How Spilt Coffee Got Apple In Legal Tussle With A Bengaluru Woman

A strange legal dispute unfolded in Bengaluru as a woman filed a case against tech behemoth Apple after inadvertently spilling coffee on her MacBook, which led to a malfunction.

What Happened: The 31-year-old, who purchased a MacBook Pro 13-inch laptop for ₹1.74 lakh along with AppleCare+ coverage, sought repairs after the liquid spillage incident, the Times of India reported. However, Apple returned the laptop unrepaired, citing that the damage was not entirely covered under AppleCare+.

Taking her complaint to the consumer disputes redressal commission, the woman accused Apple India, iCare Ample Technologies, and Imagine Store of unfair trade practices.

Weak Case: However, the consumer forum ruled against her. Apple’s defense emphasised that AppleCare+ does not cover damage to internal parts due to liquid spillage, especially unintentional incidents.

The forum also noted that the woman already had the laptop repaired at an Apple-authorised service center, a detail allegedly omitted in court.

This case was brought to the consumer disputes redressal commission in Bengaluru, which routinely handles complaints against sellers. In a similar instance, a woman in the city won a case against IKEA last year for charging her for a ₹20 carry bag, deemed a violation as retail outlets cannot charge for bags bearing the company logo. IKEA was directed to refund her and compensate her with ₹3,000.

(The article is published under a mutual content partnership arrangement between The Free Press Journal and Benzinga)