Frustrated with his account being blocked without a reasonable cause, an Apple user has dragged the iPhone maker to the court!
On Tuesday, Matthew Price, an Apple user, filed a lawsuit in the US District Court for the Northern District of California wherein he stated that the company has not just blocked his access to Apple services but also shut him out from accessing content worth $25,000 that he had purchased.
Apple has allegedly blocked Price’s access to content and other related services such as Apps, in-app purchases, programs and various platform extensions (which are only accessible via Apple ID).
Currently, the Cupertino, California-based tech giant, has not yet revealed why they’ve blocked Price’s access. However, the company’s terms and conditions clearly state that Apple retains the right to terminate or pause an account on the grounds of mere suspicion.
But as per the lawsuit, that is an unlawful and unconscionable clause by which prohibits Apple from liquidating damage provisions when it suspects their customers have breached the.
Furthermore, the suit also calls Apple’s move to suspend customers’ Apple ID without proper reasoning unfair, fraudulent and illegal while adding that the iPhone maker has violated several California consumer regulations. Price’s court filings also have complaints from other Apple users who have gone through a similar situation in the past.
One Apple user recounted receiving a call from an Apple customer support executive who said that he violated a few terms. Thus a result, the company needs him to create a new Apple ID and repurchase all apps. But that’s not all.
The customer support agent further mentioned that if the Apple user wanted to know why his account was closed, he’d need to hire a lawyer to do so.
Price, in his lawsuit, said that he purchased Apple’s iPad Pro to better experience the content, apps and services he purchased worth $25,000. However, now that the company blocked his account on the grounds of suspicion for breach of terms and conditions, his iPad Pro’s utility has gone down severely.
All in all, it is not exactly clear how many users have faced a similar situation. But considering that Price is seeking a ‘Class Action’ and has written complaints from other Apple users, it goes forward to prove that it is certainly not a rare case.
Note here that this is not the first time Apple is being sued by one of its consumers. In January, a lawsuit claimed that the company was profiteering by allowing illegal gambling apps on the App Store.
The plaintiffs Donal Nelson and Cheree Bibbs filed the lawsuit after losing close to $15,000 each in virtual casino currency. They both were avid users of social casino apps and wanted the court to rule the listing of similar apps on the Apple App Store unlawful.
It now remains to be seen how the iPhone maker responds to Price’s lawsuit. We will keep you updated. Until then, stay tuned.
