ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (WTSP) -- Dana McKay, a radio DJ at Play 98.7, is tending to a virtual headache.
She woke up Saturday morning to find more than $659 worth of charges to her bank account from iTunes...for virtual dog treats.
"I was freaking out. What do you say, it's a virtual dog treat," she told 10 News.
She says her 7-year-old daughter, with permission, downloaded a free game in iTunes called "Tap Pet Hotel" on her iPod Touch so she had something to play while on an airplane trip to visit her grandparents.
Let's just say the child was very generous to her virtual pets.
"The pets in the game were living in a penthouse hotel on my bank account," said McKay. "She went through the game and, hey, would you like a tiara for your pet for $9.99? And there it is and she just kept going."
Dog treats, bags of coins, her daughter bought it all.
What McKay didn't realize was while the game was free to install on the iPod, it can cost money to play.
The app company, Pocket Gems, does warn in the app store that it takes real money to buy some items. It also tells you to disable the in-app purchases feature if you don't want to make these items accessible.
But, she didn't see it and the child didn't realize she was spending her mother's cash.
"My daughter thought she was playing with fake money," said McKay.
While iTunes agreed to refund her the $659, it still served as a hard lesson for McKay, who has since learned how to disable the 'In-App Purchases' feature. You do this by going to 'Settings,' then 'General,' then 'Restrictions' and scroll down to 'In-App Purchases' and turn it off.
We contacted Apple and we are told the iOS 4.3 that was released in March, along with all recent upgrades, provides another layer of protection by requiring you to enter your iTunes password again when trying to purchase in-app items.
So, if you haven't updated your iPod or iPad since then, now may be a good time.
Just in case.
Apple reps say the upcoming iOS 5 will update over the air, so you won't have to worry about plugging into your iPad, iPod, or iPhone into iTunes.
Apple also tells us it will give refunds on a case-by-case basis for situations like McKay's, but the app companies still get their money.
"I feel really manipulated by what happened," said McKay, who has since removed the game from her daughter's iPod Touch.
"Tap Pet Hotel" is among numerous games found on iTunes that reel you in with a free download, but warn of the ability to purchase items for real money.
The free to install "Tap Pet Hotel" and "Smurf Village," another game that kids around the world have racked up charges on, are among the top grossing apps on iTunes.
"It blows my mind that anybody would spend $19.99 of real money on virtual dog biscuits, but I guess it happens," said McKay.
As for her daughter, "She's upset, she's embarrassed, and she said, 'But mommy, I thought it was free," said McKay.
McKay is hoping other parents learn from her almost very expensive experience.
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