Apple ‘refused repairs’

TECH giant Apple has admitted it refused to repair 226 Australian users’ iPhones despite rendering them “inoperable” during software upgrades.

The revelations came in documents Apple submitted to the Federal Court in its case against the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, which claims the company broke consumer law guarantees and is liable for millions of dollars in penalties.

The consumer watchdog even launched a secretive sting to verify consumer claims but Apple denied it could be held responsible for advice given to ACCC officers about “hypothetical circumstances”.

The ACCC alleged Apple misled customers between October 2014 and February 2016 over whether they were entitled to receive repairs or replacements if they had their iPhones repaired by a third party.