Seems like the applites are idiots when it comes to apps. Joking clicked it, duh. I use Windows and I know not to click BUY IT NOW. So, Jesus did you get this app yet? Let us know we must know how well it works!

ThatsMrOffDutyNinja

I would LOVE to be so affluent that I had a credit card which could service that kind of charge. But seriously, it does look like a harmless joke. As retarded as clicking on it is, I think that whoever put that App up is easily guilty of criminal fraud. Armin Heinrich sounds like a name from deep in Bavaria, so I doubt he has much recourse. Let this be a lesson, kiddies:

1) Don't mix finances with your significant other
2) Don't share computers with your significant other
3) Don't use 1Click or anything that doesn't let you confirm an order
4) Don't buy software for your iPhone when it's available for free via Jailbreak

markarian

Under the headline "...He's Just Dumb" we find the words " First, many people has custom carrier logos..."

A tautology if ever there was one, no?

JDisnidiet

This is great advertising for Apple:
"An OS so user-friendly, even a complete idiot can use it!"

kamsolusar

Shhhhhh, you're revealing the secret.

Git Em SteveDave displays attention-grabbing vanity

it may not be directly apples fault, but a system by which apple stands to make 20% off any dimwit and his sister buying into scams like these is problematic

User Formerly known as Arelar

The only problem with this software is that it wasn't me who created it. :(

Waka in Japan

half of me wants to feel sorry for him, the other half wants to brush it off and say "you are stupid"

i think i will just laugh at it, and forget it ever happened.

moviscop

Can we call it eDarwinism?

totolobo

What an idiot. It's not Apple's fault that he bought an application that did exactly what it said. It's sort of like buying and empty PS3 "box" on Ebay. Learn to read...it's extremely helpful!

jolejniczak

Aside that this Lee character should consider his $999 a tuition fee (I can only assume that he has learned to be less gullible, among other things), I would assume there is some sort of consumer protection law under which he can return the app to the store for a full refund, no questions asked.

papaguru

the fewer people that buy this app means more money for those of us who did...

YES THIS APP IS A SCAM! DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT BUYING IT!

discounteggroll

I would love for this guy to have to pay out of his pocket and then miss a mortgage payment.

Cause he probably deserves it.

aaj111

i hope the guy actually has to pay for his carelessness... i would insist on it!

he read the description and hit buy anyways....

smokeonit

Kind of like smashing a $1000 vase in Pottery Barn on purpose just to see if the store will actually make you pay for it.

OMG! Ponies!

I have a sort of similar story

I accidently bought a bible for £11. For some reason iTunes didn't ask me to confirm or ask me for my password (as it usually does, this was the day the appstore went live so I was just looking at what was available). However I accidently clicked buy instead of more info, I use the shopping cart option on the music store for this exact reason and I think it's terrible that it doesn't work with apps.

I don't know why I wasn't asked for verification but I realised that there's nothing I could do... This guy on the other hand clicked on 'I'm gonna buy a useless $999 app!' button "thinking it was a joke"... What did he think would happen? A screen would pop up saying "LOL, not really!".

I think I'm going to go to a casino and put all my money on a single number, when I loose I'm gonna say "What do you mean I lose... that was a joke right? Did you really think I would acually bet my life savings? Gimmie my money fool!"

All right, I'm done.

General_Bison

All I have to say...

IS ROFL!

aaj111

one time I went out and bought a car to see what would happen.....then for months I kept getting these bills in the mail for $300.00 .....what the hell? I was just joking......

what the hell did this idiot expect would happen?

gaiking

@liquidsoapdispenser: Swap "have" for "has" and it will make sense. He's referring to the fact the screen shot has an at&t logo at the top, which might question the screen shot's authenticity.

However, many people put custom logos on their phone's via jailbreak.

generalassembly

Thats what he gets for being a douche f@g.

GHETTO.CHiLD

Jesus, I found your posting hard to follow:
First, many people has custom carrier logos.

