88,000 Apple iPhone Devices Replaced in UAE Over Faulty Batteries

[Jacob Black]

The UAE Ministry of Economy said approximately 88,700 Apple iPhone 6S devices have a defective battery.

These devices, that were manufactured in China between September and October 2015, may unexpectedly shut down, Apple Inc said in a letter addressed to the ministry yesterday.

Hashim Al Nuaimi, the director of the Consumer Protection Department at the ministry, said the phones were replaced as part of regular campaigns that include testing products for reasons that may be unrelated to safety, The National’s Arabic-language sister paper Aletihad, reported.

The replacement programme may also be part of maintenance campaigns within the framework of the ministry’s efforts to monitor the markets and protect consumers in collaboration with phone companies.

Users of the iPhones are asked to check Apple’s website or visit a customer service centre to see if their device is eligible for a battery replacement.

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Similar campaigns are classified into different categories including "security and safety campaigns, and potential consumer harm or hazards". These campaigns are immediately implemented by announcing them and removing the concerned products from the markets.

Mr Al Nuaimi highlighted the ministry’s ongoing efforts to follow up the recall of products with local companies, through local monitoring and ongoing follow-up to consumer remarks and complaints in addition to keeping abreast of regional and international recall cases, he told Aletihad.

He added that the recalls aim to protect the health and safety of consumers and to minimise fraud in the UAE.

The ministry follows up recalls of food and consumer products daily, both on the internet and in the different media. It then proceeds to notify sales agents and importers of these products to immediately remove them from the markets, and to announce their removal at least twice in local newspapers in both Arabic and English.

In the event that a company stops recalling a product or claims that the product has been removed when it is still available in its other branches, the ministry will shut down the company and refer the case to the relevant judicial authorities.