08/28/2007, 6:45pm, EDT
Tuesday, August 28th
Roaming charges spur iPhone lock lawsuit
A new class-action lawsuit has been filed against Apple, this time alleging that the company did not properly inform purchasers of iPhones that they would be tethered to AT&T's network for the duration of their contract, and separately complaining that using the device internationally can result in excessive data roaming charges. The 9-page suit claims that Apple misled iPhone buyers, not fullly disclosing the locked-in nature of the device, and the fact that unlock codes would not be provided. It was filed by Herbert Kliegerman, who recounts the tale of taking a trip to Mexico and returning to a $2,000 bill. This, he says, contradicts a statement on Apple's site that reads "[y]ou can browse the Internet and send emails as often as you like without being charged extra."
An AppleInsider report notes that Kliegerman and his lawyers make the assertion that had AT&T allowed him to purchase and use a SIM card from a foreign wireless carrier, "he would have been able to utilize iPhone internationally at fees substantially less than the $2,000 charged by AT&T." The suit seeks an injunction forcing Apple to sell unlocked iPhones, and provide unlock codes for all current owners. In addition, it seeks to force Apple to disclose international data roaming fees more adequately to customers.
Earlier this month, Apple was slapped with another class-action lawsuit over the battery in its iPhone, by a Northern California resident who echoed claims of a similar suit filed in the state of Illinois. Sydney Leung accused both Apple and AT&T of fraud because the companies neglected to inform potential iPhone buyers of the costs related to maintaining a working battery for the device over the course of the iPhone's lifespan.
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This is like me suing Ford because I drove into the city and gas cost me more there than what I pay in my rural town near the dealership I bought the car from. Ford does not control the price of gas (conspiracy theories aside), so why should they be accountable for the service (product) that the oil companies provide?