I was denied a refund for a subscription and I don't know why

I know the feeling. Apple customer service is absolutely terrible. It is my understanding that their refund process is completely automated, minus human consideration for nuanced cases, which amounts to a complete lack of customer service. Relying on computers to make a decision as to how refunds will be processed, lacking a human element, is unacceptable in my opinion. I have a very clear case of where I was recently charged twice for a duplicate version of Dune: Part Two. Once for the standalone copy of Dune: Part Two at $29.99, and the again when I was charged $34.99 for the Dune 2-film collection, which contained both Dune and Dune Part Two.

Somehow, Apple is unable to understand any of this as they keep denying my refund requests for the standalone Dune: Part Two for $29.99. I obviously do not need two copies of the same movie. They need to understand that had I bought these movies hard copy from a retailer, then it’s almost guaranteed I would have been able to return one of the duplicate copies back for a full refund - with hardly any problems or difficulty.

You only get two chances to request for a refund for any one item/purchase, and then Apple make’s it so the item is no longer eligible for a refund. They often times provide no justification for their actions, and the appeal process is seemingly absent any human consideration. Getting a refund from Apple is incredibly difficult. With that being said, their customer service has been going downhill for a while. The decision making process allows for no empathy because it is almost entirely automated. It’s despicable.

Nov87 wrote:

• Had you previously used a free trial for Apple TV?
• Did you recently cancel a subscription to Apple TV?
• Did you appeal the refund denial?
• Did you contact Apple directly?

As with any of the free trial promotions, they can only be used once. Any of the services that is not eligible for the free trial will be charged separately until the free trial to Apple One renews, then the all the services will be combined and charged as a single bundle.

It sounds like the Apple TV portion was being billed separately and had not yet been combined in the Apple One subscription since it did not renew. I do agree you should be able to get a refund and many times this is resolved on an appeal as usually any subscription refund request will be denied automatically on the first attempt.

Pinky, no I was not able to get a refund.Not through Apple. I now have an app that I won’t use also . I did contact the app customer service themselves, I did get a response (a week ago) that they received my feedback and would get back to me. I’m not holding my breath if not, then I’m just SOL. Just make sure to cancel the app in your settings so your not charged next year

Yes, you are absolutely right. Unfortunately, there is nothing I can do about the refund. However, I took a different approach: I canceled all my subscriptions through the Apple Store, which included several services. Now, I plan to subscribe directly with the developers.

Sunnygrl124 wrote:

I think what they mean is through the Apple App Store. Because you basically use your “Apple pay” to buy or use fee trials. The credit card associated with your apple

account is what gets charged.

That is not Apple Pay.

And another correction is that if the company takes payment through Apple “pay” they claim

that they cannot refund your money. (Which I believe is total BS) but have been told twice by different companies. They cannot/will not refund your money, it’s up to Apple.

Again, I think you're confusing Apple Pay and buying something from the App Store. They are not the same.

Apple Pay is when you use your phone or watch to pay for something at a grocery store. Or, sometimes, directly on a company's website. It is not buying something from the App Store.

Apple did the same to me. My son wanted a game, so I decided to sign up for the free 3 day trial, but was charged $99.99 immediately. Apple denied my refund request as well as my dispute. I called Apple and the rep could careless that I was wrongfully charged. So, I called my bank to file a dispute, as this is ridiculous that Apple is allowed to steal from people. We spend so much money supporting Apple, purchasing phones, ipads, watches, laptops, etc... and this is how they treat us. Lol.

My niece accidentally subscribed to a premium without my consent with worth of 2 490. I requested a refund but they denied it even though my reason is valid. That money is a payment for my education/ tution fee. I did everything i could but all of them said that apple is the only one who can refund it. So now because of that there's a possibility that i'll stop school this semester. YOU DONT HAVE ANY CONSIDERATION. I understand your policy but it is a valid reason yet you declined it. And fyi, i haven't received any notification regarding of the subscription i just know it when Gcash notify me that they deducted 2 490. If ever, i would to talk to someone who can assist me with this BECAUSE THAT MONEY IS FOR MY EDUCATION have some consideration please.

I've been a loyal Apple customer for many years and currently have 6 apple products includes a new Mac, 2 iPads and 3 iphones. After I made an errant purchase of a song, I quickly asked for a refund and received no reply. That doesn't make any sense to me. At least they could have responded to my request for the refund. Very disappointed with the lack of communication.

I’ve been denied my last two requests for refunds, both of which should have been refunded. The first ($14.99), a couple of months ago, was for an app I downloaded that did not work as advertised. My cancellation was within hours. Apple refused the refund. Totally wrong, in my opinion, but I let it go.

