Weiterhin keine guten Nachrichten vom neuen Online-Service MobileMe von Apple. Nach der katastrophalen Einführung mit tagelangen Serverausfällen, gestrichenen Features und geflunkerten Versprechungen in Beziug auf die Push-Fähigkeiten, hatte sich Apple bereits bei den Kunden entschuldigt. Jetzt hat sich in England eine weitere Katastrophe ereignet. Potenzielle Neukunden, die den Online-Dienst für 60 Tage kostenlos ausprobieren können, wunderten sich, warum ihnen plötzlich 121 englische Pfund auf ihrem Konto fehlten. Die hat Apple gezogen. In einer Email an betroffene Kunden heißt es:

Dear MobileMe Member,
Apple has identified and resolved an issue that caused an incorrect, temporary authorization hold of 121 GBP to be placed on your credit or debit card when your MobileMe trial account was created. We have addressed the issue and want to apologize for any inconvenience. Typically when you create a new trial account, your credit or debit card is verified by authorizing a small charge (equivalent to USD $1). Unfortunately, an error caused the incorrect amount to be preauthorized for your card. Be assured that this is not a charge, but only an authorization hold. The hold is released by the card-issuing bank after a predetermined period, usually between a week and a month. Where possible, Apple is working to have these holds removed earlier.

To show our appreciation for your continued loyalty, we have extended your free trial period by 30 days. This extension is in addition to the 30-day extension of which you were notified on July 16, for a total of 120 days of free MobileMe service. Look for the extension to be reflected in your account settings in the next few weeks.

You may now enjoy MobileMe free of charge until [November 8, 2008], after which your annual paid subscription will begin.

Thank you for being a MobileMe customer. Sincerely, The MobileMe Team

UPDATE: Mac Essentials meldet, dass das Problem offenbar nicht nur in England, sondern auch bei deutschen Kunden aufgetreten ist (mit Screenshot der deutschen Entschuldigungs-Email)