Apple made an attempt to silence an 11-year-old girl and her father after her iPod exploded, the Times reports. Ken Stanborough of Liverpool, U.K., dropped his daughter Ellie’s iPod touch sometime last month, which caused it to make a “hissing noise.” “I could feel it getting hotter in my hand, and I thought I could see vapour,” Stanborough said. He claims he then threw the device out of his back door, where “within 30 seconds there was a pop, a big puff of smoke and it went 10ft in the air.” Stanborough contacted both Apple and Argos, the retailer where he purchased the device, and ended up reaching an Apple executive on the phone after being passed around several departments.
Following that conversation, Apple sent a letter denying liability but offering a refund — in exchange for silence.
The letter specified that Stanborough, in accepting the money, was to “agree that you will keep the terms and existence of this settlement agreement completely confidential,” and that any breach of confidentiality “may result in Apple seeking injunctive relief, damages and legal costs against the defaulting persons or parties.” Stanborough refused to sign the letter. “They’re putting a life sentence on myself, my daughter and Ellie’s mum, not to say anything to anyone.
If we inadvertently did say anything, no matter what, they would take litigation against us. I thought that was absolutely appalling,” he said. “We didn’t ask for compensation, we just asked for our money back.”
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