Just got off the phone with Senior “Specialist” from their billing department named Bill (ironic) whom refused to refund me $65 after having had an app falsely advertise a 3-day free trial to unlock “special” features. I had screen shotted proof of the app’s advertisement disclosing the trial and indicating that I could “continue for free”. This screen shot (LUCKILY) was time/date stamped on the SAME day Apple charged me the $65. I took the screenshot prior to downloading the subscription jsut because I had a previous experience with Apple similar to this one. If it was a subscription with a 3-day free trial… why was my card charged as soon as I agreed to the subscription?

Prior to this conversation I did go the traditional route of having an Apple rep submit a claim for a refund request after explaining the situation through their customer service chat. Go figure, Apple denied it. I then got on the phone to physically speak with someone. spoke to another Apple Rep and re-explained the situation, emphasizing that I had a screen shot explicitly advertising the free trial and she appealed the originally-denied claim and again…Apple denied the refund request. If you’ve ever been in this situation, then you may know Apple likes to basically tell you that after a request like this has been denied twice, it is final—there is nothing else that they can do about it, and there is no one higher up that you can speak with. I decided anyway to get back on the phone and spoke to yet another Apple rep who I actually was able to screen-share with so that she could physically see in real-time what it was that I saw the day that I confirmed the subscription. After viewing this, she also agreed that this was in fact a false advertisement and confirmed not only that but that she could actually see that on the same day that I had downloaded the subscription with the free trial was the exact same day that Apple had charged my card. She had me send my evidential support in to some link that she sent to my email and basically told me she would escalate it up and that’s when she transferred me over to Mr. Bill, the Sr. Billing Specialists, who ultimately confirmed that it didn't matter that the app blatantly lied about a 3-day free trial. It did not matter that the charge was NOT authorized to come out of my account at that time that it did. It did not matter to him that I had a screenshot (WHICH HE COULD SEE FROM HIS END) of the advertisement stating that it was in fact a free trial. His response to me was basically that there was already 2 documented denials of my refund requests making the decision final, the charge wasn’t “eligible for a refund” (without giving insight as to why), and there was nothing further that he could do. When I mentioned speaking to my credit card company about disputing the charge since it was clearly unauthorized and off the basis of a false advertisement with photo proof, he made sure to inform me that I would risk having my Apple ID disabled if I chose to do that. 

Great customer service! Truly. I guess we’ll see what happens to my Apple ID because as soon as I hung up the phone, I got on the phone with Capital One to dispute.

anyone else have a similar experience? If so, how did you go about resolving it? Any issue with having your Apple ID disabled?

thanks

**for reference: this is a screenshot I took of the app and it’s advertisement which I agreed to by clicking “continue for free”. This is what was shown to Apple as my evidentiary support, yet it for whatever reason, didn’t change the outcome.

https://files.fm/u/pa7ap4wts9

on 4.11.2024 I accidentally signed up for a Microsoft 365 year (69,99€) subscription.

it was through my macbook, through Word, I needed to do something for school so I clicked on a message from Word offering me a month free. it asked for my email, I used my school one.

immediately after i got a notification saying I have been charged 69,99€ and a receipt to my non-school email adress -which I didn't even sign up with.

I immediately cancelled my subscription and talked to a Microsoft support guy online and he said the purchase was made through a 3rd party app (Apple) and that I should contact them.

Apple refused both a refund and an appeal.

What should I do? Should I contact Microsoft again?

I'm 17 years old and can't afford losing 70€. Any help is appreciated. G

Hello, I am a college student who subscribed to this academic related app’s free trial. It was a 3 day free trial and after three days I forgot to cancel my subscription which was an honest mistake and they took $10 off of my account. I filed for a refund and they said it’s not eligible, I tried convincing them by writing why I should be given a refund but I am sure that they would deny it for the second time.

Anyone knows where can I reach out to get my money back? Does apple has live chat support? Thank you so much.

EDIT: Funny, I went in here because it says AppleHelp not AppleJudge or whatever. But people in here seem to be so perfect that they’ve never had mistakes their whole life and so quick for judging me over $10. Forgetting to cancel a free trial DOES NOT make me an irresponsible person already. But at the same time money is still a money no matter how cheap it is so I was hoping there’s some way I could get it back, but clearly if there’s not then sure, like as if I have any other choice? Why would I stress myself if there’s no way to refund it anyway.

Anyway, for the perfect people on my comment box you don’t have to tell me to learn my lesson. Because nobody says I won’t. Matter of fact I have already told myself to be cautious next time before I even posted here. I was here to ask for help and not for some of y’all to give me an obvious lesson I didn’t even asked for.

$70 down the drain on REPLIKA of all apps. I have $10 to my name now. Misread the screen, I thought I was agreeing to use it for free, and next thing I know I get a charge for $70 on my card. I just wanted to test it out and see what the hype was.