What does this mean and why does is sound so grammatically incorrect?

liquidsoapdispenser

Yeah, the guy's an idiot. But the fact is 97% of the population at large are idiots, and the rest of us have idiotic moments (with me being the glaring exception of course). The fact that scam apps are making their way onto the App Store, though, is just more evidence that Apple's screwing up a lot with the iPhone 3g rollout.

That being said, I'm a Windows/Unix/Linux guy who got the iPhone as his first actual Apple product, and despite the shortcomings, it's a kick ass device. It may get me fired though, unless I can stop playing Cro Mag Rally and Motion-X Poker while I'm clocked in at work.

stryder100

I like that line "we clicked buy to see what would happen" and amazingly it bought the app!!!

Who would have thought that the word 'buy' meant that you would purchase it. We learn something new every day.

ttech10

FWIW, the app appears to be pulled. It IS amazing that it slipped through the cracks in the first place though...

littleSavage

Folks... this is a serious case of ID10T

reiyaku

like, what a complete and utter douche. what did you think would happen? it's not apple's fault. you just learned a valuable lesson. oh, and nice attempt at blaming the wife, I'm sure she'll appreciate it later on...

B1663R

@JDisnidiet: (forgot to add a smiley)... i agree with you...

craighyatt

@JDisnidiet: yeah.. what a crappy editing job.. the correct grammer is "First, many people has got custom carrier logos."

craighyatt

Ah yes, the name calling contingent has arrived. Of course no one here would care about spelling or grammar - have you seen the comments? So, keep up the ad hominem attacks - you are as classy as you have ever been.

JDisnidiet

Only one thing ever happens when you click something labeled "BUY".

Dummy.

strider_mt2k

Maybe his name is Richard Lee and he thought it was an app made just for him.

craighyatt

@JDisnidiet: Sounds like YOU bought the app too... Grammar and spelling police aren't really required on the giz. Even if they are - there are proper ways of doing it. Douche.

qbrad

I can has custom carrier logos?

buttersideup

same thing happened to me about 25 times in a row with the cable remote and the playboy channel...

...they didn't buy the "just joking" explanation

stupidjerk

@kamsolusar:

Ah. Don't you know that 90% of computers use Windows?
Don't you know that Windows users use iTunes?
Don't you know that Windows users can use iPhones?

Lets see what was it you said?

"An OS so user-friendly, even a complete idiot can use it!"

Ah. Were you really trying to be clever or did you make yourself look like an idiot by mistake?

Shenzhov

Stupid... but how is the price justified? Apple should be embarassed almost as much as the guy for having the dumb app on their store

Posavoie

@JDisnidiet: You clearly have no idea what a tautology is.

Ironic, maybe. Pot calling the kettle black, sure. Tautology - not so much.

randalotto

What a great way to launder money!

Error404

@totolobo: Only if it ruins his credit.
@generalassembly: "phone's" Muphry's Law! lulz.

rabiddachshund

First off the app is no more a scam then half of the shit apps in the app store. The only thing that makes this different is that it costs $1000. The person who made this app is smart. The app has been talked about on every tech blog out there. So you know there would be at least one idiot to buy this and all it takes is one for the creator to make an easy $900 profit.

Second, I think the guy is lying. Apple doesnt immediately charge your credit card when you buy an app. Its takes a day or 2 for them to charge your card. They only run credit cards like 2-3 times a week.

"I just wanted to see what would happen." Haha, what an idiot. I also wanted to see what would happen if I slipped a rufie into a girls drink and recorded myself doing it and put it on youTube.

TheGraphicsGeek

I'm working on creating an app now that allows people not to buy an app, but to buy the rights to sell the app to other people. For a modest $50 people will be able to buy an app that allows them to sell the app to other people for $50. The plan is flawless.

Aoi

Way to go, Darwin! :-)

That he's using the customer review form to "contact" Apple makes this even dumber.

pableu

@JDisnidiet: I don't know, define tautology and how it applies in this situation.

Mr. Moto

no sympathy at all.

