Italy’s competition and market authority charged the local unit of smartphone vendor Xiaomi €3.2 million for alleged violations of warranty rules for repair of electronic devices.

In a statement, regulator AGCM outlined claims several of Xiaomi’s policies for fixing defects broke consumer rules in the country.

Among the grievances raised were Xiaomi apparently refusing repairs it was obliged to make in the presence of minor defects not covered by the warranty, such as small scratches.

AGCM noted this made “the warranty service subject to the repair of out-of-warranty damage”.

Other issues claimed include Xiaomi “repeatedly depriving the consumer of the purchased good[s]” by conducting repairs rather than replacing faulty items.

AGCM noted there was a requirement for repairs to be done promptly.

It also accused Xiaomi of charging users shipping and verification fees in the event no issues it was liable for were found.

“It is up to Xiaomi to verify the possible existence of the reported lack of conformity [problem] without charging any verification or shipping costs,” AGCM added.