Greg and Sharon Kitchen, the parents of a five-year-old boy who racked up £1,700 worth of charges while playing a 'free' game on his father's iPad, have been given a full refund from Apple.

"Danny was pestering us to let him have a go on the iPad. He kept saying it was a free game so my husband put in the passcode and handed it to him," said Sharon.

"It worried me when he asked for the password but I had a look at the game it said it was free so I didn't think there would be a problem," she explained.

After downloading the free title Zombies vs Ninja, the boy made his way into the game's online store and downloaded plenty of expensive add-ons and upgrades. The reality of the charges only came to light when the Kitchens were contacted by their credit card company, notifying them of the purchases made on the previous day.

Even though Apple eventually refunded the full amount, the Kitchens said the episode was a tough one for the family.

"We are hearing stories like this all the time, so credit to Apple for paying the money back. But it is a risky strategy for parents to simply think they can claim the money back if all goes wrong," Apps magazine writer Martyn Landi told the BBC. "A few seconds spent checking these things can save a lot of money and stress in the long run."

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