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Yes but it was his fault also. Credit card!, Credit card!, Credit card!

I wouldn't go so far as to say it was the consumer's FAULT, but I do understand your underlying point about the dangers of debit cards.
This sort of situation is exactly the reason why I do not have any debit cards.
 
The fella got his money back, he deserves no more than that. The faster the world learns that suing and seeking damages is not the only solution to their problems, the better!

What if due to apples error he ended up with 290 dollars in late fees. Should apple compensate him for that?

I wouldn't go so far as to say it was the consumer's FAULT, but I do understand your underlying point about the dangers of debit cards.
This sort of situation is exactly the reason why I do not have any debit cards.

Debit cards make no sense. A credit card is much better you get the use of the no interest float, pay it in full every month collect ponta and convert points into cash.

I get quite a bit of cash back so I end up actually getting a cut in the cost of living by being paid to use a credit card.
 
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What if you choose not to have a credit card?

Saying it is the customer's fault is going overboard. This was a mistake with either Apple or PayPal and those companies should make good with their customers. But this situation does illustrate a potential danger of debit cards vs. credit cards. I do not have any debit cards for this exact reason.

With a credit card, the federal government has legislated that the customer is only liable for the first $50 in the case of fraudulent, mistaken or unauthorized charges. There is no such protection with a debit card. Some banks offer their own "protection" or "guarantee", but this is not the same thing as having a federal law on the books for the consumer's protection.

Secondly, with a credit card it won't be the customer's money that's taken away. It's the bank's money. So there's no worry about checks bouncing or missing payments because their money disappeared. The customer will have plenty of time to correct the issue before there is any financial impact. Also, since it will be the bank's money that is taken, the bank will have even more incentive to correct the issue.

What if due to apples error he ended up with 290 dollars in late fees. Should apple compensate him for that?

Yes, I believe they should. If it had been me in that situation, I would certainly expect and demand compensation for all negative impacts of their mistake.

Debit cards make no sense. A credit card is much better you get the use of the no interest float, pay it in full every month collect ponta and convert points into cash.

I get quite a bit of cash back so I end up actually getting a cut in the cost of living by being paid to use a credit card.

I agree with you, and that is how I use my credit card. I pay it in full before the cutoff date, making it effectively like a debit card but without the risk. It also boosts my credit score which helps me if I ever do want to get a loan. Credit scores are like a game. You can play the system right and work things to your benefit... assuming you can be responsible, of course.
 
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no i am not.

wow if you believe that your niave and don't understand the difference between the debit cards and credit cards.

It shouldn't of happened and its apple/paypals fault. but things like this happen more than you think. who is stuck without the money till it gets resolved? the consumer. if he used a credit card he wouldn't be out any money. why am i the only one to understand this.

Ramone! This man is a troll!
 
Why? Because the individual in question cannot properly manage his money financially.

Let's be serious, what type of responsible person doesn't have a six month cushion saved before buying a house? If a $4k overdraft overextends someone to the extent that they can't pay their mortgage, maybe they shouldn't be committing to purchasing a house in the first place? And, maybe they shouldn't be spending $30 on an operating system upgrade if they don't have that cushion.

What happened to personal fiscal responsibility?

troll much?
 
He will be glad to get his 4k back, thats for sure

I am!! It was frustrating until it was completed. I assume they didn't want to tell me more than necessary, for some reason? Perhaps just to keep me guessing so they had control.

Actually, I have 9 apps showing as in need of update, and I am afraid to update them for fear it will cost me $286.11
 
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You're missing the point. The deal about not being able to pay his/her mortgage because of a 4k overcharge reeks of poor financial planning. This is only judging the financial character of person. $30 on a non-essential item is only providing supporting evidence to the lack of financial prudence by the individual.

In summary, it was a problem in processing by Apple/PayPal, but the whole "I can't pay my mortgage"-business is ridiculous and shouldn't have even been stated.

I tend to agree. Whatever your mortgage, if you do not have anything saved, a savings account (joint maybe) or a line of credit, then maybe that house is a wee bit too big for you or your shouldn't even have a house.

It is a house, things break, accidents happen. If your roof starts to leak, you have to repair it. If you can't do that at any point, then a house is not for you.
 
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Guys... This is silly... We shouldn't be passing judgement on people's financial situation.... However... I have trouble believing that no matter how bad the mistake was that things can't get worked out with no harm. Especially when it comes to a mortgage. All you have to do is pick up the phone and talk.

Of course as many have said... Don't use your checking account to buy things online and you're golden all the time.
 
how about some personal responsibilty. yes it wasn't his fault but you shouldn't link a debit card for things like this. this is exactly what credit cards are for. if you do a dispute it doesn't tie up all your bank account funds.

You forget the enormous fees you pay on cc's. If you end up in red, you pay 14% (yearly basis) interest for those debts. Credit Cards are ******** in my opinion. The convenience doesn't make up for the costs and the risks (look at the PSN hack - 2.2 million persons ended up with a credit card of which both the number and the csc got compromised). A system like cc's or paypal is also very vulnerable to phishing attacks.
 
