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A TV stole dollars worth of movies from my collection
- Thread starter trucker77
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I would think a 'collector' would be more aware of the need to back up a digital collection, or have hard copies, and back ups of those.
I only rent movies from itunes, on Apple TV, iPad, or MBP, but when I've had any kind of trouble, the chat folks have been very helpful and generous with the credits for future rentals.
I'm not saying this didn't happen to OP, but he/she only joined here for the purpose of posting 'Apple TV stole $40,' which in reality should be 'I didn't read the terms before I shelled out $40, and I didn't back my stuff up.'
I was not aware of this myself, and there are a few movies I was thinking of purchasing, some of my faves are still on VHS, so now that I know, when I do buy, I will be sure to back up.
If you had a DVD of a certain movie and lost it or damaged the disk, would you accuse the manufacturer or retailer of stealing from you if they wouldn't replace it?
I only rent movies from itunes, on Apple TV, iPad, or MBP, but when I've had any kind of trouble, the chat folks have been very helpful and generous with the credits for future rentals.
I'm not saying this didn't happen to OP, but he/she only joined here for the purpose of posting 'Apple TV stole $40,' which in reality should be 'I didn't read the terms before I shelled out $40, and I didn't back my stuff up.'
I was not aware of this myself, and there are a few movies I was thinking of purchasing, some of my faves are still on VHS, so now that I know, when I do buy, I will be sure to back up.
If you had a DVD of a certain movie and lost it or damaged the disk, would you accuse the manufacturer or retailer of stealing from you if they wouldn't replace it?
When I buy an iTunes movie, I strip the DRM. That way, I can watch it on any device at any time I want, without having to worry about it suddenly disappearing from the iTunes store.
I smell a class action lawsuit. I have heard of this issue before where you purchase a movie on iTunes, keep it in iCloud then the content provider decides that they don't want to provide the movie you bought anymore. Hence the movie you purchased is no longer available for download.
I don't understand how it is legal when I "Purchase" something from Apple and presumably a content provider they can tell me I no longer own it. Looks like it's time to start buying blu-ray's again.
I don't understand how it is legal when I "Purchase" something from Apple and presumably a content provider they can tell me I no longer own it. Looks like it's time to start buying blu-ray's again.
Huh, strange, just double checked on my ATV, both all 3 of my Iron Man and both of my Thor purchases are still there. I did have an issue when I moved to the Yosemite Public Beta, it shifted more than half of my movies (none of my TV shows or music) to being hidden. That caused them to disappear from my purchased stuff on my ATV, I just went into my account settings and unhid everything and they reappeared.
What country are you in?
What country are you in?
So let me get this straight. The OP went from zero to a**hole in only a few comments, claims he was nice to Sara, didn't back up his data, and is wondering why more wasn't done to help him? Entitlement - 0, Real World - 1.
You're quick to insult the OP, both in this post and your other. While your base sentiment is visible amidst the antagonism, and I understand why you are saying what you are, it seems clear to me that you are either young enough or fortunate enough to have never been shafted by the realities in our current, corporation-dominated society. Either that, or you are not smart enough to have caught the various extra charges inserted randomly and regularly into your cell phone bill, credit card statement, utility bills, etc.
It is common practice for large companies to "inadvertently" charge for products or services which they are not providing, or limit, throttle or remove services for which one may be paying. The OP's use of the word "of," in lieu of "have," and a notable lack of proper grammar or punctuation is as much a product of the world in which we live as the inconsiderate corporate practices which led to this situation in the first place are.
I am a supporter of Apple. My first computer was an Apple II+. I have been an early adopter of nearly every innovative product and technology that Apple has released over the past 30 years or so. One thing is true, though. They are just as greedy and unconcerned about their consumers as any other mega-corporation. When I bought my first e-reader I was able to download newly released books for a fraction of what the cost of the hardcover was. And, that's the way it should be. Lower material and labor costs should equal a lower cost to the consumer. Once Apple got into the ebooks business everything changed. I often pay more for an ebook now than I would have to if I went to the bookstore and bought a physical copy. This detail is not directly relevant to the post, but it speaks to the overall culture which has led to this situation. I feel for the OP.
And to the OP. While I feel your frustration, it is important to remember that a tier one support person will almost never be able to solve a major issue. try to remain pleasant while expressing your displeasure, and ask for a supervisor. It is worth noting that at this level the "supervisor" will also likely be of little help, but you must follow the chain authority. take notes of the names of those with whom you have spoken, and the dates of your phone calls. When you are communicating via chat then save your transcript.
