A quick lesson for all those that might not know. Users who purchase apps from the Android Marketplace should make sure they look into the details. According to the Google Publishing agreement, buyers have 48 hours from the time of purchase to request a refund if the app isn’t to their liking. Or do they? Looking in Android Market’s Return App Support, it says after 15 minutes, All sales are final.

What’s critical here is that in the Android Market, users are essentially blind when it comes to determining if the app they buy is right for them. And once they his purchase, the clock is ticking on deciding if it actually does the job or not. Within 15 minutes, users request a refund by contacting the Android Market and selecting the “I’m requesting a refund for an app” option. If approved, the app will be marked with a ‘Uninstall & Refund’ button. And users can only return apps once. If purchased a second time, there is no refund option.

The notion of the blind purchase is nothing new. Apple’s iTunes does that as well. But Amazon’s App Store for Android has an added benefit thanks to it’s virtual Android handset which can be used to try an app before you buy. This is likely to reduce dissatisfied customers who are out nothing but the time it takes to evaluate the app virtually. But in the end, most apps are priced so low that even if one can’t get a refund, are they really out much?

[via Reddit]