift” charger with the Galaxy S21 in pre-orders in Brazil.
