Italian authorities have threatened to shut Apple facilities for 30 days in the country and impose further fine if it does not offer a standard free two-year warranty on its products.
Italy’s Competition and Marketing Authority (AGCM) is threatening further fines of €300,000 for failing to offer the free guarantee, is required 0under Italian and European Union law.
The AMCG has already fined Apple for allegedly ignoring European Union law related to warranty coverage and pushing its own paid-for service contract.
In December 2011, Apple was fined €900,000 or $1.2m for failing to properly disclose Italian customers about the standard two-year free warranty that applies to its products.
While Italy’s law demands all firms to provide two years of product coverage for free, the company’s current AppleCare+ plan is free for a year but can be extended to two years on payment of a fee.
In May, Apple’s appeal against the fine was rejected by an Italian court as it failed to comply with the antitrust request.
The AMCG documents noted Apple has not taken any steps about changing its policy and was being "aggressive" in its tactics of offering its own care scheme, BBC reported.
Although Apple complied with the December order and improved it’s communication with customers in its stores and online about the mandatory two-year warranty, AMCG said, the changes were not enough.
Apple has 30 days to present its counter-arguments before an action is taken.
In a statement to the BBC, Apple said: "We’ve appealed the recent decision of the court as it was, in our view, based upon an incorrect interpretation of the law. We’ve introduced a number of measures to address the [Italian authorities’] concerns and we disagree with their latest complaint."
