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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

ASN spent £200 on game refusing to refund

207 replies

MissesG · 08/11/2022 20:46

I am teaching my sixteen year old daughter with ASN about money. She is cognitively underdeveloped and behaves as someone much younger. first she started with smaller amounts of money and less that she had to buy with now she has got her own debit card and we built up to bigger amounts which she was handling mostly well.

But one night she got carried away impulsively bought something expensive on moviestarplanet over all she spent in the region of £200 on the online game in the space of 2 months with the debit card and used up the virtual assets she got with it. I only found out when she didnt have the money to use on what it was intended for! I was expecting this sort of thing might happen, but know most places protect people against this sort of thing and thought shed have the money back soon. I checked and sure enough according to their terms, they dont accept purchases made by under 18s without parental permission, nor do they accept cards used by under 18s.

First I got her to contact the business and be honest that she had done it without my permission and used her under 18s card, with receipts of every transaction. The response she got was that all sales are final and that they will not be refunding! I sent my own email explaining to confirm, and they told me the same thing and that all sales are final and that the case is closed!

She really needs that £200. I am really disgusted and angry and have now told them she has ASN and warned them that I will be opening up a dispute with the bank. Im not sure if ive got a leg to stand on or what that entails or if moviestarplanet can still refuse to refund.

OP posts:
MolliciousIntent · 08/11/2022 20:50

I think this is a hard lesson best learned early, for both of you. She's learnt that money is gone once you've spent it, and you've learnt that she needs closer supervision.

It's not really the bank's problem - from their perspective if her ASN (not sure what that is, do you mean ASD?) means she can't be responsible for her own money, then it's your responsibility to take care of it for her, as she's a minor. it's not the bank's job to safeguard her, it's yours.

DashboardConfessional · 08/11/2022 20:51

"Thus, when using MovieStarPlanet products/services, the User expressly warrants being either (i) a child with acceptance from a guardian to enter into MovieStarPlanet or (ii) a child with power of attorney given by his/her parents. In both cases, the User expressly confirms to have the necessary legal basis to subscribe to any of the MovieStarPlanet deliveries or use his/her own money."

She's gone ahead and spent the money, thus they are operating as if she had permission I'm afraid.

walsk · 08/11/2022 20:53

"I was expecting this sort of thing might happen"

So you should have had appropriate safeguards in place to ensure it didn't. It's no one else's responsibility really.

MissesG · 08/11/2022 20:55

MolliciousIntent · 08/11/2022 20:50

I think this is a hard lesson best learned early, for both of you. She's learnt that money is gone once you've spent it, and you've learnt that she needs closer supervision.

It's not really the bank's problem - from their perspective if her ASN (not sure what that is, do you mean ASD?) means she can't be responsible for her own money, then it's your responsibility to take care of it for her, as she's a minor. it's not the bank's job to safeguard her, it's yours.

I still think they are obligated to refund me due to their terms. I thought shed do something like this but thought id be covered.

OP posts:
Flylittlebirdy · 08/11/2022 20:55

Any other part of parenting you’d like to outsource as well🙄

Morceaux · 08/11/2022 20:55

DashboardConfessional · 08/11/2022 20:51

"Thus, when using MovieStarPlanet products/services, the User expressly warrants being either (i) a child with acceptance from a guardian to enter into MovieStarPlanet or (ii) a child with power of attorney given by his/her parents. In both cases, the User expressly confirms to have the necessary legal basis to subscribe to any of the MovieStarPlanet deliveries or use his/her own money."

She's gone ahead and spent the money, thus they are operating as if she had permission I'm afraid.

It looks like the agreement is governed by the laws of Denmark so I don’t know how likely you are to get accurate legal advice on here, but it doesn’t appear on its face that the company has acted contrary to the terms; your daughter breached them.

On the face of it, I think YABU.

Violettaa · 08/11/2022 20:56

I thought shed do something like this but thought id be covered.

How unbelievably stupid of you.

Morceaux · 08/11/2022 20:56

MissesG · 08/11/2022 20:55

I still think they are obligated to refund me due to their terms. I thought shed do something like this but thought id be covered.

If you foresaw this happening you just sound like a bit of a scammer.

Charcy · 08/11/2022 20:57

She'll have ticked something to say she was over 18 or had the permission of an over 18 year old. This is why they are saying they won't refund. How can you PROVE that she didn't have your permission? Whereas they can prove their declaration was ticked.

You have zero legs to stand on. Hard lesson learned. Sorry.

Don't most accounts for U18s have the facility for parents to see what is being spent and where?

