app store error "this item is being modified"

One in the afternoon Monday in California and the same message is still there.

I finally got through to a human. I was told to wait 24 hours and try again.

If it doesn't work after that, I think I'll just cancel my order. Maybe losing some money will make someone notice this problem...

I have been waiting since Thursday to first get the precious double-email redemption code, and then to have the servers work properly to allow download of the product I supposedly now own, namely 10.7 Lion.

I have rarely seen a stonewall so complete. For a company that urges its customers to "Think Different," this situation shows an alarming amount of typical, dogmatic, draconian, Luddite corporate thinking. I have been told, by no less than 7 Apple employees over the past 4 days, that there is NO possible workaround for this situation. I cannot: have them drop a .DMG file to me via iCloud; have them burn a DVD and send it to me if I pay the shipping cost; go to a retail store and have them burn an image to a USB key, DVD, or hard drive. In short, nothing can be done, except standing around with their fingers in their ears, "waiting for the engineers, who are working on the problem."

I have several software packages installed on my computer, for which I paid far more than $19.99. Miraculously, I was able to select, pay for, and subsequently download them in under 30 minutes. I'm not sure how those companies accomplished this feat...but I certainly wish Apple would learn their methods and institute them with alacrity.

And so I, like all of you, sit frustratedly waiting to install a version of the OS that will both allow me to install another program my client requires, while not breaking software I already have installed and by which I make my living. I feel as if I have been betrayed by the very company I have put my faith in - the company that publicly epitomizes innovation and "out of the box" thinking, but behind the facade is evidently just another corporate behemoth intent on nothing more than profit. They have my money - where is my product?

+1 for this issue.

I paid for a Mountain Lion license on Friday, received the two PDFs via email on Saturday, and I haven't been able to redeem the code in the Mac Store.

I get the same two recurring errors - item being modified or code redemption not working - regardless of the time of day/night.

Need this OS to get a newer version of Camera RAW. Mavericks or newer isn't an option. I'm beyond frustrated at this point.

SO you think Apple should have the weekend off...When your power fails do you expect the power company to get it fixed on over the weekend? Sure you do. You'd be pretty disappointed if they said "we'll be back in on Monday."

Power companies are generally a monopoly, you have no choice but to use them. Apple has made themselves a monopoly and I have no choice but to use them. I have no choice but to download. Computers have become our life blood and for most of us we need them on the weekend.

So if you are the only game in town (App Store) and wanted to be that guy, then you better be working on the weekend! By the way it's now Monday evening...no software.

I'm still getting the same AppStore error - "This item is being modified, try again later." - whenever I try to Redeem Mountain Lion, which I paid for on 4/22/15.

Has ANYONE who got this error initially been able to successfully redeem their software from the App Store, later - either with, or without the help of Apple support?

That is, are we all in the same boat, and the solution will be for us all, at the same time - or - is the problem being resolved incrementally, one user at-a-time?

Finally, I'm beginning to feel like this is no longer a minor glitch, but is turning into a fiasco. I believe Apple owes us an explanation about what is going on.

I would love to vent my frustrations here, but I would just be wasting your time. I have had the same issues as those aforementioned here. Ordered Lion on Friday afternoon....Finally received the email the next morning. I have been receiving error messages and surreptitiously checking to see if my code will go through ever since. Come on, Apple. This is so basic that the whole process - order, download, use - should take less than a couple hours. You have my money, and I have yet to see something for it more than three days later. Explanation, please.

Same problem here, paid for a download of mountain lion on the 14th, didn't receive the pdf and password til the 22nd only the get the item is modified

please try again later message, received a new pdf and password yesterday only to get the same message when trying to redeem the code.

This is getting beyond a joke

Just to say that I'm another frustrated customer with exactly the same problem. They had the cheek to try to promote some time-saving apps as I was going through the process. I'll need to save some, given the amount that Apple's currently stealing from me.

Okay, same problem here. Paid for Mountain Lion on the 24th of April, was emailed the code. Have been trying to redeem the code for three days now. Why is apple so silent as to why we can't redeem our codes?

I submitted a support ticket this morning.

I've been waiting since the 22nd as well. Yesterday I was told to wait 24 hours which will be up in another hour and a half. I don't have high hopes.

I too have the same problem downloading OS X Mountain Lion. Purchased Thursday, April 23rd and got a redemption code via email 24.5 hours later. Still getting the same error code: "This item is being modified. Please try again later."

I gave them the benefit of the doubt and keep trying, waiting 4 days until today to call. I was on the phone for about an hour: talked to 2 automated people and 4 real people (who were very apologetic the whole time; so now who do I get upset at?) but ultimately nothing was resolved: "The engineers are actively working on it and they have no idea when it will be resolved."

I could go to an Apple Store I guess, but my goal was not to have to. Hopefully I helped up the priority of the issue by calling.

I'm in the same boat. Ordered Mountain Lion on the 25th, didn't get the code until the 27th, App Store won't redeem it because it's "being modified." Online chat system was no help at all. I spoke with someone on the phone last night and he admitted he was getting a lot of calls about this problem but he didn't have a solution. His only suggestion was to wait and try again later, and to send an email to iTunes asking when it would be resolved, because this is ultimately a problem with their servers.

This is RIDICULOUS. Clearly there's a problem with the current system, it's on Apple to provide a workable alternative way for us to download the products we paid for.

There must be something fundamentally wrong with the App Store. A Google search shows over 1,000 hits for this error message dating back to the release of the App Store in 2011. (Most of the hits are from forums with people in the same boat as us…)

Same problem here. If my employer didn't already have an Apple Computer here I would rather choose a regular PC over this mac crap.