(image: Korea Bizwire)
SEOUL, June 2 (Korea Bizwire) — The number of consumer disputes related to in-app purchases made by minors through their parents’ accounts is increasing.
Recently, an individual who has a child in grade six, was surprised to receive a notification that his credit card usage limit had been exceeded.
After checking his credit card bill, he found that his child, who borrowed an iPhone to play a game, bought about 4.26 million won (US$3,410) worth of game items over 17 days in the Apple App Store.
He requested a refund from Apple but the company only refunded about 310,000 won and maintained the position that it cannot refund the remaining 3.95 million won.
He then asked for mediation from the Korea Content Dispute Resolution Committee but no agreement was reached since Apple refused to issue an additional refund.
The Google Play Store and the Apple App Store offer a guide on the refund process for cases in which payment is made by others but do not provide a detailed standard for judgment.
According to the committee, the number of applications for dispute mediation due to content payment by minors increased sharply to 2,152 cases in 2020 from 813 cases in 2019 and 727 cases in 2018.
J. S. Shin (js_shin@koreabizwire.com)
