Amazon Refuses To Pay Penalties Imposed By FTC Over Mobile In-App Purchases
Amazon is willing to go to court if the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) decides to sue the e-commerce giant for refusing to pay a penalty over mobile in-app purchases made by children on smartphone applications. The FTC wants Amazon to enter into a settlement similar to the one it reached with Apple earlier this year, but after weeks of negotiations, Amazon says it's "deeply disappointing" that regulators are unwilling to see the difference between the two situations.
According to the FTC, thousands of consumers have complained about unauthorized in-app charges by children on Amazon devices. The complaints collectively add up to millions of dollars, and it was just last month that Amazon finally altered its in-app charging policies, Reuters reports.
Amazon, on the other hand, sees things differently and stated in a letter to the FTC that it's already met or exceeded the requirements of Apple's terms for mobile in-app purchases.
"The commission's unwillingness to depart from the precedent it set with Apple despite our very different facts leaves us no choice but to defend our approach in court," Amazon stated in a letter.
Amazon went on to say that it issued refunds to customers who complained about their children making in-app purchases that they didn't know about or want.
According to the FTC, thousands of consumers have complained about unauthorized in-app charges by children on Amazon devices. The complaints collectively add up to millions of dollars, and it was just last month that Amazon finally altered its in-app charging policies, Reuters reports.
Amazon, on the other hand, sees things differently and stated in a letter to the FTC that it's already met or exceeded the requirements of Apple's terms for mobile in-app purchases.
"The commission's unwillingness to depart from the precedent it set with Apple despite our very different facts leaves us no choice but to defend our approach in court," Amazon stated in a letter.
Amazon went on to say that it issued refunds to customers who complained about their children making in-app purchases that they didn't know about or want.
