Android Market Refund Policy Redux: 48 Hours to Get Your Money Back?
UPDATE: According to one developer responding to Android Central‘s initial report, the 48 hour refund window may have been misinterpreted. The text of the distribution agreement still maintains the 15 minute time frame for a user to request a refund. The 48-hour period apparently refers to the amount of time Google has to actually replace the funds in the buyer’s account.
The Android Market’s original refund policy of 24 hours was more than a generous amount of time for users to decide whether or not an app was worth their cash. Then it was reduced to a mere 15 minutes, barely enough time for users to explore their purchases fully. Despite outcry from many Android Users against the changed policy, Google seemed set in their ways. Today a new version of the Android Market’s Developer Distribution Agreement has been pushed out, and a stipulation laid out in Section 3.4 tells the whole tale:
“Products that cannot be previewed by the buyer (such as applications): You authorize Google to give the buyer a full refund of the Product price if the buyer requests the refund within 48 hours after purchase.”
Yep, looks like we are now getting a full two days to toy around with app and game purchases before deciding if the money is better spent elsewhere. While some developers could argue that the window for refunds is now a bit on the long side, it’s hard to imagine any Android smartphone owners complaining about the change.
[via AndroidCentral]