How to Obtain a Refund for Your iTunes Purchase

Sweet! This wicked awesome app I bought at the App Store for $20 bucks is gonna be awesome and wicked! Can’t wait to use it and show it off to my jealous co-workers at Taco Bell tomorrow!

Fast-forward, one hour later…

WTF?! All this stupid app can do is make fart sounds?! I lost a precious Andrew Jackson to Apple and this is what they give me in return? FML

Sadly, Taco man did not enjoy his latest purchase at the iTunes Store (He probably forgot to read The Nine Worst iPhone Applications Ever Made). What should he do? Delete the app and forget about the whole incident? Heck no! It’s called getting a refund. Yep, I’ve done it once already. Let me show you how.

So here are the steps:

Update: It seems that when you click the “Report a problem” link in iTunes, it forwards you to this page. No need to open up iTunes in that case. The form in step 5 is essentially the same thing. Either form should work.

  1. Open iTunes on your computer.
  2. Navigate to iTunes Store >> Account >> Purchase History
  3. Click on Report a Problem
  4. Fill out the form detailing the reason you are seeking a refund.
  5. If the form cannot be accessed for whatever reason, try filling out the online form instead.
  6. Submit the form. Apple should respond within 48 hours.

Too simple? Of course. Let me show you how to do it right.

The key to obtaining a refund is in step 4. It’s important that you clearly state that you want a refund for a product you purchased at the iTunes Store. Also, never say that you want a refund simply because you didn’t like it or that “it sucked.” The employee reading the message must sift through hundreds of these similar requests and will in all likelihood deny your request for a refund. Similarly, keep the message short and concise.

Here’s my refund request:

itunes refund message

Click to enlarge

As you can see, I made it clear that I wanted a refund for the song, “Concerto in C Major.” I explained that I wanted to purchase an album that contained the song. Thus, I felt that it would be wrong to pay extra when I had already bought one of the songs from the album. Notice also that the message is only three sentences long. Try to avoid exceeding 5 sentences.

Two days later, I received a reply…

itunes refund

Click to enlarge

Yea, sucks right? Song credit. Either way, a refund is a refund. To make matters slightly worse, Apple keeps 30% when it issues a refund. Don’t fret about it though. If you sincerely believe you deserve a refund, report the problem to Apple. Businesses can’t survive for long if it treats its customers poorly. Remember that.

BTW, you should follow me on Twitter here.

Photo by Muffet

Have you tried obtaining a refund from Apple? How did it work out? Let me know in the comments section below!

  • julie

    hi i was sent a free app called pet hotel which i downloaded for my 7 yr old daughter!! iv had it probably 3 days. today i recieved 3 itunes bills for just under £200 :{ when i have loked into this, children are asked to feed there pets who live in the hotel and given a list of what they can buy! u pick whatever u want which then pops up how many pet treats u are buying and the price!! you press yes or close!! now my daughter dosnt know that a few virtual treets for and this is true!! would cost £75.00 is coming out of my bank account she thinks its virtual money she has earned looking after the pets! no itunes account and pass word pops up so they are free to buy as many as they want thinking as its a virtual game everything is make believe!!!!i was in shock for over a hour then cried as u cant call apple re app store ! my bank wont stop the money as it is paid by my apple account which is a visa debit card so the money is promised!!! i have been well and truley conned and had my eyes out on sticks!! i can not believe i tunes has this as a app i am totally devestated and broke with £200 worth of virtual treats to play with!!!!!!!!!! nightmare Any advice would be great!!!

    • http://tonyhue.com/ Tony Hue

      Hey Julie. It appears you’ve fallen victim to the “in-app purchase” system that a lot of apps are including as a way to get people to purchase “upgrades, features, etc.” It’s a common practice these days and has been around for some time. A lot of parents have also had there children racking up huge iTunes bills as a result. This was such a big problem that a lawsuit was filed against Apple: http://www.pcworld.com/article/225396/apple_slapped_with_class_action_lawsuit_over_inapp_purchases.html

      Since then, Apple has released an update to their software in iOS 4.3 which requires the user to re-enter their password before they make an in-app purchase: http://www.pcworld.com/article/221903/apple_kidproofs_itunes_requires_password_for_inapp_purchases.html

      In regards to a refund, I’m not sure how that will work for in-app purchases. Try looking for a “Report a problem” link in your iTunes bill email and explain your situation. That’s probably the best option for you at this moment.

