“Breaking Bad’’ fans who bought the hit TV show’s final season through iTunes are now suing Apple — saying they’re being forced to pay twice after the 16 episodes were split into two parts.
The customers shelled out a one-time fee of $13.99 to $21.99 for what was supposed to be a “Season Pass’’ to the final shows, according to the California class-action lawsuit filed last week.
But after AMC split the show’s final season into two parts of eight episodes each, Apple suddenly demanded viewers pony up more dough to watch the second half, the customers griped.
Adding insult to injury, Apple even raised the price for the final eight episodes, from $14.99 to $22.99, they said.
“When a consumer buys a ticket to a football game, he does not have to leave at halftime. When a consumer buys an opera ticket, he does not get kicked out at intermission. When a consumer buys a ‘Season Pass’ to a full season of a television show on iTunes, that consumer should get access to the whole season,” said lead plaintiff Noam Lazebnik, a gynecologist from Cleveland, in the suit against the tech giant.
Lazebnik says he bought the “Season Pass’’ through his son-in-law’s iTunes account and was psyched after watching the show’s first eight episodes to see the rest — until he realized he’d have to pay more.
He wound up shelling out another $2.99 for the ninth episode, then decided to get serious with a lawsuit.
The lawsuit claims that Apple breached California’s consumer-protection laws. Apple is based in Cupertino, Calif.
Apple did not respond to a call requesting comment.
The Emmy Award-winning show stars Bryan Cranston as a high-school chemistry teacher who turns to a life of crime after learning he has inoperable lung cancer.