The more recent refusal was for an app (Plant Parent) I downloaded as a 7 DAY FREE TRIAL. My card was charged within hours for the full $29.99 for a year’s subscription. Apple has refused my refund request … TWICE. This is insane. I am NOT letting this go because it is fundamentally wrong! I’ve been an Apple fan, use of all products (except the VR) and a stockholder for many years. I’ve purchased my last Apple app.

I got charged on a “free trial” too. With no way to actually communicate with apple and this happening more and more frequently to more and more people it is clearly a scam. They know if you go to your bank and dispute they hold your life in their hands because you trusted them with your line to communication with the world.

Apple needs to work on their customer service or else they are going to find their profit margin thinning.

Ive got to replace 3 phones in the next month. All were going to be upgraded to apple products but now I’m moving to android.

Did you sign up for the free trial on the website or through an in-app purchase?

Youtube offers reduced rates when signing up online and also has free trials through the website. They do this so they are in charge of billing you instead of Apple managing the subscription. That way you cannot cancel the service through Apple like you normally would and you also have to get any refunds through YouTube.

Just by searching the internet you will find many people that have been charged for the free YouTube trial including those with Android phones. They will claim that the free trial offer is only for new subscribers who have never signed up before even though they let you choose the free trial. You are then immediately charged. It is a scam.

1) I know the difference between an in app purchase vs a website purchase.

I am positive it was an in app purchase.

2) When I agreed and double clicked to confirm the subscription it did state the free trial.

3) I contacted youtube to resolve this issue. They confirmed that yes it was an apple in app subscription. Because of this I have to go through apple to cancel and get a refund even at a prorated amount.

4) If this is a known error then apple should have no problem resolving the issue by refunding and canceling the glitched free trial.

5) I am not looking for an error free experience. That’s just not the nature of the beast and would be an unrealistic expectation. What I am looking for is a service that isn’t tyrannical and actually communicates with their customers. I have screenshots of communication between youtube and I. They don’t even let you upload evidence. There is no indication that these requests are being reviewed by anyone.

6) Not an unreasonable request to be connected to an actual person and have a chance to make your case, produce evidence, and expect a decision that is based on facts vs a blanket statement like “We reviewed your claim and your purchase doesn't meet conditions for a refund.”.

Apple gives you x amount of characters and one go to tell them the issue. They do not let you upload any evidence to support your claim.

So yeah… I’m not looking for the mythical land of glitch free technology. I am looking for a company that offers support, especially for monetary transactions. Apple has proved to me that they aren’t it.

If you dispute too many times through your bank, then Apple will simply disband your account from being able to use the ITunes and App Store. Your account effectively becomes disabled. This happened to me because I made 6 disputes with my bank over a 13 year period of having my Apple ID. Apple thought this to be too many disputes and simply disabled my account without allowing me to appeal the decision, or even attempting to hear my side of the story. This is considering that I had my account for such a long period of time, and you’d think showing brand loyalty would mean something to Apple. Their customer service has just been going downhill for a while.

They know that they have the people heavily immersed in their ecosystem, those people possessing multiple and expensive Apple products, in a tight position. This probably explains why they do not feel they have good reason to make improvements to their eroded customer service system. It is expensive to switch from Apple to something like Android when you have multiple Apple products. Those Apple products won’t be compatible with Android if you do end up deciding to switch. You’ll be out potentially thousands of dollars worth of money spent on now useless Apple products. They know this so there is little incentive to provide reliable customer support.

I have been truly contemplating switching to Android based products and forsaking Apple. Doing business with them isn’t worth the hassle and frustration. I strongly encourage people to take a stand by switching to something other than Apple.

Isiah2024 wrote:

Somehow, Apple is unable to understand any of this as they keep denying my refund requests for the standalone Dune: Part Two for $29.99. I obviously do not need two copies of the same movie.

Not unusual. I purchased 2 episodes of a series on Xfinity, then decided to buy the entire season. They did not credit me for the 2 episodes I had already purchased even though they were also in the season.

I was charged 99..xx for Qustidio for my teens phone. The app didn’t work as it should have and I was only over like two days on the trial. I decided it did not meet my expectations and I have requested a refund twice and been denied both times. The app was complicated to use and did not offer specific features that I was really looking for. Not to mention it was never accurate on location. Up to this point I always stood behind Apple. Apple refund my money or I will never purchase anything from you again. Not only I but any family member that comes to me to help them choose a product. It won’t just be me you will lose as customer.