Have you bought an Apple, iPhone or Samsung phone since 1 October 2015? More than £480 million could be reimbursed to customers – here’s why.
Update 20 May 2022: It’s official
We’ve won permission to represent almost 30 million UK consumers in our case against global chipset manufacturer Qualcomm.
This week, the Competition Appeal Tribunal unanimously decided to certify the claim to proceed to trial and agreed Which? is the appropriate representative for the millions of UK consumers affected.
For more information, access to key documents and to register for updates, please visit the Claim website https://www.smartphoneclaim.co.uk/ – and share it with your family and friends if you think they might have been affected. (Please note, you will be taken through to our case website, which is managed by EPIQ on our behalf.)
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Update 12 November: One step closer
Technology giant Qualcomm has abandoned its attempt to avoid being held to account in a UK court, meaning almost 30 million UK consumers are one step closer to getting their share of a £480m claim for compensation.
Which? is acting on behalf of nearly 30 million UK consumers who bought Apple and Samsung phones since October 2015. Here’s what you need to know about the claim, how it affects you, and what happens next:
To obtain further information, including your rights in relation to Which?’s proposed claim, to access key documents and to register your interest in the claim, visit smartphoneclaim.co.uk
Do you have a question about the claim? Let us know in the comments below.
25/2/2021: Could you be due compensation on your Samsung or Apple phone?
A breach in competition law could mean that millions of smartphone owners in the UK could be due compensation.
We’ve taken one of the first-of-its-kind types of legal action on behalf of consumers against US chip-maker Qualcomm.
Why have we done this? To recoup the cost of Qualcomm’s anti-competitive practices which resulted in brands such as Apple and Samsung being overcharged for Qualcomm’s technology, which in turn inflated the cost of smartphones for consumers.
Who footed the bill? We all did. UK consumers.
What happened, and what’s next?
Qualcomm’s technology is used in a range of products, and we think Qualcomm overcharged manufacturers of smartphones for licences for that technology in the form of inflated royalties.
Read more about what Qualcomm is alleged to have done
The options for consumers to hold companies to account on an individual basis aren’t effective – that’s why we’re using the opt-out collective redress mechanism, introduced by the Consumer Rights Act 2015. This means you won’t have to do anything to get the money you’re owed until we have won the claim, when you can come forward and apply for your share of the payments.
We’re sending a clear warning through this action that manipulative practices by Qualcomm and others will not be tolerated.
We are alleging that Qualcomm has abused its power and we want to hold them to account on behalf of millions of consumers. Will you join us and support our action?
Register your interest and find out if you could be due payment for your smartphone here