Filed under: Apple Corporate
Steven Clark v. Apple Computer: Power Adapter Class Action Suit
I got some interesting snail mail yesterday, along with the phone bill I already paid, a Crutchfield catalog filled with things I probably already own or can't afford and some junk mail from Geico trying to sell my insurance for the car that I haven't owned in about 10 years. Bulk mailing NYC straphangers about car insurance probably isn't the smartest geotargeting, but I digress...Why should you care about my my mail? Because what I received might pertain to you - if you are one of the "PERSONS OR ENTITIES WITHIN THE UNITED STATES WHO OWN OR OWNED APPLE POWER ADAPTERS FOR THE APPLE G3 iBOOK OR POWERBOOK COMPUTER MODELS LISTED IN ATTACHMENT 1.A OR WHO RECEIVED AN APPLE POWER ADAPTER IN APPLE’S RECALL OF 'BLACK BRICK' POWER ADAPTERS."
The Apple Adapter Settlement Claims Administrator informs me that I might have a $20-$35 refund coming to me, thanks to a lawsuit filed earlier this year by Steven Clark on behalf of those of us who bought Powerbooks or iBooks with faulty or recalled power adapters. Apple has reached a tentative settlement agreement with the plaintiffs (that would be us, collectively) and a final approval hearing is scheduled for September 27, 2005.
You can read more about the suit, the settlement terms, how to file a claim or how to exclude yourself from the Class on the Settlement Website, with corresponding information on the attorney's website.
Anyone else get one of these yet?

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
macfixer said 4:18PM on 6-16-2005
I did.
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Joseph Coots said 4:18PM on 6-16-2005
I got one as well but Im not sure what I intend to do with it yet.
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Anon said 4:18PM on 6-16-2005
I got one two -- since I bought a couple of ice-books in the time period as well as three WalStreets, I qualify multiple times. However, I never had a power adapter fail, so I guess I don't qualify. (Yeay! Since I'm a stockholder this is good.)
I can't imagine that enough of them failed to make the lawsuit worthwhile.
Nuisance lawsuits.
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madtracer said 10:49AM on 6-27-2005
i got one because of my pismo, i guess. its power adapter failed after a little more than a year of very hard use-- it failed where the cable entered the UFO Spool housing. I got a replacement at Tekserve for probably a lot of money, but it never failed again.
As for the class action suit, i tore it up. i figured the time it would take to fill that thing out, find paperwork, etc was worth more than the $20-35 i might might not even be eligible for anyway.
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Dan said 4:18PM on 6-16-2005
Woo hoo. $35 back when the replacement adapter cost me $70. Gee, what a relief.
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El Payo said 4:18PM on 6-16-2005
I got 3 notices. And I tore all 3 of them up. As an Apple shareholder I'm looking out for the bottom line y'all.
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valley driver said 4:18PM on 6-16-2005
i got one and i appreciate you noting it, because it took me a few 'reads' to figure out what it was all about.
now i own a small amount of Apple stock, but it seems that even our favorite computer company need some nudging sometimes to do the right thing.
as to the amount of time it takes to fill stuff like this out, i agree it's a time vs. money issue. my cut-off is currently anything under $25. so, i'll look to see if it tells us whether we qualify for the $20 or the $35.
(i got something similar recently relating to a mortgage i had some years ago. i have the papers, but i'd have to dig them out of storage. this one i'm passing on.)
valley driver
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schmacme said 4:19PM on 6-16-2005
I've been thru 4 UFO power adapters and one from Mainline since 2000. My applecare has run out on this Pismo, so I'm thinking I should sell the rig before this last power adapter dies. I'll probably keep it and have to purchase yet another $70 power supply. $20-$35? I think they should have to pass out a lifetime [power] supply.
Same for my 12" powerbook: I've been thru one already in the 2 years I've used it. And yes, I use these books every day. Shouldn't matter.
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MacGuyVar said 4:19PM on 6-16-2005
I got one too. The chances that I have a receipt for whatever power supply I bought though are about nil. Plus, which powerbook was it? I think I have had about 10 models since the Mac Portable. I don't remember any of the power supplies failing, just buying additional power bricks for convenience (in the office, at home, etc.) Maybe I have just been lucky. Better for everyone, IMHO, if they were forced to standardize the connection from the power adapter to the computer so that ANY would work on ANY Powerbook or iBook! Especially when many of these will allow for a wide voltage range anyway!
Sheesh!.
Also, I agree with the above comments - not worth the time to fill out and hunt for a receipt to get $20 or $30 credit or whatever.
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