      • sandy75

        My 10 year old daughter did the same thing in this frigen pet hotel. more than $750 on my sister inlaws Ipad. there are a few issues going on here;

        a; my daughter plays games (at home and school on mathletics) where she “buys” pretend stuff for her pretend world all the time. She thought she was using pretend money.

        b: she has seen my computer time out and knows that sometimes I have to put my password in to log back on. She thought when it asked her for a password it was the same thing.

        c: she knows that when I buy “stuff” (tickets, flights etc) online. I have to put a card number in, she thought that because she wasn”t have to put a number it not real.

        d: when she downloaded the app it said very clearly on it FREE…she thought it was in fact FREE

        They train our kids, (even with educational programs like mathletics) to buy stuff like this online with pretend money and then trick them into using real money. They should not even be allowed to have an in-app purchase worth $110 in a kids game…..ITS A FRIGEN SCAM!!!!

  • bradley

    Plz let me know how this turns out. My nieces did the same thing… I now owe itunes $300… how if possible can I get my $$$ back?

  • http://blog.k12.com Scott Holm

    I’m in the process of seeking a refund for an app my company offers, normally $4.99 which is supposed to be free for a 3 hour window today. I submitted my request at http://www.apple.com/support/itunes/contact.html?form=account&topic=iTunes%20Store%20Account%20and%20Billing&subtopic=Billing%20Inquiries#. I’ll try to post an update if my refund request is successful.

    • http://tonyhue.com/ Tony Hue

      Great! Keep me posted!

  • Kali

    I did not get a huge bill here, butI was blinded by the fact that an app I thought was free was actually 0.99 (and by blinded I mean literally, my nephew had just accidentally shot me on the eye with a nerf gun, and I was temporarily blinded out of one eye. I have already sent an email to Apple (before reading this article, sadly) Asking politely why some of my credit was gone. That was before I realized that an app I had downloaded was indeed 0.99. Apple has not yet replyed since it was only a couple hours ago that I sent the email. What do I do now?

    • http://loneplacebo.com/ Tony Hue

      You’re only option is to wait, Kali. It really just depends on what you wrote in the email, requesting your refund. It all depends on whether Apple believes you have a legitimate reason for getting your money back.

      BTW, how did you contact them?

      • Kali

        I was using fastlane and at the end of doing it it said my contact options were only to email. Thanks. :)

      • http://loneplacebo.com/ Tony Hue

        Fastlane?

  • Harriet

    Thank you. Whether or not Ivey a refund, I have learned something.

  • eva

    A friend of mine who said he would only use my account to buy free apps since he does not have an apple account. He proved to be not trustworthy as after i asked him to please not buy anything in the end he did & so i have asked apple to refund the purchase. Do you think that this is a legitiment reason? & if not what else can i do? I know its only 2.19 but its still money.

    • Eva-pham

      sorry theres a few typos

    • http://loneplacebo.com/ Tony Hue

      Thanks for the comment Eva. I’m not sure that’s an easy sell. It’s kinda hard to convince someone by saying, “Hey, I didn’t buy it! It was my friend!” Apple can’t verify whether this is true, since they can only see that it was your account that was charged.

  • nina

    I bought a song that was mislabled. Do you think I would be able to get a refund?

    • http://tonyhue.com Tony Hue

      absolutely. do it!

  • Stevety

    Hey Tony, thanks for the tips my friend, i managed to get a full refund on 2 apps i bought in error.

    kind regards steve

  • Amber Stephens

    Hi, I accidentally bought a ringtone for my iPod Touch. I have tried downloading iTunes numerous times but it just won’t work! Is there a solution for this or do I need iTunes? Is there any other way to get a refund?

  • Guest

    how many times we can refund our money?

    • Sylvier1234e

      I’ve gotten up to 10 refunds from the same purchases (I purchases it, get a refund, buy it again, ect ect) so 10 times lol

  • 2010

    I bought a song with iTUNES that was not the original version. Yes, I should have previewed it but the description did not indicate this in any of the details. Not “remastered” or “live” etc. I used the techniques(was courteous) and received a full refund. Actual cash refund 100%. It took a few emails back and forth, like they put up a few easy hurdles to see if you are reasonable and aren’t ripping them off. A real person dialogue at Apple and it was OK. Thanks for the tips.

  • 2244

    Apple won’t refund me for my App because I told them it did not function right, so no refund

  • Adelles

    Got a refund of £700 from Apple within 6 hrs of contacting them. 6 Yr old son played an “in app” and was able to download £700 worth of jems in a kids game in 10 mins without a password !! nearly had a heart attack when the bill arrived – please make sure your apple products are disabled in the settings for this type of application !! or a free kids game could cost you dearly !!

  • Stella

    Hi thanks for sharing your thoughts and concerns,pls if u could help me my son bought games from iTunes which cost me fortune and I am looking for refund?will they give me the refund I already sent them request email and I am waiting for reply.pls help thanks stella2francis@yahoo.com. Pls reply me .