Tackling planned obsolescence

The Italian Competition Autority  has started  two separate investigations against  the Samsung and Apple group companies operating in Italy as a result of  several complaints got from consumer and preliminary investigation carried out of its own motion.

These businesses would have put in place a general commercial policy aimed at exploiting the shortcomings of some components to limit the performance of their products over the time and to lead consumers to purchase the upgrade ones. Software updating  of mobile phones would have been offered to consumers  without informing them on  the possible consequences that the updating may cause to their devices and without providing  useful information to maintain an adequate level of  performance of the product, often advertised and purchased for its specific and high technological characteristics.

Such behavior could represent an infringement of articles 20, 21, 22 and 24 of the Consumer Code.

To this end, the Authority has carried out inspections at the businesses premised in cooperation with  the Antitrust Unit of the Guardia di Finanza, supported  by their colleagues from  the Special Unit of Technological Frauds .