IPhone Users Complain About No Refunds on Apps, Shareware Apps Enabled

From DailyTech: Competitor after competitor have launched their own app stores, but none have been able to come close to matching Apple's industry-leading iTunes App Store, which serves the company's popular iPhone smartphone. The App Store has suffered a bit in the past from controversy, though, with many developers unhappy with Apple's inconsistent approach to application acceptance.

Now, with Apple trying to put that controversy in rear view, a new one is brewing. Recently, there has been a growing user outcry, particularly in the influential business user segment, over Apple's no-refunds policy concerning App Store downloads.

With some apps like GPS applications or business applications coming in at $30, $50, or even more, users are becoming furious when these pricey apps occasionally fail or prove to be bug prone. With no returns, these users are out of luck, with Apple leaving them no recourse. Apple's policy explicitly states -- refunds will only be offered if the download fails.

These complaints have been given a prominent voice by a recent piece from Eric A. Taub of The New York Times. Mr. Taub writes, "None of this may matter if the most expensive app you’ve downloaded is a 99-cent virtual beer glass. Once the novelty wears off, most people can live with the financial loss. But asking people to spend $100 on an app that they haven’t had the opportunity to try and can’t return may limit its popularity. Even if you don’t return a piece of consumer hardware you purchased, you can always try to sell it to someone else. But an unwanted app remains yours forever."

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