TonyRockyHorror

@randalotto: yeah, i think he meant "oxymoron".... probably tautology was just a parapraxis. :)

craighyatt

I admit that this guy was dumb.

When I first saw the story about this app being on the store my wife commented that no was would be dumb enough to buy it.
I said "sure they will" if only some person from a news agency saying...
"oh 1000 bucks for an app that says it does nothing, why that can't be true, lets buy it and evaluate it"

All it takes is one moron to spend the money and the guy made a thousand bucks free and clear for nothing. It's a win win for the app writer.

So, at least one guy did this. He was dumb yes....yes he was.
I don't think this lets Apple off the hook though for having an app up that was simply there to scam people out of their money. Even if it says that's pretty much why it was there.

People piss their money away every day. Just go to a Walmart or stores like it and watch people buy little plastic crap made in 3rd world countries.

Shenzhov

He's rich!

Captain_Collide

You would think that for that price, his iPhone would constantly scream:

"I'M RICH BEEE-OOOTCH!" a la Dave Chapelle.

DrGonzho

"...He's Just Dumb" we find the words " First, many people has custom carrier logos..."

Needless repetition of a word or idea. You can look it up.

JDisnidiet

question of the day:

How much would you pay for a GIZMODO app (I think GIZMOBILE sounds catchy)?

Gann

@Posavoie: Let the market dictate the price. There's a lot of crap in the App Store that isn't worth the nominal amount that is the price. If people want it, they'll buy it. If they don't feel that the product justifies the price, they won't buy it.

Here, the programmer, (probably) as a goof, made a stupid little applet that one can generously describe as "performance art" - i.e., it has no functionality and exists only to make a statement - with no expecation that anyone would be fool enough to buy it. It had disclaimers on it, as does Apple's one-click payment system when the user enables it for just this reason - to let you know that if you click it, you bought it.

What if the user clicked on a box set of every Grateful Dead bootleg - something that would number in the thousands of songs (and dollars) - "thinking it was a joke"? Should he still have to pay for the download? Of course.

Here's some more law: What makes a contract

A contract is an offer, an acceptance, and a payment of consideration.

If you really want to get technical - and here on Gizmodo we love to get technical - this is a bilateral contract, meaning that the contract goes both ways.

Seller offers to sell Program for $1,000. Buyer accepts offer. At the same time, Buyer offers to buy Program for $1,000 and Seller accepts. Buyer gives Seller $1,000 and Seller gives Program.

The consideration for the Program is the $1,000 and the consideration for the $1,000 is the Program. It is wholly irrelevant whether the Program is actually worth $1,000. The Buyer was given consideration. As the hornbooks say, even a peppercorn (all you home chefs are familiar with peppercorns) can serve as consideration.

The contract is valid. The buyer deserves to be out the full $1,000. The program can serve as a reminder to him not to do dumb shit like this again. That lesson is evidently worth $1,000.

OMG! Ponies!

Well, let's look on the bright side. This guy can at least now parade around and tell people how rich he is, and he's got the app to prove it.

DisposableInterloper

Omg Is that true...

Holy crap that program does exist

Will they really let me download it? I'll just click and see. Woah It's actually downloading. Cool...

Wait a second they're really charging me for it, wait this isn't right. Why are they charging me...

Um Apple, If you're reading this can I get my money back. This is like that time I 'accidently' bought a macbook.

funstraw

Hey! We're all entitled to be Dumb. it just that this guy is monopolizing it

mulderisout

@liquidsoapdispenser:

i love when something is grammatically incorrect and it just sounds like harbl in my mind

techtechnonolologic

FAKE! The guy should have calculate the tax, so no way his card would be charge $999.99.
He is an idiot. I can't believe it so many people believe him.

biofreak

On the other hand, a "get rid of all the crap apps" is a pretty difficult slope to get down. Apply it to the Movies and Music store too? I can safely say half of the movies that are on the iTunes store are also worthless.

I also dislike almost all the music. It's junk and a waste of my ear-time. (Not really but I'm making a point.)

