Win Mobile Marketplace devs being shorted

Microsoft's Windows Marketplace for Mobile could be denying app developers large amounts of money through flaws in its payment system. In a series of complaints at its official forum, producers have said they have been denied 'thousands' of dollars in revenue from their apps, even for ones released when Windows Marketplace launched in October. The missing payouts come even for those who were listed as eligible for quick payment, some of whom had to make changes to their accounts to qualify.

The problems partly stem from Microsoft's deferred approach to payments. Rather than pay at the end of the month regardless of sales volume, the company only pays developers once they cross the $200 threshold. Microsoft's system is potentially flagging a significant number of developers as not having crossed that point even when their revenue shows otherwise.

Marketplace manager Mihir Rao has acknowledged the issue but initially believed that many of those awaiting payment were genuinely ineligible. He has yet to provide a solution to those encountering the error.

The news is a potential embarrassment to Microsoft as it had originally positioned Windows Marketplace as a means of fueling interest in Windows Mobile development and countering the growth of portals like Android Market or the App Store. Windows Mobile previously had no centralized outlet and was left either to third-party gateways or else independent sales on websites, an approach that led to Apple's iPhone app count eclipsing that of Windows Mobile within a year as shoppers preferred the less scattered model. [via Ars Technica]

By Electronista Staff