Warning on In-app purchases for Charts & Sync Server

[romad]

This is to let users know that Apple WILL charge you again if you move to a new or different device.

When I moved from my old iPad to my New iPad, I was charged for the Charts again. Upon questioning this I was told by the iTunes Store Support Staff that only certain in-app purchase items can be reloaded without charge.

From https://support.apple.com/kb/HT4009#1 :

Types of In-App Purchases

There are four different types of In-App Purchases: non-replenishable, replenishable, subscriptions, and auto-renewing subscriptions.

Non-replenishable In-App Purchases are items that only require you to purchase them once, and can be transferred to multiple devices authorized with the same iTunes Store account.

* Bonus game levels
* City guide maps

Replenishable In-App Purchases are items that have to be purchased every time and cannot be downloaded again for free.

* Extra health
* Extra experience points

Subscriptions are one-time services that must be purchased again once the subscription period expires.

* One-month subscriptions
* Location service subscriptions

Auto-Renewing Subscriptions are services that can be purchased with different renewing subscription durations.

* Weekly newspaper subscriptions
* Weekly magazine subscriptions


Apple considers the PMiOS in-app purchase items as "replenishable" meaning they are, like extra ammo, health, experience points, expendable.

I feel that they are additional features like the game levels and city maps they use as examples of "non-replenishable" and thus freely movable to a new iDevice.

Only after arguing did they reverse the charge.

Hardy, could you please inform Apple that Charts & Sync Server are not expendable items like extra health but are additional levels and are thus NON-replenishable? Thank you.

[Faterson]

I have the same problem. I have just bought the new iPad (3) on Day 1 it was launched in my country, and PocketMoney got successfully restored on the new device from iCloud backup, but... the graph at the top of the main accounts page just disappeared! No matter how much I shake the device, the graph just won't come back. PocketMoney addons page now claims I need to re-purchase both the graphs addon and the sync-server addon, which of course I won't do, fearing I might be charged again like Romad was.

I got around the sync-server issue by converting my iPhone into the server, and the two iPads can now serve as clients to it. How can I get the graphs add-on onto the new iPad, though?

[romad]

Try repurchasing it and if you're charged, dispute the charge. You can say you were re-purchasing a non-replenishable add-on for your New iPad. If the first level refuses to reverse the charge, ask them to elevate it.

[Faterson]

Thanks, Romad, but I wouldn"t know how to dispute a charge -- I'm in Central Europe and App Store support in this part of the world still seems a bit haphazard. There is confusion about App Store charges all the time -- perhaps this relates to the conversion between $ and €, I really don't know. Just the other day, I bought an app for €2.39 and got charged €1.98 instead, and because the charge was incorrect (not through my fault), the card I used for my App Store account got blocked and I had to switch to a different card.

I hope Hardy can speedily resolve this with Apple so that we're simply not asked to pay again for what we purchased previously. Also, I don't quite understand why the iCloud backup did not contain my Charts and Sync-Server addon purchases, even though iCloud is supposed to mirror your device to the last detail, isn't it? All my transactions in PocketMoney got restored from iCloud correctly, and the two addons are the only things from PocketMoney missing on the new device.

[Faterson]

Ah, OK, I've just managed to find the support webpage for EMEA region (Europe, Middle East & Africa):

http://www.apple.com/emea/support/itunes/contact.html

If it takes too long from Hardy's side to rectify the issue, I might risk the purchase.

[Rodrigo]

Could this be related to the following post?

Hardy states that Apple should revalidate your add-ons without charging you. I haven't tested this yet.

[url]http://www.catamount.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=1679&p=7124&hilit=Purchased+features#p7124[/url]

[romad]

The problem is that is from 2010; it looks like Apple may have changed their policy in 2012 and considers PM add-ons as replenishable items.

[Tom59]

Has anyone submitted this as a bug report? It would appear that Apple have changed the rules. If that is so, then there is only Hardy that can get it reversed.

[romad]

In my post starting this thread, I asked Hardy to look into it. It is not a "bug"; it seems to be an Apple policy decision, or an error on Apple's part.

[Tom59]

I suggested filing as a bug, because possibly, Hardy may not see this thread, but he will definitely see a bug report. Technically it is a bug if the app is not operating as expected, for whatever reason.

[romad]

I see; I'll go to Mantis and open a report. However, the app IS operating as expected; it is the iTunes App Store that is not. The app just sends the request to the store. It is the store that checks your iTunes Store purchase history and Apple's policy setting to determine if you'll be charged.

[Tom59]

The point is that some people were expecting to use charts in their app, but now they can't. I'm pretty sure that when Hardy contacts Apple, it will all get sorted out. It's a good job that you highlighted it.

[Rodrigo]

Hi, I can't seem to find an option to submit a bug in te AppStore. Has anyone entered a bug for this yet?


Thanks

[Tom59]

This is not Apple's problem. You need to report it here http://bugs.catamount.com/bug_report_page.php or send an e.mail to support@catamount.com however, I believe that romad has already reported it.

[romad]

Yes, it IS Apple's problem in that they are the ones who decided that the Charts & Sync Server add-ons are the same as extra ammo for a game.

Rodrigo, you can make your views known through this link: http://www.apple.com/feedback/itunesapp.html Be warned that it is a one-way street; Apple does not respond to "feedback"