EU iTunes Stores, App Stores get 14-day Refund Policy

iTunes Store, App Store, and iBook Store customers in many EU countries can now request refunds for any reason up to 14 days after making a purchase. The change brings Apple into compliance with EU consumer rights regulations that allow for a 14 day right of cancellation or return.

Apple details its new 14-day EU return policy for digital contentApple details its new 14-day EU return policy for digital content

The new policy stands in contrast to the United States and many other countries where all sales are final and any refunds are handled on a case-by-case basis.

Requesting a refund doesn't, however, mean EU customers have a loophole for scoring free content from Apple. The policy lets customers request a refund as long as they haven't started to download whatever they've purchased, which should stop people from essentially renting video games by requesting their money back before the 14 day window expires.

From the policy:

Exception to the right of cancellation: You cannot cancel your order for the supply of digital content if the delivery has started upon your request and acknowledgement that you thereby lose your cancellation right.

You also won't be able to turn unused gift cards into free money by requesting refunds on unused portions.

To request a refund, you'll need to pay a visit to Apple's Report a Problem website. Just be sure you haven't already started your download, or you'll be out of luck.

[Thanks to iFun.de for the heads up]