Aware of the need for compensation from Portuguese consumers, Deco Proteste filed a lawsuit against the American brand, based on European legislation that expressly prohibits unfair, deceptive and aggressive commercial practices, as is the case with programmed obsolescence ”, announced in a statement. At issue is an update of the system of those devices that made them slower, a case that became public in 2017.
Since then, Euroconsumers, the organization of which Deco is a part, has been trying to find solutions for injured consumers, but says it has had no response from Apple over the past three years. Thus, Deco now intends to demand compensation from consumers who bought the devices in question, understanding that the “criterion considered appropriate to determine the compensation value is the cost of repairing the battery and 10 percent of the purchase price of the equipment, ie , on average, an approximate value of 60 euros ”. "Although Apple claimed it was an update to extend battery life, Deco Proteste denounces the use of programmed obsolescence to encourage consumers to buy new phones, namely, newer models of the brand", reads in the note sent to the newsrooms.
Deco also underlined that “programmed obsolescence has harmful effects on the environment, taking into account the premature disposal of these devices”. In 2020, and following a complaint by the Italian counterpart Altroconsumo, the Administrative Court of Rome ordered the brand to pay a fine of 10 million euros. In the United States of America, Apple managed to avoid a lawsuit with a 113 million dollars settlement.