Apple iPhone charger class action lawsuit overview:
- Who: Elizabeth Steines filed a class action lawsuit against Apple Inc.
- Why: Steines claims Apple misleads consumers by not including a charger with the sale of a new iPhone device.
- Where: The class action lawsuit was filed in Illinois federal court.
Apple misleads consumers by not including a charger with the purchase of a new iPhone, a new class action lawsuit alleges.
Plaintiff Elizabeth Steines claims Apple began selling iPhones without the charger last year. Apple’s failure to include a charger with a new iPhone sale is not adequately disclosed to consumers, who are left unaware they purchased “an incomplete Product, devoid of essential functionality,” according to the Apple class action.
Apple only discloses in small print on the back of the iPhone product’s box that the iPhone Lighting Cable, power adapter and headphones are sold separately, the Apple class action states.
Steines argues that, by selling the iPhone without a charger, the product is “not adequate for its intended use, which was to function as a phone and mini-computer, because it requires power or energy to operate.”
Steines claims further that consumers who buy a new iPhone and don’t already own a charger are forced to spend more money to purchase one, ultimately increasing the price of the product, according to the lawsuit.
“When Defendant removed the charger, not only was the price of the Product not correspondingly reduced by the amount of the power adapter, the price increased, unrelated to other added functionality which could justify this increase,” the Apple class action states.
Apple claims environment as reason to not include iPhone charger with purchase
Apple claims its decision not to include a charger with an iPhone purchase is environmental, according to the Apple class action.
Steines argues, however, that Apple “could have taken other measures to promote environmental sustainability” instead of allegedly “rendering the Product non-functional unless an additional purchase was made.”
Apple is accused of unjust enrichment, fraud, negligent misrepresentation and breach of contract, as well as violating the Magnuson Moss Warranty Act, several state consumer fraud acts and the Illinois Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices Act.
Steines demands a jury trial and requests declaratory and injunctive relief along with an award of monetary, statutory and/or punitive damages for herself and all class members.
She wants to represent an Illinois class and multistate consumer fraud class of individuals who have purchased a new iPhone during the statute of limitations for each alleged cause of action.
Consumers filed a separate class action lawsuit against Apple earlier this month, arguing the company ignored privacy advocates by releasing AirTag devices that can be used by stalkers and abusers to track their victims.
Have you purchased a new iPhone from Apple that did not come with a charger? Let us know in the comments!
The plaintiff is represented by Spencer Sheehan of Sheehan & Associates, P.C.
The Apple iPhone charger class action lawsuit is Steines, et al. v. Apple Inc., Case No. 3:22-cv-03099, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois.
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1,563 thoughts onApple class action claims new iPhones don’t come with chargers
Just upgraded and added a phone for a total of five brand new phones without chargers.
When I purchased my first iphone, I didn’t know it didn’t come with a charger. Since it was the first,I was obliged to shed the extra dollars for the charger. Otherwise, the device would be useless. Then, I updated my daughter’s phone and had to buy another charger because the old charger she had was not compatible. If Apple’s intention was to help the environment, they would be upfront about it and/or would have reduced the cost of the phone by the price of the charger, or made it optional for each customer to decide if they needed the charger or not. Profits were the real intention behind this.
Add me
Add me!
I’ve purchased phones for myself & my daughter. Both with no charger. This is absurd Apple – do better!
I purchased a new iPhone also. I was shocked when I opened the box and there wasn’t a charger.
Please include me
Please include me also!
I also purchased an iPhone 13 Pro Max with no cable charger , which caused me to spend more money .
Yes please include me. I purchased an IPhone 13 Pro in August of 2022 and it did not include a charger
They have been doing it since the iPhone 7. They up sell to the non contact charge plus a separate power supply. They say it is better than plugging the phone in. Then they sell a case. They do not tell you that the non contact charger does not work if you have a case. You fall for their line.
I did not realize it at first as it was the first time I had a non contact charge. This was via Verizon
Please include me. New iPhone 14 plus (ironically, all other versions and most models were ‘out of stock’ at the time I had to replace my prior phone. Not thrilled with having to lay out more money for a new case, charger and a charging cable to actually connects to adapters.
Add me. It seems they haven’t included chargers for quite a while now. Very disrespectful of apple considering how much we pay for these phones!!!!