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Apple denied refund for unauthorized annual subscription charge

Hello everyone! Has anyone experienced a similar situation?

Apple charged me 14,000 KZT for an annual subscription that I did not sign up for and did not intend to purchase. I did not knowingly authorize or confirm the payment for the annual plan.

I immediately requested a refund through Apple's official website, but my refund request was denied twice. The amount is significant to me, and I never intended to purchase or use this annual subscription.

I would really appreciate any advice from people who have experienced something similar:

  • Were you able to get a refund after Apple initially denied your request?
  • Did you contact Apple Support directly through chat or phone?
  • Were you able to speak with an actual Apple Support representative?
  • Did anyone manage to get their case manually reviewed or escalated after two refund denials?

I would be very grateful if you could share your experience and let me know what worked for you.

Thank you!

2 replies

In this support article —> Request a refund for apps or content that you bought from Apple - Apple Support Apple usually says, “Some purchases from the App Store, iTunes Store, Apple Books, or other Apple services might be eligible for a refund.” It says “might” but that also implies some might not be eligible. Apple does not detail its criteria for refusing refunds. Refund terms vary greatly according to country so I strongly suggest that you check them for where you live by clicking on this link Legal - Apple Media Services - Apple then choose your country and language if you are not automatically taken to the correct page version. Refunds are outlined at the end of section B.


Apple's terms of purchase in some countries (e.g., USA, Canada, New Zealand) are clearly "All Transactions are final.” From user comments on this forum it appears that for routine purchases Apple may make limited refunds solely at their discretion and as an exception. Apple can simply say no without having to provide a specific reason. I understand this can be frustrating but by using the service you agree to the terms.


Apple cannot remove content from a device once downloaded and has to trust that you no longer are keeping and using a copy. In countries where it does not outright say all transactions are final, Apple’s terms likely include a way to deter people from buying a bunch of items and then insisting upon right of refusal to have them refunded. In some regions Apple used to say that refunds were only granted to remedy defective or unavailable product. From what I can tell, it was recently replaced by a phrase concerning exception to cancellation rights, e.g.: “You cannot cancel your order for the supply of Content if the delivery has started upon your request and acknowledgement that you thereby lose your right of withdrawal.” Have you already successfully downloaded the content?*


Terms for most countries include a statement:

“From time to time, Apple may suspend or cancel payment or refuse a refund request if we find evidence of fraud, abuse, or unlawful or other manipulative behavior that entitles Apple to a corresponding counterclaim." It may be that certain refund requests might be considered suspicious or excessive. According to https://reportaproblem.apple.com/static/en-us/privacy.html , Apple uses an automated system to detect fraud. Your request may not have met the automated system’s criteria for a refund. In the article Apple says, “If you disagree with your final decision, contact [email protected] “ However, according to user posts on this web site the result is confusing because you receive an automated response talking about privacy issues, not refunds.

If you want to contact Apple to dispute a refund refusal, try a telephone or chat method, click here --> Choose your country or region - Official Apple Support Select your country, then a product. If you don't see one that handles your issue then keep experimenting with selections until you reach one that gets you a chat session or a telephone call and get the representative to redirect you.


or:


"See a list of Apple phone numbers around the world." Click here --> Contact Apple Support - Apple Support


Once you have been denied twice, or it says the decision is final, then in my opinion it is probably pointless contacting Apple anymore. I've seen many posts here where people say that after trying twice they just get refused.


Since you were able to request a refund it must have been a purchase made using your account. “If you signed up [which involves very intentional steps by you or a user of your device, accompanied by warnings along the way] for a free or discounted trial subscription and you don't want to renew it, cancel it at least 24 hours before the trial ends." (from Cancel a subscription from Apple - Apple Support) Note that by using an app like this you are automatically agreeing (always read the fine print) to this happening, are responsible for reading if this will happen, and canceling the subscription before the trial ends. E.g., Bait and switch on Apple apps - Apple Community Exceptions apply in some countries About canceling subscriptions in Germany, Israel, South Africa, or Türkiye - Apple Support


If you did not make this purchase yourself, is it possible a child or somebody borrowing your device did that? If yes then you are responsible for it.


The other possibility is if your account has been compromised. Read this article if you think your Apple Account has been compromised. --> If you think your Apple Account has been compromised - Apple Support In that case it would be a situation of bank card fraud and to get resolution you would have to contact the card issuer. However, do not cancel payment on the item unless you are positive about card fraud because you would have to resolve non-payment with Apple before they let you make more purchases.