7 year old daughter accidentally run up £250 bill for itunes app? *Now updated*

mae

Thanks everyone, its been really helpful to get all your replies and opinions and all the links to others threads :A

So...password changed, card taken off the account and settings changed....this will not happen again

I have tonight sent an email to itunes and it says I should get a reply within 48 hours so I will let you know the outcome. I did briefly mention in the email that I had done some research (via you guys) and that I knew other people had also been stung by this type of 'in app' purchase but I didn't really push it I just thought I will let them respond first and then see whether I want to argue the point or not as even though I think its a crappy practice to allow this to happen so easily I also take our responsibility on board.

Can I just point out about the password issue that although we did put in the password it wasn't directly for our daughter its just been put in to get free apps by my husband and then the ipad would be passed to our daughter to start playing her games...we had no idea that signing in previously meant it stayed logged in on other games to then purchases gems :eek: So yes we did put the password in for the free apps but not directly to actually play that particular game...if that makes sense :cool:

So we'll see.

mae

Update.....

I tunes are refunding us :j

Thanks to everyone who posted for their help and advice with this.

I will copy the reply below as it also shows how to add restrictions so it might help others to have the correct/safe settings.

Dear ****,

Thank you for contacting iTunes Store Customer Support. My name is Sanal and I
am glad to help you.

I understand that you would like to have reversed the charge of the In app
purchases which were got purchased accidentally from your account. I can
certainly imagine the concerns unexpected charges can raise. Though, not to
worry, it's my pleasure today to help you.

I have reversed the charge for your in app purchases, which I understand were
unintentional. In three to five business days, a credit of 262.5 GBP should be
posted to the credit card that appears on the receipt for that purchase.

Please note that this is a one-time exception, as the App Store Terms and
Conditions state that all sales are final.

To learn how to adjust the restrictions, check out this article:

iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch: Understanding Restrictions
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4213

Please note that you will need to enter the Restrictions Passcode in order to
disable any restrictions that are enabled.

I hope I have addressed your concern. Please feel free to contact us if you
experience any issues in this concern and any suggestions on our products and
services. Meeting and exceeding your expectations are my top priorities.

Have a great day!

Sincerely,

Sanal
iTunes Store Customer Support

Please Note: I work Sunday, Monday and Wednesday to Saturday, 10:00 AM 7:00 PM
CST

Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to assist you. You may receive an
AppleCare survey email; any feedback you provide would be greatly appreciated.

robt_2

Good result

davester

yes good result and I hope Itunes have told the game maker off for being so naughty

debitcardmayhem

I applaud your result and the fact you told the MSE world too, well done I(not the i ) think that you have been most honest, and deserve a good result despite some "what do you expect ?" comments. Happy New Year

Owain_Moneysaver

mae wrote: »

Please note that this is a one-time exception, as the App Store Terms and
Conditions state that all sales are final.

Such a term would be completely void and unenforceable in UK consumer law. In fact, it's almost certainly illegal in itself as it restricts your statutory rights.

I think still worth copying this all to Watchdog.

ERICS_MUM

Mae,

well done! :T


Seems to me that Apple know that this "practice" is a bit dodgy, why else would they give a refund so quickly and pleasantly ?

kendra77

Hi we have just had the same issue. My daughter doesnt have access to the password so the games shes got Ive downloaded for her. Unbeknown to me she had to buy crystals & coins to play which she did cos she said she didnt think it was real money but just pretend. I was appalled she was able to do this without her password and she racked up £120 in the space of 8 minutes when I discovered it. I have since disabled the In App purchases and also e-mailed Apple after reading this thread so watch this space.

jamespir

this is why kids shouldnt be allowed to have phones/ipods/ipads

[Deleted User]

Well done! A lesson for us all who let kids use computers and phones