Apple is facing a class action lawsuit in Canada for failing to comply with consumer protection law. A settlement has been reached.
The last straw for iPhone owners in Quebec. Mandated, the law firm LPC Avocats intends to launch a class action to push Apple to compensate iPhone users harmed by the promises of waterproofness of the device. According to the plaintiffs quoted by the media CTVNews, Apple’s advertisements present the iPhone as “water resistant”, but the brand does not support a device that has come into contact with a liquid.
Apple won’t support iPhones that have been damaged in water
This appeal therefore seeks to have the clause excluding an iPhone from the warranty if it has been exposed to water removed, while obtaining damages. The firm cites the example of a 19-year-old student whose iPhone was exposed to water near a swimming pool: “It immediately stopped working; her phone was bought new eight months ago.”
Lawyer Joey Zukran called the exclusion “ridiculous” in light of Apple’s ads, which show an iPhone falling into water and emerging unscathed: “Apple refuses to fix it, and the only solution is to buy a brand new phone.”
Especially since in Canada, the contract law stipulates that marketing is part of this contract.
The class action has not yet been validated by the Superior Court of Quebec. If it is, this could push Apple to reach an agreement, or even to change its support rules.
Let’s also remember that a smartphone is not waterproof but water-resistant. In fact, it is strongly advised not to swim with it, even if the waterproof rating is high.
This isn’t the first time Apple has been hit with lawsuits in Canada. The previous class action was in May 2024, when the company reached an agreement to compensate customers who were misinformed about the lifespan of iPhone batteries.
It had agreed to write a check for six million dollars for customers who took out an AppleCare and AppleCare+ plan between December 2015 and January 2023.
