I hate to say this, but I think you should first call your old boss and see if you can get your job back.
Apple owes you that money, but it could be a long time before you get it.
Also, and this is of course something you already realize but it needs to be said: The money isn't in the bank until it is in the bank, never ever make a decision based on money that you haven't got yet.
I disagree. If you've already e-mailed, called, and otherwise attempted to cajole Apple through the usual channels, try the last option left to you before you put hat in hand and go back to your former employer -- go public.
The only thing that breaks down Apple's bureaucratic walls is bad press. Create some now -- and hopefully get access to a real human to resolve your issues. Once you've put this out there, then consider going back to work to tide yourself over.
Sit down -- today -- and write a blog post. Be clear, be concise, and make sure the chronology is clear. Focus on the excitement of making your money, and your difficulties in dealing with Apple's faceless bureaucracy. Whatever you do, don't rage at Apple, use profanity, or write anything that would be construed as blatantly unprofessional.
Once you've written it, ask some (native English speaking) friends to review it. Once you get their sign-off, submit (or ask them to submit) to reddit, ycombinator, etc. If you have any friends in the Apple-related press, mention it to them too.
Even if the whole thing gets resolved in the next 30 days (which could happen, but I wouldn't bet on it) then he would still need an additional source of income to live of until then.
News cycles move quickly, and companies like to be able to defuse negative stories by making steps towards resolving an issue before more reporters pile on -- even if it means PR promising something on behalf of the organization. Since it only takes a few hours to put together a post, why not start there?
See what happens, then think about employment. If he goes back to his previous employment (or a new employer), is he simply going to quit again in 30 days when the issue is resolved?
Ok, some alternative to a job that you intend to hold for years then.
Immediate needs need an immediate solution, not one that may or may not happen.
The OP sketches a situation that - if I were Apple - I would approach with some caution.
Technically it sounds like he is trying to evade income tax or something like that (because of all the shenanigans with a foreign company when he could have simply be paid at home).
So they will take this one step at the time. Also, going 'public' on a company for a mess of your own making isn't very nice.
Immediate needs need an immediate solution, not one that may or may not happen.
I'm not sure I see the problem in starting with the step that costs very little (a few hours of time) and could potentially immediately resolve the situation?
There's nothing to stop you from looking into job alternatives, borrowing money from family, etc, in the meantime.
So they will take this one step at the time. Also, going 'public' on a company for a mess of your own making isn't very nice.
Apple isn't very nice. Sometimes you have to play hardball to get the necessary things done.
Hey Google, please change the account associated with this adsense publisher ID please, make it point to my bank account in this here other country and please pay me pronto or I'll go public on you.
Would you make that call ?
And what would you do if two weeks later the CFO of company X is on the line asking where their payment is ?
Hey Google, please change the account associated with this adsense publisher ID please, make it point to my bank account in this here other country and please pay me pronto or I'll go public on you.
It took the original poster 3 months to even get a response from Apple. The issue remains unresolved, and if they remain unresponsive to his plight, it will likely remain so for some time.
Your hypothetical situation is not even remotely equivalent.
It takes a while to get paid even when you get everything right. This guy messed up big time, but then again the process is made confusing by Apple. You think they would have pointed out this difference between personal and business itunes accounts.
The only thing he can do is to get apple to change his account from business to private, and get them to move the old funds over, and paid into his bank account.
This can take a while, Apple don't want to move quickly on this for obvious reasons.
For a percentage of his future income stream, I absolutely would. (That means that he probably has a better option, but in the event he doesn't, he can feel free to contact me. I'll do some diligence and if it checks out, I may make an investment...)
Dude, you'll come up with a better idea tomorrow anyhow. Selling a percentage of your app's revenues in order to gain access to enough capital to survive is a smart move. You've already got a record of sales, so it should be easy to attach a valuation to your apps as a multiple of revenues/earnings. This is the smartest move.
Also, it might not be a bad idea to raise enough money to both feed yourself and another person or two, and go from being just another small-time hobbyist (who will eventually get run over at some point or another - app developer lifecycles are shorter than ever) to running a business that can scale.
You've got the attention of many people, including those with capital -- use it. There's always a silver lining...
Freelance and build an app for someone else in order to drum up short term funds to pay the bills. If you've got the runs on the board, surely picking up a freelance gig wouldn't be impossible? I know I've looked around for iPhone developers in the past and had no idea who to try.
For the record, I agree completely. However, that does mean that your situation is clearly not hopeless, which was my point. I'm surely not looking to vulture you for a couple grand (neither worth my time to ensure it's not a scam, nor my real-life karma in the event that it's not)
I second Jacques. Your biggest (and probably only real) mistake was quitting the job before payments definitely appeared!
You might have earned that 2500 that made you quit your job but it wasnt in your pocket ;)
Also it will be worth getting it back; because Im guessing that instead of writing new apps and improving your current ones you've been sorting this out. And so the next risk is you get this sorted and then the money starts to tail off..
I didn't make my decision to do a startup expecting money from it to end up in my back account in the near future, nor would I if Apple (a company notorious for payout problems) owed it to me.
Apple owes you that money, but it could be a long time before you get it.
Also, and this is of course something you already realize but it needs to be said: The money isn't in the bank until it is in the bank, never ever make a decision based on money that you haven't got yet.