Eventually, and sometimes right away, one of the people that you are speaking with will tell you that there is nothing that they can do for you, and they are the boss. They are the top of the ladder, and they are sorry, but this is the policy. They are also just telling you what they have been instructed to tell you. My question to them is usually "So YOU are the top?" to which they respond yes, and I follow with "so YOU sign the paychecks for the entire company?" to which they become flustered and hesitate before indicating that they do not. Every once in a great while they will hang up on you, but that's okay because you have already taken down their name, so you know who to mention in your next complaint.
If you are persistent and remain pleasant throughout your communications you will likely, EVENTUALLY, reach a satisfactory resolution. Hopefully before more time has been invested than what it's worth. Good luck to you.
I'm 50, have a degree in Chemical Engineering but now own my own multimedia design business, have an old Mensa membership card and have been using Macs since 1985. All of your assumptions (and passive/aggressive insults) about me are incorrect. From all of this experience, I know an immature jerk when I see one and can identify someone who will never have a pleasant customer service experience if they can't be civil to the person who is trying to help them. I've lived long enough to know when nice and civility will get me what I want and when I have to resort to aggressive mode when being nice hasn't worked. Over all the years I have been an Apple customer, there have been countless times when they have helped me with my issues above and beyond what they were contractually required to do so YES, I will give Apple the benefit of the doubt over the word of someone who should spend less time on Xbox and watching movies and more time on schoolwork. I don't believe for one minute Apple is "greedy" and "unconcerned" based on all they have done for me over the years. The OP needs to hear what they sound like so maybe they can learn something about how the world works and how to get what they want. Being a jerk won't cut it. Being nearly illiterate won't cut it, either, even if people like you give illiteracy a free pass for some odd reason.
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This.... Even if they release it under the same ID with different content it's going to screw everything up for those who've purchased it. This is why you should ALWAYS keep a backup of what you've downloaded.
You would likely get nowhere. The license when you purchase allows for downloading or backup, but doesn't require the provider (Apple or any other provider) to make it eternally available. Indeed, the license to provide it will have specifics as to how long it can be offered, or how many downloads can be made. You don't purchase the film itself, but, rather, a license to display it. You don't own the film itself- just as with software.
Neither Apple nor the content provider have told you that you no longer have rights to it- they have simply removed it from the downloadable products available. The Terms of Service spell this out quite clearly.
Before I buy anything from Apple I always check the price on Amazon as well. If I can get a physical book cheaper I will buy it. If I can get a Blu-ray disc/boxed set delivered cheaper than an iTunes download, I will order the physical disc version as a matter of principle (plus you cannot beat Blu-ray in terms of quality compared to just an HD download).
I don't think telling the OP that they should have backed up their purchase is appropriate here. When making an iTunes purchase you are supposed to be able to make a download - yes - but you are also supposed to be able to stream the film whenever you want, for instance directly from your Apple TV.
Now if the film you bought is somehow unavailable because it was taken down, I still think Apple should at least allow you one extra chance to download it before you are no longer able to access the film. But here it seems things are even worse: the same film is still available for everyone else to purchase but the OP (who has already bought it) can no longer access it.
It is actions like that which will kill digital media purchases as opposed to rentals. In cases like mine, I have an Apple TV and a Macbook Pro REtina with 256 GB HD. Neither of those devices are capable of keeping copies of all my content. That is why I pay Apple $25 per year to keep it in iCloud for me. Isn't that the whole purpose behind iTunes Match? So my purchased content is always available to me regardless of whether I have it on a physical device or not?
Of course it's appropriate. Go read the terms of service.
Plus, if OP hadn't started throwing rocks at the Apple support person, he might have gotten this resolved that day.
Terms of service are usually written so that the company can do anything and get away with it. So that is a cop-out answer.
In truth the OP should still be able to stream and download their purchases.
If Amazon plays its cards right it will eventually secure a free digital copy of all physical Blu-ray/DVD discs that customers purchase. Once this happens, especially if they are able to back-track and offer this to all purchases in a client's history, I won't even bother checking iTunes for anything...
iTunes Match is for music only, and no.. it's not designed to be an archival service. It's a convenience service.
"You should back up all data and information on your computer or device and any peripherals prior to using iTunes Match. You expressly acknowledge and agree that all use of iTunes Match is at your sole risk. To the extent permitted by law, Apple shall have no liability with respect to your use of iTunes Match, including the inability to access matched or uploaded content."
