Apple Card charges in error

[TheForce]

I bought an ipad on the Apple Card with time payment plan because it had zero interest and offered 3% cash back on each monthly payment as well. The only catch was I had to accept Apple Care+ as part of the deal. However once the ipad was paid off I cancelled Apple Care+ and it disappeared from my account.

Unfortunately I continued to see the AC+ show up as a 3.75 monthly payment after I cancelled. I complained as in "report a problem" every couple months but never got the charge cancelled.

In the meantime I had made two other Apple purchases the same way and once paid off I cancelled the AC+ and it ended as it should. The ipad AC+ slipped through.

Today I decided to give it a real try and found a support number for Apple Card on their website. I called the number and got a service rep right away but not at Apple but at Goldman Sachs. Unfortunately he refused to help and claimed They won't stop charging my card unless Apple cancels the service. So I call Apple and they claim the service was cancelled and to take it up with GS. I called them back again and got the same run around. Hung up. and called back trying to get a different support person. This time the GS support person said he will contact Apple and explain the problem and get me satisfaction. After 20 minutes, the two reps were on the phone with me and the Apple rep, an Apple Care+ support, not Apple card support said she would fix the problem and the next month billing would be gone. No refunds for the near one year of billing as even though AC+ didn't show up I still had it since I was paying for it????

So I then explained to her that the confusion on my part was that everytime I tried to call Apple card support Apple sent me to GS and GS told me to call Apple at the same number. She said she will make note of that. Anyway, I asked her if there is some unpublished number I could call if the problem comes up in the future and she gave me that number in an email. However, you have to have a case # to enter to get anywhere with it so it is only to be used if the automated system doesn't get you satisfaction.

I also learned that with Apple Care+ you can no longer cancel it online. The goggle instructions I had no longer work. She said now to cancel AC+ you must call with the case number to cancel the service.

I am planning to upgrade my iphone and maybe my Apple watch this Fall so maybe I will avoid the Apple card - AC+ time payment plan and just pay cash since AC+ seems to be a real problem to cancel. Have to see what the bottom line saving is. I never really put my portable / mobile Apple products in harms way so it seems the AC+ is a complete waste of money.

 

[harshness]

Good insights. Since the subsequent subscriptions haven't been borked, it may have been an anomaly.

AC+ covers accidental damage and that can even happen to even those who exercise the most diligent care.

If it is any consolation, Goldman Sachs is likely to drop Apple Pay some time in 2026 when their Mastercard contract with Apple runs out.

According to theinformation.com, Tim Cook tried to sign up for an Apple Pay account and was denied!

 

[SamCdbs]

https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/using-credit-cards-and-disputing-charges

Always read your bill, never pay for anything you didn't buy, never accept no for an answer, threaten to sue if not taken care of immediately.

 

[TheForce]

I got a survey from Apple to complete. Here is what I posted in their follow up comments page of the survey.

The phone number for "Apple Card support" goes to Goldman Sachs. The CSR at Goldman Sachs was not at all helpful until I got to the third CSR who still couldn't resolve the problem but at least connected me with the real Apple person, Stephanie who was great. Apple needs to have the proper phone number under support and get with Goldman Sachs so they know what to do. Apple should not confuse the issue by posting the wrong phone number for Apple Card support or at least explain it is not Apple but rather Goldman Sachs.

 

[TheForce]

Good insights. Since the subsequent subscriptions haven't been borked, it may have been an anomaly.

AC+ covers accidental damage and that can even happen to even those who exercise the most diligent care.

If it is any consolation, Goldman Sachs is likely to drop Apple Pay some time in 2026 when their Mastercard contract with Apple runs out.

According to theinformation.com, Tim Cook tried to sign up for an Apple Pay account and was denied!

Yes, it was a slipup by Apple when I cancelled but I'm at fault for letting this continue for the past 7 months. As the Apple rep explained, when the charge went through the following month my cancellation was cancelled and the service just continued to be renewed each month. The other flaw was it disappeared visibly from my account page and the Apple rep promised to get that bug fixed. In other words, if it renews, it should have showed up on my account and not just on the Apple card after the charge was executed.

Not surprised that GS is dropping the joint venture. Apple also has Citizenone lender for time payments but that is not the great deal that GS is. 0% interest and 3% cash back. When the guy at the store told me I agreed to it immediately with a smirk. He explained that GS hopes most people will not pay the bill each month and run up interest charges and late fees. Guess GS misjudges Apple customers if they aren't making money on the Apple relationship.

The AC+ doesn't really cover the accidental damage because there is always a fee and that fee is often more expensive than the independent repair cost. Break the screen on an ipad will cost $25 for a DIYer to replace but the fee under AC+ is higher than that. Only reason I had AC+ is Apple requires it as part of the GS time payment plan. Probably good for those who don't know a screwdriver from a pliers.

 

[navychop]

Thanks for the warning. I’ll keep it in mind when & if I upgrade next month or so. And maybe get an iWatch.

CASH UP FRONT! Even for AC+, IF….