Apple & Samsung users in UK may get money back on prices charged for smartphone handsets

[mathepac]

Link to BBC News report

"Nearly 30 million people in the UK who bought an Apple or Samsung smartphone between 2015 and 2024 may be entitled to about £17 if the consumer campaign group Which? is successful in a case against US tech giant Qualcomm.

The consumer group is taking the tech giant to the Competition Appeal Tribunal in London on Monday.

The trial between Which? and Qualcomm is expected to last five weeks. The consumer group is accusing the chip company of anti-competitive practices."

"A similar case against Qualcomm is ongoing in Canada, and the firm has also previously been fined by the EU for antitrust."

Will we in Ireland get a few euro refunded for handsets purchased between the same dates or will our toothless consumer representative organisations fail us yet again?

The case is ongoing since 2021 - BBC report

 

[ClubMan]

Will we in Ireland get a few euro refunded for handsets purchased between the same dates

This is the sort of issue that would presumably be pursued at an EU rather than national level.

UK 4G smartphone owners may be due £480m payout

Some 29 million people in the UK could be entitled to up to £30 back on Apple or Samsung smartphones.

www.bbc.com

In 2018, the European Commission fined the firm €997m (£858m) for violating competition laws in a series of deals it made with Apple.

And in 2019, it issued another €242m fine for abusing its dominant position in the 3G chipset market, following a four-year investigation.

Qualcomm is appealing against both findings.

I'm not sure why the article doesn't mention this...

EU General Court quashes Qualcomm antitrust fine for "exclusivity payments", and censures the EU Commission for multiple due process and substantive errors | White & Case LLP

The General Court of the European Union delivered a blow to the European Commission in fully annulling its Qualcomm (exclusivity payments) decision of 2018 and a EUR 997 million fine. Qualcomm v Commission1 is the first annulment of an Article 102 TFEU decision adopted by Commissioner...

www.whitecase.com

 

[mathepac]

Why would that be? Let me clarify my question.

Will Irish smartphone purchasers get euros back into their hands for purchasing handsets between the specified dates at inflated prices caused by Qualcomm's alleged abuse of their dominant position in the production of smartphone components leading on to them allegedly overcharging their customers?

If the answer is no then we have no consumer protection at EU or national level, just more useless toothless quangos.

 

[ClubMan]

Why would that be?

Because competition and market matters are an EU rather than member nation state level competency?

 

[mathepac]

But I paid for my phones and might have been overcharged. Is it that the governments would also have to refund the VAT on the overcharges the reason why any potential refunds will be kept in the Brussels coffers? Or are they afraid of rattling Trump's cage?

 

[ClubMan]

Sorry, I don't really understand what you're getting at. Some sort of conspiracy theory perhaps?

 

[Dr Strangelove]

The UK approach to consumer redress is bizarre.

Firms may have issues going back 20 years that will cost them large sums.

 

[mathepac]

Trying to get money back to consumers for products they might have been overcharged for is bizarre? I find their efforts admirable.

Some sort of conspiracy theory perhaps?

No, just out and out public service laziness or maybe fear of being the next Trump target for a lowbrow headline.