Microsoft Corporation Charged me for Xbox 360 Live Gold Membership, but will not provide the service. Redmond Washington
This is just something that blows my mind, and I still am having a hard time wrapping my head around Microsoft's twisted logic. I'm not sure if this is Microsoft ripping me off, or more of just a language barrier and lack of understanding by their Support reps who are based out of India somewhere.
I will start by saying I purchased a XBox 360 and a XBox 360 Gold membership in November 2006. When you purchase the Gold membership you pay $49.99 for the 360 Live service for the year in advance. So, in November of 2006, I paid for service to be used from November 2006 thru November 2007.
In November of 2007, Microsoft attempted to bill me for another year of Live 360 service that would run from November 2007 thru November 2008, but my credit card had expired so it was declined and the Live 360 service was suspended. That was fine with me, because I was no longer using the Live 360, so I felt no need to think or act any more on it.
Now, in May of 2008, I wanted to restart the Live service, since I purchased a game I would like to use with the Live service. Figuring I can update my account and pay $49.99 for service for the next year, I went though Microsoft's website, updated my billing information with a new card and was billed for $49.99. Yet, for some reason my account was still showing as a cancelled.
I contacted Microsoft asking why my account wasn't active even though I paid $49.99 today for a year's service, I was told by their customer support that the $49.99 that I paid them, was not for new service, but $49.99 that I OWED Microsoft since they couldn't renew my account back in November 2007 for service to run through November 2008. And that if I wanted a Gold account, I would have to create a new XBox Live account and pay ANOTHER $49.99.
This makes no sense to me, how can I OWE them money for services they never provided me? You pay for the XBox Live service for the year in advance. After I let my card expire, my account was suspened. They shut it down the day my card was declined, which is fine. They tried to tell me that the account was past due, and that "I should have paid them back in November." Wait. Why should I have paid you? I didn't want the service, I wasn't using the service, you had stopped providing the service since their was a lack of payment, why should I have paid you any money? And how can I be past due when you pay for the service for the year in advance?
And lets say, IF (a big If) we were going to even use their twisted logic and say the account was past due, then why when I paid the $49.99 that they say I owed them for service between November 2007 thru November 2008, then do I not have service at least until November 2008? Instead I have no service at all, and have had no service since November 2007, so again, why do I OWE them ANYTHING?
When I asked these questions to their customer support representative based somewhere out of this country, I just got a repeated answer saying "our terms of use states an account suspended for 85 days or more can't be reactivated and if you want a gold account you must create a new account and pay another $49.99" Well, if my account can't be reactivated why did you take my $49.99?
When I said all I wanted was my $49.99 back, I was told that would not happen because the account was not eligable for a refund. Talking to a supervisor got me all the same scripted responses as before.
When asking the supervisor "Can you at least tell me what I'm getting for the $49.99 I paid today? Can you tell me what physical service or goods I am getting for the money you say I owed you and paid today?" She responded "Um, No..." When I asked her "to explain the sense in that, why would I OWE money for services I never recieved or was not going to receive in the future? And why should I have to pay for these servicesthat I never got, and obviously now that it's paid I'm not going to get" She hung up on me.
A very frustrating ordeal. and it's ashame because I'd like to keep the Live service for another year, but I don't want to support a company that treats and steps all over people like this. Any suggestions?
Clon3isnasty
Hobart, Indiana
U.S.A.
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1 Updates & Rebuttals
Random Tech
Austin,Texas,
U.S.A.
Terms of use
#2Consumer Suggestion
Sun, May 18, 2008
You can't play on Xbox Live unless you agree to the terms of use so why are you being ripped off when they told you this would happen.. you just chose not to read and to sign up anyway and now your mad because they did Exactly what they said they would do.
If Microsoft was trying to screw you over they would NOT of sent you out an email a month in advanced telling you it was going to renew so you could cancel..but they did send you out an email. You set up an account.. you did not update your payment method information and you never called Microsoft to tell them you wanted to cancel>> What you agreed to doing in the Terms of use when you signed up
YOU ARE NOT SUPPOSED TO JOIN XBOX LIVE UNLESS YOU AGREE SO IF YOU DO NOT AGREE WITH WHAT THY DID YOU SHOULD NOT HAVE JOINED BECAUSE THEY TOlD YOU THIS WOULD HAPPEN
It's not hidden.. you have to agree when signing up and under the section 6.5 titled "Subscription Renewal" it says
"If you sign up for a Service or Other Item that is a monthly subscription, then unless the terms of that subscription state otherwise, your subscription will automatically and continuously renew from month to month and if it is a subscription that requires payment of a fee, your Payment Method will be charged UNLESS YOU CANCEL your subscription prior to the end of that month. If you are subscribed for longer subscription periods (e.g., 3, 6 or 12 months) then unless the terms of that subscription state otherwise, YOUR subscription will automatically and continuously renew for such period and if it is a subscription that requires the payment of a fee, your Payment Method will be charged at prices then in effect."
YOU SIGNED UP AND YOU FAILED TO LET MICROSOFT KNOW THAT YOU WANTED TO CANCEL
Microsoft sent you an Email everytime your old Credit card Declined letting you know that the payment method is not going thru and that you need to update it or call them up to cancel... Did you not see the email's because the system will send out an email to that contact email address you specified when the card declines...
And now some additional info for you to read is...
"If you signed up for an annual Service and paid the annual (Yearly) fee with your Payment Method, we may provide you a full refund of the annual fee if you cancel within the first 60 days of your Service"
iT MEANS> Call them up within 2 months and they can get the fee waved OR proccessed a refund of the yearly renewal if it charged >> ONLY FOR YEAR MEMBERSHIPS (This is so the people who forgot that it was going to renew or did not know because they did not even bother reading the TOU can still get there money back)
Please be more competent when signing up for a service and when you make a mistake of not reading the rules and the way things are donw. Please be mature enough to own up to the fact that in the end it's your fault for not reading what Mircosoft told you to read and If you do not agree to what the terms of use states you should not of got online in the first place...