Inadvertent $1500 in app purchase Tap Zoo - warning!

I typically don't post to any threads but i find it necessary in this case. All the people that have posted that we parents are irresponsible are ignorant. How could itunes turn a blind eye to allow such charges on a childs app. I could possibly see maybe a .25 cents charge for a "truck load of coins" but $99.99 is a scam that is not justified by reading the app before purchasing a free app. It is possible that we as parents note there is a charge but seriously $99.99. The folks that believe we are at fault have issues. A free app should be just that FREE and no outragious charges for virtual play. These are children that they are purposely trying to take advantage of. I do believe that a class action suit would take care of the issue quite quickly because itunes would certainly change their tune. To place the blame on the parents is completely irresponsible. Maybe you folks who think that a $99.99 charge on a childs app is legitimate need to consider the phrase "like taking candy from a baby". How can a free child's app charge you $99.99 for virtual play? THAT IS UNCONSIONABLE!!

I don't bother with these threads usually either, but I am going to with this one. Apple's little shills on here be da*****.

I have been using Apple products since before most of these "your a bad parent" types were probably alive. I can and have programmed Unix mainframes. I know my way around Apples products and was an official beta tester of both versions of Apple OS X. This app is heinous and so is Apple's way of dealing with TinyCo and the rest of those that prey on children. In legal parlance, this is what is known as a classic bate and switch routine. I downloaded this app with my 7 yr old onto an iPad and later iPhone. I played it with him for a while and know how the game works--it does not ask for real money immediately, it only does so as the child progresses. The iPad came with IOS 4.3 installed on it--so it should have not allowed in app purchases regardless of security settings w/o a password. My 7 yr old does not know the password. No purchases had been made via iTunes on the iPad in the previous three weeks--this is bourne out by my receipts and history. The only iTunes purchases that were made from a Mac for three songs in the preceding month. The only other thing that happened was the app was updated on 9/30/2011. Tiny Zoo changed itself. It allowed my son to run up over $600.00 in one session, the next day, he did it again for more than $1,380.00 total buying truckloads of acorns and such at $99.99/truckload. Unlike all other Internet sellers, Apple does not send a prompt email confirming the purchase to the card/account holder. Every other Internet seller in existence sends an email instantly upon completion of the transaction--but not Apple. This is deliberate in my opinion. The delay does not allow you time to head off possible problems. By the time the first emails arrived confirming the transaction, the damage was already done.

I have consulted with my attorney and he assures me this will not pass muster in the state of Minnesota. I have spent four hours on the phone with Apple without satisfactory result. Consequently, I will be filing suit against them in court for all of the charges, plus attorney and legal filing fees--plus my time plus damages.

For all you Apple smart a**** telling people how to parent better, understand that it does not matter what warnings are placed on what page of whatever manual. This app is clearly targeted at a child, Apple states that it 'proofs" these apps and Apple makes 30% on every iTunes purchase. It has a vested interest in getting children to spend mommy and daddy's money. It is, therefore, quite complicit in this and given the number of complaints, it has decided that it is better off taking candy from baby's and fending off the occasional lawsuit then it is actually correcting this problem.

I repeat--no password was inputted at all in this game within weeks of this game stealing my money via a child. I have to input a password to download a free update or purchase a song, but my 7 year old was allowed to download $99.99 truckloads of make believe acorns without one. That is an obvious scam and no one is going to believe otherwise--unless they have been drinking Jobs kool aid.

RobertinMn,

I couldn't agree more with what you said. Don't worry, Apple will refund all your Tap Zoo proven purchases, i.e. all the purchases that went through iTunes, as they have done with all those that bothered complaining and insist.

I had to exchange some 4 or 5 emails with the itunes support team, but they ultimately gave in and reimbursed me in full, without explicitly admitting any wrond on their side

I still find disturbing thst after soo many months that I discovered this scam, Apple hasn't done anything to prevent other parents from falling into this and, more importantly, other children from feeliing cheated when they discover what they inadvertely did. Come on Apple, just like your customer service is always on top of clients requests, put this straight and move on!

Giovanni

giovanni perche'no wrote:

I still find disturbing thst after soo many months that I discovered this scam, Apple hasn't done anything to prevent other parents from falling into this

The second line of the description in the App Store (check it out) is:

"PLEASE NOTE: this game lets you purchase items within the game for real money. Please disable in-app-purchases on you device if you do not want this feature to be accessible"

You cannot argue the clarity of that. You are told straight away of the potential problem, and are told how to prevent it. Beyond sending someone around to read it aloud to you, what more can Apple do?

TBH this thread serves to warn and caution, the card holders

can i ask all of you would you allow any other person (let alone a child) to play with your plastic card on a high street?

i know it sounds harsh, but simular has happened on gaming networks, where you buy DLC. kid askes instead of pocket money can they have the latest game or maps. so whoever says ok but then finds it is only done by card.

not wanting to disapoint and perhaps seem mean (my advice is be so mean) they proceed in all good faith, trusting known suppiers not realising that card becomes an open conduit to their funds at any time. So later now the card is established the security check is on the gamers id, name and address, not the CARD HOLDERS!!!!

don't buy there love or respect, saying NO will not damage then for life - just trust me on that 😉, anything and i mean anything that is attached to a card in any way for Goodness sakes do NOT LET ANY child near it = simple as!

if you make a transaction get back on the site as soon as and delete you card details, but best to say NO and exsplain so they will be aware.

