Apple Starts Payout Process on $95M AppleCare Settlement

26 AUGUST 2022 - As an AppleCare+ offer expands, the Cupertino-company is paying to make an old AppleCare problem go away. A piece from 9 to 5 Mac says Apple is starting to pay out the $95 million it agreed to pay to settle a suit tied to the service. According to the report:

The class action suit targeted Apple’s policy to provide refurbished devices as replacements through AppleCare. Final approval for the $95 million settlement was granted in April, and now eligible Apple users are being notified of their payments.

AppleCare terms of service said that replacement devices (should replacements be warranted) would either be “new or equivalent to new in performance and reliability.” Apparently they weren’t “equivalent to new” enough to some. They sued, and Apple settled. According to 9 to 5 Mac:

Payments will be sent to anyone who purchased AppleCare or AppleCare+ for iPhone or iPad after July 20, 2012, and received a refurbished device as a replacement. Those people will automatically receive a payment and there is no claim form that needs to be submitted.

But you do have to claim the payment, apparently. Pre-notice notices are being sent out now. They say, in part:

As Settlement Administrator for the matter, we’re sending you this courtesy email to inform you that by August 30, 2022, you will receive a payment notification email that contains a link to claim your payment electronically. Once you receive that email, you will have until November 28, 2022 to claim your payment.

Of the $95 million, the piece says between $63 million and $68 million will go to affected customers. The rest will go to the law firm Hagans Berman.

Not kidding.