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Apple Sends Email to iTunes Users Offering Refunds for Unauthorized In-App Purchases

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Original poster
Apr 12, 2001
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As a part of its consent decree with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission over in-app purchases in the App Store, Apple today sent out an email to some iTunes users, offering them a chance to obtain a refund by filling out a form through a special link.

Specifically, the email appears to be targeted toward users who have made recent in-app purchases, with Apple stating that unauthorized purchases "made by a minor" are eligible for a refund, with all requests required to be submitted by April 15.
Dear iTunes account owner,

Apple is committed to providing parents and kids with a great experience on the App Store. We review all app content before allowing it on our store, provide a wide range of age-appropriate content, and include parental controls in iOS to make it easy for parents to restrict or disable access to content.

We've heard from some customers that it was too easy for their kids to make in-app purchases. As a result, we've improved controls for parents so they can better manage their children's purchases, or restrict them entirely. Additionally, we are offering refunds in certain cases.

Please follow the steps to submit a refund request:

Find your in-app purchase records. Check your email for iTunes receipts or use a computer to sign in to your iTunes account and view your Purchase History.

Use this link to submit your refund request to Apple.

Provide the requested information and enter "Refund for in-App Purchases made by a minor" in the Details section.

Apple will review your request and contact you via email about your refund status. All refund requests must be submitted no later than April 15, 2015.
Click to expand...
According to its agreement signed with the FTC in January, Apple will be required to provide full refunds to parents whose children purchased unauthorized in-app items, totaling $32 million in refunds. Apple also added a pop-up warning message in iOS 7.1 detailing a 15-minute window which allows users to make in-app purchases for 15 minutes without reentering a password.

Article Link: Apple Sends Email to iTunes Users Offering Refunds for Unauthorized In-App Purchases
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2014/03/24/itunes-refund-email/
MacHiavelli

MacHiavelli

macrumors 65816
May 17, 2007
1,253
913
new york
Did they really write...
'Use this link to submit your refund quest to Apple.'

Refund quest? They need a proofreader.
 
alohamade

alohamade

macrumors regular
Sep 13, 2012
143
13
MacHiavelli said:
Did they really write...
'Use this link to submit your refund quest to Apple.'

Refund quest? They need a proofreader.
Click to expand...

"Refund quest" doesn't sound like the most fun game in the world, doesn't it? That's a typo, the email is fine and I fixed it now! :)
 
Parasprite

Parasprite

macrumors 68000
Mar 5, 2013
1,698
144
Renzatic said:
Ha! Stupid parents with their terrible parenting skills asking for a free handout from Apple because they're too stupid to know what their stupid kids are doing with their stupid iPads. LOOK AT ME! I'M BEING JUDGMENTAL ON THE INTERNET!
Click to expand...

You seem...upset.

Would you like a hug?
 
Nunyabinez

Nunyabinez

macrumors 68000
Apr 27, 2010
1,758
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Provo, UT
thekev said:
Apple would potentially lose a lot of money if people didn't buy these things for their kids.
Click to expand...

What does Apple's revenue have to do with whether I should give my iDevices to toddlers? I want Apple to continue making good products, but I'm not going to take one for the team.

I see plenty of people buying devices for young children and I disagree with their decisions. I built a computer for my mom, but my nephews and nieces were always on it, so she got an iPad and guess what? Now she has to wrestle it away from them.

Their social skills are limited to one-word responses that don't require them to look away from their screen.
 
W

wikiverse

macrumors 6502a
Sep 13, 2012
690
955
macs4nw said:
How is Apple going to verify the validity of some of these coming claims? Are there going to be more than a few deceitful or 'questionable' claims, or is my faith in human beings perhaps lacking?….. :eek:
Click to expand...

They're not. This is just a PR exercise for apple.

I would like to know if these refunds are coming from apple or if apple will take the money from developer accounts (so apple just loses the 30%). The latter seems unfair since the developers were operating within apples system and it was apple's in-app purchase system which was the problem.

Anyone know?
 
C

ChrisCW11

macrumors 65816
Jul 21, 2011
1,037
1,433
Sad

The problem with all this is not Apple or parents or children, its the "Freemium" model which has corrupted gaming. The idea of getting a free game which is simply made easier by, often, dumping hundreds of dollars into it has ruined gaming in general.

What Apple should do instead of placating parents who have fallen victim to the greedy freemium model is instead to turn against the app developers that are victimizing users with ridiculous schemes to make a game playable through what is essentially extortion.

But Apple is too prideful of their whole "millions and millions of Apps" tag line and so will never do anything to reduce the amount of greedy crapware that has plagued the App store and instead seem to want to protect the freemium model by ensuring that parents and children will fall victim to this scheme over and over again. Whatever millions Apple has to give back to parents pales in comparison to the billions Apple makes every year through in-app transactions.

