If your new Apple gadget picks up a fault before its warranty expires, Apple will repair or replace your device for free. No matter how long you’ve had it — whether it’s six months old or just one week — you’ll almost always receive a refurbished model as a replacement.
Unless you live in Korea, where Apple has just introduced the “world’s best” after-sales policy, which will provide customers with brand new devices if theirs become defective within one month.
Apple came under fire from regulators last September when the South Korea Fair Trade Commission demanded it should change the way it handles defective products that are returned within one month to comply with the country’s stringent after-sales policy.
The Cupertino company then changed its policy for the iPhone only, but today it has extended it to cover all products — except the iMac.
Apple states that the guarantee only applies for one month from the date of purchase, but according to The Korea Herald, “a new gadget can be claimed when it is obvious the malfunction is caused by the manufacturer, not the user.”
“Apple confirmed that the renewed policy in Korea is the world’s best level compared to in other countries,” said Kim Chung-ki, a FTC official, at a news conference.
Of course, Apple was forced into making this change by Korean regulators, so there’s no chance we’ll see this policy extended to other countries.
Source: The Korea Herald
Via: TUAW