Message was edited by: alanfromwickford for typ's

Tonefox,

The fact that a feature is accessible, doesn't mean that the in-app purchase will NOT require a password to be entered, and this is where I call it a scam. It meslead one to think it's for free when you buy stars, and istead you don't realize you are spending real money, and Apple takes 30% of it...

So much so that I understand iOS 5 has addressed it and a password will have to be entered even for in-app purchases.

Please don't assume letting a child, who can read and write, play with an iPod touch is the same as giving him your plastic card on a high street. BTW a 8 year old child would understand that using a credit card he would be spending his parents real money! While playing a free game, my kid felt cheated.

As advice for anyone who discovered this on their credit card, keep asking and Apple will refund you.

Giovanni

With respects, many have been caught out like this, and to be honest it is imho not a new ruise so a practice for the extremely gulable.

I do say giving a child of any age access to any device tied invisibly to a credit card, which to them hide's finacial real life transactions and there value is simply very unwise.

Apple have for their part resolved this bug in iOS 5, to me that says they acknowledged the problem and have now acted over this bug or glitch, as no doubt angry as you are and I sympathies for you lose, shouting they are part of a 'scam' when at best it's a programming oversight, is not really fair when customers share the blame to some extent for their lack of caution.

We have to be careful at ATM's, we have to be careful to shred bank statements, remove address details from envelopes etc, so why not just as much or more caution with open ended online transactions? Via plastic?

Personally I wish the rules were changed so only one transaction can happen on a card at any one time, as it stands once your details are registered they can take money just like a direct debit, assuming (wrongly) that customers understand this.

The quickest way to stop this is cancel he card, however inconvenient that may be.

giovanni perche'no wrote:

Tonefox,

The fact that a feature is accessible, doesn't mean that the in-app purchase will NOT require a password to be entered, and this is where I call it a scam.

"PLEASE NOTE: this game lets you purchase items within the game for real money. Please disable in-app-purchases on you device if you do not want this feature to be accessible"

Read the description before you download it. Take the advised precaution to disable in-app purchases. Let your child play with it. No problem.

I really cannot see how Apple can be accused of anything. Do you hand a child a book, a DVD, or any media without checking what the content is? And if the description told you that there was an option for the child to spend real money on your credit card number, and told you a way to prevent that happening, would you ignore it?

Oh. You did, didn't you?

Yes there is a warning about in App purchaces, but its not just the odd in app purchace its one after the other, a friend of mine's son spent nearly £25 in two minutes, and that is not a scam?, its daylight robbery.

EDIT: Sorry that was in reply to Tonefox

Agreed, or at least be asked my middle name/password even the last 4 digits of the card

Trouble is there are those who legitimately allow free billing and can afford it, they would claim it is 'nannying' so how do the companies appease them?

Tom Perkins1 wrote:

ToneFox, just curious. Do you have children? If so, you have more than a valid claim. If not, you have no dog in this fight.

Just slightly. Married for 43 years, three children aged 40, 38 and 35, I started using computers 43 years ago, I have used Macintoshes since March 1984, and I am now in the pensions and savings group at 65.

Do I have a dog in your kiddiwinkies fight, young Tom?

Responses like this floor me. These are not unintelligent people, those who failed to get this information when it was needed. If it is possible for a child to run up $1500 in additional charges on a game, there should not be a way to download it without this fact being blindingly, spectacularly obvious to all but the most aggressively inept users. The fact that these quite reasonable people didn't know, however much you personally choose to blame them for that, indicates that Apple simply did not do their job. If these people didn't know, then it wasn't obvious enough. Period. That's egregiously poor human interface design. And a company whose focus is so strongly on user experience should have known that. The failure was entirely Apple's.

If otherwise intelligent, aware, reasonable people are screwing up, then the fault is in the design.

I'm on the verge of a lawsuit with these people. My daughter has special needs and is on the autism spectrum and she has repeatedly charged In-App purchases to the tune of over $3000. The first time - after several days on the phone with these inept I-Tunes customer service people - we managed to get a refund. Now they just say NO. We have changed our code several times and we have also turned off In-App purchases on all Ipads, etc. Yet - our Visa is still charged!!

APPLE TAKES ADVANTAGE OF AUTISTIC AND SPECIAL NEEDS CHILDREN!

While the Apple, the IPad & App. Store pride itself on creating software and applications for special needs and autistic children, Apple is, in fact, taking advantage of these children's disabilities.

This isn't even a **** issue anymore. Settings > General > Restrictions > Require Password > Immediatley.

There, problem solved. Stop blaming Apple because you're too incompetent to know how to use a iPod/iPad/iPhone. Why would you attach your credit card number to a device that you clearly don't understand how to use?

WOW - Anger Issues? I have two Masters Degrees from Top Universities. I own a business that uses Apple Technology and Equipment. You missed the point - but I'm sure that happens often with you. To all of the reasonable people out there- good luck getting a palatable response from I-Tunes.