iTunes Store Support: the whole truth about Apple policies and support

I will probably start from the very beginning. What will I reason about? About a few idiotic rules for using the iTunes Store and the incompetence of some of its organs.

It all started in 2008. It so happened that I was carried to Australia. Then I just met with the iPhone (iPhone 2G fell into my hands). Then there was no mention of the concept of the App Store or iTunes. There was a simple Installer. Two years later, holding the iPhone 3GS in my hands, I again find myself in Australia. At this time, just presented iPhone 4 and iOS 4 was born. This was the beginning of all my future problems.





Having no idea what Jailbreak is, what unlock is and generally not understanding how it all works, I at one point boldly clicked on the “Update” button in iTunes (those who had the locked iPhone understood me). I stood at 3.1.2, after flashing it became, respectively, 4.0. The phone is locked, rollback only to 3.1.3, there is no jail without unlock. The phone is covered! I boldly climbed onto eBay and purchased an AT&T SIM card, waited for it and after dancing with a tambourine, after almost a month, my phone came to life again. It was then that I decided that I would never again be a supporter of piracy and Jailbreak. I know this will sound silly to many, but today I buy almost all of the media content.

While in Australia for a long time, I started an Australian account and actively used Gift cards in the same country. Everything was fine, but I had to leave the homeland of the kangaroo, from where I went to France. There I bought an iPhone 4 and he began to live a completely official life. The iPhone was Neverlocked, so in the future I had no problems with unlock.

Before me was the choice for a new country iTunes. I myself am from Ukraine, but as you know, Ukraine was added to the list of countries quite recently. I settled on America, or Russia. Since I had very easy opportunities from America to get any product / gift card (I’m silent about the amount of software available in the US store), I decided to use the US iTunes Store!

Attention! I already violated one of the rules of the user agreement!

At that time, of course, I did not understand this. I began to buy content through iTunes Gift cards and could not get enough of life until, at one fine moment, a close friend warned me and poked his nose at the rule points. My next steps are clear - quickly in Support. I am writing: “So and so, I do not live in America, but Ukraine is not in the list of countries. Need to change to Russia? If so, how do you transfer purchases? ” (it was bought about 1500-2000 cu). I get an answer like: “Transfer in no way, do not change the country, use your health further” (all this is in the style of Apple, I think many will understand how they wrote it).

This could be completed, if not for the events of the last couple of months! Outside is the summer of 2013, the use of the account is in full swing. The developer's program was screwed to the same account, but its term has expired, and I accordingly extend it. The next morning, trying to update another application, I get an interesting message: "Your ID has been disabled, please contact iTunes Store Support . " Without any hesitation, I write to support so that they unlock me, to which I get this answer:



Again, without any thought, I pick up the phone and call Moscow. Into this Account Security team. After waiting on the phone for about an hour, I get the answer: “Your account has been blocked. We were forbidden from above to take any action against him. The maximum you can achieve is a clear explanation of the reason for the blockage. ” Then the operator begins to tell me why they blocked me. As I mentioned earlier, you cannot use Gift cards and a store in the country in which you do not live. I, for the course of 3 years, did just that. OK. No problem. Could this have been warned? They told me that I had been warned about this several times and that they had nothing more to say.

After reading all my previous appeals in support, I came across such a line in only one of them:



In the past couple of months, I have come in support about 5-7 times in connection with the error “Your Purchase Could Not Be Completed” .

This is the first bell. I advise everyone to immediately think about what you are doing wrong.

I used only original XX Gift Cards. All scanned copies of the maps are stored with me and I am ready to provide them.

After several days of disputes with support, I received an offer to change my country and re-apply to the Account Security team. Which I did. Refused all subscriptions, removed the entire balance on the account, changed the country. The answer is the same - there will be no Unlock! I began to freak out, WWDC was on my nose, I needed a developer account. I decided to create a Ukrainian account in parallel and fasten the developed account to it.



Having made conclusions and realizing that the account can no longer be returned (I lost a considerable amount), I decided to transfer the email from American to Ukrainian, as this was and is my main mailbox. I want to clarify immediately what problems this leads to:

• The system begins to confuse accounts;
• The system asks for the password from the old account (if you enter the old one - an error, from the new - an error);
• It is impossible to download / update anything;
• Everything is confused in iCloud (contacts, documents).

PS My advice to you: if you are in a similar situation, recover to a clean firmware - the only way without a headache.

Move on. Everything was fine for a couple of days until my favorite message popped up: "Your Purchase Could Not Be Completed". Absolutely with a pure soul, I send a request for support. Attention! The account is clean. Real data, address, phone and credit card. After which I get a response from the same operator that this question is closed and then this ticket will not be serviced. In shock and fury, I start bombarding them with letters that this way and that, the account is new, it has nothing to do with the American one, that I just transferred the mail. To this I get an answer that, again, the question is closed and then I will not get an answer.

Now move away from the topic. What to do in this case? How to be Really a state of hopelessness :) Here you really can’t do a nifiga. I got the impression that I was biased (it has survived to this day).

The way out was the appeal to Moscow. Without specifying anything about the old case, I boldly said that I could not make purchases, fix it. And voila! After 20 minutes, they returned everything to me. Week later. Again "Your Purchase Could Not Be Completed . " I go to the support site - a new ticket - the problem is resolved.

And so I'm flying away to rest in Italy. Normal vacation. Two weeks at sea and back to Kiev. Again "Your Purchase Could Not Be Completed . " I update the last ticket, to which I get a response that just hit me on the spot:



Having the experience of communicating with mail support on Friday afternoon, I decide to call Moscow, as there is an hour before the call center closes, and there is no desire to wait until Monday. In parallel, responding to that letter of support. On the phone I get a completely intelligible and clear answer: “According to Apple’s rules, when crossing the border, you must change the country and replace the credit card attached to it with a card of the country in which you are located!” I'm sorry, what?!

The girl kindly promised to try to solve the problem, having previously warned that she did not promise anything. In the meantime, an hour or two later I received an answer to the mail:



The support girl still kept her word, for which many thanks to her. I was able to buy again. But not for long. After 2-3 purchases, I received the block again.

Arriving back to Kiev, everything became normal again.

The month of August has come. Two days before leaving abroad, my account is again blocked. I am sending a letter of support to resolve the issue. They answered me when I was already abroad so that I read the rules. I reply that I am aware of everything and just ask to fix this problem before I go back. The answer was positive.

I am in Kiev - I can’t buy. I write to support and get a new dose of “positive” emotions:



After this message, I really got very angry. I called Moscow - they didn’t help. Again I wrote to support - nothing. A few days later I wrote a huge letter with all the details - deafly. And so I decide to write a very short letter:



After literally 20 minutes, the account earned. Draw your own conclusions, I honestly did not understand how this helped in this situation and so sharply changed ignore to a desire to help me.

After this incident, my account was blocked twice more. A call to Moscow and a request for unlocking helped without question.

To summarize:

• Use the store of the country in which you reside;
• If the American support does not contact, contact this number in Moscow - +7 495 5809557;
• Change the country to the current one, before it’s too late (the programs will remain, the music will not);
• When flying abroad, just do not make any purchases;
• If you get the error “Your Purchase Could Not Be Completed” - think about it! You are doing something wrong.

PS Also, many will tell that this never happened to them and never will be, and that this is all nonsense. I assure you, I haven’t been with this for 3 years either, and here for and for half a year all created accounts are blocked (no matter which country and what data I indicate). This is a matter of chance, but I would not risk it.