Office of Fair Trading drags Apple's Ts & Cs into line

 

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By Barry Collins

Posted on 27 Nov 2009 at 13:42

Apple has agreed to alter its terms and conditions at the behest of the Office of Fair Trading (OFT).

The company has redrafted its Ts & Cs so that it now accepts liability for faulty or misdescribed goods sold from its website or the iTunes store.

The company has also agreed to make its terms consistent with the Distance Selling Regulations which, among other things, give consumers a seven-day "cooling-off" period in which to return any purchases for a full refund.

We have worked closely with Apple to secure these changes and we believe they will improve confidence and clarity for consumers

Apple must also ensure that its conditions are "drafted in plain or intelligible language" and that they "do not potentially allow changes to be made to products and prices after an agreement is made".

"The contract or terms of use between a company and a consumer, whether they are found online or on paper, must be clear, fair and easy to understand," says the OFT's legal director, Jason Freeman.

"In particular, it is important that consumers are given clear and accurate information about their consumer rights in case things go wrong. We have worked closely with Apple to secure these changes and we believe they will improve confidence and clarity for consumers."

The announcement comes on one of the busiest days of the year for Apple's online store. Today is so-called Black Friday, when Apple and other retailers offer discounts on their products to celebrate Thanksgiving.

Apple's customer service came under the microscope earlier this week, when the company refused to repair smokers' Macs.