I requested a refund through the original apple report a problem links.. they denied. Asked again. Denied again. I’m reaching out to the app itself now. Next step is my bank, if it hasn’t been too long. But I’m pissed. Thanks, apple.

can someone please help me? i made an accidental subscription through apple (in app), and the amount is really high. i’ve already requested a refund twice, but apple has denied both requests. i'm feeling really frustrated and don’t know what to do next.

here's the situation: • the purchase was accidental. • the amount is quite large, and I really need to get this resolved. • i've submitted two refund requests, but both were rejected by apple. • i've checked my purchase history and followed the usual refund process, but nothing seems to be working.

i also sent an email to the app’s support email, but I haven’t received any response.

has anyone here dealt with something similar and managed to get a refund from apple? any advice on what steps i should take next or how to improve my chances would be really appreciated.

Just got off a call with Apple Support. They're refusing to refund THREE subscriptions where I literally cannot use what I paid for:

1. ChatGPT Plus - Subscription applied to wrong OpenAI account. Can't access it. OpenAI says Apple handles App Store refunds.

2. Claude - The desktop app is completely broken. Launches to blank screen. This is a known issue. "Refunds are handled by Apple"

3. StarWalk - I cancelled this subscription a year ago, it's was not even in my iPad's subscription list when I linked my new card.

I'm an EU citizen who made these purchases while physically in the EU. When I mentioned EU consumer protection laws, the rep said Apple's "internal policies" take precedence.

That's... not how law works?

They refused escalation saying "it won't change anything." Case #102611860552 for anyone from Apple lurking.

Initiating chargebacks on all three and filing a complaint with EU authorities. Just wanted to warn others and document this nonsense.

Hi everyone , I'm new to Apple ecosystem , just got an iphone last summer , I installed this app called Opal to help me with focus , I wasn't planning on using the premium version , they offered access to premium features within a week , my understanding was that after the free trial ends , I will be simply locked out of the premium features and continue to use the free version , however yesterday I was charged for 70$ !! I immediatly cancelled the subscription and asked for a refund through apple's website . How much likely that I will get a refund ?

My younger brother subscribed free trial in Chess.com app, but apple store automatically purchased diamond member after free trial. Would apple refund to me ?

Hi guys hope you are all well! Today I made a purchase for 12 months of a Surfshark VPN subscription and when I tried to access it it was not working atall on any of my devices so I tried to cancel and get a refund, they said I must go through Apple to do so which i inevitably did. They also said although they have a 30 day money back guarantee it is up to apples discrepancy to refund me. I cancelled the subscription about an hour after buying it, do you think I will get the refund I rarely get refunded for items and do not abuse the system in anyway? Any help is greatly appreciated thank you in adance!

Update(02/18/2025) after I sent another two emails to [email protected], I got someone callback and reevaluated my refund, approved finally :)

I purchased a $120 app from the App Store, but it doesn’t work on my Mac. The developer reviewed my logs and confirmed the issue is real, agreeing that I should get a refund. However, since I paid via Apple Pay, they can’t refund me directly and told me to request it from Apple.

Here’s everything I’ve tried so far, but I’m stuck:

1. Developer agrees that the app doesn’t work on my Mac and supports my refund, but Apple controls the transaction.

2. Apple denied my refund request twice via reportaproblem.apple.com, so I can’t submit another one.

3. Apple support says they can’t help.

4. I filed a complaint with the BBB, but Apple gave me a generic response refusing the refund.

5. I emailed [email protected] – it’s been two weeks with no response.

6. I paid with an Apple Gift Card, so I can’t dispute the charge through my bank.

I specifically bought the app through the Mac App Store instead of the developer’s website because I trusted Apple to provide a safety net. Instead, it’s becoming an obstacle to getting my money back.

I’ve seen many similar experiences, and it’s shocking that Apple, as a platform, can enforce such one-sided policies without accountability.

👉 Do I have any options left, or do I just accept the loss 💢

Hi! I know this post seems a little odd and misplaced but I am doing this out of desperation in getting back my money charged from my account by Apple. I am only a student and the amount charged is already a lot for me and was basically taken from my monthly allowance. I have tried contacting their customer service support, both the VPN's and Apple's, with Apple being mostly the problem and kept denying my refund request.

The purchase was made by my little brother who is a minor so I did not have much control over what happened ):

It is a 1 year subscription to a VPN that starts with Ex ($118.39 / ₱6,650) I'm willing to sell it discounted for only $100 / ₱5,616.

Hi everyone, I really need help or stories from people who’ve been in the same situation.

Earlier today and woke up to see I was charged because I forgot to cancel a free trial that auto-renewed into a subscription. I got too busy and completely forgot to cancel it in time but as soon as I saw the charge, I immediately canceled the subscription and filed a refund request under “I didn’t intend to purchase this.” I also spoke to Apple Support, but they told me the request is still processing. They said it usually takes 24–48 hours and they couldn’t give me any assurance yet.

