The EU"s new Consumer Rights Directive has forced Apple to offer a 14-day money back guarantee on App Store and iTunes purchases in Europe, ending its long-held no refunds policy.
The Consumer Rights Directive requires businesses to have a fair two-week return policy for goods and services, otherwise a default one-year refund policy will be applied. It said "if a consumer is not clearly informed ... the withdrawal period automatically is extended to one year."
The directive, which took effect in June, also bans pre-checked boxes on websites, extra charges for payments with credit cards, and hidden charges on websites and promotions.
In response, Apple has changed its refund policy to read, "Right of cancellation: If you choose to cancel your order, you may do so within 14 days from when you received your receipt without giving any reason, except iTunes Gifts which cannot be refunded once you have redeemed the code."
The change only applies to Europe, where the directive is legally enforceable. Apple has kept its no refunds policy for purchases in other countries, including the US and Canada, but will continue to issue refunds in select cases where there were technical issues or failure of delivery.