iphone 4 south korea
Bloomberg reports that Apple has revised its warranty replacement policy for iPhones in South Korea under pressure from regulators, now offering customers returning their defective phones within the first month of ownership the option of receiving brand-new replacement phones rather than refurbished units as has been standard policy.

Consumers who find defects in their iPhones within a month of purchase will receive new devices instead of refurbished ones, the Fair Trade Commission said in a statement today. South Korea became the first country to convince Apple to change its global customer policy, the commission said. Steve Park, a Seoul-based spokesman for Apple, declined to comment on the change.

Korean iPhone buyers have complained Apple only gives devices refurbished with used parts when there are problems with the product, even though its service warranty states customers can get refunds, new phones or free repairs, the commission said. Under the revision, consumers have the right to choose between the options, the regulator said.

The policy change comes after Korean lawmakers summoned Apple iPhone executive Farrel Farhoudi to the country's parliament last October to address concerns over Apple's policy of offering refurbished units as warranty replacements.

Questions over warranty replacements are not the only concerns facing Apple in South Korea, as a customer was recently awarded nearly $1000 in a lawsuit over the collection of iPhone location data. That decision has led to a $25 million class-action lawsuit covering about 27,000 iPhone users in the country.

Top Rated Comments

OriginalMacRat Avatar
172 months ago
I won't lie, but Apple refurbs are immaculate. I'm even considering buying a refurbished iPad because of how indistinguishable they are to a new device.

I agree.

I often buy Apple's refurbished products and never had issues with them.

But if I bought something new and it went south, I'd expect a new replacement.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
wordoflife Avatar
172 months ago
It would be nice if they brought that policy elsewhere. It would stink if you bought a brand new phone, two weeks later it breaks, and you have to get a refurbished phone after just buying a brand new phone.

I won't lie, but Apple refurbs are immaculate. I'm even considering buying a refurbished iPad because of how indistinguishable they are to a new device.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
mytdave Avatar
171 months ago
To be honest, Apple has always had a ****** return policy. I hope this results in improvements in all countries.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
myrtlebee Avatar
171 months ago
I bought a refurbished iPod nano (5th gen) once from the online refurb store and it arrived with a faulty screen (slight, constant flickers) and a shifting click wheel. That put me off to refurbs until I realized that I've had quality control problems with nearly every Apple item I've bought new in the past 3 years. That said, it goes to show you, it doesn't matter if it's refurbished or not- the chances of receiving a defective product are the same (or possibly less) than if one purchased a new unit. Apple's quality control is not the best new or refurbished. This policy is merely for people who have a disillusioned belief that new = less likely to have issues. Not the case with Apple.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
charlituna Avatar
172 months ago
Its the same thing in the US we have 30 days to return/exchange the iPhone.
Anyone in the US who is getting a refurb within the 1st 30 days is being duped.
No one in the US is getting a refurb phone at any point.

Refurbs are post customer. In the US for sure, they can't use them as service parts because of privacy risks. Other countries may have different mileage on this due to their own laws. Maybe in South Korea, refurbs are fine. Thus they are used.

In the US at least what they do get are remanufactured phones. These are phones that have failed factory testing on one or two parts. The bad parts are replaced and the unit is retested. Then packaged as a service part. They have never been touched by a customer or 'used' beyond the testing process.

Despite the issue of laws, I'm betting all countries get the same 'remanufactured' units. Not actual refurbs and the issue is actually staff error in using the wrong terminology.

Also if we were to look at the South Korean policy text I'll put down odds that the phrase used is "replacement unit" not "new unit". Apple is very careful about that term because of the implications.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
iAmYou Avatar
172 months ago
Its the same thing in the US we have 30 days to return/exchange the iPhone.
Anyone in the US who is getting a refurb within the 1st 30 days is being duped.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 18

10 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 18.2

Thursday October 31, 2024 9:42 am PDT by
Apple is set to release iOS 18.2 in December, bringing the second round of Apple Intelligence features to iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 models. This update brings several major advancements to Apple's AI integration, including completely new image generation tools and a range of Visual Intelligence-based enhancements. There are a handful of new non-AI related feature controls incoming as well. ...
M4 Pro on Blue

M4 Pro Chip Benchmark Results Reveal an Extremely Impressive Performance Feat

Thursday October 31, 2024 7:06 pm PDT by
The first Geekbench 6 benchmark results for the M4 Pro chip surfaced today. Impressively, the results that are available so far show that the highest-end M4 Pro chip is faster than the highest-end M2 Ultra chip in terms of peak multi-core CPU performance. Here is a comparison of the results: Mac mini with M4 Pro (14-core CPU): 22,094 multi-core score (average of 11 results) Mac Studio...
Apple iPhone SE 4 5G Modem 1

iPhone SE 4 First to Get Apple-Designed 5G Modem, iPhone 17 Pro to Add Custom Wi-Fi 7 Chip

Friday November 1, 2024 4:04 am PDT by
The iPhone SE 4 that's set to come out early next year is expected to debut Apple's first in-house 5G modem, according to Jeff Pu, an analyst who covers companies within Apple's supply chain. In a research note this week with Hong Kong-based investment firm Haitong International Securities, Pu said Apple is expected to roll out its custom-made 5G modem starting with the next-generation...
Apple MacBook Pro M4 Cinema 4D Slack Finder Xcode 1

Apple Announces MacBook Pro Models With M4 Pro and M4 Max Chips, Thunderbolt 5 Support, and More

Wednesday October 30, 2024 8:01 am PDT by
Apple today announced new 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models featuring M4 Pro and M4 Max chips, alongside a new entry-level 14-inch MacBook Pro powered by the M4 chip. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. The new M4 Pro and M4 Max machines come with a minimum of 24GB of Unified Memory as standard, up from 18GB in the previous models. Both models feature three...
Apple MacBook Pro M4 hero

Skipping the New MacBook Pro? Here Are Two Bigger Changes Rumored

Thursday October 31, 2024 4:00 pm PDT by
While the new MacBook Pro lineup features faster M4 chip options, Thunderbolt 5 support for higher-end configurations, a nano-texture display option, and more, most of the previous MacBook Pro models with Apple silicon chips still offer the latest overall design, and fast performance, which might lead you to avoid upgrading this year. If you are planning to skip the new MacBook Pro, here are ...
m3 macbook air blue

Apple Announces MacBook Air Now Starts With Increased 16GB of RAM With No Price Increase

Wednesday October 30, 2024 8:04 am PDT by
Apple today in its new MacBook Pro press release announced that the MacBook Air lineup now starts with 16GB of RAM, up from 8GB previously. This change applies to the 13-inch model with the M2 chip, the 13-inch model with the M3 chip, and the 15-inch model with the M3 chip. In the U.S., the MacBook Air lineup continues to start at $999, so there is no price increase associated with the...
pixelmator

Apple Acquires Photo Editing App Maker Pixelmator

Friday November 1, 2024 8:41 am PDT by
Apple has reached an agreement to acquire Pixelmator, the company behind popular photo and image editing apps Pixelmator Pro, Pixelmator for iOS, and Photomator. The acquisition is subject to regulatory approval, according to an announcement made by the Pixelmator team on Friday. Based in Vilnius, Lithuania, Pixelmator has developed a suite of well-regarded creative tools that compete with...