Skeezix: Amen!
Apple Is Now Refunding People Whose Kids Bought iPhone Crap
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milkshake
Advanced Member
are you forgetting the parental settings on the iphone where you can prevent in app purchases etc?
surly its the responsibility of the parent to know how to use their device and be careful who they let use it.
surly its the responsibility of the parent to know how to use their device and be careful who they let use it.
Ian J
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Would these parents let their kids roam free on the internet? Maybe who knows (do things like net nanny still exist?)
At the end of the day parents should be responsible for their children in all aspects of life and giving them a device that allows them to make purchases without verifying the card holder details is just asking for trouble. I agree in app purchases are wrong but if the parent was doing their job right they would be looking at what their kid is playing.
I no longer play Xbox online because in my experience it was full of under age gamers (18+ games) giving out verbal, who is buying these games for the kids?
At the end of the day parents should be responsible for their children in all aspects of life and giving them a device that allows them to make purchases without verifying the card holder details is just asking for trouble. I agree in app purchases are wrong but if the parent was doing their job right they would be looking at what their kid is playing.
I no longer play Xbox online because in my experience it was full of under age gamers (18+ games) giving out verbal, who is buying these games for the kids?
Exophase
Nothing good will ever come of Exophase.
Apparently this lawsuit resulted in Apple at least adding the ability to disable all in-app purchasing. I don't know how it's set up but this setting should be on by default (with authentication needed to change, of course). This was an obvious oversight on their part, but I don't think Apple should be blamed too much simply for allowing micro-transactions. Maybe for being negligent in their QA process - selling legitimate additions to the game is okay, selling random trinkets meant to appeal to people with a poor sense of rationality (including children) is not. On that note, I would urge that any micro-transaction ability automatically garners the game at least a teen+ if not adult rating (or whatever Apple uses). If you're not old enough to be authorized to make purchases on the system then you shouldn't be able to make them.
I also can't really blame the parents for not realizing that the innocuous looking child-friendly game they got for their kids came loaded with ways to instantly plow through their money. That's not going to be an obvious thing for people to look out for, and I don't think it's fair to dictate that they look over their shoulder every minute their child is playing something. Everyone knows there are child unfriendly places on line but until now it was fair to assume a game marketed as child friendly and rated as such would actually be so.
I also can't really blame the parents for not realizing that the innocuous looking child-friendly game they got for their kids came loaded with ways to instantly plow through their money. That's not going to be an obvious thing for people to look out for, and I don't think it's fair to dictate that they look over their shoulder every minute their child is playing something. Everyone knows there are child unfriendly places on line but until now it was fair to assume a game marketed as child friendly and rated as such would actually be so.
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In a way, this is a bit similar to something that happens at the other end of the scale. My grandmother, who is getting on a bit and isn't quite as sharp as she used to be, finds herself on the receiving end of phone salesmen who sell her all sorts of things. My father, who is acting a bit like a guardian (with difficulty - She will of course not accept any sort of statement about her not being just as well as ever, than you very much!) has had to, for instance, cancel subscriptions to firewall software (She has no computer at all, and has no idea of what the internet is) and satellite television (she has no way of receiving such broadcasts).
Of course, she has ordered these things - She has been brought up to always be polite to people who are polite to her, which means that you don't say a blank No to somebody on the phone who sounds nice. The thing is that she does not realize what she is buying, and the phone salespeople are using this to sell her anything, rather consciously.
In the same way, this is an ugly way to find those who don't quite understand what they are doing, and capitalize on them.
Of course, she has ordered these things - She has been brought up to always be polite to people who are polite to her, which means that you don't say a blank No to somebody on the phone who sounds nice. The thing is that she does not realize what she is buying, and the phone salespeople are using this to sell her anything, rather consciously.
In the same way, this is an ugly way to find those who don't quite understand what they are doing, and capitalize on them.
Fzero
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Morels and ethics... some don't have them so blatantly take advantage of this relatively new thing that is in-app-purchase.
Now most people, including most parents, are aware of this, and especially with this recent thing with Apple.. I doubt it will be so easy for much longer.
Doubt the whole in-app-purchase thing will be banned but will no doubt be a lot harder, not just a click from anyone, will probably require the account holder to enter a password or card details each time
Now most people, including most parents, are aware of this, and especially with this recent thing with Apple.. I doubt it will be so easy for much longer.
Doubt the whole in-app-purchase thing will be banned but will no doubt be a lot harder, not just a click from anyone, will probably require the account holder to enter a password or card details each time
skeezix
Internal Development
These settings are 'new'; the suit is (I think, didnt' read it) about a few years ago, when it was wide open wild west, no real settings.
(Remember, the default password policy ius.. if you do the password, it applies for 10 or 15 minutes. A few years back, that was the _only_ policy and defence.. so you'd clear something in the phone, and then it was wide open for 15 minutes...)
jeff
My son is 7, and I have Wi-Fi disabled on his DSi, but it is active on his Nabi. His Nabi account is attached to my email, so if he does anything he is not supposed to, I get an email for any purchases or free items. It is set up to block any of those extra add on items, but it's good for me to get alerts for any purchase activity(free or otherwise).
