Apple App Store Refund Policy

moneyspider

Apologies if this is duplicated elsewhere but I couldn't find anything specifically about this outside the recent article on changes to the Consumer Rights Act! I just wanted to start a general discussion thread on people's experiences of Apple's refund policy for digital content bought through iTunes or the App Store.

From what I can gather, in response to a change in the EU Consumer Rights Act, Apple first of all went further than required by offering no quibble refunds after a certain number of days of purchasing apps, but quickly backtracked after an outcry by software developers. So now you don't really know for sure whether you'll get a refund or not - which seems a strange state of affairs.

Apparently certain users are banned from refunds if they seem to abuse the policy, in Apple's eyes. A message sometimes also pops up when you download an app warning you that you're waiving your right to a refund if you download the content in 14 days - weasel words surely, as digital content is delivered instantly.

I have recently been on the search for a decent productivity app, and as a result downloaded several paid apps, one of which didn't function at all, and some others which were simply too clunky and badly designed to use. I successfully got 3 refunds and then ran into problems. I had a bizarre conversation with an Apple rep online which ended with them directing me to Apple's lawyers, all because I asked them to clarify their opaque refund policy.

Their stance seems really muddled to me, and I resent the fact that it seems that purchasing any app now is a gamble. Some apps are really expensive, and often have limited reviews on which to base your decision; I wonder much longer Apple can justify this policy?

bris

They are not allowed to give you the download for 14 days (to give you time to change your mind) unless you explicitly ask for it, you do this by accepting their terms.


Once you accept their terms then you are no longer entitled to a refund unless the goods are faulty.
They are giving people a bit leeway but like everything else people take advantage and so they are cutting those people off.


So the bottom line is that unless you can prove the apps are faulty then you have no rights.


You have to see it from their point of view, you get an app do what you need then claim a refund. They are not going to let the same people abuse this over and over again and with your own admission you are one of these people.


Prove the apps are faulty or be more careful what you buy.

moneyspider

Hi Bris, thanks for your reply, and for explaining the explicit meaning of the download waiver.

I disagree that all digital purchases should be treated as a special case in terms of consumer rights.

I appreciate someone might regularly buy music and ask for a refund while keeping a copy of the original album. Or “rent” a game for a couple of weeks then swap it for another one after getting a refund. (As far as I am aware, Apple don't even delete refunded downloads, so you could presumably have amassed a backlog of games that way, under the old rules.

But I would have been more than happy for them to delete all four of the apps I bought.

With complex, dynamic software, it is impossible to get a feel for it without using it. Where it’s an app you are going to use every day to manage your finances or your time, the nuances of the design are really important and unlike music, where you can hear a sample, you can’t pre-judge this from the storefront. Many have relatively few reviews ("We do not have enough reviews of the current version to provide a rating" is a common phrase in the App Store). And some should not even be up there eg one rated 4.5/5 in the App Store that did not function at all but is still on sale.

I think Apple's approach of simultaneously offering refunds with one hand but issuing a waiver on the other, is confusing for consumers and their ban on “abusers” lacks transparency. If you were told upfront that you could only claim a maximum of 3 refunds in a certain period, say, you could at least apply those selectively.

In the very end, the App Store made £45 out of me for the Pro version of Omnifocus for iPhone – one of the most expensive productivity apps on the market. I didn’t ask for a refund, because it’s decent software. But will that positive purchase will be credited against my refund requests in any way? I have no idea. But it’s unlikely I would have eventually bought it had I not had a chance to road-test some less impressive apps.

My advice now would be, don’t touch any apps that cost over a tenner unless they offer a free full pro trial via their own website. But I’d be interested to hear other views as to whether you think all digital purchases should be like buying a pig in a poke - or underpants - with what is in effect a no refund policy.

unholyangel

This isn't a special rule for digital downloads. Any other service would put you in the same position - you can lose your right to cancel if you request that they begin supply of the services before the cancellation period has passed.

At least now consumers have protection on the digital content itself, if it doesn't conform to contract then you have rights under the new consumer rights act (there is no EU consumer rights act btw, there was a consumer rights directive which was transposed into UK statute through multiple pieces of legislation - consumer contract regulations and consumer rights act are the two relevant here).

Where before, you were only covered if the medium it was provided to you on was faulty and no actual protection for the digital content itself.

System

With complex, dynamic software, it is impossible to get a feel for it without using it.

And that is why they developed trial and demo versions

boo_star

!!!!!! wrote: »

And that is why they developed trial and demo versions

They seem to be becoming rarer as time goes by though.

powerful_Rogue

boo_star wrote: »

They seem to be becoming rarer as time goes by though.

Very true with Android as you can try any game/app for two hours before requesting a refund if it dosent suit.

Maybe Apple should look at following this process.

AJXX

OP I suspect you ran into problems as you claimed 3 refunds within a short space of time which I think would set off alarm bells for any business. I suspect Apple deals with policy abusers on a daily basis trying to rip them off and have some kind of automated system or blanket policy of x refunds in x days.

