How to Get Money Back for Accidental Purchases in Any App Store
Earlier this year, a California court ruled that Facebook was to reimburse parents for accidental in-app purchases by their children. If you’ve been there or accidentally purchased an app you don’t need, the good news is that most digital stores offer some sort of return policy. Here’s how to get your money back.
Apple iTunes and App Store
Apple allows you to request a refund for any in-app or media purchases you make in the past 90 days. You will need to report the problem, request a refund, and a support representative will review your request.
There are several ways to do this. First, you can do this directly from Apple’s website via the ” Report a Problem” page. Just sign in with your Apple ID, go to the right tab (Apps, Movies, TV Shows, etc.), then click the Report a Problem button next to the item. Select your problem (I selected Issue not listed here when I made a random purchase), enter a short description of your request, and click Submit.
If Apple sent you an email after your purchase, your receipt should also include a link to the Report a Problem page. You can also access the Report a Problem page in iTunes. Open iTunes, make sure you’re signed in with the correct ID, then click your profile in the top right corner of the window and select Account Information. Scroll down to view your purchase history, then tap View All and find the app you’re looking for. You should see a Report a Problem link next to the item. If you click the link, you will be taken to Apple’s website where you can fill out a form and request a refund.
If you just purchased an item, the link or button may not yet be available, so you may have to wait for your payment to be posted or Apple will email you an email receipt before you can request a refund.
Google play store
Google has a great and clear return policy that makes it easy to get refunds for random purchases including apps, in-app purchases, or subscriptions. If your app purchase was made within the last two hours, you can receive an automatic refund without waiting. Just open the Google Play Store online or on your device, then go to Menu> Account> Order History. Find the item you want to return, then click “Refund” to uninstall the app and get your money back.
You can even request a refund within 48 hours of purchase. You will need to complete this online form, however , and it may take up to two business days for their team to review and approve the request (although they say it usually takes 15 minutes). You will need to enter your purchase order number on the form, and you can find that on the receipt that Google should have emailed after your purchase. If you have an unauthorized purchase on your account, you will use the same form to request a refund.
In some cases, they will also refund money for movies and music purchased within 7 days. To request a refund for songs, movies and TV shows, you need to use a web browser to go to your account through the Google Play store (TV and music refunds are not available through the app). Scroll down to your order history, find the purchase you would like to refund for and click the Report a Problem button, then fill out the form and request a refund.
According to Consumerist , Facebook is figuring out how to notify users that could be affected by the new court decision – mainly parents with children who may have accidentally made in-app purchases or unauthorized games. But for now, they consider each case individually. In the meantime, you can still request a refund.
Facebook has a payment support page for in-app purchases, including game purchases. When you go to the page, make sure you are signed in to your account and select the appropriate category. From there, Facebook should auto-complete your recent transactions and you simply select the item you want to refund for.
After you select an item, you will see a dropdown list of issues that you can choose from. Just follow the instructions, choose a payment method and enter a short description. Facebook will ask for your “desired permission”, you select “Refund applicable costs” and click “Submit”.
Microsoft Store for Windows Phones
Unfortunately, Microsoft doesn’t have a clear refund policy for apps, but you can still contact their support team and request one.
To do this, visit their customer support page here and make sure you’re signed in with your Microsoft account ID. From there, you can either speak with a representative online or schedule a phone call and then simply ask the representative for a refund for your accidental app purchase. They will need your order number, which you can find on the receipt emailed to you after purchase (you can also log into your account and view your order history here ). The representative must approve your request, but chances are they will honor your request as a courtesy .
If all else fails, you can contact the developer directly and ask for a refund. To find a developer for Facebook purchases, search for the app’s Facebook page and send them a message if messaging is enabled on their page. If you made a purchase on your device, navigate to the app through the appropriate digital store and then search for contact information on the developer’s website. In the Apple Store, this information is located in the Description section of the app’s page. On the Google Play store, you can find a link to the website in the Developer section at the bottom of the app page, and sometimes their email address is listed there as well. Likewise, scroll down to the bottom of the app in the Microsoft Store and you should see a link to “Publisher’s Website” under Publisher Information.
From there, you can go to the site, find the developer’s contact information, and email it. It’s unlikely, but some developers will offer refunds via PayPal, or at least credit.