Amazon Appstore Purchases

Diego_Francis

I've seen a post on here from 2017 about accidental purchases on the Amazon appstore due to a child being able to buy apps without the parent's knowledge.

I was appalled by alot of the responses to that poster, accusing then of being irresponsible and not ensuring the security settings were setup etc.

If I recall, if you buy any normal non-digital item in this country, it doesn't matter the excuse why you purchased the item, you're entitled to a full refund in 14 days if the item hasn't been used or damaged in anyway.

So why does this not apply to digital items such as Apps from Amazon's appstore? 

They have policies that offer refunds for prime video purchases provided they haven't been used and refunds for kindle book store purchases or subscriptions. 

There's a few articles on Google that state the FTC have made Amazon liable for in-app purchases but not purchases for the App itself.

Why does the app itself not qualify for a refund? Digital content should have the same consumer rights as non-digital items. 

Is there anything that can be done about this or is this just one of those suck it up and put up with it situations?

This is an open discussion on this subject. 

jon81uk

Its likely that as part of ordering through the appstore they ask that you are happy for delivery of the service can start immediately and therefore you have no right to cancel it.

In Amazons general terms it states the 14 day cancellation does not apply to
"the supply of digital content (including apps, digital software, ebooks, MP3, etc) which is not supplied on a tangible medium (e.g. on a CD or DVD) if you accepted when you placed your order that we could start to deliver it, and that you could not cancel it once delivery had started;"

As it is difficult to prove if it has been used or not (its possible to complete a game within the two weeks and then try to get a refund for example) many places tell you that digital services cannot be cancelled.
Whenever I purchase from Nintendo they set it out very clearly as part of the checkout page.

Also Amazons terms state they are not to be used by those under 18 and parents should supervise use.

Zinger549

There are settings you can change so that purchases can't be made unless a pin/password is inserted. You can also turn off in app purchasing. https://www.howtogeek.com/142491/how-to-prevent-your-kids-from-spending-thousands-of-dollars-on-in-app-purchases/

MarvinDay

Diego_Francis said:

I've seen a post on here from 2017 about accidental purchases on the Amazon appstore due to a child being able to buy apps without the parent's knowledge.

I was appalled by alot of the responses to that poster, accusing then of being irresponsible and not ensuring the security settings were setup etc.

Appalled by responses that expect adults to be responsible in ensuring that their financial details and payment methods were secure and couldn't inadvertently be used by others?

As long as people have the "it's not my fault, blame someone else" attitude, and expect others to cover losses resulting from their lax security, problems such unauthorised or accidental purchases will continue.  

born_again

re above.
Sadly I have spoken too far to many parents that have done just this.
They have no idea on how these work. Child asks for card as needed to set these up (no they do not) then parent wonder why hundreds has been spent out of their accounts.

People need to realise & research exactly what their children are doing. 
The likes of Amazon, Google, Sony & Microsoft all have parental controls that stop this from happening. All it needs is a responsible adult to find out how. Not simply hand a card over & then say, well I did not know that.

It's not a blame game. It a case of knowing exactly what your family are up to.

Diego_Francis

MarvinDay said:

Diego_Francis said:

I've seen a post on here from 2017 about accidental purchases on the Amazon appstore due to a child being able to buy apps without the parent's knowledge.

I was appalled by alot of the responses to that poster, accusing then of being irresponsible and not ensuring the security settings were setup etc.

Appalled by responses that expect adults to be responsible in ensuring that their financial details and payment methods were secure and couldn't inadvertently be used by others?

As long as people have the "it's not my fault, blame someone else" attitude, and expect others to cover losses resulting from their lax security, problems such unauthorised or accidental purchases will continue.  

No I was appalled that the focus of that thread was the accuse the OP of being an irresponsible parent instead of explaining why they can't simply get refunded.

I know myself, I had setup all the security but I didn't know there was this 1-click order feature. Apparently you only need a pin for that and it's the same pin used to unlock the kindle. Had I known this I'd have removed that feature. I have two kids one slightly older knows the pin to access, the other has the kids version that can be accessed separately. I'm not bothered about the payment. 

There is a responsibility aspect for this I'm not against that. 

I just don't / didnt understand why apps haven't the same consumer rights as everything else and would've figured this would be discussed. Some interesting answers so far.

Thanks for your input. 

Diego_Francis

jon81uk said:

Its likely that as part of ordering through the appstore they ask that you are happy for delivery of the service can start immediately and therefore you have no right to cancel it.

