I have purchased many completed television seasons on iTunes. I had never experienced a problem with any of them, so I didn’t anticipate any issue with buying a pass for a season that hasn’t completed yet. In fact, everything went smoothly for months. Unfortunately, problems arose this week.
An episode of my program aired on television on Monday. Most of the time, the episode posts to iTunes overnight. That wasn’t the case this week. Two days later, the episode was available for purchase, but I still couldn’t download it via my season pass. I decided to check my iTunes account to make sure everything was functioning properly. Turns out, things were not functioning properly at all. It had my season pass labeled as completed despite the fact that the season still has nine more episodes left.
Frustrated, I sent a note to the iTunes support team with my purchase information and an explanation. I went to bed, and when I woke up the next day, I had a note from iTunes support waiting in my inbox. It told me that I have been credited for one video so that I can download the latest episode. It was a very timely and well mannered note, but it didn’t really answer the burning question: What about the rest of the season I paid for in advance?
I wrote back to iTunes support to get some answers. I told them that I was pleased with the credit. It will take care of my problem in the short term, but I needed some answers for the rest of my purchase. Would my season pass be turned back on or will I have to write iTunes support to get a credit after every episode airs? I was extremely clear that the single credit was not enough to rectify the issue. I went to bed, and just as before, I woke up to a message from iTunes support in my inbox. It explained that a report has been filed, and Apple is looking into my problem. Essentially, I received a very cordial response that left me a little bit anxious.
Today, I received an e-mail notifying me that my season pass is working again. I checked my iTunes account, and the season pass is, indeed, working as advertised. They have done their job. No experience is perfect all of the time. There was a problem, and they made up for it. I am a satisfied customer.
Here is what I can say about iTunes support: They are responsive. If a message is sent, they will reply. Their followthrough has impressed the hell out of me. I now feel more secure than ever while purchasing media from the iTunes store.