Yes but it was his fault also. Credit card!, Credit card!, Credit card!

Are you for real, or are you just a tool? Typical blame the victim mentality. This was in no way his fault. He did nothing to cause the duplicate charges, period.

Both Apple an PayPal require financial information, can't use PayPal without it, can't use iTunes either. They go out of their way to hype their security and build confidence in their financial systems. When they screw up, they need to make the customer whole, even if the cost of damages exceeds the extra charges. End of story.
 
No cases of this happening through apple/cc - paypal only.

I don't personally have feelings for paypal one way or the other, but I think it's more likely this asshat clicked buy 122 times than what people are assuming. In the original article he said his Internet connection was having problems and he had to attempt to download the software multiple times.

It is always the users fault. Always.

It was only on my iTune account once.. Here is what iTunes first told me when I reported it:

I have reviewed your account and show only one charge for "OS X Lion" on order number ##########. I urge you to contact PayPal as soon as possible to inquire about removing the unauthorized transactions. You should also ask them to launch an investigation into the security of your account. Under the circumstances the iTunes Store cannot reverse the charges, as they do not show up on your iTunes Store account.

This was after PayPal confirmed it was 122 charges from the iTunes store. Apple later verified it was was problem with them.

That seems wildly disproportionate. $2000 in gifts for holding onto the guys $4000 for a couple of weeks??? That'a maybe $10 in lost interest. As the guy said, Apple paid all his fees plus a little extra to cover any fees that haven't shown up yet. I think an additional iTunes gift card would be a nice thing; it could be that something like that is on the way as well, as it is unlikely we are getting the entire story here.

I'd be thrilled if Apple sent me a gift of goodwill.. They have been keeping me on a very need-to-know basis. I asked at least 3 times if they would pay my fees, and they ignored the question each time, until the money was in my PayPal account and I confirmed that. Then they didn't say they would pay fees, they wanted to see them first. Then asked if I anticipate any more fees. I said that I still don't have the cash in my account, so they offered the current fees and an extra amount, which is certainly not enough to buy an Apple product.

But since they kept me in the dark about the fees perhaps when I confirm there are no more fees, they will send me a gift.. One can only hope, Apple would that considerate after such a HUGE PAIN THE ASS WEEK.
 
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on the cheap

apples getting cheap ... first the $100 app credit for BTS and now this measly gift for their screw up.

Next they'll be putting outdated components in their computers and charging a premium for their computers ... oh wait they are already doing that.

but I still followed and bought the new Mac Mini ... :D
 
For fun, let's assume worst case scenario...

Let's say that all of his bills were due and are all set up to be paid automatically.

We knew his mortgage was due and he didn't have enough to cover it.

Mortgage bank attempts to take it, fails, and for a while, leaves his bank account overdrawn. $40 fee for missing mortgage payment/ bounced check, $40 overdrawn fee from his bank.

While he's overdrawn, car payment, car insurance, home owners insurance, cell phone, utilities, student loan, and everything else all try to collect, fail, and issue their fees.

His account is now overdrawn for a few days while everything is sorted out. Shame he can't buy food for his family, gas for his car, or even refill his sickly mother's medications.

Yes, this is an extreme example, but could very easily be the case... especially since he's still without his money over a week later.


If anything hit his bank account during that time and put him negative, the fees alone could easily top $100.

My mortgage is auto withdrawal. That is scariest part.
 
I haven't even checked on my statement yet. I did have to make about a dozen attempts to install Lion so Apple may be owning me some dough. :)
 
If I recall, this guy wasn't suing or asking for anything more than his money back. This wasn't a small glitch on Apple's part, it was a major f-up, and the guy suffered more than a minor inconvenience. It would have been a magnanimous gesture on Apple's part to have made up for it with something nice, that's all.

Nope.. I was not suing. I am just screwed in the minds of some either way.. I don't seem to be getting "something nice" because I was not demanding anything other than my money back. and fees they caused. It seems the people that demand, get what they want, like a new Macbook Air!. But some readers want to assume I am trying to milk them.

I guess you only get what you demand.

What's ridiculous is it's a non-issue. First, most mortgages have a 10-15 day grace period in the contract. So you can be a few days late with no affect. Also, if you just call your lender and explain the situation, they will note it and all will be good. They understand things happen.

But most of all... never, ever, NEVER use a card tied to your checking account to buy on-line just for this reason. If it was a true credit card and not a bank card, none of this would even be an issue and your personal money would be safe. Mistakes and theft happens and using your debit card puts you at risk for this type of issue.

Mortgage is auto-pay, as I always have the money in there for it. I merely complained because, their mistake became my responsibility to juggle many things and call all my creditors. I was not asking them to pay my mortgage or anything.

Yes, I believe they should. If it had been me in that situation, I would certainly expect and demand compensation for all negative impacts of their mistake.

