I signed up for what was presented as a free trial for an app through the App Store, but I was charged the full amount for a one-year subscription.
I contacted Apple and requested a refund, but the refund was denied. I was then told to contact my bank and dispute the charge. At no point was I warned that disputing the charge could result in my card — and apparently the entire bank account associated with that card — being permanently blocked from use with my Apple account, even if I get a replacement card.
After the dispute, I spent hours on the phone with Apple Support trying to figure out why my payment method would no longer work. I was ultimately told that the only way to restore it is to have my bank reverse the dispute so Apple gets paid, or potentially use an entirely different bank account.
My questions are:
- Is it really Apple policy to permanently block an entire bank account after a charge dispute?
- Why would Apple Support tell a customer to dispute a charge with their bank without warning them that this could happen?
- Is there any way to have the payment restriction reviewed or removed without reversing the dispute?
- If an App Store app charges someone for a full annual subscription when they believed they were starting a free trial, is there any way for Apple to investigate the developer or transaction directly?
I’m mainly trying to understand whether there is any legitimate way to resolve this without either paying back a charge I disputed or opening a completely new bank account.
