Monday, July 5, 2010

Stampede of lawyers triggered by Apple/AT and T iPhone class action suit

Stampede of lawyers triggered by Apple/AT and T iPhone class action suit

The Apple/AT and T class action lawsuit is the latest act within the iPhone 4G saga. Soon after selling 1.7 million iPhone 4Gs in just 3 days, consumer complaints about the iPhone “Death Grip” spread like wildfire. After getting Apple’s latest iPhone, reception troubles traced to a faulty iPhone antenna design is evidently too much to bear for some. Disgruntled iPhone 4G users have teamed up with trolling lawyers to file four class action lawsuits against Apple and wireless provider AT and T in Delaware and California.

Source of article: Apple/AT and T iPhone class action suit triggers stampede of lawyers by Personal Money Store

The iPhone with its death grip saga

The Apple iPhone 4G has made for a lot of excessive consumer lust than any product in memory. The expectations that Apple has created with its products is backfiring. PC World reports that soon following the iPhone 4G started shipping to customers in late June, the legend of the iPhone 4 “death grip” was born. Complaints started to rise on the Internet saying that holding the phone with fingers covering the three black lines on the phone’s edge and also the bottom left corner caused its reception to fizzle.

For plaintiffs, iPhone seems to cover too little, too late

In response to the iPhone 4 death grip furor, Apple told every person that “gripping any phone will result in some attenuation of its antenna performance." Placing an iPhone cover or “bumper” on the iPhone 4 apparently eliminates death grip issues. Apple is prepping a software update that will stop these issues. But the iPhone cover and software fix isn't good enough for a few bitterly disappointed iPhone 4 users and a number of legal eagles ready to angle for the potentially lucrative angst of 1.7 million iPhoniphiles and counting.

Apple and AT and T money wanted by lawyers

All the Apple/AT and T class action lawsuits are seeking punitive damages and an injunction against the continued manufacture and sale of the phones until the problem is fixed. As outlined by Macworld, of nine charges leveled in a case filed in Delaware against Apple and AT and T, only seven of them target AT and T and all nine apply to Apple: general negligence; defect in design, manufacture, and assembly; breach of express warranty; breach of implied warranty for merchantability; breach of implied warranty of fitness for a specific purpose; deceptive trade practices; intentional misrepresentation; negligent misrepresentation; and fraud by concealment.

Devastated iPhone users want legal satisfaction

In one more Apple/AT and T class action lawsuit that was filed in California, Reuters said that the deeply hurt plaintiffs have no other choice because Apple and AT and T have failed to provide customer support and, even worse, customers have been left with only 3 remedies: ”hold their phones in an awkward and unnatural manner,” pay a 10 percent restocking fee and also like to return their phones, or pay $ 29.95 to purchase the iPhone cover that is said to fix the reception problem.

Law firms trying to get Apple/AT and T Class action lawsuits

The lawsuits haven't been commented on by Apple or AT and T. I’d expect more lawsuits now that it is out. For example, Gawker posted a link to the Website for law firm Kershaw, Cutter and Ratinoff, which is seeking to find some people who are having iPhone 4 reception issues to try and get their fair share of this potential legal bonanza.

Discover more info:

PC World

pcmag.com/article2/,2817,2365940,00.asp

Macworld

macworld.com/article/152457/2010/07/gavel_iphone4.html

Reuters

reuters.com/article/idUSTRE6603R620100701



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