Pokémon Go player claims Niantic is breaking the law by refusing refunds after hacks

A Pokémon Go player has claimed Niantic is breaking Australian law by refusing to give them a refund after their account got hacked.

In a Reddit thread dated Sept. 6, they explained they were banned from the game the day of the Go Fest event after retrieving their hacked account. Due to the wrongful ban, they were unable to enjoy the event despite paying for the ticket.

“I immediately tried contacting Niantic/Google for a refund as I could not use the product I purchased,” they said. “I didn’t bother trying to fight the ban itself, because I’ve been playing this game since day 1 and I know that it’s a useless exercise.”

According to the play, Google couldn’t handle the matter and the game’s developer said its policy didn’t allow refunds. The player argued this was against Australian Consumer Law and said they would raise the matter to the ACCC (Australian Competition and Consumer Commission).

“The consumer law also states that by purchasing a product, the product must be able to be used for the purpose sold. If that product can’t be used for such purpose, a refund is expected,” they said.

They added Niantic was also breaching Google Play’s refund policy, and raised the matter to the staff. If the developer eventually meets the player’s claim, it might cause a change in their global refund policy.

Pokémon Go’s in-game shop purchases policy specifies that players who demand refunds should contact app stores instead of the developer (Google Play, Galaxy App Store, or Apple Support).

It also specifies players who cannot use a Premium Item they bought with PokéCoins should contact support “within 48 hours of the incident.” But it might not apply to Pokémon Go Fest tickets since they aren’t purchased via PokéCoins and are instead bought directly with the currency of the player’s country.