As reported by Engadget on Thursday, August 4, bigwig company Google has decided to refund $19 million to parents and consumers in order to settle an FTC (Federal Trade Commission) complaint regarding in-app purchases in mobile apps.
According to Engadget, full refunds will be issued to those who were charged for unauthorised purchases made by their children, which has been reported to result in a minimum of $19 million being returned to those affected.
“ The settlement requires Google to contact all consumers who placed an in-app charge to inform them of the refund process for unauthorized in-app charges by children within 15 days of the order being finalized, ” reads the official FTC report.
“ Google must make these refunds promptly, upon request from an account holder. Should Google issue less than $19 million in refunds to consumers within the 12 months after the settlement becomes final, the company must remit the balance to the Commission for use in providing additional remedies to consumers or for return to the U.S. Treasury. ”
Amazon has also been commanded to comply with the FTC regarding how the online retailer handles its in-app purchases, but Amazon has so far refused to agree on a deal .
While Apple changed its billing practices, and refunded a minimum of $32.5 million to parents, since its agreement with the FTC, Amazon is refusing to accept a similar agreement, stating that the online retailer is prepared to fight the FTC in course should it try to force Amazon to comply.
We’ll bring you more news on this matter should further information reach our ears. You can read the official FTC report in full via the second source link below.