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Original poster

OMFG just found out DS has spent £1700 on ipod game!!!

365 replies

splodge2001 · 11/11/2013 21:14

It's all in the title really. Still shaking, It's been going on since June> I hadn't noticed because the spending was masked by some unusual purchases over the last few months. Am livid! I've deleted 'Clash of Clans' banned the Ipod, grounded him, asked him to think of ways he can pay us back (he won't be able to). What the hell do I do? Can I get my money back. Do I report it as fraud? After all, I didn't allow it to happen. Help!

OP posts:
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BitOutOfPractice · 13/11/2013 07:02

Well good for you penny but I think if you read the thread then you'll see people here who had their security set as tight as a gnat's arse who still got caught out. Not to mention the changes that the new iOS update has made to settings.

curlew · 13/11/2013 07:26

It absolutely could happen to anyone-if they have an 11 year old who is prepared to steal from them.........

I can't see why people don't think this is the crucial point here.

youarewinning · 13/11/2013 07:27

I suspect your DS watched you key in the pin and learnt it. My DS' Ipad has the restrictions on - pin protected - then app downloading, in app purchases and app deletion are all switched off, then it asks for password everytime. He picked up very quickly what the password was and announced he knew it - I changed it and told him simply if he accessed the apps restrictions or downloaded anything he would no longer have an Ipad.

I agree with other posters who say your son knew what he was doing. He may not have realised how much he'd spent, or understand the true value of money but he actively set out to find out your password to access restricted stuff. The onus is on you as the bill payer to have noticed these amounts going out. If you noticed straightaway I can see why apple would refund.

It's been 5 months!

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Pennythedog · 13/11/2013 07:42

The Google thing is different as that is Android not Apple.

If your security is tight then it cannot happen. It just can't. It is scare-mongering to say it can. If you update your IOS then double check your settings afterwards. Do it every time.

Everyone knows about In-app purchases so keep your devices safe. It only takes a few minutes to set up.

I'm not being smug or blaming anyone but it's not that complicated to protect yourself and it will save you a lot of tears and stress.

5madthings · 13/11/2013 07:42

yes anyone with a child that would steal, which is something lots of kids do at this age...normally the odd bit of change lying round the house tho not £1700 on apps!

but the other crucial bit is that the op did not check her cc statement for 5/6mths. had she been looking at her statement she would have seen the itemised payments to apple.

checking statements is crucial for financial security. what if someone had cloaned the ops card etc?

BitOutOfPractice · 13/11/2013 07:53

I agree 5mad that that was a mistake. I was merely pointing out to someone saying "oh it could never happen to me. My security is so tight." Might have to eat their words one day.

Original poster
splodge2001 · 13/11/2013 08:00

pennythedog is right.

DS is saw that the pin was four digits and decided to go through our birth years and guess what, mine worked!

He may be a thief but he's not stupid! Currently working on a home spun community service order and some kind of games addict programme. He actually feels relieved but admits to being addicted. Does anyone know of anything? I don't want the school or GP to know.

OP posts:
EBearhug · 13/11/2013 08:09

DS is saw that the pin was four digits and decided to go through our birth years and guess what, mine worked!

There's a reason why you're advised not to use dates like this as a PIN.

Strumpetron · 13/11/2013 08:12

Oh for the love of god I don't know about games addiction but he really knows how to play you OP.

Games addiction? Going to the GP? Good grief. I think all children are 'addicted' to games at some point. It doesn't make it the illness that true addiction really is.

5madthings · 13/11/2013 08:14

why dont you want school or gp to know they may be able to hrlp.
tbh i would just make him go cold turkey, no ipod etc. no interney access apart from homework.

look i can be lax at checking statements in detail, but always skim read and check for anything i dont recognise etc, its shit this has happened and disappointing from your sons pov, but i dont tjink he is devil incarnate and he probably didnt think how much it was all adding up.. but now is the time to start checking accounts properly.

