Current:Home > MarketsCould you be eligible for a Fortnite refund?-LoTradeCoin
Could you be eligible for a Fortnite refund?
View Date:2024-12-23 20:45:30
Ever accidentally swipe or press lightly on a button and end up charged for something you didn't want? Federal Trade Commission attorney James Doty says that's what happened to millions of Fortnite players.
"The button configuration within Fortnite was so confusing and inconsistent that it was extremely easy for users to rack up charges for items they did not want," he says, "Game players are kind of fast and furiously pressing buttons. Some of those buttons preview items. Some of those buttons purchase items. And if a user was previewing an item and accidentally pressed an adjacent button, they would immediately be charged for the item with no recourse."
Of the $520 million settlement from Epic Games, $245 million will go towards refunding Fortnite consumers who the FTC says were tricked into making unwanted charges.
The FTC has identified three categories of consumers eligible for refunds:
-Parents whose children made an unauthorized credit card purchase in the Epic Games Store between January 2017 and November 2018.
-Fortnite players who were charged in-game currency (V-Bucks) for unwanted in-game items (such as cosmetics, llamas, or battle passes) between January 2017 and September 2022.
-Fortnite players whose accounts were locked between January 2017 and September 2022 after disputing unauthorized charges with their credit card companies.
Doty says the FTC aims to "give money back to injured consumers as seamlessly as possible." It set up the website ftc.gov/fortnite where people can find more information and sign up for email updates.
But how consumers will prove they've been ripped off is still being worked out. "The process is a little bit complicated because we are dealing with a user base of 400 million players," says Doty.
For its part, Epic Games recently instituted a number of payment and refund features. It has changed the practice of "saving payment information by default" and instead offers "an explicit yes or no choice to save payment information."
As for those "confusing" buttons that caused unwanted charges, Fortnite now has a "hold-to-purchase mechanic for all in-game purchases."
In its public statement, the company writes, "We accepted this agreement because we want Epic to be at the forefront of consumer protection and provide the best experience for our players."
"The shockwaves of this settlement will work its way through the many layers of the gaming industry," Stephen Balkam, founder and CEO of the Family Online Safety Institute tells NPR. He believes the FTC's action signals "a new wave of recognition" by lawmakers and regulators "that this area needs to be controlled." At the same time, Balkam says, "Epic Games and most of the other gaming companies have already updated their practices. But it's a very strong indication that the FTC is going to keep a close eye on how they develop their games."
veryGood! (51)
Related
- Alexandra Daddario shares first postpartum photo of baby: 'Women's bodies are amazing'
- Minneapolis considers minimum wage for Uber, Lyft drivers
- Hundreds evacuated after teen girl sets fire to hotel sofa following fight with mom
- 10,000 red drum to be stocked in Calcasieu Lake estuary as part of pilot program
- As Northeast wildfires keep igniting, is there a drought-buster in sight?
- As Twitter fades to X, TikTok steps up with new text-based posts
- Lionel Messi shines again in first Inter Miami start, scores twice in 4-0 win over Atlanta
- Russian fighter jet damages U.S. drone flying over Syria, U.S. military says
- Melissa Gilbert recalls 'painful' final moment with 'Little House' co-star Michael Landon
- Rod Stewart, back to tour the US, talks greatest hits, Jeff Beck and Ukrainian refugees
Ranking
- 2025 NFL Draft order: Updated first round picks after Week 10 games
- How Timothée Chalamet Helped Make 4 Greta Gerwig Fans' Night
- A man tried to sail from California to Mexico. He was rescued, but abandoned boat drifted to Hawaii
- Education Department investigating Harvard's legacy admission policies
- Voters in Oakland oust Mayor Sheng Thao just 2 years into her term
- Why Megan Fox Is Telling Critics to Calm Down Over Her See-Through Dress
- A man tried to sail from California to Mexico. He was rescued, but abandoned boat drifted to Hawaii
- Department of Education opens investigation into Harvard University's legacy admissions
Recommendation
-
Mississippi woman pleads guilty to stealing Social Security funds
-
Man suspected of shooting and injuring Dallas-area doctor was then shot and injured by police
-
DeSantis campaign shedding 38 staffers in bid to stay competitive through the fall
-
Terry Crews' Doctor Finds Potentially Cancerous Polyps During His Filmed Colonoscopy
-
5-year-old boy who went missing while parent was napping is found dead near Oregon home, officials say
-
Drew Barrymore to host 74th National Book Awards with Oprah Winfrey as special guest
-
Ecuador suspends rights of assembly in some areas, deploys soldiers to prisons amid violence wave
-
Education Department investigating Harvard's legacy admission policies