Parents sue Apple over in-app game charges

BBC:

Apple is being sued by parents who claim the iPhone-maker is unfairly profiting from in-app payments in games aimed at children.

[Snookies12]

Kids should not have a device that expensive. End of story.

If you can afford something like that, then you shouldn't complain about small charges.

[Emilio_Estevez]

If you read it, then you would realize it's about mass amounts of small charges, which equal a large sum or money. Usually it's not the kids phone, but a parent saying here you go, play this smurf game. Only to find out they've been buying smurfberries by the ton at $1 a pound.

[Snookies12]

I know what it was about, that's why I said kids shouldn't be using things like an iPhone or iPad at all.

[Mike_Tha_Hero]

Lmao, "smurfberries".

[jeeves86]

Snookies you're the worst parent ever. But in all honesty, if you don't have the wherewithall to turn off in-app purchasing and you give your phone to a kid, you're just asking for trouble.

Does it surprise anyone that Smurf Village was made by Capcom?

[TekoIie]

When i was young all my parants got me was a gamboy and i was responsible for what i bought for that (sure it wasnt digital purchase's but still).

For example if i took money from my parants (similar to what the article talks about) it would have been likely that my beautiful gameboy would end up in pieces on the floor to send a message to me. The game didnt tell me to take the money but it influenced my decision and at the end of the day i thought to myself "im going to take that money". If parents cant control what their children do then i dunno why they wanted to be parents...

[dedicatedtogamers]

BEHOLD, TEH FUTURE OF GAMINZ!

(at least...according to the zealots and idiot journalists)

[Mikhail]

That is where the $$$ for those cheap gaming apps. Facebook games has done it successfully (just look at Zynga) I just facepalm when some of my friends bought stuff for farmville and other flash games.

[Fylus]

Totally agree. There are mobile games out there that have packs of in game money that you buy with real money, and the specific one I am thinking of has it set like this:

1$ = 10 gems
5$ = 55 gems
10$ = 120 gems
50$ = 600 gems
100$ = 1250 gems

Now here's where I just said, "OH, F**K NO.":

ONE in game item cost 1200 gems... ONE VIRTUAL F**KING ITEM FOR 100 HUNDRED REAL F**KING DOLLARS.

I rest my case.

Also, to be clear, I'm not siding with these idiot parents; it's their fault their kids do this, but I'm just saying...

[ExPresident]

This wouldn't be an issue if parents would educate themselves about the device before they let their kids play with it. IE require a password before any purchase is made. You can't fix stupid tho.

[kingPoS]

It's practically a necessity to password psn purchases on a ps3 in house full of 8-13 year olds.

[Dovahkiin]

Fucking cretins.

[Lighter9]

Dear Apple, I'm mad because I don't like to keep an eye on my child. I suck as a parent and am very irresponsible. I recently got a huge bill and I need someone to blame for my shortcomings. Sincerely, dumb parent /s

[BitbyDeath]

Well put lol

[Reborn]

Ah, uninformed parents forking the blame on others. Nothing new.

[George Sears]

This is what happens when parents have no idea what they give to there children. It's just like when they complain about how gory, bad-mouthed, violence infested game they bought for there 12 year old; yet they have no idea that there is a freaking rating system that shows what type of game it is.

[TekoIie]

Gaming, the spawn of all Evil!

[M83_]

Hold on now! Why did these stupid patents even let their kids use their credit cards to download these games? It's their fault. How can you blame a kid who might not have known he was doing anything wrong because he thought the app was "free".
You can link the kid's apple account to a gift card instead of a CC.
It seems ignorance was not bliss with those idiot parents!

[ginsunuva]

The parents should be sued for achieving dangerous new levels of retardedness.

[TheModernKamikaze]

Maybe the parents should have taught their kids what to do and what not to Do before giving the expensive thing.