Yup, lots of crap apps. Wait until the store settles, until proper outlets (*cough* blogs and magazines) start recommending specific apps and then there's no worry about buying junk. Some of the best apps I've found are free or cost a buck.

Walked down the average grocery or convenience store aisle lately? Lots of crap there too.

Just don't buy it. Any of it. Even this opinion.

dialing_wand

@JDisnidiet: i learned something new today... i didn't know about "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tautology_%28rhetoric%29"... i only knew about tautologies in logic... very interesting.. so Gizmodo isn't a *complete* waste of time.. :)

craighyatt

lol

ARPRINCE

Blame it on the wife... Shmuck

totoro

There really should be a way for Apple to remove the App from his phone and give him his money back. I dont care, you can return virtually anything, in the US. This shouldnt be differnt. Especially since Apple has the power to remove / disable apps from your phone.

James

This is one of the greatest applications ever. Not only is it perfectly free of charge for the sensible, it seriously punishes people simply for being stupid. An awesome social experiment, and it's a success!

I do believe that this was developed by Deep Thought herself.

Kaiser-Machead's BSDM Shenanigans

@92BuickLeSabre: Now that's genius plan.

Step 1: Do something stupid
Step 2: Tell bloggers about the stupid thing you did
Step 3: Demand a refund by blaming two giant multinational corporations, thereby throwing a potential criminal charge of credit card fraud

OMG! Ponies!

I'd feel bad if it was an accident, but he clearly states that he purposely clicked the buy button.

He learned an important (and expensive) lesson.

Case closed.

pj_rage

I see what this guy is up to. It's a scam, not a fake, a scam.

Dude had some really big social event, maybe a H.S. reunion for example, where he wanted to be able to show everybody how he has "made it big." So he's trying to "rent" this App.

Buy it, use it to show everyone he's Mr. Richie Rich, and now he's trying to return it.

People do this all the time with clothes, jewelry, transportation, spouses.

Don't fall for it Apple!

(Also, could we get a broom in this thread.)

92BuickLeSabre

@GeekyNerdGuy: considering how many apps there are out there that are essentially carbon copies (the Bible and Koran apps come to mind), i figure i can just call it Im Rich (missing the apostraphe). or I'm a Moron.

ps: it's gone: [technologizer.com]

RIP

hebrewhammer770

I thought it was an E.S.O. problem, Equipment Superior to Operator.

RobotVampire

@mulderisout: Now, now. There's plenty of stupid to go around.

OMG! Ponies!

@hebrewhammer770: What are you going to call it? I'm Frugal?

GeekyNerdGuy

Reminds me of those letters you'd get asking you to mail $1 to the six people on your list. Then you add your name and mail out 100 letters.

Except it's $999 and all the letters are addressed to one guy.

GeekyNerdGuy

i think i'll make an app exactly like the I'm Rich, sell it for $49.99, and make a bundle off the biggest losers in the world. see, i'd feel bad about semi-scamming decent people.

hebrewhammer770

You don't need to buy an application to submit a review for it.

Here, I will prove it for you.

Stacky Botrus

This has been going on forever. Nothing new here. I remember people buying "VCR's" in the 80's and when they got home it was a box with bricks in it.

Then they went to the cops, and amazingly enough--the cops didin't want to help them.

"Suckers are born every minute."

dragonphyre

"Buy" ACTUALLY means buy?!?!

That's RIDICULOUS!

Kricket

Apple's tech's don't have time to screen Apps, they're all too busy trying to keep Mobile Me from imploding. I don't see where this guy has any right to cancel it.

TVGenius

@Kaiser-Machead's BSDM Shenanigans: If only it had a monthly subscription fee to repeatedly punish the seriously stupid.

Gann

@markarian: Uh, having a credit card that can handle a thousand bucks doesn't make you affluent, it just means you're more than 19 years old. The first credit card I ever got, before I had any kind of credit history, had a 1500 dollar limit. I won't even discuss how much available credit I have now, and I'm far from 'affluent.'