Say what you will about Microsoft, but Microsoft did not create a market of greedy *******s developing trojan horses with a direct connection to people's credit cards. Hackers may have tried to exploit security holes in Windows to steal your identity or bank information, but Apple simply made this a prominent "feature" of gaming on an iDevice, and I think more people have been exploited by Freemium overall then anything Microsoft was at fault for doing.
 
Jessica Lares

Jessica Lares

macrumors G3
Oct 31, 2009
9,612
1,056
Near Dallas, Texas, USA
macs4nw said:
How is Apple going to verify the validity of some of these coming claims? Are there going to be more than a few deceitful or 'questionable' claims, or is my faith in human beings perhaps lacking?….. :eek:
Click to expand...

They had to submit information to the class action website.

Those e-mails went out to people who have at one point complained to Apple about IAP. Which I did, but it was because my mom was buying some with my card, and the game in question was freezing up and not giving her the currency.

I just deleted it. I had gotten a refund from my bank anyway.
 
69Mustang

69Mustang

macrumors 604
Jan 7, 2014
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In between a rock and a hard place
Clubber said:
Kudos to Apple. I couldn't imagine another company even bothering.
Click to expand...

Kudos for what? Compliance with the FTC?

from the original post: "According to its agreement signed with the FTC in January, Apple will be required to provide full refunds to parents whose children purchased unauthorized in-app items, totaling $32 million in refunds. Apple also added a pop-up warning message in iOS 7.1 detailing a 15-minute window which allows users to make in-app purchases for 15 minutes without reentering a password. "

You shouldn't mistake this for altruism.;)
 
thekev

thekev

macrumors 604
Aug 5, 2010
7,005
3,343
Nunyabinez said:
What does Apple's revenue have to do with whether I should give my iDevices to toddlers? I want Apple to continue making good products, but I'm not going to take one for the team.

I see plenty of people buying devices for young children and I disagree with their decisions. I built a computer for my mom, but my nephews and nieces were always on it, so she got an iPad and guess what? Now she has to wrestle it away from them.

Their social skills are limited to one-word responses that don't require them to look away from their screen.
Click to expand...

I wouldn't hand one of these to a young child either, but that's me. It's weird that you're trying to hone in on toddlers, as I thought you were referring to kids in general. As for Apple, I was pointing out that in spite of this, they would have made less if people didn't buy these things for their kids. The original issue was that in app purchases could be made without further credit card verification for 15 minutes after the first purchase authorization, typically the app itself. The other problem was that this was set as default behavior, rather than a one click purchasing option that could only be manually enabled. It's unlikely that all of these users understood that this was default behavior. It may not have been the case on previous devices owned by many of those users, or they just never encountered it.

Clubber said:
Kudos to Apple. I couldn't imagine another company even bothering.
Click to expand...

It was probably part of the settlement. There have been other articles that focused more on the settlement terms themselves. Anyway your kudos is misguided.
 
kajitox

kajitox

macrumors 6502a
May 2, 2007
581
0
Small correction to the article: all submissions have to be before April 15...2015! So there's a year+ left - it sounded like people had to submit them in the next two weeks.
 
ArtOfWarfare

ArtOfWarfare

macrumors G3
Nov 26, 2007
9,560
6,059
wikiverse said:
They're not. This is just a PR exercise for apple.

I would like to know if these refunds are coming from apple or if apple will take the money from developer accounts (so apple just loses the 30%). The latter seems unfair since the developers were operating within apples system and it was apple's in-app purchase system which was the problem.

Anyone know?
Click to expand...

Apple holds onto the money for 30-60 days after a purchase is made and before giving it to the developer - I'm pretty sure whenever refunds occur they just reduce the amount that they pay to the developer when they're done holding it.

So the developers won't get the 70% of the purchase that is getting refunded. Maybe.

This will really blow for someone if it turns out they were just successful from invalid IAPs.
 
Nunyabinez

Nunyabinez

macrumors 68000
Apr 27, 2010
1,758
2,230
Provo, UT
thekev said:
The original issue was that in app purchases could be made without further credit card verification for 15 minutes after the first purchase authorization, typically the app itself. The other problem was that this was set as default behavior, rather than a one click purchasing option that could only be manually enabled. It's unlikely that all of these users understood that this was default behavior. It may not have been the case on previous devices owned by many of those users, or they just never encountered it.
Click to expand...

I know some people believed that Apple was after revenue and did this on purpose. I'm of the opinion that they just didn't anticipate the behavior you describe, i.e. parent purchases an app, hands the phone to a kid who in 15 minutes racks up thousands in purchases.

I think the current system is better anyway, though I am unhappy with the trend to advertise "Free" games that are almost unplayable without making purchases.

----------
thekev said:
I wouldn't hand one of these to a young child either, but that's me. It's weird that you're trying to hone in on toddlers, as I thought you were referring to kids in general.
Click to expand...

I'm assuming that older children know that they are making a purchase (I know, dangerous assumption) as opposed to toddlers who might be more unaware.
 
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