Your kid's 'accidental' Amazon app spending will be refunded soon
Some $70 million in purchases made between 2011 and 2016 are eligible.
It's finally time to put a bow on Amazon's case with the Federal Trade Commission. In 2014, the online shopping juggernaut cam under fire for not fully warning parents that free apps could still contain in-app purchases. Last year a federal judge ruled that Amazon didn't do enough to inform folks of such (or offer safeguards/speed bumps ahead of finalizing a purchase). That changes today as the FTC has ruled to end the lawsuit. This move means that the refund process for some $70 million in eligible purchases made between November 2011 and May 2016 can begin. Said refunds will be via method of purchase, not gift cards.
"This case demonstrates what should be a bedrock principal for all companies -- you must get customers' consent before you charge them," the acting director of the FTC's Bureau of Consumer Protection Thomas B. Pahl said in a statement. "Consumers affected by Amazon's practices can now be compensated for charges they didn't expect or authorize."
The FTC says that details about the refund program (which Amazon will operate) will be revealed shortly. We've reached out to Amazon for more information about when exactly that will start and will update this post should it arrive.
