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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:
MissesG · 08/11/2022 22:27

Charcy · 08/11/2022 22:26

And there is no chance she altered her DOB to be "over 18"?

moviestarplanet apparently dont encourage use of the game by 18s and over. If she had input that she was 18+, assuming you can, i imagine her account wouldve been closed

OP posts:
OhSunnyMorning · 08/11/2022 22:28

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

Take some personal responsibility ffs.

HerMajestysRoyalCoven · 08/11/2022 22:32

MissesG · 08/11/2022 22:27

moviestarplanet apparently dont encourage use of the game by 18s and over. If she had input that she was 18+, assuming you can, i imagine her account wouldve been closed

Eh? What company doesn’t encourage any adult to play its game, much less actively close accounts of any adult trying to? Loads of games aimed at young kids and teenagers are ridiculously popular with adults. This desperation for it all to be someone else’s problem is truly bizarre.

Charcy · 08/11/2022 22:33

MissesG · 08/11/2022 22:27

moviestarplanet apparently dont encourage use of the game by 18s and over. If she had input that she was 18+, assuming you can, i imagine her account wouldve been closed

Wait. What?

So they don't let/want adults play the game......but your whole argument has been that she's used a debit card for an under 18yo/is under 18 and wasn't asked for ID
.....

Your story now has more holes in it than the sieve in my kitchen.

itsatavern · 08/11/2022 22:34
Hmm
HerMajestysRoyalCoven · 08/11/2022 22:36

Clear as mud. They won’t let you buy anything unless you’re over 18 but if you’re over 18 you can’t play the game. Game companies hate people buying in app purchases and making them money so this makes perfect sense. Duh.

Basilthymerosemary · 08/11/2022 22:36

Their terms and conditions regarding adults (over 18s)

ASN spent £200 on game refusing to refund
VisitingThem · 08/11/2022 22:37

Well OP hopefully some good has come of this, its a great lesson for your daughter that if she spends all her money its gone, and even mummy having a go at the company won't make it come back.

Some PP's have suggested you may be able to argue the money back, I would suggest if you do try this, you keep it to yourself or its not really much of a lesson.

As for in game purchases, this is absolutely the way media is going. Subscription models as well. It's how these companies make money and they are not going to just give you the money back for fun.

Thirdsummerofourdiscontent · 08/11/2022 22:40

You need to cop this in the chin. You are saying you knew your daughter wasn’t responsible with money but didn’t supervise her money. They have absolutely no obligation to refund.

melj1213 · 08/11/2022 22:42

OP YABU

Either your DD is capable enough to have a bank account that you have no access to, and therefore can buy whatever she wants with her money, or she is not capable enough to have a bank account you can't access, in which case you should be controlling her purchases.

What you seem to want is for your DD to have independent money management, until she fucks up and then you want to blame everyone else because you "couldn't stop her" ... Neither could anyone else.

If she had spent £200 in one go then you might have stood a chance of asking the company to refund on the grounds that it was made in error as, due to her ASN, she didn't realise just how much she had spent in real world terms. As it was a one off single transaction then they may have refunded as a goodwill gesture. However, your DD spent this money in increments over two months so you can't argue it was a "mistake" as it was multiple mistakes over multiple transactions on multiple dates. The company will just argue that if your DDs ASN is so severe that she doesn't understand her £200 worth of purchases then it is your responsibility to be supervising her spending, it is not their responsibility to refund after the fact due to your negligence.

mycatisannoying · 08/11/2022 22:43

Sorry OP, but YABU.

mycatisannoying · 08/11/2022 22:46

ASN = Additional Support Needs

Charcy · 08/11/2022 22:46

Right. OP. Have a read as you seem to be struggling with this. Also there's no reference to using a card designed for "under 18s"

Bank accounts are either "joint" for young teens. Or you've given YOUR permission for her to have her own account at 16.

Either way, you and your DD are responsible for the £200 and you won't get it back.
................
If you are under 18 years of age or do not pay your own bills, you must get permission from your parents, the person who pays your bills, or the cardholder before making any MovieStarPlanet purchases with that card. If you make any unauthorized payment on MovieStarPlanet - regardless of payment method - your account will be permanently deleted. Also, if you do not abide by the MovieStarPlanet Terms & Conditions, your account may be terminated and you will lose any in-game currency and virtual goods your profile may have attained. Furthermore, if you delete your own MovieStarPlanet account, you will also lose any in-game currency you may have left in the account. YOU PROMISE THAT YOU WILL NEVER ASSERT OR BRING ANY CLAIM OR SUIT AGAINST MOVIESTARPLANET GROUP OF GAMES, ITS LICENSOR(S) OR THIRD PARTY PROVIDERS OR ANY EMPLOYEES OF ANY OF THE ABOVE, WHICH IS RELATED TO OR BASED ON (I) A CLAIM THAT YOU "OWN" ANY VIRTUAL GOODS, (II) A CLAIM FOR THE "VALUE" OF VIRTUAL GOODS IF MOVIESTARPLANET DELETES THEM ), (III) A CLAIM FOR THE "VALUE" OF VIRTUAL GOODS THAT YOU MAY LOSE IF MOVIESTARPLANET DOES ANYTHING THAT IT IS ENTITLED TO DO PURSUANT TO ANY PROVISION OF THESE TERMS AND CONDITIONS OR ITS PRIVACY POLICY,(IV)FOR ANY MALFUNCTIONS AND/OR "BUGS" INTHE MOVIESTARPLANET GROUP OF GAMES WEBSITES OR (V) A CLAIM THAT THE "VALUE" OF ANY VIRTUAL GOODS HAS INCREASED OR DECREASED BY VIRTUE OF ANY MODIFICATION THAT MOVIESTARPLANET HAS MADE OR WILL MAKE