Unless you were being sarcastic, in which case... carry on :)

bobman1235

Most of these pay apps are not worth a Penny and some of the free one i'll pay any price for them, one Example, GrandDialer it's Free and it's like having 2 phones in one, well that's if you have a free grand central account, but that's a app i would had have paid $20 with no problem and it's free. some developer should learn from them

snitch29

The developer has to be the happiest person on earth

Th3Chos3n0n3

@apeguero: Is the misplaced T on purpose?

ALT

@Scott: I hate and love you for that comment.

ALT

Whoever coined this idea is a genius and should be commended for having balls of steel. Rich people these days will buy anything that helps identify themselves that way. It reminds me of that $1 per pixel website. If this program is allowed to stay then I'll have come up with one myself. Someone already said this yesterday in another post here in Gizmodo but the first thing that came to my mind was create one with an animation of David Chapelle, maybe the goat from the credits or him dressed up as Rick James, and an audio clip saying: "I'M RICHT BIATCH!"

/the extra A above is on purpose.

apeguero

@General_Bison: You should always be able to return a book that you didn't enjoy in my opinion. hehe

But for serious-like, many of these apps are shit, and you really should have a try before you buy or a return mechanic in place. I haaaaaaaaaaaate the entire itunes store.

ALT

Apple users kill me. This is why we cannot trust them with more than one mouse button.

Scott

Buyer Be Ware, clown.

MinskyBA

I call fake on this guy. He had a charge for $999.99? Where is the tax? In Dallas I would have been charged $1,082.49.

selcouth

You know, this could all be on purpose. I say the guy that bought it is in cahoots (yes, cahoots) with the guy that's selling it. This is all for publicity.

MinskyBA

@DisposableInterloper:
I was wondering when someone would bring up this point - this best part of this story is the fact that this dumb guy now gets to walk around with an app declaring his wealth! He'll be kicking away poor, shallow women and fawning lapdog friends eager to get close to his new-found riches!

bonsai_halcyon

It's called free enterprise people! It's the american way! It's not society's job to keep people from being stupid. Your money, your responsibility. The app was not incorrect in it's advertising, there was no scam involved, it does exactly what it says it does. If you're stupid enough to pay that much for something you haven't checked out, it's your own responsibility to deal with the consequences. Although this would be a good time for the goober to see if the govmnt will bail him out!

rg

@Scott: Yes, because the article explicitly said he was using an Apple product.

You know, they do make iTunes for Windows now... ever since October 2003.

silencedotcom

Yes, he should have known better than to click buy.

But apps such as this should be removed and purchasing apps/music should require confirmation. What if a small child gets onto the computer and randomly clicks things? What is you miss the correct button and hit "buy" by mistake.

I could do the same scam... put "Windows Vista on iPhone" only 50$... when people buy it, it turns out to just be a picture of the Vista desktop.

dinb

not much sympathy from Giz readers. Though I've never bought apple software, I've purchased plenty of other things online, and the "Buy it now" button is never the final confirmation - usually there is a checkout page, another confirmation page then an payment method page and finally a confirmation of payment page. Whenever I want to learn as much as possible about a sale before I decide to buy I always click buy it now just to check the details and the final price after taxes etc. For that reason I'd never use 1Click buying helper, and this guy will probably never let his wife use it again.

Fierock

340 reviews?

Human Bomb

@GHETTO.CHiLD: Whatever happened to that blurb about Giz wanting quality commenters only? Instead, we get more of this crap. Daily.

