App Store, Refund, and “Pro” Apps

by Rian

Refunds on any platform comes with its own bags of issues, but Apple App Store was something else. Last week, after two requests for refunds didn’t go through, I contacted Apple customer support to see if there is a way to get a real person involved to get a refund on an app. I wouldn’t name the app. It’s otherwise a well known app, except for its dubious product lineups. So for this story, we will call the app Foo.

Foo is sold in the market in three tiers, if you will: free, premium as in-app purchase, and a separate pro. I was using the “premium” license which I had purchased many years ago directly from the developer. After reading their support forums, one of the developers answered in a similar question that the feature I wanted was part of “pro” tier, so I went my merry way and bought it. Unsurprisingly, that didn’t do it. After reading through more support forums that seem to go back and forth between why, I learned that their FAQ Knowledge Base has a document on their tiering —as of 2020, premium and pro are effectively the same. As to why they did it pre-2020, they couldn’t register their apps “normally” under App Store policy, so this was their idea to get around it.

By the way, none of this information was in the production description. There was no bold warning saying, “if you have already purchased premium unlockable features, there is no need to buy a pro app”. I was expecting Apple to square the deal at this point, after all this practice is technically against App Store guideline. It took about 2 weeks for pending payment to go through and I was finally able to make a claim. Rejected. Wrote a block of text explaining what happened, rejected again, and Apple claimed it was final.

When I contacted Apple customer support, the supposed advisor was no help at all. I am quite sorry to say this, but it was one of the most unprofessional 25 minutes long phone call. After telling him what had happened, he had nothing else to offer, straight up. The purchase was made in error, we agreed, but the two claims policy stands. He did want me to try few things, but he didn’t even know how Apple’s order history page worked on the customer’s side. Rest was him staying silent without a word, —I wasn’t talking either—, turns out he was asking around to see if there is a way to submit the third claim; Apple’s own policy and system does not allow third claim. You know, Apple doesn’t have to be “different” here, just tell their customer representative to say the magic phrase —‘could you hold for a moment’.

Again, I was and still am happy with Foo I have. That’s an extra license I won’t be using, but it is a license nonetheless. Maybe I will make use of it somehow. Until then, there is something to be said about the way Apple App Store is running. I wrote it in another review for another app, but there is something undignifying in screening the developers and questioning their motives and legitimacy about the goods they sell.