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

[applenotfair]

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, ......."

[malman89]

Should've just saved the time, money, and hassle and pirated everything instead.

[snberk103]

Originally Posted by applenotfair

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, ......."

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.

[snberk103]

Originally Posted by applenotfair

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!!![COLOR="#808080"]

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.

[applenotfair]

Originally Posted by snberk103

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.

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!!!

----------

Originally Posted by snberk103

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.

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!!!

[snberk103]

Originally Posted by applenotfair

... so I asked for the amounts of my total purchases and refunds over the years. ...

How many years are you talking about?

[swordfish5736]

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.

[aristobrat]

Originally Posted by swordfish5736

why are you only contacting them via email have you tried calling apple?

AFAIK, you can't call Apple regarding iTunes Store questions.

[swordfish5736]

Originally Posted by aristobrat

AFAIK, you can't call Apple regarding iTunes Store questions.

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.

[Aspasia]

You get an email from Apple confirming each iTunes purchase - as well as any refunds. Why not check those for the info you seek?

[applenotfair]

Originally Posted by snberk103

How many years are you talking about?

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!

[applenotfair]

Originally Posted by swordfish5736

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.

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!

[aristobrat]

Have you read this?

How Apple and Amazon Security Flaws Led to My Epic Hacking

[applenotfair]

Originally Posted by Aspasia

You get an email from Apple confirming each iTunes purchase - as well as any refunds. Why not check those for the info you seek?

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!

[applenotfair]

Originally Posted by aristobrat

Have you read this?

How Apple and Amazon Security Flaws Led to My Epic Hacking

I just did. Thank you for sharing it. Are you suggesting Apple is protecting me by not providing the items I was refunded?

[mobilehaathi]

Originally Posted by applenotfair

I just did. Thank you for sharing it. Are you suggesting Apple is protecting me by not providing the items I was refunded?

People have repeatedly and explicitly been telling you that. Yes.

[applenotfair]

Originally Posted by mobilehaathi

People have repeatedly and explicitly been telling you that. Yes.

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.

[mobilehaathi]

Originally Posted by applenotfair

This has nothing to do with privacy!

That's not for me to justify, but I suspect that is the reason.

[controlit2000]

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 ....

[PinoyAko]

Originally Posted by applenotfair

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, ......."

It's for your own good, man.

[AlyseM]

This seems a little ridiculous.