Apple officially begins offering 7-day App Store return window in Taiwan

Posted:
in iPod + iTunes + AppleTV edited January 2014
Apple has amended the terms and conditions of its iTunes store in Taiwan, granting users a 7-day return window in compliance with local laws.



The changes now in effect were first reported on Friday by IDG News. The changes only apply to customers of the App Store who live in Taiwan.



Apple made the change after it was told to do so by the Taipei city government in June. The revised terms and conditions, found in section A, read:



"You may cancel your purchase within seven (7) days from the date of delivery and iTunes will reimburse you for the amount paid, provided you inform iTunes that you have deleted all copies of the product. Upon cancellation you will no longer be licensed to use the product. This right cannot be waived."



Guo Tingguang, a spokesman for the Taipei Law and Regulation Commission, reportedly said that the city government believes Apple took the correct approach in making the revisions. The government now plans to work with Apple to provide Chinese translations for some English-only products available on the App Store.







Google's Android Market offers users a 15-minute window to decide whether or not they want a refund. The search giant was fined nearly $35,000 for not changing that policy in June. The company has officially said it disagrees with the city's stance.



Outside of Taiwan, Apple has granted some users refunds for App Store software by request. Those reimbursements have been handled on a case-by-case basis, but reports of them are numerous.

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 15
    asciiascii Posts: 5,936member
    Well, Apple has to comply with local laws. But developers also have a choice, when they upload their app, what countries to make it available in.
  • Reply 2 of 15
    On a related note, if I remember correctly Google simply stopped offering paid apps in the Android Market when asked to comply with this same Taiwanese law. All the more evidence that they're not interested at all in a paid app model (no AdMob ads in free apps = no money for Google).
  • Reply 3 of 15
    msanttimsantti Posts: 1,377member
    I do not see many apps getting released in Taiwan.



    Whats the point?



    Play a game for a few days, return it for a refund.



    You never pay for anything.



    Or give it for free and douse it with ads up the ying yang.
  • Reply 4 of 15
    pxtpxt Posts: 683member
    I'd like the ability to return apps, since so many of them are junk or buggy.



    Any app worth owning will have a lifetime a lot longer than 7 days.



    I wish we had this.
  • Reply 5 of 15
    nasseraenasserae Posts: 3,167member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by msantti View Post


    I do not see many apps getting released in Taiwan.



    Whats the point?



    Play a game for a few days, return it for a refund.



    You never pay for anything.



    Or give it for free and douse it with ads up the ying yang.



    I think I will wait and see before I remove my apps from Taiwan App Store. If I notice a spike in returns then I will remove my apps. I am not selling that many in Taiwan anyway.
  • Reply 6 of 15
    asciiascii Posts: 5,936member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by PXT View Post


    Any app worth owning will have a lifetime a lot longer than 7 days.



    I agree for app Apps, but most of the App Store sales are games, just look at the top 10 on any given day.
  • Reply 7 of 15
    blueeddieblueeddie Posts: 112member
    being from taiwan, this isnt that big of a deal... I'd still prefer to connect to my US itunes account and buy more "quality" apps. not many taiwanese apps are actually "use-able", the ones that I actually download are either free or by big companies
  • Reply 8 of 15
    pxtpxt Posts: 683member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by NasserAE View Post


    I think I will wait and see before I remove my apps from Taiwan App Store. If I notice a spike in returns then I will remove my apps. I am not selling that many in Taiwan anyway.



    Or just make your apps worth keeping.
  • Reply 9 of 15
    irnchrizirnchriz Posts: 1,616member
    The UK (and EU) also has a 7 day returns law covered under the distance selling regulations 2000. It is a legal requirement to comply with these regulations.
  • Reply 10 of 15
    daffyducdaffyduc Posts: 26member
    Well my Airport Extreme suddenly quit working after a year and two months. Took it to Apple asking if they can anyway send it in for a repair because it only came with one year warranty. They said I have two choices: buy one of their refurbished AE (not in stock, takes 4 days to receive) for $139 with 90 days warranty or buy their brand new one for $179. After I heard the choices giving to me, I began to count how many Apple products I currently own that are still under warranty (two iPhone 4, MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, Airport Express, and my iPad2) that one day it too can suddenly quit working one or two months after the product's one year warranty. Now I am wondering if I am being foolish in believing that by buying the greatest computer products ever made to finally realize at the end that Apple may not be worth it. I guess I'll just wait and see what will happen to the rest of my stuff.
  • Reply 11 of 15
    eluardeluard Posts: 319member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by DaffyDuc View Post


    Well my Airport Extreme suddenly quit working after a year and two months. Took it to Apple asking if they can anyway send it in for a repair because it only came with one year warranty. They said I have two choices: buy one of their refurbished AE (not in stock, takes 4 days to receive) for $139 with 90 days warranty or buy their brand new one for $179. After I heard the choices giving to me, I began to count how many Apple products I currently own that are still under warranty (two iPhone 4, MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, Airport Express, and my iPad2) that one day it too can suddenly quit working one or two months after the product's one year warranty. Now I am wondering if I am being foolish in believing that by buying the greatest computer products ever made to finally realize at the end that Apple may not be worth it. I guess I'll just wait and see what will happen to the rest of my stuff.



    And how is this related to the article?
  • Reply 12 of 15
    eluardeluard Posts: 319member
    The law is an ass if the return is not the return of a physical item. If it is just the honour system ? yes, I promise I will delete it from my system ? then the law is simply foolish. If it can be enforced in some way then fair enough.
  • Reply 13 of 15
    alanskyalansky Posts: 235member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Eluard View Post


    The law is an ass if the return is not the return of a physical item. If it is just the honour system ? yes, I promise I will delete it from my system ? then the law is simply foolish. If it can be enforced in some way then fair enough.



    Right! In Taiwan, which (the last time I looked) was in Asia, the world headquarters of no respect whatsoever for the intellectual property rights of others. Of course customers are going to delete all those DRM-free music files before "returning" their purchases. Sure they will! Taiwan's insane law amounts to legalizing the theft of digital content.
  • Reply 14 of 15
    nasseraenasserae Posts: 3,167member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by PXT View Post


    Or just make your apps worth keeping.



    That doesn't matter. You will still get people returning apps just to save a dollar or two. The other day there was an article about $0.99 app being pirated (10+ pirated copies for each purchased copy).
  • Reply 15 of 15
    perunaperuna Posts: 2member
    If I understand this right, there is nothing to prevent a Taiwaneese customer from buying any app(s) then "returning" them within 7 days "promising" they have deleted the apps when in fact they have done nothing of the sort. Is there anything a developer can do to prevent their app from being used once "returned"? With all the resources in the world, what can Apple do to prevent the same?
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