You might remember them from such class action suits as "Swift vs Zynga", and this time they have Apple in their sights.
California law firm, Kershaw, Cutter & Ratinoff, LLP - who are well known for filing a class action lawsuit against Zynga for its advertising practices in online games such as Farmville and Mafia Wars are currently in the process of filing a class action suit against Apple relating to the alleged reception issues with iPhone 4. The firm is currently searching for individuals that have "recently purchased the new iPhone and have experienced poor reception quality, dropped calls and weak signals."
The device is not the first phone to have reception issues when held a certain way, but due to the level of sales, the widespread nature of the issue and the way that Apple has responded, KCR has seen the potential cash-cow at the companies expense. If you would like to participate and help in the case, as well as potentially receiving a gift card, visit KCR"s webpage.
Meanwhile, the folks over at BGR have discovered what looks to be the official policy for dealing with reception issues, as distributed by Apple to its employees:
1. Keep all of the positioning statements in the BN handy – your tone when delivering this information is important.
- The iPhone 4’s wireless performance is the best we have ever shipped. Our testing shows that iPhone 4’s overall antenna performance is better than iPhone 3GS.
- Gripping almost any mobile phone in certain places will reduce its reception. This is true of the iPhone 4, the iPhone 3GS, and many other phones we have tested. It is a fact of life in the wireless world.
- If you are experiencing this on your iPhone 3GS, avoid covering the bottom-right side with your hand.
- If you are experiencing this on your iPhone 4, avoid covering the black strip in the lower-left corner of the metal band.
- The use of a case or Bumper that is made out of rubber or plastic may improve wireless performance by keeping your hand from directly covering these areas.
2. Do not perform warranty service. Use the positioning above for any customer questions or concerns.
3. Don’t forget YOU STILL NEED to probe and troubleshoot. If a customer calls about their reception while the phone is sitting on a table (not being held) it is not the metal band.
4. ONLY escalate if the issue exists when the phone is not held AND you cannot resolve it.
5. We ARE NOT appeasing customers with free bumpers – DON’T promise a free bumper to customers.
Apple typically provides instructions to its employees until it can deliver a fix. As of writing, it is unknown if Apple will offer a remedy to the problem in the future. Telling users to not hold a device a specific way is not necessarily the best business policy, but for the time being it is Apple"s official stance. Steve Jobs has previously told users in an email to "stay tuned" and that "There is no reception" issue.
Image credit: Engadget
