Can you help me punish apple?

1

Can you help figure out ways to punish apple?

Specifically: I want to keep buying apple products like crazy, but spend less money directly with them.

Why?

Twice in the last month Apple has screwed up an in-app purchase, charging me, but (for whatever reason) not fulfilling the order.

The first was for an annual subscription for dropbox - approx $200 NZ.
The second was for a one-off purchase to watch a rugby game (Ireland beat England, yay!) - $20.

Both times I’ve requested a refund, both times they’ve rejected the request, and then rejected the challenge request.

Since the dropbox bug was expensive, I called apple support, and they tried to get the refund sorted out, but failed. They got me to raise a chargeback through my bank which got me my money back.

But, that caused Apple to automatically disable my iCloud accounts so I couldn’t listen to music, buy apps, watch videos, etc. Nor could my family. Wasn’t fun. Especially since my family were overseas as this happened.

I managed to get un-banned, by contacting support, and the support person was vaguely apologetic.

But I’m innocent here. And a very loyal, valuable customer, and I don’t want to give them any more money than I need to.

So, I want to figure out how to continue my apple habit but give apple less money.

I’ve decided to stop buy IAPs, if there is an alternative.
I purchased a new HomePod mini yesterday … but I deliberately bought it from a retail shop, so Apple would get less.

Is there anything else I can do?

2

I believe that in-app purchase is an API that Apple provides to developers. So the bug might have been with the developer and not Apple per se.

3

No. They will get your money.

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4

Switching to Android/Windows?

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5

Buy refurbished Apple equipment. You can get current/recent devices, spend less and it’s great for the environment too.

And Apple won’t get a penny.

6

I believe that in-app purchase is an API that Apple provides to developers. So the bug might have been with the developer and not Apple per se.

I suspect that’s the case.

And, that’s fine, what really riles me up is that they are selling the product, not the delivers, and they didn’t give me the refund when they should have, and instead they shutdown my accounts.

I know they get people trying to abuse them, but I’m not one of them. In fact, I suspect I’m one of their most-valuable non-corporate customers.

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7

No. They will get your money.

I’m trying to find ways they get less of my money,

For instance, by buying my next MacBook from a local retailer, who’ll take (I guess) between 10 and 30 percent of the retail price:

  • I pay the same.
  • Someone else gets some of my money.
  • Apple gets less of my money.

Same thing if I purchase a Dropbox subscription from Dropbox rather than through apple.

And, although I don’t know how much money apple takes when I pay with Apple Pay, I’m going to pay with visa instead, for big purchases.

They’ll still get some money, but less, and I will feel a little bit of satisfaction for “punishing them”.

It’s a shame that they’ll have no way of knowing I’ve done it though …

8

That’s a good idea!

Thanks.

9

And the Apple Support asked you to go this way?

10

I admit to not understanding this protest at all. To punish Apple, you need to move off Apple products at your next replacement cycle. You need to stop buying all paid apps in the App Store until then. And, you need to tell your story and perhaps convince others to do the same.

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11

Apple Support would never ask you to do a chargeback, as that would cost them all of their money PLUS $20-$30.

But there’s a basic expectation that when you give a company money, you get whatever was promised in return for that money. And if the company won’t make good, “merchant charges your credit card and refuses to deliver product even after you call them and ask” is exactly what chargebacks are for.

So if customer service won’t give you either the product you paid for or your money back, what would you propose as an alternative?

12

I have a better solution - seriously

Buy Apple stock

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13

You may find something that makes you feel better, but you will not find a way to punish Apple. Any single one of us is less than a pin prick to Apple.

Even if you were to go to an extreme and drive your SUV into an Apple store, for example, what would you have accomplished? Driver who crashed into Apple store charged with murder | AP News

Please find a peaceable way to stop stressing over Apple. Microsoft and Samsung make some nice hardware these days. :slightly_smiling_face:

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14

You’ve posted what happened. And I’ve seen things discussed here show up in my Google search results from time to time. So your story is available for others to read that might be having a similar problem. IMO, that’s probably the best you can hope for.

Apple’s revenue was around $390 Billion last year. They wouldn’t notice if all of us on this forum stopped buying their products and services.

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15

And the Apple Support asked you to go this way?

Yes. The support person was flummoxed. She couldn’t figure out how to get my refund (or fix the problem that caused it) since the standard refund process had rejected twice,so she checked with her supervisor and they asked me to do a chargeback.

I did. It was a bit of a hassle. But an annual Dropbox subscription is over $200nz and I wanted my money back.

(Actually, I just wanted a Dropbox subscription … but that hadn’t worked)

16

Apple Support would never ask you to do a chargeback, as that would cost them all of their money PLUS $20-$30.

But they did!

And then their chargeback processes disabled my icloud accounts.

And my wife’s.
And my kids.

17

I’m not stressing! Promise :slight_smile:

I’ll get some pleasure by figuring out how to “punish” them - a little revenge - and it won’t cost me anything.

And I’ll still have my lovely apple products.

It does take the shine of my revenge to me that apple will never know or care.

18

Seriously? They asked you to do the chargeback? I figured you’d meant that they left you no other option - but if they actually asked you to do it, that’s completely idiotic on their part.

It’s basically them saying, “we’d like to NOT give you your money back, and to pay your credit card company $30 to force us to do it”.

It might be one of the most nonsensical things I’ve ever heard, and that’s saying something. :slight_smile:

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19

I had never the experience, that an In-App-Purchase did not work, yet.
Why did it not work, was there any explanation for that by Apple, or Dropbox?
Have you tried the Website for the Refund, that always worked for me in cases I bought an non-working app and similar.

20

Me neither. I don’t know why it didn’t work, but for the 2nd one (a one week subscription to sky sports tv, I suspect it’s technical problems on sky’s side).

Have you tried the Website for the Refund …?

I got my money back from dropbox (albeit, painfully), by doing the chargeback.
The sky sports one … it’s $20 and (as much as it annoys me) … it’s not worth it to me to go through the stress and hassle of dealing with them.

Thanks for the suggestion though :slight_smile: