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Apple wants a subpoena to release my own account information!!!

A

applenotfair

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Feb 10, 2013
7
0
Hi everyone,

I asked Apple for a breakdown of refunds to my account. They said there were 5 items and gave me a total amount. When I asked for a detailed breakdown, they said I need a subpoena to get my own account information!!! They already sent me all the invoices that include the refunded items but there are other purchases on each invoice so I can't figure out what item was refunded. They tell me this is for my protection! This must be joke. This is after spending thousands on their products and iTunes store. I've never experienced anything this like this before. The email from customer support is below. Any thoughts?


"Hello ......,

Thank you for writing back. I hope your day is going well.

Ashkan, I'm sorry that I can't be of further assistance with your request, but the iTunes Store does not provide any account information—including account activity and personal information—without a subpoena. We do this for your protection.

If you need further assistance regarding this issue, please contact your legal advisor, who may contact Apple's litigation departmenthttp://www.apple.com/legal/contacts.html on your behalf.

Thanks you for your understanding, ......."
 
S

snberk103

macrumors 603
Oct 22, 2007
5,503
91
An Island in the Salish Sea
applenotfair said:
Hi everyone,

I asked Apple for a breakdown of refunds to my account. They said there were 5 items and gave me a total amount. When I asked for a detailed breakdown, they said I need a subpoena to get my own account information!!! They already sent me all the invoices that include the refunded items but there are other purchases on each invoice so I can't figure out what item was refunded. They tell me this is for my protection! This must be joke. This is after spending thousands on their products and iTunes store. I've never experienced anything this like this before. The email from customer support is below. Any thoughts?


"Hello ......,

Thank you for writing back. I hope your day is going well.

Ashkan, I'm sorry that I can't be of further assistance with your request, but the iTunes Store does not provide any account information—including account activity and personal information—without a subpoena. We do this for your protection.

If you need further assistance regarding this issue, please contact your legal advisor, who may contact Apple's litigation departmenthttp://www.apple.com/legal/contacts.html on your behalf.

Thanks you for your understanding, ......."
Click to expand...

Good on 'em. If someone is impersonating you they could do you great harm - in theory - by getting that info. How do they know you are not really your ex-wife trying to find some dirt to sue you with. The subpoena ensures that they are really releasing the info to the account holder and not someone impersonating you.

Sucks in cases like this...but the assumption is that you were keeping records - and therefore the person asking for the details may not actually be the account holder.

I wish more large companies took privacy protections so seriously.
 
S

snberk103

macrumors 603
Oct 22, 2007
5,503
91
An Island in the Salish Sea
applenotfair said:
That's not the case. They sent me all the invoices that shows my purchases. There are multiple purchases on each invoice. When I asked which item on each invoice was refunded, they sent this email! This wasn't about privacy because they already sent me all the names of items purchased. They gave a total amount for the money refunded but they want a subpoena to tell which items!!!
Click to expand...


Sorry.... but I can think of all sorts of ways that someone who is not you may use that information in ways that would harm you.

For instance.... if you had claimed all of those expenses as a business expense, and received money from your company for the expenses - without them knowing you had received refunds. If the company was now trying to prove you had stiffed them, if Apple gave the company that info it could be used against you.

I'm not saying that you did this... not at all.... just that Apple doesn't know why someone who may or may not actually be you needs to know. They are protected their customer from potential harm.

Sucks in you your case... But Apple does not know what is happening.
 
A

applenotfair

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Feb 10, 2013
7
0
snberk103 said:
Good on 'em. If someone is impersonating you they could do you great harm - in theory - by getting that info. How do they know you are not really your ex-wife trying to find some dirt to sue you with. The subpoena ensures that they are really releasing the info to the account holder and not someone impersonating you.

Sucks in cases like this...but the assumption is that you were keeping records - and therefore the person asking for the details may not actually be the account holder.

I wish more large companies took privacy protections so seriously.
Click to expand...

That's not the case. They sent me all the invoices that shows my purchases. There are multiple purchases on each invoice. When I asked which item on each invoice was refunded, they sent this email! This wasn't about privacy because they already sent me all the names of items purchased. They gave a total amount for the money refunded but they want a subpoena to tell which items!!!

----------
snberk103 said:
Good on 'em. If someone is impersonating you they could do you great harm - in theory - by getting that info. How do they know you are not really your ex-wife trying to find some dirt to sue you with. The subpoena ensures that they are really releasing the info to the account holder and not someone impersonating you.