Xavoc

I am almost to the point of not using the app store AT ALL anymore. I am absolutely sick of the way AppStore is run. And Apple's management across the entire company is getting more and more "money money money" and less "quality quality quality" Apple is starting to lower their quality down to the expectations of any other schlocky computer maker. I am starting to feel that Apple will be crossed by Lenovo in quality, and management. Look at Lenovo handing people FREE 64GB SSDs for that mistake they did, talk about customer service! Apple wouldn't even do the same thing for people who bought the iPhone a month before they did that huge price slash. I am having second thoughts on buying Apple hardware to run my next OS X installation off of, YOU HEARD ME APPLE! FIX YOUR MANAGEMENT AND QUALITY PRACTICES OR I WILL BE HAVING MYSELF A PANASONIC TOUGHMAC! THAT YOU GUYS FAILED TO RELEASE!

alin0steglinski

LOL You can download this app in cydia. it's supposed to be a mock up or something.

aeroworks

@Kaiser-Machead's BSDM Shenanigans: What time are you open? I'll be there...

geowrian

He should look into doing a chargeback with his credit card company. If his company agrees to do so, he gets his money and Apple gets punished for this atrocity of an application.

toolverine

@geowrian: I'm so setting up a sales booth on the Brooklyn Bridge

Kaiser-Machead's BSDM Shenanigans

Normally I would just call the guy a complete idiot and move on. However, this "I'm rich" app is predatory. It does exactly what it claims, but the $1000 price tag is obviously either a joke (there for the fun of it), or it's there to catch people with 1-click shopping turned on. I'm all for him learning a lesson over this, but $1000? Here's a good question: did anybody legitimately purchase the program knowing what it did and that it was real and they would get charged? if not (or if it's a negligible percentage), then I have a hard time believing this was a good faith sale, and more of a mistake or predatory selling. Also, the seller isn't "smart" for making this app and charging $1000. It's very predatory if you make something like that just to rip people off. It was created as a either a joke (making the sale possibly void) or to rip people off.

As for the remarks from above about the legal side of this, it is a 2-way contract. However, contracts can be broken with or without penalty under certain circumstances. If the sale was not made in good faith, then it can be easily voided. If this was either a joke or designed to rip people off, that would be grounds to void the sale.

geowrian

wow, some smart people here. Guess you don't need undos in photoshop or other applications either then. Something similar happened to me with an 0.99 app due to system lag -- the user action was applied to a different screen/system state. Apple refunded the charge and told me to turn off 1-click which evidently had been turned on automatically when migrating my system to a new mac the previous day. Unfortunately the shopping cart does not work for apps, so your only protection is a dialog window which you can permanently hide. Not really a solid UX.

clipboarder

@Shenzhov:

Ah. Don't you know that 90% of computers don't use Windows, but that 90% of computer USERS (and only at the consumer level that is) use Windows?
Don't you know that iTunes is not an OS but a program?
Don't you know that iPhones, much like other phones, have an OS (ever hear of Symbian OS)?

Also, as a side note, you should have omitted the second line so that your argument would at least have a logical flow. Furthermore, not all Windows users use iTunes as indicated by your second statement, only some do. Unfortunately, I am at a loss at how to add a Venn diagram into this post to show how this works.

kamsolusar

Seriously though...I'd better get that money back.

Chromeo

This is not a real application. The reviews aren't real because there is no application like this in the store. Go ahead, check. I can't believe no one here even looked for this.

poppy

This guy's lucky that Apple set a maximum price limit at $999.99. Imagine if it were $9,999.99.

M.O.D.O.K.

@totolobo: eDarwin awards!

or iDarwin awards? ARGH!

Ariel_Wollinger

What I want to know is, if you buy another iPhone can you transfer your already purchased apps?

Xavoc

@Lavallee017: He clicked it on a dare, and bought it. He should probably check to see what his consumer rights are in his particular state.

Xavoc

@OMG! Ponies!: Yes, to all of that. He should have to pay it all, with no consideration of a refund.

Lavallee017

@Waka in Japan: You might still be able to make a competitor product called, "I'm Even Wealthier!" and charge 9,999.99$ for it!

Hah.

PlayerX

The providers aren't the idiots. The people that buy it are.

Megan Fox Iz Hot! ^-^ - ph15h

Let me be the first to say that I love this app. It shows me how cool I am, and reminds everyone I meet how cool I am ... as soon as I show it to them.

... of course, I didn't *pay* for it, thats what jailbreak is for.

Rodime

The App has no business on the App Store. It should be removed.

lifterus

@poppy: Yes, because Apple pulled the application from the store already. Do some research.

