When you purchase an item from the App Store or iTunes, it is possible to obtain a refund on items purchased within the past 90 days if you have a legitimate reason. For example, you might buy the live version of a song when you meant to get the studio version. It is certainly possible to download the wrong app inadvertently, especially on an iOS device.
In this article, I will outline the process of how report a problem (and request a refund) with items purchased in the App Store or iTunes.
Avoiding incorrect purchases
There are many forms of media you can get from iTunes and the App Store including movie purchases and rentals, TV shows, music, books, audiobooks, Mac apps, and iOS apps. You can preview a song you are about to purchase on a computer by moving the mouse over the title and clicking on the play button icon that appears. On an iOS device, tap on the song title and it will begin to play a preview and show a circular progress icon.
To avoid incorrect app purchases, click or tap on the icon of the app first, then click or tap “More…” to see the full description.
Returning iTunes and iOS purchases
If you need to report a problem with a purchase, start iTunes on a Mac or PC and open the store. Then click Account in the Quick Links section. If prompted, type in your iTunes password. Scroll down to Purchase History if necessary and click See All on the right. If the item is not listed on the first screen, click on the Next button until you see the item you want to report a problem with.
Click on the arrow icon to the left of the item. On the next screen, click the Report a Problem button at the bottom, then click on the words “Report a Problem” on the line where the item appears.
An online form will open in your default browser. Use the popup menu to chose one of the reasons listed:
- I didn’t authorize this purchase
- Didn’t mean to purchase this item
- Meant to purchase different item
- Item didn’t download or can’t be found
- Item won’t install or downloads too slowly
- Item opens but doesn’t function as expected
Or choose “Problem is not listed here.” Type a description of the problem in the box below and press the Submit button.
After a few days, check your account to determine if a refund was issued. When you click on the arrow icon to the left of the item, you will see a if the transaction has been reversed. You’ll also likely get an email from iTunes support with the outcome of the report.
Returning apps to the Mac App store
The Mac App Store has a slightly different return process. Open the App Store app and click Support on the right under Quick Links. Then click Contact Support on the left, and the Get Started button. Click on Purchases, Billing and Redemption, and then “Mac App Store account billing,” and then Continue.
This brings you to the page where you have the options to Talk to Apple Support Now, Schedule a Call, or Chat. Choose one of those methods to explain the issue and request a refund.
You can access the same support page from an iOS device by visiting apple.com/support in Safari and tapping the links Contact Us > Get Started > Apps & Software > Mac Apps > Mac App Store > Purchases, Billing & Redemption > Mac App Store account and billing > Continue.
Another method you could use either on an iOS device or computer is to locate the emailed receipt Apple sends out for each purchase. This works for all forms of media, including subscriptions to Apple TV services. The email message contains a “Report a Problem” link that enables you to return the specific item in the receipt.
Refund confirmations are send out via email also, which gives you the ability to easily determine if the issue was resolved from any of your devices.
In using technology, we all occasionally make an error. I hope this article will be helpful if you find it necessary to return an iTunes or App Store item.
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Reblogged this on Taste of Apple and commented:
Definitely something to be aware of. It can be a pain if you need to “undo” a purchase and don’t know how to go about it.
Hi whitney thanks for the article ! In past i had an issue where my debit card was not accepted by apple payment gateway and i already owe apple few dollars worth of games purchased ! but since the problem was at their end, Apple just waive of my purchase cost and completely gave me all for free ! This is best customer service i have ever overcome !
Look out very carefully for the reasons you give for asking that refund of an App!
Avoid anything which might make suspect the Apple person you contacted that your credit card has anything to do with it.
Once they suspect any manipulation of your credit card they put in a data bank of void credit cards.
So even if that was not at all the problem you experienced, your credit card is doomed for ever!
No way to clear it and use it again.
So be very very very careful not to suggest anything which might make believe the Apple person in touch with you that someone had illegally access to your credit card.
This can cause so many problems that in many cases I would prefer to give up my claim even if legitimate.
I learned it in the hard way and therefore this warning.
Look out not to imply in any way your credit card or not even let the Apple customer employee suspect of such a possibility.
Ed
Be careful with this. I was successful twice many years ago for 2 legitimate incorrect purchases. Since then I’ve been refused every time because “I’d already been granted an exemption”. I’d reserve this for expensive items, certainly not for a 99c app.
Thank you! Every other link I looked at said there was a no ref policy, but this took me to the refund option! Note the change of policy for refunds which means you can simply select ‘I would like to cancel this purchase’ if you do so within two weeks of buying it and Apple are required to issue a refund.
Did not mean to purchase extra coins on a Bingo Game App. How can I cancel? I did not collect, but they said purchase made.
i wanted to return an entire ep but i had to do song by song. one worked. one is pending. the others weren’t eligible
Thank you very much for the most helpful article and the step-by-step photos. This helped me to make a successful return of a ringtone. I had no idea how to do it before finding your article. Great work!