Has anyone here ever gotten a refund decision from Apple in less than 24 hours? If so, how quickly did the refund show up in your account? Any experiences or advice would mean so much 🙏

Posting for a friend:

Hey everyone,

Just a bit of context: 7 days ago, I installed the Videoleap app from the Apple Store and started their free 7-day trial. However, I forgot to cancel my subscription before the renewal date. I then suddenly received an email saying I had been charged the yearly fee, so I immediately canceled my subscription and filed a refund claim.

I was just wondering if I’m eligible for a refund, given the situation above. Any thoughts and suggestions regarding this would be greatly appreciated. TYSM 🥹

I bought Freeletics on the App Store for $125. Their app description clearly states a 14 day money back guarantee. Twice. I tried it out and the app sucks so I requested a refund through Report a Problem from Apple within a few days. Since I requested a refund, I lost access to the app. Apple denied my refund twice saying that I’m “ineligible.” I’ve talked to a bunch of Apple specialists who all do the same thing - deny me and try to placate me by making a note of my complaint.

So now I have no shitty app and I’m out $125. Freeletics won’t give me access back because I requested a refund. Apple won’t give me a refund. I’d really just like my money back.

My current plan is just to keep messaging and calling Apple support to waste at least $125 of their time. I didn’t actually do that. It would be a huge waste of my own time. In my own pettiness, I’ve made sure to cancel all of my subscriptions through the App Store. From now on I’ll only use apps that let me handle a subscription from their websites. My credit card has better refund protection than Apple does.

Some clarifying information - Freeletics states twice in their app description that they offer a 14 day money back guarantee. You cannot access the pro features without purchasing. I made a refund request well within those 14 days. I told this to Apple. They didn’t care.

I forgot to cancel a free trial subscription and just got charged. Would I have a better chance choosing the "I forgot to cancel" option or the "I'd like to request a refund" and writing a message there. I have no past history with requesting refunds if that changes anything.

I needed to download the Adobe Acrobat app to help fill out these forms for a staffing agency, and a subscription is required with a 3 day free trial. I’ve been busy moving the last few days and completely forgot to cancel it until I saw a notification from my PayPal saying I got charged a whole $76 for the yearly subscription.

I requested a refund from Apple support, and this is my first time requesting a refund. I’ve heard mixed reviews about Apple being lenient with refunds. Is there a chance I may get refunded? I know it’s my fault for not cancelling immediately which I usually do with free trials, but I’ve been so caught up with moving and running around these last few days that I completely forgot.

EDIT: Checked my refund update, they’re refunding me!

Location: Ireland

I recently downloaded Duolingo and kept seeing ads for “super Duolingo” I thought it sounded handy so I decided to subscribe because it was a two week free trial and they said they would contact me two days before the free trial is over. What I initially planned on doing was playing it until the free trial was over and if I was happy I’d keep the subscription. What I thought and was so sure I did was subscribe to the monthly payment, but no, I subscribed to the yearly payment which costs €101.99. I didn’t notice this til I saw my bank account today half an hour after the money was taken from my account. I immediately went onto the website where I can ask apple for a refund. It was a simple enough process and it says they will get back to me 24 hours from now.

I’m very frustrated because I was so certain I picked monthly, I didn’t see any warning two days in advance (I’ll take the blame I’m terrible with messages) the refund process didn’t let me explain my error and at the moment I’m a student, I’m not working full time and €100 euro is a big loss. I cancelled my subscription on Duolingo and I’m waiting on a reply from the refund claim. Any advice, should I maybe ring someone? I’d appreciate any input.

I bought an expensive monthly subscription for an app that did not work. I only had it a few days despite it being $250 a month. I asked apple for a refund or at bare minimum a pro-rated refund and apple denied me.

Regardless of it not working, paying for the app for a whole month and only having it two days, apple doesn’t give a shit because they are greedy fucks and want their cut of the subscription.

I was told if I did a chargeback then they may disable my apple ID. A way for the greedy cunts to leverage you.

Apple is fucking evil greedy fucks. They used to do refunds not anymore though. They just leverage you and provide zero consumer protections.

I purchased a MONTH subscription to Blinkist through Apple on my iPhone, but I was billed for a WHOLE YEAR. I'm 100 percent certain that I clicked on the MONTH subscription; I always double check before clicking.

I have called Apple twice about this. The refund has been denied twice. Upon asking why it was denied, I was told that their financial team makes those decisions. Upon asking how to contact the financial department, I was told that they do not accept any form of contact.

What do I do? I'm on disability and so I'm very limited on my funds. To top that off, I have a guardian, and so I am only allotted $575 a month.

It should have been $7.99 (for a month) as it was a holiday deal. But I was charged $89.99, and now I have a year subscription, and no possible way to pay all my bills.

I thought about contacting my bank about it, but after reading some posts on reddit, I see that people who have contacted their bank have gotten their money back, only to lose access to all of the apps they own through Apple among other digital content purchased through apple. I saw that other people lost the ability to do almost anything on their apple phone after filing this with their bank and getting their money back. I can't afford another phone; even a cheap android.

I don't know what to do. Does anyone have any advice? Thank you all for any help.