[brewster71]

While frantically downloading every (free) app I could find on the iTunes store, I inadvertently downloaded one called "IAmRich"*. It actually does nothing, but shows a red light when you launch it. Whatever. I was app crazy and I wanted them all and it was listed under "FREE APPS". Come to find out (when I got my next iTunes receipt), it was far from free - it cost me $999.99. That is not a decimal error. That is a thousand dollars, minus a penny. Horrified, I went to the iTunes website, only to find that - of course - there is no way to actually have a discussion with the iTunes store about purchase errors or incorrect charges. Any communication is reduced to browser-based, one-way email and when (if) they reply, you can't further explain the situation because their replies are automated, and tagged "DO NOT REPLY TO THIS EMAIL."

For a company that is able to arbitrarily charge customers over one thousand dollars, it seems inexcusable that they have no real customer support. It took five days to resolve the issue - and in the meantime it caused me $300 in bank fees due to bounced checks because my checking account balance was in the red. They eventually refunded my money (but took no responsibility for the charges), and helpfully explained that "[t]he pricing of the applications offered on the iTunes Store are set by the creators of the applications themselves. While this particular application has been removed from the iTunes Store, in the future if you encounter an item listed on the iTunes Store, the price that is shown for that item is what you will be billed". Gee, really? But it was listed under FREE APPS.

Is anyone paying attention at iTunes, or are they just arbitrarily just allowing applications that don't do anything (except steal money from your bank account) into their App Store? I thought the whole reason consumers were forced to purchase their apps through the official App Store in the first place was to make sure that no errant malware got into the iPhone. If this app doesn't qualify, I don't know what does.

*Which, by the way, I am not.

[rab777hp]

The app store has been a disaster lately, outrages like this are happening all the time, devs are objecting all the time, the app store will reject apps with superficial issues, such as the size of the icon image, or names, while they miss really bad things, like bugs and generally malicious or nuisance software.

[sandbag1]

You are in exclusive company. In all the world, you and 7 others paid $999.99 for the application. That Does Nothing

[brewster71]

Ha, I don't believe that only 8 people downloaded it. You must've heard that from Apple - the same company that told us that they screened apps like this before they were allowed on their store.

:(

[sandbag1]

Actually it was the developer Armin Heinrich that said that. CLICK HERE

[rab777hp]

Apparently the dev said in the interview that he refunded the money of the now-famous reviewer who bought it by accident; he said that there is a market for I Am Rich, and that he would gladly refund the money of anyone that bought it by accident. Maybe you should have contacted him instead of Apple. It seems that as apple has been less cooperative with the public lately, anyone with problems about any app should contact the Dev, and not apple. In the case of I Am Rich, if there are any more people out there who bought it accidentally, I suggest that you contact the Dev and get your money refunded; which he will gladly do.

My question: If you get your money refunded, how do you 'return' the app? Is it honor system that you'll delete it? Or is there some sort of thing...