Including the many hours of dealing with the impact?

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Guys... This is silly... We shouldn't be passing judgement on people's financial situation.... However... I have trouble believing that no matter how bad the mistake was that things can't get worked out with no harm. Especially when it comes to a mortgage. All you have to do is pick up the phone and talk.

Of course as many have said... Don't use your checking account to buy things online and you're golden all the time.

Mortgage was merely brought up as it was a point of frustration. Sure I can call the company, I can call family. But the point is their mistake is my frustration and extra work.. That is all.
 
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figaro331 said:
MacRumors said:
[url=http://cdn.macrumors.com/im/macrumorsthreadlogodarkd.png]Image[/url]


Image


Apple has started refunding users who were charged multiple times for their Lion purchases. We reported last week on a user whose checking account was drained of nearly $4,000 when he was charged 122 times for Lion. The email above was sent to a user who was charged 8 times.

John Christman, the user who was charged 122 times was eventually made whole:
Other users who were double charged may see similar emails soon.

Article Link: Apple Begins Refunding Lion Overcharges

I feel really sorry for John Christman and I have only one suggestion : Please, cancel all of your outrageous, despicable paypal accounts forever and ever and forget about it as a nightmare !!!
Check this site as an example about paypal:
http://www.aboutpaypal.org/
figaro331

Interesting. The site and its "top pick" for a merchant account alternative (btw merchant drafts are one of the biggest sources of financial fraud) appear to be designed by the same webmaster. The Whois info for both, appears to be obfuscated. I'm not defending apple but I am concerned that the people running aboutpaypal.org are running a less than transparent money or even phishing scam of their own. I'd avoid those sites as well as paypal.
 
Why? Because the individual in question cannot properly manage his money financially.

Let's be serious, what type of responsible person doesn't have a six month cushion saved before buying a house? If a $4k overdraft overextends someone to the extent that they can't pay their mortgage, maybe they shouldn't be committing to purchasing a house in the first place? And, maybe they shouldn't be spending $30 on an operating system upgrade if they don't have that cushion.

What happened to personal fiscal responsibility?

that is just silly not every can do that and doesn't make it his fault.

Typical, get it now, pay it later.

yeah typical just because someone chooses to use a credit card doesn't mean they can't pay for the item. i use a credit card instead of a debit card for a number of reasons one being in case something like this happens(because it happens all the time and doesn't get in the news) second i get either airline miles or cash back for a certain amount of spending. and last my cards are always paid when they are due.

Credit cards are a great thing if used properly and not abused like most people do.
You forget the enormous fees you pay on cc's. If you end up in red, you pay 14% (yearly basis) interest for those debts. Credit Cards are ******** in my opinion. The convenience doesn't make up for the costs and the risks (look at the PSN hack - 2.2 million persons ended up with a credit card of which both the number and the csc got compromised). A system like cc's or paypal is also very vulnerable to phishing attacks.

credit cards can be abused but if used properly can be used to your advantage by no means have a said people should rack up debt on a credit card you should only buy what you can afford.
 
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Thats too bad

because you shouldn't have to pay for garbage, especially 122 times. Once is enough for this POS software that sets the clock back, ruins productivity, make a once stable system very jiggy and makes everything a game of sleuth as one wonders where and how to find their documents. I only wish there were a way to get rid of the thing..is there?
 
Paying your mortgage a few days late and coughing up the late charge probably wouldn't damage your credit rating to the point of any problems.
It won't affect his mortgage. It is due on the first of the month, the late charge doesn't appear until the 15th of the month and no late charge appears on your credit until it is a full 30 days late. This is being blown out of proportion.

Does anyone here have a mortgage?
 
How is any of this even news?

Supermarket clerk overcharged me for my bananas.

I went back and they refunded me my $1.12.

Please make sure that ends up on the front page.

Exactly. This happens all the time... why is this news?

I realize that it somehow has a "shock" value since it's a big company, but come on, think about how many times you've been over or mischarged for something... I can name quite a few. Regardless of who's fault it is, this is not news. I don't care if the federal government overcharged him on income taxes-- errors like this are commonplace, especially when it's done via electronic withdrawals.

Also, post above me is spot on. This guy was just trying to make a splash.

Cue the negative votes. It appears as if nowadays if you say anything remotely supportive of Apple you get a nice berating :)
 
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I wouldn't go so far as to say it was the consumer's FAULT, but I do understand your underlying point about the dangers of debit cards.
This sort of situation is exactly the reason why I do not have any debit cards.

Depends on the bank. I deal with Wellsfargo and prior to that Wachovia and they treat a debit card just like a credit card. I have had them reverse charges with no problem.

because you shouldn't have to pay for garbage, especially 122 times. Once is enough for this POS software that sets the clock back, ruins productivity, make a once stable system very jiggy and makes everything a game of sleuth as one wonders where and how to find their documents. I only wish there were a way to get rid of the thing..is there?

LOL is this the new Vista? :D
 
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