Pixiedust1234 · 08/11/2022 22:48

So you are not monitoring her spending and bank account, nor are you monitoring her online life including social media (community forum) but due to her having ASN she requires help with jobs and general living decisions?

Good grief OP, please start parenting properly. Your priority should be checking her online sm presence as she is ripe for picking from various sources Confused

TwoBlueFish · 08/11/2022 22:50

I haven’t read through everything but you should get third party access for her bank account. She will need to give permission but it will allow you to monitor the spending better www.santander.co.uk/personal/support/supported-banking/third-party-access

ZooTropia · 08/11/2022 22:54

MissesG · 08/11/2022 21:52

Ive said too much and not enough.

whilst a certain age she got pocket money now she gets the money from her job which i expect her to manage for some things, i have no control of where her wages go, nor could I close or prevent her from opening a bank account. There is no monitoring I could do and I cant reasonably stop her accessing the internet or watch her constantly. she shouldnt have been able to tick something she should only be able to buy at 18 without proving ID

There is a reason you dont go around accusing people of theft me deciding she has to pay for some things out of her money doesnt mean ive set her up to fail when I cant control what she does in the first place.

If she has a job, she knows the meaning of money because she gets a set amount for the work she does. She clearly understood what she was doing when she spent it!
However, YABU to want a refund

mogsrus · 08/11/2022 22:57

You thought it might happen , you thought you would be covered you thought wrong Hopefully you have learnt a painful lesson, sorry no one to blame but yourself

MissesG · 08/11/2022 22:58

ZooTropia · 08/11/2022 22:54

If she has a job, she knows the meaning of money because she gets a set amount for the work she does. She clearly understood what she was doing when she spent it!
However, YABU to want a refund

The money wasnt for spending on games though.

OP posts:
Charcy · 08/11/2022 23:01

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by MNHQ. Here's a link to our Talk Guidelines.

HerMajestysRoyalCoven · 08/11/2022 23:02

MissesG · 08/11/2022 22:58

The money wasnt for spending on games though.

That is a parenting issue, not a bank or video game company issue. Are you seriously not able to see that?

Charcy · 08/11/2022 23:02

Pixiedust1234 · 08/11/2022 22:48

So you are not monitoring her spending and bank account, nor are you monitoring her online life including social media (community forum) but due to her having ASN she requires help with jobs and general living decisions?

Good grief OP, please start parenting properly. Your priority should be checking her online sm presence as she is ripe for picking from various sources Confused

This with bells on. Irresponsible OP wants to be bloody thankful it's only money this time. And hopefully learn a lesson.

Enko · 08/11/2022 23:05

MissesG · 08/11/2022 21:13

I thought someone might say something like this. She couldnt eat £200 worth of sweets 😂 Thats not really comparable. Its a game. The items are virtual. they havent lost physical goods.

Over 2 months 200 worth of sweets is a packet of jelly beans /posh popcorn or caramel a day. Most teenagers could manage that.

So I think its very comparable

Pixiedust1234 · 08/11/2022 23:05

The money wasnt for spending on games though.

She thought it was, ant it was her own money. Either your daughter is able to have a bank account by herself (and spends on what she wants) , or she isn't. There is no middle ground as you are finding out.

Time for an honest sit down with her and explain that you can't protect her if she chooses to act as an independent adult.

Harrysnippleno3 · 08/11/2022 23:12

The money wasnt for spending on games though.

She didn't understand that. You knew she didn't understand that. You did nothing. In fact you enabled her.

MissesG · 08/11/2022 23:21

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by MNHQ. Here's a link to our Talk Guidelines.

similarly, just because you dont like the situation, doesnt mean Im a troll. Youre very invested in this thread and being aggressive towards me. You are very stressed, and quite frankly unhinged and should pay attention to that. I bet youre the same kind of person who yells at their own kids because "they deserve it" and at the same time act all high and mighty. In a way youre a hypocrite because there is no way the sun shines from your behind but you dont deserve abuse for it. stop harassing me

OP posts:
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