According to the complaint, the woman purchased an iPhone 13 (128 GB) on November 2023 for ₹53,499.
Within six months, she began experiencing severe battery drain and overheating and in May 2024, the phone suddenly switched off despite showing a 50% charge.
Upon inspection, she found that the battery had swollen and the screen had partially detached from the phone body, making the device unsafe for use.
The woman took the phone to an authorised service centre, which confirmed the defects. However, instead of offering to repair they declined warranty service and issued a quotation of ₹50,906 for repair.
Apple stated that the device’s battery is a consumable part not eligible for warranty repair. Apple also alleged that the phone had accidental and cosmetic damage which was excluded from its limited warranty.
However, the consumer forum carefully examined Apple’s warranty conditions, which excluded consumable parts like batteries from warranty unless the failure occurred due to manufacturing defects.
An expert commissioner, a qualified mobile phone technician appointed by the forum, inspected the phone and concluded that the battery had suffered a manufacturing defect as the swelling was abnormal, occurred within six months of purchase and was not caused by misuse, mishandling or external damage.
The forum also noted that the Apple service centre technician, who examined the complainant’s phone, had refused to appear before the court
