[Update] Android refund period remains at 24 hours

[wuyanks]

UPDATE (@12:59PM EST):sorry for any heartburn this may have caused. the story was 100% inaccurate:
from source (Androinica):

A reader has pointed out that the 48-hour refund policy has been part of the developer distribution agreement for some time, but it is not the same as the market policy, which remains 24 hours. Customers can request a refund from developers within 48 hours, but the market continues to have a 24-hour return policy it seems. I apologize for any inconvenience or confusion this post may have caused.
Here’s Roto Meier explaining more on Twitter

“re: Market Refund. No change to the DDA, it always said 48 to give us a buffer. Actual policy is still (and always was) 24hrs.”

thanks to @TheRealRiley for helping provide clarification.

User experience with the Android Market has been, well disappointing, to say the least. But fear not, Google is on a mission to revamp the Android Market, and more change is coming. Just the other day, we reported that Google is to allow wireless providers to charge Android apps to consumers' phone bills. And now, according to the Android Market Developer Distribution Agreement (or the AMDDA for those of you who like acronyms), the refund period for apps has been extended to 48 hours. The previous ADDA gave consumers a 24 hour window to return an app, and now that refund period is doubled. Developers must agree to the new terms by August 23rd, so we expect these changes to take place around that date. This will likely cause an uproar in the development community, which has been complaining about being subject to any refund period at all. Why? According to some developers, up to to 50% of purchased apps are returned. And by doubling the refund period, this may decrease sales for developers even further.

So, this change will be great for consumers, as they'll have a much longer trial before committing to a purchase. On the other hand, this move clearly will distance Google from both aspiring and current Android developers. Many developers feel there is no incentive to develop for Android, because of its unmonitored, highly-taxed Market, and this could just make matters worse. It is also becoming more of a common practice for developers to publish their apps on third-party markets, as seen with Gameloft, EA, and the upcoming OpenFeint service. Do note, a small subset of applications that provide a preview, like wallpapers and ringtones, will have no refund option, so developers can take solace in that, I guess.

Thoughts on an extended refund period?

via Androinica
Source Android

Graphic courtesy of AndroidSpin

[Ads]

[wuyanks]

UPDATE (@12:59PM EST):sorry for any heartburn this may have caused. the story was 100% inaccurate:
from source (Androinica):
A reader has pointed out that the 48-hour refund policy has been part of the developer distribution agreement for some time, but it is not the same as the market policy, which remains 24 hours. Customers can request a refund from developers within 48 hours, but the market continues to have a 24-hour return policy it seems. I apologize for any inconvenience or confusion this post may have caused.
Here’s Roto Meier explaining more on Twitter



“re: Market Refund. No change to the DDA, it always said 48 to give us a buffer. Actual policy is still (and always was) 24hrs.”

thanks to @TheRealRiley for helping provide clarification.