Chinese Students from Beijing and Shanghai Sue Apple for Not Providing Chargers

Recently, a group of students from Beijing University of Chemical Technology and Donghua University have teamed up to take Apple to court because the company’s new products no longer offer adapters.

A student majoring in law at Beijing University of Chemical Technology bought an iPhone 12 Pro Max in November last year and found that the phone was not equipped with a charger and headphones. The student participated in the final of the 7th “Small Town Cup” Public Welfare Star Creative Litigation Competition, and sued Apple for fraud on behalf of her team.

“We expect to take a disappeared charger as a starting point, and use the law as a weapon to fight for and defend the long-lost right to speak out about consumption!” said the student.

The team participating in the match consists of five girls. When they participated in the competition last year, they were senior students at Beijing University of Chemical Technology and Donghua University. This competition is based in Shanghai and is open to students majoring in law all over the country. Unlike mock courts, students actually participate in litigation under the guidance of professional lawyers.

According to the lawsuit, these students want Apple to include the charger in the box and bear the responsibility for a breach of contract and pay for the adapters. The case commenced in September this year. In the court, both the plaintiff and the defendant conducted a cross-examination of evidence. At present, the case is still in the stage of supplementary evidence and written materials.

According to Apple, since the launch of the iPhone 12 series, it has high regard for the environment and it does not include the chargers in the box for environmental protection. The recently released iPhone 13 series also does not come with a charger in the box.

However, the iPhone 12 box comes with a Lightning to USB Type-C charging cable, which is not compatible with the 5W charging heads offered in the past. Thus, unless you upgrade from the iPhone 11 Pro, you will spend extra money to buy a charger or Lightning to USB-A cable.

SEE ALSO: Chinese Consumers’ Enthusiasm for iPhone 13 Crashes Apple Website in China

During the trial, the “green principle” was repeatedly mentioned by Apple. But in the plaintiff team’s view, “this is to reduce transportation costs and expand profit margins. Apple is only selling this new product through gimmicks. When vigorously promoting wireless charging, the company will put the practical value of wireless charging before the environmental protection value. However, when the power adapter is no longer provided for free, the company will place the practical value of the charger after the environmental protection value.”