Apple Paying Back $32.5 Million to Parents Whose Kids Made In-App Purchases

BBC – Apple will refund customers at least $32.5m (£19.9m) after a settlement with the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC). The refund agreement settles long-standing complaints over in-app purchases made by children without their parents’ consent. Apple will also be required to change its billing procedures to make sure customers have given consent before they are charged for in-app purchases. The company said it had settled rather than take on a “long legal fight”. “This settlement is a victory for consumers harmed by Apple’s unfair billing, and a signal to the business community: whether you’re doing business in the mobile arena or the mall down the street, fundamental consumer protections apply,” said FTC Chairwoman Edith Ramirez in a statement. “You cannot charge consumers for purchases they did not authorize.” The FTC’s complaint alleged that Apple failed to inform parents that by entering a password they were approving a single in-app purchase and also 15 minutes of additional unlimited purchases their children could make without further consent. It also said that Apple often presented a password prompt screen for parents to enter their details without explaining that this would finalise any purchase made in the app. The FTC also noted that Apple received at “least tens of thousands of complaints” about unauthorised in-app purchases by children. One woman said her daughter had spent $2600 in one app.

Score one for the dumbshit kids! What a nice life. Kids buying thousands of dollars of crops and animals and then getting completely refunded because apparently it’s Apple’s fault it was so easy to buy some new cows. Definitely no blame on the parents for having a fucking credit card tied to their kid’s account and then abusing it like the old “emergency only” credit card I got freshman year of college. And guess what, I didn’t sue every store I wasted money at, I paid my parents back for being dumb as rocks.

PS: In the year 2100, I’m going to be able to sue Apple for all the time we wasted playing Candy Crush. You know like in that Justin Timberlake movie. And then I’m going to sue for damages to my well-being for all the fucking times I had to deny requests from people STILL fucking playing it and sending requests on Facebook to board the train to the next level. Wake up, crushing candy is so 2000 and late. Farming is what’s hot in the streets now, do you even Barstool App bro?