Ragwort · 08/11/2022 20:58

'You thought she'd do something like but thought you would be covered' Hmm ... why on earth allow her unlimited access to a Bank Card ....

Who do you think should pay?

Butitsnotfunnyisititsserious · 08/11/2022 20:59

So you expect the company to give her the money back that you knew shed spend? You don't sound like the best person to teach her about money tbh.

MolliciousIntent · 08/11/2022 20:59

MissesG · 08/11/2022 20:55

I still think they are obligated to refund me due to their terms. I thought shed do something like this but thought id be covered.

...why did you think that? Does it state in their Ts & Cs that they'll refund payments from minors?

If it just states that you need to be over 18, they're assuming that if you're purchasing you're over 18. Did she have to input her DOB to make an account?

You've been startlingly naive here OP. You can very, very rarely get refunds for gaming purchases, because she's had the benefit of the money spent already. If they did that, then everyone could just buy whatever they want and then claim they've got ADHD or are 12 and get a refund. Did you seriously think that was how it worked?

Charcy · 08/11/2022 20:59

Ragwort · 08/11/2022 20:58

'You thought she'd do something like but thought you would be covered' Hmm ... why on earth allow her unlimited access to a Bank Card ....

Who do you think should pay?

This. Also over the course of a cpl of months. OP should've been keeping a closer eye than this.

Headabovetheparakeet · 08/11/2022 20:59

I thought shed do something like this but thought id be covered.

So your plan was to let her take goods and services you don't want her to have and then argue for a refund?

TheRookie · 08/11/2022 21:00

Covered by who? The bank? She hasn't been conned or framed or frauded... She has been left unsupervised playing a game in which she can spend real money when she has little understanding of the implications. That's on you I'm afraid.

MissesG · 08/11/2022 21:00

If they need to be 18+ to buy, shouldn't it be the games responsibility to ask for proof of age? I cant think of anything else besides online games that she could buy that couldn't be returned.

OP posts:
FiveShelties · 08/11/2022 21:00

You just cannot be serious.

Headabovetheparakeet · 08/11/2022 21:02

MissesG · 08/11/2022 21:00

If they need to be 18+ to buy, shouldn't it be the games responsibility to ask for proof of age? I cant think of anything else besides online games that she could buy that couldn't be returned.

Have you ever had to provide proof of age when buying something online?

Why would you assume this exists?

Charcy · 08/11/2022 21:03

MissesG · 08/11/2022 21:00

If they need to be 18+ to buy, shouldn't it be the games responsibility to ask for proof of age? I cant think of anything else besides online games that she could buy that couldn't be returned.

🤣🤣🤣🤣 maybe it's not just your daughter who struggles. Jesus. I'm sorry but this is all on you and your continual arguments that they're the ones at fault is highlighting how this has happened.

No, they don't have to ask for iD, it's not selling alcohol in person. It's an online site. Again. She WILL have ticked a declaration to say she is either over 18 or has permission.

Same as years and years ago when you used to phone competition lines;you're agreeing you have the billpayers permission. Doubt many people actually got it.

MolliciousIntent · 08/11/2022 21:04

MissesG · 08/11/2022 21:00

If they need to be 18+ to buy, shouldn't it be the games responsibility to ask for proof of age? I cant think of anything else besides online games that she could buy that couldn't be returned.

No, they ask, and that absolves them of responsibility. If you lie, that's your problem. They're there to make money, not to protect your children. That's your job.

CraneBoysMysteries · 08/11/2022 21:05

I know you're getting a hard time Op but honestly this sort of sounds like you set her up, shrugged and left her to it.

If you knew this was a possibility then surely monitoring it regularly or putting spend limits on it would have been sensible?

One of the first posters has found the wording and it reads like you won't get the money back

Lesson learnt

AlwaysGinPlease · 08/11/2022 21:05

Of course YABVU. Lesson for you both.

viques · 08/11/2022 21:06

So she was buying things on this site where you are supposed to be over 18 FOR TWO MONTHS before you realised. And now you want a refund……

DrMarciaFieldstone · 08/11/2022 21:06

MissesG · 08/11/2022 21:00

If they need to be 18+ to buy, shouldn't it be the games responsibility to ask for proof of age? I cant think of anything else besides online games that she could buy that couldn't be returned.

What proof could they ask for?!

DashboardConfessional · 08/11/2022 21:06

There are loads of things not returnable. Lottery tickets. Customised items. Donations to Patreons of random content creators she likes. MP3 downloads.