Xavoc

"there's your sign"?

Wakeley

WHAT APPLICATION!?!?!?!?!

I looked yesterday and today on both my phone and itunes. There is NO such application with the word RICH in the title.

WTH is everyone talking about?

JEmlay

oh.

chanmoss

imagine if it was $1000!

chanmoss

I gotta sympathize with him a little. Yes he should have known better, but it should not be as easy as two taps to spend a thousand dollars. For an app that expensive, it there should be a couple extra verification dialog boxes at least.

redman042

I've tried searching for this app to read the description but can't find it at the app store. What exactly does it do other than rip off dimwits?

madog

It seems rather obvious if you click Buy Now you pay the money.

But according to Fox News the app has officially been pulled:

[www.foxnews.com]

Bobby T.

LOL

chrstphr

That is pretty dumb. My question is why would Apple even allow somebody to put some crap like that in the app store to begin with?

Thrillcekr

@kamsolusar: Maybe he was using iTunes for Windows?

huarifaifa

Ao um, what was the advise?

Blinklink11

FAIL

drftjgoj

@OMG! Ponies!: Since we're so keen on being technical around here... It is called a bilateral contract, not because "it goes both ways" like bisexuals, but because it is an exchange of promises, unlike a unilateral contract in which the offeror makes a promise to pay in exchange for completion of performance. All contracts "go both ways" in that to have a contract each party has to give something up (consideration). The distinction is whether we are talking about exchanging promises or performance. And as was the case when you made this technical point in your post, none of this has much to do with whether the guy should be out his $1000.

Also, left out of your definition of the requirements for a contract is the all important "meeting of the minds." Essentially that the formation of a contract requires the two parties the have some common understanding of what in fact they were agreeing to. Admittedly, our moron is going to have a tough time proving it, but if you take him at his word, there was no intention on his part to enter into this contract. (Yes, he is a moron for thinking clicking on "Buy It" meant anything else, nevertheless, he did not do so intending to accept the offer.) So I am not so sure on the formation aspect.

Finally, depending on the law governing the exchange (I am going to take a wild stab at this and say it is the US and the UCC applies), his best argument is probably unconscionability -- that the goods were grossly overpriced. The success of this of course, turns on the state he is in - some states buy this and others dont.

Also, OMG... might suggest ending future posts with legal advice (esp since it sounds like you went to some law school) - with a statement like this:

Please do not consider anything in this comment entry as legal advice. Check with your lawyer on all these things!

ijonathan

@General_Bison: What did he think would happen? A screen would pop up saying "LOL, not really!"

Hahaha, that would be awesome

ReynaldoRiv

how is this a scam?

Extremely overpriced: Check

Does what it says it will do: Check

Made for "Lulz": Check

Scam: NO

tenio

@markarian: Its not fraud any more than Billy Bass was a fraud. Just because someone is dumb enough to buy something that clearly says "I am stupid for buying this" all over it, does not make it fraud.

zenpoet

Don't know if anyone pointed this out before, but I could see someone easily mistaking the $999 for $9.99

jamesoo

Here in Brazil there's a saying: "O tolo e o dinheiro logo se separam". That's in English would be something like: The fool and the money quickly separate from each other...

danilofassa

Amazing. The level of stupid in the world never ceases to surprise me.

Also, you can get this app off of Cydia for free.

loki3331

he should have at least posted some pictures of this awesome app...

areyesp

@zenpoet: @tenio: Correct, it's not a scam. However, if it was just for lulz, you can't consider it to be a legitimate sale. Otherwise, I would claim that it was predatory, and not a good faith sale, so it should be voided.

geowrian

@dialing_wand:
Small problem with your line of reasoning: nobody's taken a cheaply made home movie and tried passing it off as a feature film. Nobody's taken pink noise and tried to pass it off as a song.

Why should the equivalent be happening with apps?

