Anne finds "rotten Apple" in App Store

Anne Wong Holloway has a problem with Apple's App Store. She sent me this email:

"I have been a loyal Mac user of several years' standing and have been a Mac 'evangelist'. But my initial experience with the new App Store has left me fuming. As I just emailed Apple:

'I was exploring the new App Store and clicked on some apps. I noticed one called Panorama Sheets had been installed so I dragged it to Trash to uninstal it as it is not the kind of app I have bought or would ever be interested in!

I only clicked on the name to try and see what it was about since the names of the apps only sometimes give one an idea what it does.

Lo and behold I got an iTunes receipt (rec'd January 9, 2011 9:24:57 AM GMT+08:00) just as I was readying to leave Singapore for Hong Kong and I have been billed for Panorama Sheets. And it's not even an inexpensive app (USD$39.99) that I can afford to 'swallow'.

How can I prove I have never used it and will not be using it?

I am so angry. This is such a bad experience with Apple. And I am terribly disappointed that Apple would trick customers into making non-refundable purchases with one inadvertent click.

Amazon and other online retailers enable customers to get their money back if they make a mistake.

If I were back in the USA I would take this matter up with the authorities and consumer associations but I am in Asia for the next few months.'"

Subsequently, out of curiosity, Anne visited the developer Panorama's website and discoverd that it offered a FREE preview. "Why would I buy such a complex app without trying it out for free first?" she said. "Assuming I needed such an app - it's a database in spreadsheet form from the little I have read. What in the world would I need something like that for?"

To me, it looks like a case of a rotten Apple :)