I fancied indulging my side interest of making music by buying some music making apps on the iPad. One of which is called "Aurora" from 4pockets.com
Because Apple don't allow trial versions of apps in the Apple store people often release a "lite" version of their app free of charge in order to let potential customers try a limited version of their app before purchasing. I was disappointed to see that this app didn't have such a version, but decided that at a price of £24 it must be pretty good so I took the plunge and bought it.
What a mistake! It is absolutely awful! Even the demo tunes (which should show it off at its best) were terrible! I looked at the Apple store to see if there is any way to get a refund, but the T&C say "all purchases are final", great!
I thought that perhaps the company that developed the app might be good with customer relations and, like myself, only want money from people who actually like my work and think it is worth paying for. Unfortunately it seems as though their philosophy is more like "We want every penny we can get our hands on, even if it means selling over priced junk to unhappy customers."
On the other hand, the very reasonably priced £5 app "MorphWhiz" is great fun!
Mr P Morris to sales
Hi
I bought aurora for my iPad. With a lack of a "lite" version I was unable to evaluate it without purchasing it. Having purchased it I have found I really isn't my cup of tea at all. Is there a way to get a refund?
Pete
sales@4pockets.com to me
Dear Sir,
You will need to talk to Apple
Regards
Bill Muir
Peter Morris to sales
Hi Bill
I've read the terms and conditions and it seems that there is no process for issuing refunds after the application has been downloaded, which is why I wrote to you directly.
Regards
Pete
sales@4pockets.com to me
Dear Sir,
Your transaction is with Apple. We get no data as to who has purchased product via Apple. We only get dates, number of sales, value and country details.
Sorry we are unable to help.
Regards
Bill Muir
Peter Morris to sales
Yes, I can see that being potential for fraudulent claims :)
What if I were to send you proof of purchase when I receive my invoice, would that be sufficient?
Pete
sales@4pockets.com to me
Dear Sir,
We can not help you. You are a client of Apple not 4pockets.com
Regards
Bill Muir
Peter Morris to sales
Okay, that's a real cop-out answer. I will take this to mean "Dear sir, we intend to grab every penny we can and to hell with customer satisfaction." I shall ensure my rating on your product accurately reflects your sentiments.
Thanks for taking your share of £23 of my hard earned money for an app not worth more than £5.
Shame on you.
Pete