My son is old enough to know better now, but I can see where the trouble comes for younger kids. If there is any chance of hundreds of dollars getting spent, parents need to be on top of things. Ignorance is not bliss, especially when it comes to the web.
Chris
My son is old enough to know better now, but I can see where the trouble comes for younger kids. If there is any chance of hundreds of dollars getting spent, parents need to be on top of things. Ignorance is not bliss, especially when it comes to the web.
Chris
elwing
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just for a mere 99$...
You get a combination of Super Mario and Pokemon.just for a mere 99$...
That's worth the money
WizardStan
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Wow. I have this regrettable urge to produce a crap game with a huge in game purchase. I know I could really use the money right now. Fortunately I still have my soul. 
Go into the casino.Wow. I have this regrettable urge to produce a crap game with a huge in game purchase. I know I could really use the money right now. Fortunately I still have my soul.
There you won't lose money so fast and have the chance to get some money back.
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Mega Lario Cousins - "Do you want to jump - hand over all your monies right now fanx."Wow. I have this regrettable urge to produce a crap game with a huge in game purchase. I know I could really use the money right now. Fortunately I still have my soul.
Sorta OT but related enough for me to bring it up : awhile ago I read an article where a five year old shot his 2 year old sister with a 22 . Apparently the mother was inside , heard the gun shot and ran out . . AND THEY BLAME THE MANUFACTURER , for making a child friendly rifle . 1st child friendly rifles are there so if you so wish to train your child to shoot you can , you know in a controlled environment ?
2nd a five year old left outside with a loaded firearm and their sibling - what could go wrong ?
3rd this reflects badly on gun owners ( we are not all irat idiots like James Yeager ) as well as being more directly related to this thread - there should be a parent license you must get . One that proves competence .
. AND THEY BLAME THE MANUFACTURER , for making a child friendly rifle . 1st child friendly rifles are there so if you so wish to train your child to shoot you can , you know in a controlled environment ?2nd a five year old left outside with a loaded firearm and their sibling - what could go wrong ?
3rd this reflects badly on gun owners ( we are not all irat idiots like James Yeager ) as well as being more directly related to this thread - there should be a parent license you must get . One that proves competence .
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WizardStan
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If there was a competence requirement to be a parent we'd die out in a generation.
Problem is that if the mother sues the manufacturer, the courts will take it seriously and the manufacturer will end up having to put stickers saying "Not suitable for children under 5 years" and "by reading this sticker you agree to accept responsibility for not shooting members of your family"Sorta OT but related enough for me to bring it up : awhile ago I read an article where a five year old shot his 2 year old sister with a 22 . Apparently the mother was inside , heard the gun shot and ran out .
2nd a five year old left outside with a loaded firearm and their sibling - what could go wrong ?
3rd this reflects badly on gun owners ( we are not all irat idiots like James Yeager ) as well as being more directly related to this thread - there should be a parent license you must get . One that proves competence .
On a related note, my microwave tells me to open its door after cooking, as if I needed a little blinking LED display to hold my hand while I warm up a sandwich :wacko:
I hate manufacturers that assume you don't know how to use the product or RTFM :mellow:
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skeezix
Internal Development
Back in 1999, I remember seeing a _toaster_ with a proud sticker emblazoned on it: "Year 2000 safe!"
Yeah, humanity, you suck
jeff
Yeah, humanity, you suck
jeff
Well truthfully I'd say they're not for ANY uneducated person on the subject , be they five or 50 . But my problem is with the parents letting a five year old run around run around with a rifle . Wait till the kid is eight . I bet he didn't have earplugs ./>
Problem is that if the mother sues the manufacturer, the courts will take it seriously and the manufacturer will end up having to put stickers saying "Not suitable for children under 5 years" and "by reading this sticker you agree to accept responsibility for not shooting members of your family"Sorta OT but related enough for me to bring it up : awhile ago I read an article where a five year old shot his 2 year old sister with a 22 . Apparently the mother was inside , heard the gun shot and ran out .
2nd a five year old left outside with a loaded firearm and their sibling - what could go wrong ?
3rd this reflects badly on gun owners ( we are not all irat idiots like James Yeager ) as well as being more directly related to this thread - there should be a parent license you must get . One that proves competence .
On a related note, my microwave tells me to open its door after cooking, as if I needed a little blinking LED display to hold my hand while I warm up a sandwich :wacko:
I hate manufacturers that assume you don't know how to use the product or RTFM :mellow:
Neelix
Insecticidal Maniac
The sad thing is that they are probably right... One thing I discovered early on when working in customer service (tech support specifically) is that many people are just too lazy to think for themselves when confronted with something they don't understand, and there are many people who mentally block themselves from understanding anything electronic.
- Neelix