“Apple has extended an olive branch to angry ‘Breaking Bad’ fans by offering up refunds to disgruntled customers who purchased the show’s final season on iTunes [Store],” Daniel Goldblatt reports for Variety.
“The cost of the show and what constituted ‘a season’ was the subject of much frustration by customers on iTunes who purchased season 5 of the show last year for $22.99,” Goldblatt reports. “They thought (or perhaps assumed) they were getting this last batch of eight episodes as well (since AMC dubs all of them ‘season 5’) but that was not the case.”
Goldblatt reports, “A class action suit was filed against Apple — even though the call to break up the seasons and how to price them was AMC’s decision — but now Apple has sent an email to customers who bought the first half of the season, offering them a refund… AMC’s ‘Mad Men’ also plans on splitting its final season two. We’ll see how Apple and AMC decide to handle that one.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Alternate headline: Guy in Ohio gets upset and sues the wrong company which nonetheless makes it right for everyone affected because they’re Apple.
AMC, you’re at fault here, not Apple. Don’t screw up the final season of “Mad Men” iTunes Store sales, too.
Related article:
‘Breaking Bad’ fan sues Apple for cutting short Season Pass – September 7, 2013
BBC has done the same thing with the last few Doctor Who seasons if I’m not mistaken.
And before that, Battlestar Galactica and Caprica on SciFi/SyFy, and I’m sure there are examples before that too.
Mid-season hiatuses with 4-9 months in between are beyond retarded. Unless I’m a huge fan of the show, by then the suspense is gone, I’ve forgotten a lot of what happened, and really just don’t care enough to continue watching the show.
Then save them up and watch them in a batch..sheesh.
Typically when shows like Doctor Who are posted they would state “Doctor Who, Season 7, Pt. 1” Breaking Bad just had “Breaking Bad, Season 5” they should have put the “Pt. 1” then there would be no issue here.
Apple will get there pound of flesh from AMC.
When they send them the money for whatever they collected from AMC shows, it will be minus what they paid out.
good on apple but the other company should take the blame and financial hit too, not just apple. A lesson learned for apple i tunes section
iTunes customers can’t get their hands around the necks of the AMC producers so they shoot the messenger?
Fuckinghoneybooboo whiners!
Yeah – book hoo fucking whiners for expecting to get what they paid for!
So you’re of the Honey Boo Boo generation, huh?
Seb? Is that like one of the Seben Dwarves?
Apple launches 2013 haswell based iMacs with PCIe support.
Greed, pure and simple. Tons of shows have been pulling this shit for the last few years.
Apple probably didn’t have any say in how content producers sold their shows due to contracts, but after this Apple should have some leverage in asking them to be a little more organized.
What does apple do when it has sold a season pass and a show is cancelled after 7 episodes?
Just wondering…my preferred source of TV shows is eztv.
Not sure about a cancelation but I have been stung before purchased a season pass to House the year they had the writers strike and even though the season ended up a couple of episodes short price was the same.
On a happier note, I purchased the first season of Bun Heads and it had been stopped at I think 9 episodes so the season pass was cheap, the they decided to complete the season a few months later and I got the extra at no additional charge.
SEASON PASS, MULTI-PASS, ITUNES PASS
The full price of the Season Pass, Multi-Pass, or iTunes Pass is charged upon purchase. You must connect to the iTunes Service and download any remaining Pass content within 90 days after the final Pass content becomes available (or such other time period as may be specified on the purchase page), after which that content may no longer be available for download as part of the purchase. If automatic renewal is selected when you purchase a Multi-Pass, you will be charged the full price of each subsequent Multi-Pass cycle, unless and until you cancel automatic renewal prior to the beginning of the subsequent Multi-Pass cycle (in the Manage Passes section of your Account information). If a network or studio delivers fewer TV episodes than planned when you purchased a Season Pass, we will credit to your Account the retail value of the corresponding number of episodes.
Better call Saul.
brilliant post
Still good advertising and PR for apple, leveraging off of one of the most popular shows on TV. It shows they stand by their customers. ( although I’m sure it’s going to be spun as ‘Apple capitulated to the lawsuit’) They have the cash cusion, it’s a market they are agressively pusuing, and sets an example that competitors would be expected to follow. (who might not be able to similarly support it). I am guessing it is well worth the lost revenue… (since you get to buy something else with it, further getting you hooked) …. I expect they will withold payment to AMC for the second season if owed….. Will be interesting to see what they do with Mad Men…
If only Apple could have given subscribers what they were promised. But clearly AMC would not allow such a sane and customer-friendly thing to occur. Scouring more money out of ‘Breaking Bad’ fans was of a higher priority.
Under the circumstance, kudos to Apple for doing the right thing! I knew they would.
Naughty AMC. Verrry naughty. Your screwed over customers will be spanking you accordingly. Ouch.
Better tell Marcellus to call the Wolf.
This article is a little misleading. They refunded all customers, not just ones who were disgruntled. You didn’t have to complain to get anything, which shows Apple understands it was the right thing to do. If the studio sold the previous four full seasons as 1, 2, 3, and 4… it is unreasonable to think people would see ‘season 5’ and think it’s anything but a full season, regardless of the price.
Everyone trying to blame the customer for not guessing the bait and switch tactic here is delusional or weirdly mean-spirited.
Apple’s email makes it clear that they blame the studio mostly, but that it was their system being open to abuse that makes them ultimately responsible. That’s just honesty.
Sad to say, I see this fiasco being a big incentive to torrent the rest of the ‘season’ if only as retribution against AMC.
Naughty Corporate Oligarchy! Screw-Thy-Customer and Thy Customer shall Screw-You-Back. Obviously.
Big FAIL AMC. You should have done the right thing and actually handed over ALL of season 5. Blatant DUH Factor. Customer abuse accomplished.