Reportedly, Greek physician Dimitris Papadimitriadis discovered dark patches on the screen of his iMac. He took it to Systemgraph for service.
The company recommended interior and exterior cleaning. However, when Papadimitriadis went to pick up the iMac, it had moisture spots behind the screen. When the company offered to clean the iMac again, he refused, stating he had lost confidence in Systemgraph.
In his forum post here, Papadimitriadis said that he "relied on Article 540 of the Civil Code and section 5 of Act 2251, pursuant to which I have legal right to ask for a refund or replacement with my new PC under warranty." This is apparently an E.U. civil code.
However, Systemgraph refused, because the iMac was not purchased there. Although Papadimitriadis told them he had followed all the procedures at Apple's site, they still refused.
Later, after he posted his incident on the forum above, they ended up suing him, for 200,000 euros or about $267,000. Systemgraph claimed he damaged their reputation. Looking through the translation, it doesn't appear he slandered them, but it is a Google translation.
What has really damaged the company's reputation is publicity about the incident. It's hard to imagine anyone who hears of this taking their computer there for repair, or even buying a system. Why go to a retailer who might sue you for a complaint, after all?
We hope that Apple will step up and do the right thing, as they have done in the past. The court date for Systemgraph's lawsuit has been set for January 19.