Your comments about deleting the apps or allowing Apple to delete the apps are pointless as Apple do not have such control over your device, ergo you can buy a £45 app and have it refunded but continue using it as Apple have no way to force delete it from the device you downloaded it to, if they had such an ability there would be outcry from the privacy nut jobs.

I have worked along side Apple several times (used to work for an authorised repairer) and the only time I've seen Apple suggest lawyers is when the customer insists on legal action or starts blatant legal deconstruction of their policies, which advisors are not trained to decode therefore they suggested you write to Apple legal.

moneyspider

Thanks for your comments everyone. Quite surprised that there are so few supporting the side of the consumer though - most of you seem 100% supportive of Apple's policy and just view me as a chancer!

I am not a habitual returner of goods. What disappointed me about my experience was the contrast with a non-digital purchase from a high street store. Apps are something you cannot but buy sight unseen, bar some brief reviews and some fuzzy screenshots.You may say, buyer beware, do your research first etc. But I found many professional app reviews frustratingly unreliable too, as they seem to be based on a reviewer trying an app for ten minutes then declaring it life-changing. And as the poster above states, not all apps have free trial versions. (Perhaps the ones that do, are the mark of a decent app.)

Some apps are very poor indeed, closely imitating the name of a more successful app and in some cases, not working at all, therefore not fit for their stated purpose. Some are just badly designed, and may just about do what it says on the tin - but using three keystrokes where one would do. Most of you seem to be saying, if I am unlucky enough to download three such apps in a row, then tough luck.

I don't think a situation whereby I give Apple explicit permission to delete a downloaded app from my device or cloud after I ask for a refund is so extraordinary. I would not have minded quite so much had I been paying £0.99, but some of these were a tenner.

I also object to Apple's lack of transparency. I wasn't informed in advance of any "three strikes" policy, and I am now reluctant to take a punt on any apps as I have no guarantee that if they do not work (not, if I don't like them, but if they do not function at all), I will get a refund ever again. I got no response at all to my last refund requests. The App Store eventually made £45 out of my purchasing the pro version of Omnifocus (plus I purchased the desktop version for £32 from Omnifocus direct). But as there's no transparency as to how I've been blackballed, I've no sense of whether that ultimate and fairly expensive purchase counts as a positive in my favour.

In other words, I had a very different experience as a consumer, than I would have dealing with a high street store. Arguably, digital refunds ought to be easier as I have not in any way tarnished the object that has been returned by "trying it on".

unholyangel

moneyspider wrote: »

Thanks for your comments everyone. Quite surprised that there are so few supporting the side of the consumer though - most of you seem 100% supportive of Apple's policy and just view me as a chancer!

I am not a habitual returner of goods. What disappointed me about my experience was the contrast with a non-digital purchase from a high street store. Apps are something you cannot but buy sight unseen, bar some brief reviews and some fuzzy screenshots.You may say, buyer beware, do your research first etc. But I found many professional app reviews frustratingly unreliable too, as they seem to be based on a reviewer trying an app for ten minutes then declaring it life-changing. And as the poster above states, not all apps have free trial versions. (Perhaps the ones that do, are the mark of a decent app.)

Some apps are very poor indeed, closely imitating the name of a more successful app and in some cases, not working at all, therefore not fit for their stated purpose. Some are just badly designed, and may just about do what it says on the tin - but using three keystrokes where one would do. Most of you seem to be saying, if I am unlucky enough to download three such apps in a row, then tough luck.

I don't think a situation whereby I give Apple explicit permission to delete a downloaded app from my device or cloud after I ask for a refund is so extraordinary. I would not have minded quite so much had I been paying £0.99, but some of these were a tenner.

I also object to Apple's lack of transparency. I wasn't informed in advance of any "three strikes" policy, and I am now reluctant to take a punt on any apps as I have no guarantee that if they do not work (not, if I don't like them, but if they do not function at all), I will get a refund ever again. I got no response at all to my last refund requests. The App Store eventually made £45 out of my purchasing the pro version of Omnifocus (plus I purchased the desktop version for £32 from Omnifocus direct). But as there's no transparency as to how I've been blackballed, I've no sense of whether that ultimate and fairly expensive purchase counts as a positive in my favour.

In other words, I had a very different experience as a consumer, than I would have dealing with a high street store. Arguably, digital refunds ought to be easier as I have not in any way tarnished the object that has been returned by "trying it on".

If digital content is faulty, then you have rights to a repair/replacement. If that doesn't work then you have a right to a refund (perhaps partial).

There is no need to try before you buy. If it doesnt conform to contract then you have rights as above. Just like if you buy something in a shop, you can't return it just because you don't like it (unless the retailers policy allows for such returns).

Tbh a digital download purchase isn't that much different from buying out a high street shop rights wise.