PayPal users mistakenly charged as much as $4,000 for Mac OS X Lion

Posted:
in macOS edited January 2014
Multiple PayPal users have been incorrectly charged for purchasing Mac OS X 10.7 Lion from the Mac App Store numerous times, with one user claiming to have received a bill of nearly $4,000 for the $29.99 software.



One customer who contacted AppleInsider on Wednesday said they were charged $3,878 on July 28 in a series of 122 separate charges for $31.79 each. They said they reached out to Apple but have not been able to secure a refund.



"Apple blames PayPal, PayPal blames Apple," they wrote in an e-mail. "They both are claiming to investigate, but I am stuck broke for three days now."



The story is bolstered by a growing thread on the official Apple Support Communities, filled with users who have also seen multiple mistaken charges for Lion. The thread was started by user "abhas," who found they were charged by the iTunes Store 20 times for Lion, leaving them with a bill of $599.80.



The problem seems to lie solely with users who have a PayPal account connected to their iTunes Store account for payments. Some who contacted PayPal said they were told that the multiple charges were made by the iTunes Store, while Apple has insisted to some that the iTunes Store only charged ones.



"I just got off the phone with PayPal," user "JustinIowa" wrote. "They said that even though Apple has refunded the balance and it shows that in my PayPal account, that they will not refund the money back to my bank account. It will wait until it withdraws the full amount from my bank balance, then it will be refunded to my PayPal balance."







Some reported that they have been hit with overdraft fees and other charges because of mistaken multiple charges. Some have also been left waiting days for the refunds to reappear in their PayPal accounts.



"App Store agents have told me this is now a known issue and Apple is investigating the specific causes," user "teknikks" wrote on the Apple forums. "So far they can only blame an overload in their automated payment system from all the Lion downloads."



Currently available only on the Mac App Store, Lion got off to a strong start last week, topping a million downloads in its first day of availability. That's the fastest start of any operating system in Apple history.



The switch from disc-based operating system installs to the Mac App Store did result in issues for a handful of users who experienced problems updating their systems to Lion. But by all accounts those issues have been rare, as 14,772 customers on the Mac App Store have given Lion an average score of four-and-a-half stars out of five.
«13

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 49
    steven n.steven n. Posts: 1,229member
    That would be a better campaign than the anti-drugs campaign. Regardless of whose fault this is, with PayPal resolution will be almost impossible. Use a real credit card and it would be worked out in hours.
  • Reply 2 of 49
    eightzeroeightzero Posts: 3,056member
    This is why I have my paypal account backed by US guaranteed securities!
  • Reply 3 of 49
    tallest skiltallest skil Posts: 43,388member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by eightzero View Post


    This is why I have my paypal account backed by US guaranteed securities!



    What happens when our country defaults, has a depression, and can't guarantee those anymore?
  • Reply 4 of 49
    brutus009brutus009 Posts: 356member
    The phrase "as much as" specifically implies an instance of said proportion or greater. 3,878 is not "as much as" 4,000.



    I don't usually like to argue such semantics, but the headline is misleadingly presenting the notion that Appleinsider has uncovered an additional instance of this scenario (as I have already read this news elsewhere and knew the value to be less than 4k).
  • Reply 5 of 49
    sky kingsky king Posts: 189member
    Guys...It's time someone told you the truth.



    PayPal is great...so far. That won't last though. If there is one single site in the world that carries more credit information than PayPal, I don't know about it.



    What this means is that the problem is not if...but when...PayPal will become a major target for hackers and it's safety will become permanently compromised, with the loss of millions of $$$ to users throughout the world.



    You can pretend what you will. But it is only a matter of time. When you choose to use a site like this one, you are not asking...but rather begging for trouble.



    If you use your own card, in a single transaction between you and a single vendor you may still have a problem...but you can be certain that fewer people are actually looking for your CC information that way.
  • Reply 6 of 49
    I agree, just say no to PayPal and use a real credit card. Not the first time PayPal has been linked to financial faux pas.
  • Reply 7 of 49
    macrrmacrr Posts: 488member
    anonymous currently has a an #oppaypal going- and aside from repeatedly hacking them- they are now taking the legal front and trying to motivate a boycott.



