Rights to Cancel Online Gaming Purchase

markb68_2

My 4 year old son just made a purchase of £32.31 to buy extra lives for Android game he was playing on my mobile phone. He didn't know what he was doing pressing the buttons and I had no idea these games make it so easy to process a transaction. Who in their right mind would spend £32 on buying extra lives for a game??? Fortunately he hasn't used any of the credit he bought and I have asked the game developer for a refund, but does anyone know what consumer rights there are in this instance?

charlieann

I should imagine just the good will of the retailler as you gave permission for your son to use the phone.

whitegoods_engineer

I still find it amazing that people let 4 year olds play with their mobile phones. Your phone is not a toy. It can run up serious debt in the wrong hands, and a 4 year old's hands are definitely the wrong ones.

On the other hand, how can these games companies justify such outrageous charges for in-game add-ons? These games companies are fleecing the public.

I'm no expert on mobiles but I believe that it is possible to switch off the ability to make purchases in the settings (both Android and Apple)

markb68_2

I always turn it to airport mode so that can play games without any risk of making phone calls or making purchases on the internet like this. In this instance I just overlooked it. My simple mistake.

I guess if it were a UK based company then he distance selling act might help me. As it's a foreign US based company I'm suspecting they might be beyond arms reach of English law so might not be obliged to make a refund.

I agree it is outrageous that such a high charge could be embedded into a game that only a child would be interested in playing. I would complain in the strongest language about what I think of them...but being a US based company I expect I would be extradited under US laws for abuse or some such nonsense.

neilmcl

markb68 wrote: »

I guess if it were a UK based company then he distance selling act might help me. As it's a foreign US based company I'm suspecting they might be beyond arms reach of English law so might not be obliged to make .

I don't think the DSRs apply to downloaded software or games in the same way as normal goods. Could be wrong.

arcon5

whitegoods_engineer wrote: »

On the other hand, how can these games companies justify such outrageous charges for in-game add-ons? These games companies are fleecing the public.

They don't have to. But clearly if they are charging this much people are paying it, so the questions really why are people paying so much for these add-ons?

I guess if it were a UK based company then he distance selling act might help me. As it's a foreign US based company I'm suspecting they might be beyond arms reach of English law so might not be obliged to make a refund.

This wouldn't be covered by DSRs Rights to Cancel.

I'd be deducting the amount from the childs pocket money.

halibut2209

Yet another stupid comment from pcombo. My littlest is 4, and he has learned so much from playing educational apps on the iphone and ipad.

somethingcorporate

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-17645998

I don't think you'd be covered under DSRs for this and the price is irrelevant too - your opinion is that the price is too high but the price is what it is. I don't think you should be able to spend £1m on a car but they are out there!

Just let it be a lesson, this is no-one's fault but yours as the parent supervising your child.

DCFC79

Might be lucky at getting it refunded, maybe buy your son a cheap android phone sim free or you remove card details from your google account or you log out of your google account if it can be done.

unholyangel

neilmcl wrote: »

What a completely idiotic, let alone offensive, thing to say.

Not to be a bug bear as the OP came here for help, not to be criticised and i agree the post is offensive/harsh but it is recommended not to let kids use mobile phones for health reasons (something about their skull being softer and/or growing which means they absorb more radiation) - even older kids.

The problem with that is that its just really not possible in "todays world". Plus in that same world, there are a million and one (well, maybe a slight exaggeration there) sources of radiation that a kid may be exposed to during their lifetime. And games can really be educational. I remember when I was a kid we had an amstrad. Graphics wise it was just coloured squares on the screen but there were educational games even back then. And back then it was frowned upon to let kids play the computer - even if it were raining outside (only time I was ever allowed to play). Now you have 6 year olds being given their own mobiles

Times change. *shrug*

pcombo

4 year old shouldn't know what a mobile phone is nor should they know what the internet is either.

Because BBC promotes it doesn't mean to say its safe and natural for a 4 year old to use, Plus bbc are a bunch of idiots them selfs.