Over at Gizmodo, there’s a handy guide to how you can try and get a refund through Apple from the App Store for non-functioning apps, a process which does leave you at the mercy of Apple’s digital staff. It’s worth remembering that if an app doesn’t work in the way it’s described, under Australian law you’re entitled to a refund no matter what “conditions” Apple tries to impose.
Apple’s local conditions of sale include this highly dubious assertion:
All sales and rentals of products are final.
Gizmodo commenter David reminds us of a vital point that undermines that assertion: under Australian consumer law, goods have to function in the way they’re described. So if an app claims it can perform a given function and it doesn’t, you’re entitled to a refund. Furthermore, Apple can’t fob the responsibility off on the developer; it handles the sale (having already vetted the app) and it has to handle the refund as well.
That distinction is arguably more useful with productivity apps than with games. Whether a given title is “fun” is debatable, but whether “this application does not function as expected” is more clear cut, at least in terms of how it is promoted on the Apple store
Apple has a very sound reputation overall for customer service, but there are documented instances of its trying to argue that its own policies trump local consumer law. That simply isn’t the case. If an app doesn’t work as described, you’re entitled to apply for a refund.
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