In Amazons general terms it states the 14 day cancellation does not apply to
"the supply of digital content (including apps, digital software, ebooks, MP3, etc) which is not supplied on a tangible medium (e.g. on a CD or DVD) if you accepted when you placed your order that we could start to deliver it, and that you could not cancel it once delivery had started;"

As it is difficult to prove if it has been used or not (its possible to complete a game within the two weeks and then try to get a refund for example) many places tell you that digital services cannot be cancelled.
Whenever I purchase from Nintendo they set it out very clearly as part of the checkout page.

Also Amazons terms state they are not to be used by those under 18 and parents should supervise use.

Yeah the 1-click feature I didn't know about. I rarely use Amazon now. Get stuff cheaper elsewhere. Goes to show I need to keep an eye out in future. Thanks for this information. Helped clear up alot. 

powerful_Rogue

Diego_Francis said:

I've seen a post on here from 2017 about accidental purchases on the Amazon appstore due to a child being able to buy apps without the parent's knowledge.

I was appalled by alot of the responses to that poster, accusing then of being irresponsible and not ensuring the security settings were setup etc.

If I recall, if you buy any normal non-digital item in this country, it doesn't matter the excuse why you purchased the item, you're entitled to a full refund in 14 days if the item hasn't been used or damaged in anyway.

So why does this not apply to digital items such as Apps from Amazon's appstore? 

They have policies that offer refunds for prime video purchases provided they haven't been used and refunds for kindle book store purchases or subscriptions. 

There's a few articles on Google that state the FTC have made Amazon liable for in-app purchases but not purchases for the App itself.

Why does the app itself not qualify for a refund? Digital content should have the same consumer rights as non-digital items. 

Is there anything that can be done about this or is this just one of those suck it up and put up with it situations?

This is an open discussion on this subject. 

I hope I was one of those with that view and it's a view I still stand by. You don't get a 14 day cooling off period for apps and believe it or not, it IS the parents/guardians responsibility.

Diamandis

When people come to the forum we can only tell them their rights under laws that currently exist. If you want to change the law then start a petition or write to your MP.

jon81uk

powerful_Rogue said:

Diego_Francis said:

I've seen a post on here from 2017 about accidental purchases on the Amazon appstore due to a child being able to buy apps without the parent's knowledge.

I was appalled by alot of the responses to that poster, accusing then of being irresponsible and not ensuring the security settings were setup etc.

If I recall, if you buy any normal non-digital item in this country, it doesn't matter the excuse why you purchased the item, you're entitled to a full refund in 14 days if the item hasn't been used or damaged in anyway.

So why does this not apply to digital items such as Apps from Amazon's appstore? 

They have policies that offer refunds for prime video purchases provided they haven't been used and refunds for kindle book store purchases or subscriptions. 

There's a few articles on Google that state the FTC have made Amazon liable for in-app purchases but not purchases for the App itself.

Why does the app itself not qualify for a refund? Digital content should have the same consumer rights as non-digital items. 

Is there anything that can be done about this or is this just one of those suck it up and put up with it situations?

This is an open discussion on this subject. 

I hope I was one of those with that view and it's a view I still stand by. You don't get a 14 day cooling off period for apps and believe it or not, it IS the parents/guardians responsibility.

The retailer does need to inform customers that as it is an instant download they don't get the right to cancel. It is not a automatic no right to cancel, you need to be informed of it.
Online and distance selling : Online selling - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

born_again

Diego_Francis said:

I just don't / didnt understand why apps haven't the same consumer rights as everything else and would've figured this would be discussed. Some interesting answers so far.

Thanks for your input. 

Most likely as digital is delivered straight away, is accessed straight away. So does not require a 14 day cooling off period.

But remember a lot of financial products do not have a 14 day cooling off period, as well as other goods, including contracts for the sale of land or construction of buildings, and items bought from vending machines.

Exemptions

There are some circumstances where the Consumer Contracts Regulations won’t give you a right to cancel.

These include, CDs, DVDs or software if you've broken the seal on the wrapping, perishable items and tailor-made or personalised items. They also include goods with a seal for health protection and hygiene reasons that's been broken.

Also included are goods that have been mixed inseparably with other items after delivery.

Cancelling digital downloads

The Consumer Contracts Regulations contain specific provisions for digital content.

Retailers mustn’t supply digital content, such as music or software downloads, within the 14 day cancellation period, unless the consumer has given their express consent to this happening.

The consumer must also acknowledge that once the download starts they will lose their right to cancel.

If a consumer doesn’t give their consent, they have to wait until the cancellation period has ended before they can download the digital content.

This is to ensure the digital content is what you want before downloading it. 

So from the digital above. You have to take it that you agree to waive the 14 days once you download. But there again. When you buy a digital product. Do you really want to wait 14 days to receive it?

https://www.which.co.uk/consumer-rights/regulation/consumer-contracts-regulations-ajWHC8m21cAk