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Ha. Amazon's no different than Apple or any other company. There are no guarantees with digital content. Like it or not, we don't live in your ideal world where we always get to do what we "should" be able to.
There are tons and tons of stories out there about Amazon closing people's accounts for perceived infractions, and there is no appeal process. You lose all of your digital goods. There are similar stories about iTunes accounts, though Apple provides means for people to appeal the situation. All it takes is a to purchase an iTunes gift card on Ebay or something.. Heck, be given one for your birthday that Apple shows was purchased with a fraudulent credit card transaction or such.. Add that to your account and bam, goodbye everything.
Backups are a must.
Both Thor and Iron Man 2 remain in my library. The only difference is, I purchased the blu-ray versions of these movies that came with Digital Copy Codes. Unrelated, but when digital copies movies are in the $14.99-$19.99 range i see no reason to purchase them when i can get the Bluray with the digital copy for the same price if not less on Launch week.
You ALWAYS have to read the fine print. Misleading is not relevant if you failed to read the fine print aside from you misleading yourself by not reading and understanting. If you're missing data and you didn't have a backup it's your fault. Regardless of what or where it is BACK IT UP.
You're not buying the movie and you do not own the movie. You're granted a license even if you pay for the content on a physical disk.
It's not a cop-out answer. It's reality. Copping out in this context would be not reading the TOS and assuming the other entity has agreed to something not actually in the agreement.
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this is the most important comment in the whole thread.
when the OP's conversation started with 'sara' she was reasonable and helpful. as he spoke to her rudely as she was looking up his details. she turned from 'id like to help you' to 'these are our terms and conditions'. she actually said early on about checking for a refund. and from a personal view of working in different customer service related businesses, the line she took was correct. at some stage he'll realise that if/when he speaks nicely to someone dealing with a complaint, he'll generally get much better service.
the days of 'the customer is always right' are gone, and thank god. the guy who invented the phrase finished his life penniless after all so no one should take lessons in business from him, and the days of 'he he shouts loudest gets the most' should be gone. sensible customer service makes the most sense. if a nice customer has a point you do your best to make him happy.
i work in an entirely different customer service based business and when people are nice, i and my staff will bend over backwards. if people are rude and its understandable given whats happened, we'll bend over further. when someone comes in and starts being rude early on without giving us a chance to fix the problem, or god forbid, asks for the manager early on, then the bare minimum will happen.
the customer isn't always right, and even when he has a point he should make it fairly and reasonably. the OP has a point, a good reasonable point, and if he'd asked about it reasonably without upsetting 'sara' he probably would have had it resolved.
I am extremely curious about how these deals are worked out though.
I know there was a fiasco with Disney a year or two back and Apple and Disney worked it out to keep the movies accessible in the cloud but not for purchase. At least thats what I remember the way it being.
The iTunes store only acts as a distribution point, Apple doesn't own the content any more than you do. If a distributor decides they no longer want to sell through that channel then Apple has to pull that content.
You should never hold your purchases in trust for a rainy day, you should download them and keep a copy on your hard drive. If you use the iTunes store properly you will never run into this issue.
It's like any other brick and mortar store, you don't just leave your goods on the shop counter and expect to walk in many years later and just pick them up where you left them. If you treated the iTunes store like a brick and mortar video store you would never run into this issue.
I understand digital content, TOS, and backing up but Apple is selling the Apple TV as a standalone unit that doesn't require a computer or any other means of backing up.
And while the fine print is important, so is the large print which quite clearly says "Purchased TV shows don't expire."
I realize the OP's issue is with movies but Apple is still sending mixed messages. Saying that certain content doesn't expire while also saying that certain content can disappear at a moment's notice is pretty misleading.
Apple really needs to make it clear in their system requirements that a computer is necessary for more than just using AirPlay.
And while the fine print is important, so is the large print which quite clearly says "Purchased TV shows don't expire."
I realize the OP's issue is with movies but Apple is still sending mixed messages. Saying that certain content doesn't expire while also saying that certain content can disappear at a moment's notice is pretty misleading.
Apple really needs to make it clear in their system requirements that a computer is necessary for more than just using AirPlay.
this,
apple cannot bail you out because you forget to backup your stuff.
if you buy a dvd and you loose it , you can't go back to the store for another copy.
you didn't have 40$ stolen , you lost 40$.
learn to backup your stuff , which you could have done in the amount of time making this thread.