FTC Asked To Investigate In-App Purchases

[hoofhearted]

On another note, I find inApp purchases to be deceptive. I paid 99 cents for an RPG game. However, within the game, after I die three time, it gives me the option to purchase life potions for an additional 99 cents within the app. If I had know there was a recurring fee, I would have never purchased it in the first place. I think it should be a black and white indication of whether an app uses inApp puchases or not. Furthermore, I think this needs to be clearly disclosed prior to purchasing/installing the app. I see the potential for this being abused as a deceptive/fraudulent system. Then the icing on the cake is directing this mechanism toward those who have less financial wisdom, kids!!! And then what happens when this gets outright exploited? Is Apples review process applied to all DLC in this way?

 

[hoofhearted]

I simply see InApp purchases as "fine print" designed to squeeze more money than one agreed to pay.

 

[mdillenbeck]

Best financial advice I every heard: never NEVER link an account or credit card to an automatic payment system for a product that is variable in price (such as a phone bill or cable with pay-per-view). Instead, pay that bill by check or online monthly without re-occurring automatic deductions.
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To those who say this is a parenting problem, you are right - some of it is. However, it is not just that. The accusation is that marketers are intentionally preying on the naivety of children. Finally, young children are NOT miniature adults - there are certain cognitive abilities that need to develop and are often age based (the there-not there aspect of infant to the ability to make abstractions such as money standing for goods and services given and received).

 

[Guest]

kids not old enough to understand the concept of monetary value should not be playing on an iPhone/iPad/smartphone unsupervised, they should be playing with building blocks, running around outside, learning to ride bicycles and kicking a ball around

@hoofhearted
Apple will do nothing about predatory in app purchase because they get a cut of any in app purchase, apple's quality control is only linked to their financial gains, if there was some form of quality control there would not be so many pointless apps

 

[alextheblue]

[citation][nom]QCNotPresent[/nom]kids not old enough to understand the concept of monetary value should not be playing on an iPhone/iPad/smartphone unsupervised, they should be playing with building blocks, running around outside, learning to ride bicycles and kicking a ball around[/citation]
Hi, welcome to 2011. While I agree with you in principle, the fact is that as these app-capable devices (be it an iPod, Android tablet, netbook, or lego-puter) become cheaper and more user-friendly, they will proliferate to kids as well as the existing network of teens and adults. As a result, a lot of parents will enable a credit card on the device to buy their kids a game or two. The problem is that there's no in-game re-verification, so the kids can just appear to be playing their game, meanwhile they're racking up purchases of virtual berries or virtual jello pudding.

By default, in-app purchases should be disabled or at least require the input of a password each time. Similar to how a Wii asks for password when attempting a restricted activity online such as a purchase.

 

[rpgplayer]

WTF does a kid need a smart phone for anyway, teach them some responsibility and tell them if they want a "kewl" phone they have to get a job and pay for it. otherwise get them a basic cell phone for emergency use. people pamper their kids to much in ways that they shouldn't and it ends up with kids not realizing how hard it is to earn an honest dollar.

 

[mayankleoboy1]

STUPID
try to ban such stupid parents rather than google.

 

[hoofhearted]

Simply put, inApp purchases allows price hiding. Pretty soon in order to be competitive, all apps will simply show as free in the app store and all the real costs will be hidden from you until after you installed and possibly gotten used to it. Drug dealer mentality. Razer and blade model just like stupid ink jet printers.

You won't know the price until after you played it a bit or are hooked, then halfway through, SLAM $99.95.

You can now be hit with a recurring subscription fee for the same app you have always used.

 

[Guest]

I'll have to disagree with most of the above comments. Alot of parents/grand parents are not very technical and are not aware of in app purchases until they are a victim. My mother who is 54 years old allowed her grand daughter to download a free app - she had no idea in app purchases existed and received a huge bill.

It is unethical to target kid apps. This seems to be happening to many people. If apple was really concerned by dont they have this option disabled by default and if people want to make these purchases they can enable the feature??? Makes sense to me!!