The app I bought in-game items from is no longer available in my region and won’t load. I requested a refund for all purchases made from Nov 3 to Dec 5, but it was denied. Is there any way to get a refund in this situation?
iPhone 14 Pro Max
JericHsoy wrote:
I can’t find any way to contact support directly via chat or email.
“If you disagree with your final decision, contact dpo@apple.com “ However, according to user reports, the wording of that document may be a bit misleading because they say the automated response talks about privacy issues, not refunds.
If you wish to try a telephone or chat method, click here --> Choose your country or region - Official Apple Support Select your country, then a product. If you don't see one that handles your issue then keep experimenting with selections until you reach one that gets you a chat session or a telephone call and get the representative to redirect you.
or:
"See a list of Apple phone numbers around the world." Click here --> Contact Apple Support - Apple Support
Apple does not provide live support in all countries.
You could also be in a tricky situation. We on this user-to-user support site do not know the details as to how Apple works behind the scenes, but the stores are regional. You say you have changed countries. If you have done this on your account too, it may be that Apple where you live now cannot issue refunds for Apple where you previously lived. On the other hand, if you have not officially changed countries then why would Apple believe you if your account is still set to the old country? Again, I am just a consumer like you but that's a conundrum I could conceive.
JericHsoy wrote:
I can’t find any way to contact support directly via chat or email.
“If you disagree with your final decision, contact dpo@apple.com “ However, according to user reports, the wording of that document may be a bit misleading because they say the automated response talks about privacy issues, not refunds.
If you wish to try a telephone or chat method, click here --> Choose your country or region - Official Apple Support Select your country, then a product. If you don't see one that handles your issue then keep experimenting with selections until you reach one that gets you a chat session or a telephone call and get the representative to redirect you.
or:
"See a list of Apple phone numbers around the world." Click here --> Contact Apple Support - Apple Support
Apple does not provide live support in all countries.
You could also be in a tricky situation. We on this user-to-user support site do not know the details as to how Apple works behind the scenes, but the stores are regional. You say you have changed countries. If you have done this on your account too, it may be that Apple where you live now cannot issue refunds for Apple where you previously lived. On the other hand, if you have not officially changed countries then why would Apple believe you if your account is still set to the old country? Again, I am just a consumer like you but that's a conundrum I could conceive.
Thank you for the information. I was able to talk with an Apple Support representative and he mentioned that since this is a third-party app, the developer already receives the payment and Apple can’t reverse anything from their side. Even if the developer may not be complying with Apple’s terms, Apple Support said they technically cannot force refunds.
The agent advised me to contact the developer directly through their Facebook pages and ask why they removed/excluded my region (the Philippines) without notice. He also suggested that I submit feedback through apple.com/feedback to report the app itself and to flag the situation, since the app disappeared without any announcement and is no longer accessible in my region.
Go to:
https://getsupport.apple.com →
Billing & Subscriptions → Request a Refund → Chat or Call Apple Support
Important:
You must clearly explain:
“The app is no longer available in my region and cannot load or deliver the purchased content. The in-app purchases are unusable and inaccessible.”
Apple support agents have the ability to override automated denials if:
Be polite and brief. Human review has a much higher success rate.
Thank you for the suggestion. I’ve tried this on my iPhone using Safari and Google to navigate the link, but there is still no option to chat or call Apple Support. It only directs me to reportaproblem.apple.com, and I can’t find any way to contact support directly via chat or email.
I first requested a refund on Dec 4, but it was denied. I requested again, explaining that the app is no longer available in my region and the in-app purchases are unusable, but the refund was denied again and marked as final. I’m not sure what options I have now to get a refund.
Thank you for the information. I did not change my region or country on my Apple ID. Is it okay if I select a different Apple product category just to reach chat or telephone support, and then explain that my refund request is for in-app purchases from an app that is no longer available in my region and the app itself doesn’t load anymore?
That's good, but what puzzles me if this was a third party purchase is you said you made a refund request. You cannot possibly have done that using Apple's method unless it was purchased through Apple. Third party purchases are handled exclusively through the third party and won't appear in your purchase history.
Thank you. Yes, the app itself is a third-party app, but all of my in-app purchases were processed directly through Apple using my Apple ID and my linked bank/GCash. That’s exactly why I am confused about this situation. The developer removed the app from my region without any notice, and since all transactions went through Apple’s payment system, I expected Apple to have some responsibility or at least provide a clear solution.
I understand that third-party content is their responsibility, but it feels unfair that an app can suddenly disappear regionally and users lose access to the items they purchased — while Apple cannot assist even though the payment was handled through Apple. That’s the part I’m hoping Apple can clarify.
Refund for In-Game Purchases in an Unavailable App?