DisposableInterloper

@markarian: I don't get your comment. You admonish someone for committing fraud who is providing the exact service they describe at the cost they quote, albeit an excessively high price they still aren't trying to mislead at all, and in the same breath you recommend that a person break a signed contract and steal software. I'm not sure your angle here, but your other three points of advice are actually incredibly strong and people should follow them.

steininger

@jolejniczak: well, in this case Apple can skip the screening of new apps. when they publish everything anyway.

krom

It's gone!!!!! Apple have pulled it!!!!

ozgaz24

Obviously the app is designed to take advantage of idiots and small children with 1click buying turned on. It's sad Apple let crap like this through.

Duckspwn

I haven't been out to look at the app store entry myself, but from what I've read, it sounded like this app was mostly an advertising gimmick to make people aware of his other applications -- arguably a clever marketing ploy without the expectation of ever selling a copy of this app.

Gnillish

If there are people out there who will pay upwards of 10k USD to have their cell phone 'blinged', then I would say the creator of said app may not have any predatory intentions. He is just facilitating the need for some people to meet status quo.

All social technicalities aside,... ROFL.

UncleArgyll

I do not feel sorry for this buyer. He got what he paid for.

The app says it's for someone to prove that they have enough money to pay for the app.

If people with low IQ's can have their stupid decisions reversed because they're stupid then the world is coming to an end.

What ever happened to NATURAL SELECTION? Stupid people have never been guaranteed that their decisions would be protected by some "I'm stupid, please reverse my decision" law.

If someone is SO stupid to buy this app then they deserve the results. All of us smart people haven't had to worry about this app.

Since when do stupid people get to screw over the smart people because they're smarter than the stupid people?

Life is this: Make a mistake, learn from it. Not, "Make a mistake, someone else must be responsible for your stupid decision."

Anyone stupid enough to click on BUY for a $1000 app deserves what they get.

enc7

I think this is a joke... that the guy who bought this app thinks he got ripped off. I saw this app, read it's description and realized that it was a waste of money.

This douche clicked on BUY, got what he paid for, and expects it to be reversed because he is stupid???

This is NOT a fraudulent app, it gives you what it says it does.

I think the buyer is an idiot and deserves what he got. I think the seller is brilliant on preying on stupid people who'd click on buy for this app. He deserves his $999.99.

Stupid people can't rely on the "oops, I'm an idiot" factor on this kind of crap. They need to learn from their mistakes... and pay the price for their stupidity.

This is the REAL world.

Just because you're stupid doesn't mean you can make a mistake and have it reversed.

What ever happened to NATURAL SELECTION? Stupid people lose and smart people win! That's how life works.

enc7

@Shenzhov: Thank you for explaining what Wikipedia also know about.. :D

What you've trying to point out is a very basic contract law.. I bet if application as good as crap like this (hereinafter "CrApp") stays on the Itune Store, Apple will somehow, someday, some way get a bite back from user, and subsequently lawmakers.. I believe Lee is not a moron.. He is just a poor bastard mislead to buy this CrApp with the titile of the CrApp -> "i'm rich" and his (apparently wrong) trust on Apple services..

And again you can't rely on simple contract law to determine whoose right and wrong in this case..

then again: Why so serious?

XP

santaclown

meh, buyer beware. i bet this guy sent his ss and account information to some prince in barundi "just to see what would happen."

srdailey

I think this is exactly why the developer was hoping for..

Straynger

I don't think Apple's going to refund it. They make a decent profit off this app, $200 for nothing. It was the guy's mistake, he shouldn't have clicked on it plain and simple.

kylo4

"I think the seller is brilliant on preying on stupid people who'd click on buy for this app. He deserves his $999.99."

That's not a good faith transaction, and can easily be reversed if challenged. Being predatory is not good for the economy. Being predatory is not ethical. Being predatory causes everyone harm in the long run (App store looks even a little worse now, his family or those close to him since poverty hurts those around him, etc.). Look at the mortgage crisis in the US...predatory lenders harmed the housing market billions of dollars.

geowrian

The funny thing is that it's called "I'm Rich", but once you buy it, you won't be much longer.

michaelleung