Q: Why is Amazon offering refunds to customers for in-app purchases?
A: Customer satisfaction is important to us. As a result and in order to comply with a court order in in Federal Trade Commission v. Amazon.com, Inc. (Case No. C14-1038-JCC, W.D. Wash.), we are offering refunds for unauthorized "in-app purchases" made by children through the Amazon Appstore. (In-app purchases are purchases of items you can buy within apps using actual money.) We have sent notices to customers who may be eligible for a refund.
Q: What in-app purchases are eligible for a refund?
A: The court has established the criteria for which in-app purchases are potentially eligible for a refund. In order to qualify, an in-app purchase must have been made within specific apps that may be of interest to children; the purchase date must have been between Nov 2011 and June 2014; the purchase must not have been subject to a password; and the purchase cannot already have been refunded.
For an in-app purchase to be eligible for a refund, the customer must confirm that (1) a child under the age of 18 made the purchase, and (2) the customer did not authorize the purchase.
Q: Who is paying for the refunds? A: Amazon will pay for all of the refunds associated with this court case. We will not charge developers any portion of these refunds.
Q: Will these refunds affect my future royalties. A: No. Amazon will pay for all of the refunds associated with this court case.
Q: Do these refunds apply to current purchases? A: No. The court case only covers in-app purchases made between November 2011 and June 2014.
