Acum cateva saptamani v-am spus ca un politist din Marea Britanie si-a reclamat fiul pentru frauda intr-o tentativa de a recupera cele aproape 4000£ cheltuite de catre acesta pe in-app purchase-uri din jocuri. In Marea Britanie numarul plangerilor de acest gen a crescut cu 300% in ultimele luni, iar autoritatile investigheaza modul in care aceste sisteme afecteaza jocurile dedicate copiilor. Daca vor considera ca acest gen de jocuri sunt periculoase pentru copii, autoritatile britanice ar putea decide interzicerea lor, iar Apple, Google si alte mari companii ar putea fi afectate.
In January this year, regulator PhonePayPlus revealed it had seen a 300% increase in complaints from consumers about the bills generated when they buy add-ons for games and other apps. In its investigation, the OFT wants to find out if the games are “misleading, commercially aggressive or otherwise unfair” when they give people the chance to buy extras. It also wants to find out if children are being specifically targeted by such applications. “We are concerned that children and their parents could be subject to unfair pressure to purchase when they are playing games they thought were free, but which can actually run up substantial costs,” said Cavendish Elithorn, the OFT’s senior director for goods and consumer. Makers of games that strongly encourage children to buy or pressure them to ask parents to buy on their behalf could be breaking laws on fair trading, said the OFT.
Desi Apple nu va fi obligata sa modifice App Store-ul pentru toate tarile daca autoritatilor nu le convine sistemul de acum, o piata atat de mare precum cea britanica ar putea determina o schimbare majora a modului in care Apple supravegheaza acest gen de jocuri. Probleme precum in Marea Britanie exista peste tot in lume, insa deocamdata doar acolo clientii au reusit sa obtina atentia presei pentru facturile mari si au reusit sa isi recupereze banii.
