Selling phones without chargers proves costly for Apple, Samsung
According to the companies, they began removing earphones and charging connectors from in-box phone packaging to prevent e-waste and wasteful duplication of these components
According to media reports, Samsung and Apple have been hit with fresh fines for not including charging adapters with their devices.
The companies are facing stiff resistance from consumer groups, who are advocating for imposing penalties on these companies for selling new phones without chargers.
Apple, Samsung point to e-waste as a ‘reason’
Starting with the iPhone 12, Apple began the trend of removing charging adapters from its devices, and Samsung was the first manufacturer to follow suit. With the Galaxy S21 series, it stopped including charging adapters and instead included a USB-C cable.
While Apple indicated at the time that the decision was made to reduce the amount of e-waste being generated, it was supposed that everyone had a charger lying around from their last phone.
On the other hand, Samsung claims that it seeks to reduce the environmental impact of its products, and therefore does not have earphones or a charger plug.
Starting with the Galaxy S21 series, the company started to remove earbuds and charging plugs from the in-box device packing in order to reduce ‘e-waste and unnecessary duplication’ of these components.
Over 900 consumer rights groups planning to sue Samsung, Apple
Consumer groups in Brazil, however, did not see it that way. According to the Brazilian Ministry of Justice, over 900 Procon departments (consumer rights organizations) are planning to sue Samsung and Apple soon.
The departments have stated that they will present their arguments as well as suggest solutions before deciding whether or not fines will be imposed.
This comes just weeks after a Brazilian court forced Apple to pay a $1,081 penalty per customer after a Brazilian court determined that not including a charger in the packaging was ‘abusive and illegal’.
It is pertinent to mention here that, as per recent reports, Apple saved a whopping amount of over $6.5 billion by not including a charger and headset with iPhones, while also earning additional revenue from selling the charger and other accessories at market pricing.
