Smurfs app

Hello and welcome.....

Click here...

How to report an issue with Your iTunes Store purchase

I realize you didn't actually "purchase" the app but hopefully you can get some answers within 24 hours.








Carolyn 🙂

The game is free but stuff in the app is pay for.
Did you buy smurfberries?
Did you allow a child to use the app and buy stuff?

Hi,

No, I haven't purchased that particular app.

Age requirements for iTunes.

To use any of the Services, you must be at least 13 years old (or, for non-U.S. users, such older minimum age as may be required by applicable local law). If you are under the required age, you may still use the Services (subject to applicable local non-U.S. law), but only if the account you are using was created and registered by your parent or legal guardian.

From here: http://www.apple.com/internetservices/terms/membership_terms.html





🙂

What's ridiculous is allowing a 3 year old to play with a $500 gadget unsupervised...

After entering your password to download the app, the password will still be in effect for about 15 minutes. This is a feature of iOS.

This is clearly mentioned in the games description in the AppStore BEFORE downloading the game. See:
http://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/smurfs-village/id399648212?mt=8

Your child must've 'bought' these add-ons almost immediately after you downloaded the game.

Expensive way to learn a lesson that could so easily have been avoided.

PARENTS BEWARE: SMURF APP TAKES YOUR MONEY WITHOUT AUTHORISATION:
I've had the same. I let my daughter play, assuming all of my iTunes purchase settings are watertight, and she bought a "WHEELBARROW OF SMURFBERRIES" for 34.99GBP. I asked her to show me how she did it, and there is no request for iTunes password at any stage in the process. She could have just kept hitting the buy key at 34.99 a go!!!!
It is outrageous that a childs game allows large purchases without parent authorisation - this is why I thought Apple had to approve apps to stop this kind of thing from happening.
I have written to Apple to request my money back - I hope they do the decent thing and pay me back and withdraw the app until there is an authorisation step.

Hi! In app purchase is possible without entering the password again within 15 minutes of your last purchase. You can restrict this in your settings. I've explained the problem and possible solutions here: http://brickmark.com/2010/11/in-app-purchases-for-kids/

It does not take your money without authorization.

By entering your iTunes password to download the app, you have authorized your account for payments in the next 15 minutes. This is the way the iTunes Store works with ALL purchases and is not specific to this particular game.

The developers of the game make this very clear right in the games description on the AppStore before you download it.

Did you not read it? I've copied and pasted it below for you.

{quote}
SPECIAL NOTES:

iOS will keep you logged on for 15 minutes after you download the app. Additional purchases won’t require a re-entry of the password during this 15 minute interval. This is a function of the iOS software and not within our control.
{quote}

Also, did you turn off "In-App Purchases" in the *Settings > General > Restrictions* section of your phone before giving it to your child? It's all there in the manual if you read it.

And by the way I was with my child at the time

...but not watching what he/she was doing on the iPad, otherwise you would've stopped them before they pressed BUY surely?

Did you turn off "In App Purchases" before giving the iPad to the child?

Have you disabled in app purchases?

Settings>General>restrictions

Select enable then turn in app purchases to off. Unless you do so, you are authorizing those purchases. No password would be required.

Best of luck.

yes! this got me last night!

I downloaded this for my 3 year old son since it was free. I sat with him and tried to figure it out and noticed it was way too complicated for him.

I then downloaded another "free" app called Train Conductor. It was also listed as a top free gaming app. We played it together for maybe 10 minutes before bedtime.

Sure enough.. not long after I was checking my account and notice The Smurf app charged me $64 and then another $4.99 three other times for purchasing blueberries? Are you serious? Why market a game for children and list it as free if its going to cost you big bucks to play it? There should be a big WARNING for these types of games, especially if they are in the kids section.

The Train Conductor app charged me $50!

What kind of free apps are these and why are they in the free kids games sections?