SilverApples · 13/11/2013 08:29

My Aspie would spend his time online or gaming 24/7 given the choice, but he hasn't been allowed to. He got an allocation of time online, a warning 15 minutes before the deadline and if he overran, he lost the next day's time. All of it.
So why not try a few boundaries with your DS first, instead of looking for gamer addiction programmes as a first step?
You also need to work on his understanding of trust abuse issues, and why he shouldn't help himself to things without checking if it's OK. Which will involve discussions, you doing a lot of calm listening and evaluating and being clear about what the problem is and why it is a problem.

Preciousbane · 13/11/2013 08:31

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

curiousgeorgie · 13/11/2013 09:16

Okay, this was playing on my mind so I downloaded the game onto my old iPhone, no current phone service, so essentially just an iPod on wifi.

You need your apple ID to get the game in the first place, then an apple ID when you want to purchase something, not a pin.

So, did you give it to him or did he guess that as well?

IAlwaysThought · 13/11/2013 09:47

OP. Did you contact APPLE yesterday? Hmm

If not, are you going to contact them?

Jins · 13/11/2013 09:57

This isn't new. I'm not sure how helpful people think they are being by having a go at the OP. Nobody thinks that their young child will steal off them so a situation like this comes like a bolt from the blue.

All those with perfectly behaved 3 year olds really have little idea of how 11 year olds behave at times so let's hope karma doesn't come into play.

For what its worth I doubt that Apple will refund in this instance due to the timescales. They may offer a goodwill amount but they may not. There is an option to reclaim the money through the cc provider but OP needs to report her DS for fraud. I seem to remember someone doing that recently but it was a huge amount. I'm not sure I'd be comfortable putting fraud on my child's record but I don't know how long it stays with them.

It's a lesson learned and hopefully others will learn from it.

IAlwaysThought · 13/11/2013 10:07

Splodge

Lots of kids, boys especially, would play computer games all day long if their parents let them. This is a parenting issue not an addiction issue.

I would be much more concerned about the 'stealing' side of things and not the 'addiction' side.

There is plenty you can do to ensure this doesn't happen again.

IAlwaysThought · 13/11/2013 10:10

HERE is Jins link

Prawntoast · 13/11/2013 10:12

It's a huge pain but the best thing thing to do is not leave card details on the account, of course it means that you have to enter your payment method every time you purchase but at least this sort of situation wouldn't occur. I cannot see Apple refunded after this length of time, at some point it's your responsibility to check these payments otherwise everyone could claim their child was spending on an unauthorised basis.

Norudeshitrequired · 13/11/2013 10:30

The OP has just lost whatever credibility she had left by excusing her sons theft and labelling it as a gaming addiction which needs treatment.

OP - based on that excuse I am now very informed as to how this situation has arose. Your son clearly knows that he can hoodwink you because you are gullible and therefore he can do whatever he wants.
The best thing to do is to remove the ipod and any other tablet or gaming devices so that you son cannot access them. This is not to treat his 'addiction', it is to punish him for his deceit and theft and manipulative behaviour.

wannaBe · 13/11/2013 11:36

"All those with perfectly behaved 3 year olds really have little idea of how 11 year olds behave at times so let's hope karma doesn't come into play." I have an eleven year old and there is no way he would do this. And there is no way I would fail to notice him spending £1700 over a period of six months.

But, you do not need a pin to do in-app purchases on an iPod you need the apple ID password. so the inaccurate info coupled with the whole notion of it being a gaming addiction/the op's inability to notice etc leaves me wondering if this is actually even real.

Hmm
SilverApples · 13/11/2013 11:39

He's going to be an interesting teenager, that's for sure.
Neither of mine were perfectly behaved, or even close to perfection at 3. They were pretty good teenagers, and as adults they are lovely.

Jins · 13/11/2013 11:40

All you can guarantee wannaBe is that you would notice the spend. Everything else is out of your control. There are no guarantees

SilverApples · 13/11/2013 11:41

Well, out of your control unless you are monitoring your child, pick up the problem at an early stage and remove the technology altogether.

Alibabaandthe40nappies · 13/11/2013 11:44

There is no PIN on an iPod, unless you talking about the PIN to simply open the device?

This is looking more and more like a thinly veiled attack on apple/technology/gaming.

Why haven't you rung Apple OP? What are you waiting for?

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