    I'd stay away from them... I mean, if I were a client.
  • Reply 8 of 49
    "The problem seems to lie solely with users who have a PayPal account connected to their iTunes Store account for payments. Some who contacted PayPal said they were told that the multiple charges were made by the iTunes Store, while Apple has insisted to some that the iTunes Store only charged ones."



    Once?
  • Reply 9 of 49
    sflocalsflocal Posts: 6,092member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by AppleInsider View Post


    Multiple PayPal users have been incorrectly charged for purchasing Mac OS X 10.7 Lion from the Mac App Store numerous times, with one user claiming to have received a bill of nearly $4,000 for the $29.99 software.



    It would be okay if he also received a complimentary OSX Lion copy on DVD or USB.
  • Reply 10 of 49
    radjinradjin Posts: 165member
    Another reason not to ever let PayPal have access to your bank account, in fact no payee should ever have direct access.
  • Reply 11 of 49
    prof. peabodyprof. peabody Posts: 2,860member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by sflocal View Post


    It would be okay if he also received a complimentary OSX Lion copy on DVD or USB.



    First, why does he deserve a free copy of Apple's software just because there was a glitch? It never ceases to amaze me the entitlement some people feel these days.



    Secondly, the only way to get a DVD of Lion is to make one yourself. There will never be a Lion DVD for sale from Apple, and the USB version costs twice as much and won't be available for a month or more.
  • Reply 12 of 49
    markbyrnmarkbyrn Posts: 661member
    I switched my iTunes billing to a virtual credit card number with a tiny credit limit and I've cancelled all Paypal pre approved payments - not just Apple.
  • Reply 13 of 49
    sflocalsflocal Posts: 6,092member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Prof. Peabody View Post


    First, why does he deserve a free copy of Apple's software just because there was a glitch? It never ceases to amaze me the entitlement some people feel these days.



    Secondly, the only way to get a DVD of Lion is to make one yourself. There will never be a Lion DVD for sale from Apple, and the USB version costs twice as much and won't be available for a month or more.



    Lighten-up Professor. Need I end everything with </sarcasm>??? The problem is being resolved as best as possible, so just trying to make light of the situation. Sheesh.. too much coffee today????
  • Reply 14 of 49
    banz0banz0 Posts: 1member
    I was charged 12 times on my credit card and I still haven't heard anything from Apple about this. I contacted them on Monday. Time for chargebacks.
  • Reply 15 of 49
    adonissmuadonissmu Posts: 1,776member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Prof. Peabody View Post


    First, why does he deserve a free copy of Apple's software just because there was a glitch? It never ceases to amaze me the entitlement some people feel these days.



    Secondly, the only way to get a DVD of Lion is to make one yourself. There will never be a Lion DVD for sale from Apple, and the USB version costs twice as much and won't be available for a month or more.



    We don't know if that's the only 4k the man had. He should get all of his money back and they(Apple) should work out the deal with pay pal separately.
  • Reply 16 of 49
    oric00oric00 Posts: 4member
    One of the problems is pay pals card provider which is GE financial. THEY SUCK! I refuse to use my paypal CC on any purchase on ebay as paypal has proven in the past, they are not there to help you. If the eBay seller only accepts paypal, they have lost my business. Get rid of your paypal CC!
  • Reply 17 of 49
    malaxmalax Posts: 1,598member
    People sure like to make a big deal out of everything. Yes it's bizarre and scary to be charged dozens of times instead of once, but I am 100% certain that between the credit card company (if there was one involved), PayPal, and Apple the person will get all the extra charges rescinded.



    I didn't even know you could tie your iTunes account to PayPal.
  • Reply 18 of 49
    l008coml008com Posts: 163member
    That's what you get for using paypal. People should know better than to use such a sketchy site.
  • Reply 19 of 49
    Things like this are why I won't sign up for automatic bill-pay.
  • Reply 20 of 49
    djsherlydjsherly Posts: 1,031member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Prof. Peabody View Post


    First, why does he deserve a free copy of Apple's software just because there was a glitch? It never ceases to amaze me the entitlement some people feel these days.



    Secondly, the only way to get a DVD of Lion is to make one yourself. There will never be a Lion DVD for sale from Apple, and the USB version costs twice as much and won't be available for a month or more.



    'also' received. As in 'as well as'. Probably as a return for the extra couple thousand dollars the punter paid for the OS. This might be a joke of some sort. I don't know.
Sign In or Register to comment.