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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To think some people are a bit stupid re: £1700 ipad bill

48 replies

foreverondiet · 01/03/2013 16:05

link

Probably should don hard hat, but surely its obvious to turn off in app purchases? I mean this stuff has been in press so many times already. And odd that the first time he played with it the ipad the parents weren't watching, and they gave him their password. Also there really are loads of free apps that genuinely are free - so bit ridiculous to ban him now.

OP posts:

SkinnybitchWannabe · 01/03/2013 16:09

YANBU

lljkk · 01/03/2013 16:11

Trusting a 5yo to know whether a game is truly free seems odd.

However, the unknowingly running up charges: well it happened to us and we are pretty much techno-savvy. I inadvertently let DS do it. I left debit card details on his iPad so he could down load music iTunes and without him realising, those details were used to purchase game upgrades.

3 bank statements before we realised, DS doesn't read his emails so he didn't realise (one of the emails got filtered out as spam, anyway).

Should be grateful we only got stung for £90.

Sugarice · 01/03/2013 16:19

The boy had only been on the Ipad for 10 minutes and ran up £1700?, bloody hell he must type fast! .

I don't have an Ipad, is that really possible in 10 minutes?

JaquelineHyde · 01/03/2013 16:29

God I saw this woman being interviewed on BBC breakfast television this morning. No sympathy here at all.

I think they should count themselves bloody lucky Apple have wiped all the charges, stupid woman.

QOD · 01/03/2013 16:32

I agree with you. And then checked my i pad and it was set up to allow purchases without password! Bloody apple obviously send them out set up like that

lulu2 · 01/03/2013 16:35

I think the parents ran up the bill and then blamed it on their son.

EldonAve · 01/03/2013 16:37

my in app purchases etc were all turned off

I did a software update and it reset everything incl in app purchases and the apple store so the kids could have bought loads v easily

Adversecamber · 01/03/2013 16:37

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Sirzy · 01/03/2013 16:38

I do wonder how many of these stories it will take for people to check the settings

pictish · 01/03/2013 16:41

It was an accident, and BOTH the parents were present, not just the mum...but it's all her fault is it Jaqueline? Let's hope nothing like that happens to perfect old sympathy free you eh?

And whoever said it was the parents? What?

What a nightmare!!

LayMizzRarb · 01/03/2013 16:43

Slightly cynical that this all marketing fodder, oh aren't Apple wonderful etc, and the other 99% of cases they tell them to piss off.

If not, then I think the parents are highly irresponsible to allow young children unsupervised access to the Internet with a parents password. When they download 18+ games, porn chat facilities, etc etc please don't cry victim. It is a situation of completely your own making.

Also, your kids are likely to be far more tech savvy than you, and can change the settings of your device before you can blink.....

Sirzy · 01/03/2013 16:44

It was actually the father who believed the word of a 5 year old that it was free so put his password in!

iago · 01/03/2013 16:44

Doe anyone else think it ironic that the parents run a child entertainment company?

SolomanDaisy · 01/03/2013 16:49

I think it's ridiculous that it is possible to run up these kinds of bills on in game purchases. It needs some sort of regulation. It is ridiculous that people are paying for jewels or whatever it is you buy in candy crush.

HecateWhoopass · 01/03/2013 16:50

Wow.

People have got to take responsibility and make sure they have everything password protected and secure.

If they fail to do that, they have only themselves to blame and I think they are responsible for the bill.

Same as if you write your pin on your bank card and leave it on a pub table. Don't complain if your account gets cleared out!

People cannot be foolish and then complain when that foolishness bites them in the arse.

That said, the technology should be locked as a default and clear instructions and safety guidance included in the packaging. If it isn't already.

LayMizzRarb · 01/03/2013 16:51

The parents: ' more should be done to limit this kind of thing...' Yeah - start taking responsibility for your children and stop using technology as a baby sitter.

valiumredhead · 01/03/2013 17:34

I know someone his happened to, in fact apparently it happens a lot according to apple forums that are full of irate parents. In my friend's case it was her son purchasing what he thought were free coins for a game. She was refunded.

HotPinkWeaselWearingLederhosen · 01/03/2013 17:40

I think Apple are dicks tbh. Yes it's been in the media loads. But it would be less likely to occur if Apple supplied devices with In App purchase switched off not on. It's not like its obvious on device. A cynic might say they are relying on fuck ups to make cash, but Apple I'm sure are lovely and not in it for the money at all.

lljkk · 01/03/2013 17:41

Has it been in media loads? I haven't heard a thing on BBC or DH thru his techie channels (he works in "the industry").

valiumredhead · 01/03/2013 17:42

I am sure they are too.

Mia4 · 01/03/2013 18:06

YANBU, the purchase was password protected-both parents were there but neither thought to check and the dad blithely handed it over. Not only did his son then have the passcode and could have brought anything he liked but he could have done the same in the future. That's why the encryption is there. The parents should have checked it and inputted it themselves if they were happy.

Had it been accidental I would have had sympathy but this wasn't, it was pure stupidity and not being bothered to check.

freddiefrog · 01/03/2013 18:24

It happened to me a year ago, DD2 did some in-app purchases, fortunately for £70, not hundreds and Apple refunded me straight away

My iTunes account was password protected, I just didn't know I had to change my phone settings to disallow in-app purchases as well. I had assumed that anyone attempting to download anything that cost real ££ would have to put the password in.

It would be helpful if Apple shipped iPhones with the in-app purchases set to off in the factory settings

Cabbagecarrot · 01/03/2013 19:19

But the children don't have to give a password, that's the point - I got caught out recently. The kid is playing what looks like a perfectly normal game and click innocently on something they want like a cartoon token or sword - which then charges real money, no password or any confirmation required. You don't know at the time, you get a summary of the payment in an email days later. It's not really fair to say parents should are at fault - what kind of cynical games creator puts real-life charges of £60 (!) inside a 69 pence (or free) game for something of no value - there's no other reason except they are aiming to catch people out. Apple have to collude in this, but did refund when challenged. I know now about the in-app opt-out, but the ipad didn't come with that setting as default and the place to change the settings is buried in a sub-menu; it may seem obvious once you've heard about the problem but it isn't clear otherwise.

JaquelineHyde · 01/03/2013 19:51

I spoke of the mother only as it was her only that was interviewed on the BBC this morning and came accross as a simpering idiot.

Had it been the husband I suspect my opinion would have been exactly the same or indeed if it had been both of them.

Moral of the story...Don't give a 5yr old an ipad to play with and then leave them unsupervised with it without double checking your settings and don't go on live TV fishing for sympathy.

MamaBear17 · 01/03/2013 19:54

Bless him, he is 5! That is so little! Really didnt like the fact that his mother left him unsupervised and then when it all kicked off told him to 'run and hide'!

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