Sucks in cases like this...but the assumption is that you were keeping records - and therefore the person asking for the details may not actually be the account holder.

I wish more large companies took privacy protections so seriously.
Click to expand...

I guess Apple could argue that but this all started when I asked for a $2 refund for a show that my 4 year old ordered and we didn't watch. They refused it so I asked for the amounts of my total purchases and refunds over the years. They provided those amounts but the refund amount seemed high so I asked for a breakdown. That's when they came back with this email requesting a subpoena. They're happy to charge my account attached to my apple ID any time for purchases even now but they don't provide information to that same Apple ID because they think it's someone else asking!!!
 
swordfish5736

swordfish5736

macrumors 68000
Jun 29, 2007
1,898
106
Cesspool
why are you only contacting them via email have you tried calling apple?

have you thought about going to your purchase history via itunes? you can look at each invoice for all of your purchase's.
 
A

applenotfair

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Feb 10, 2013
7
0
snberk103 said:
How many years are you talking about?
Click to expand...

About 3 years but time didn't seem to be an issue. I put similar posts on their communities to see if there is any other way to get the info but they were deleted immediately! I have to mention they requested a subpoena otherwise people tell me to contact Apple. They don't seem to like the word subpoena unless it's in a private message from them!
 
A

applenotfair

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Feb 10, 2013
7
0
swordfish5736 said:
interesting. When i had a charge show up from itunes last year that i did not make i called and it was resolved over the phone. :confused:
Click to expand...

I'll try but I don't think they deal with this sort of thing over the phone. They wouldn't release my account activity through my Apple ID. I don't think they'll do it over the phone. The whole thing is odd! It seems like they're hiding something!
 
A

applenotfair

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Feb 10, 2013
7
0
Aspasia said:
You get an email from Apple confirming each iTunes purchase - as well as any refunds. Why not check those for the info you seek?
Click to expand...

I've requested refunds a few times. If they accept it, we get an email form someone in customer care saying they'll refund my visa in a few days. We never received an email afterwards showing the item and refund amount. Nothing that looks like an invoice showing a refund. I have to go back and check all my visa statements to see how much was refunded and when. They have the information but they don't release it. It seems odd!
 
A

applenotfair

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Feb 10, 2013
7
0
mobilehaathi said:
People have repeatedly and explicitly been telling you that. Yes.
Click to expand...

This has nothing to do with privacy! They already emailed me all the original invoices that include the refunded items but they don't tell me which items in those invoices were refunded. If this was a privacy issue, they wouldn't release anything. I'm using my Apple ID to communicate with them which gives me access to all my account information anyways. The refunded items don't show up in iTunes and for some reason they don't want to release it.
 
C

controlit2000

macrumors newbie
Mar 18, 2013
1
0
subpoena required

At first blush, it does sound like Apple is being overly cautious, but in this day and age of constant privacy lawsuits, hacker's, scams, phishing, etc., it's understandable to a certain extent. That being said, I can tell you have I have spent an hour and a half just trying to find the right contact information so I can find out WHERE within Apple to serve a subpoena for records. (In my case I'm obtaining records for someone else's phone) I chatted, I called, I searched bing.com; google.com; yahoo.com etc etc. I kept getting routed back to http://www.apple.com/legal/contact/ which is of no use whatsoever. Finally, I simply called Apple in Cupertino at 408-996-1010. I was transferred to a voicemail, BUT it was the voicemail of the litigation department. I am presently awaiting a return call. We'll see ....
 
P

PinoyAko

macrumors 6502
Nov 25, 2012
272
1
applenotfair said:
Hi everyone,

I asked Apple for a breakdown of refunds to my account. They said there were 5 items and gave me a total amount. When I asked for a detailed breakdown, they said I need a subpoena to get my own account information!!! They already sent me all the invoices that include the refunded items but there are other purchases on each invoice so I can't figure out what item was refunded. They tell me this is for my protection! This must be joke. This is after spending thousands on their products and iTunes store. I've never experienced anything this like this before. The email from customer support is below. Any thoughts?


"Hello ......,

Thank you for writing back. I hope your day is going well.

Ashkan, I'm sorry that I can't be of further assistance with your request, but the iTunes Store does not provide any account information—including account activity and personal information—without a subpoena. We do this for your protection.

If you need further assistance regarding this issue, please contact your legal advisor, who may contact Apple's litigation departmenthttp://www.apple.com/legal/contacts.html on your behalf.

Thanks you for your understanding, ......."
Click to expand...

It's for your own good, man.
 
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