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Xbox bill refunded after teen racks up $8K in charges
- Thread starter King_Richard
- Start date
SatanicNemesis2K
Banned
I don't know how much banks in NA value customer security. But if there was $8000 out of my account in such a short time my bank would be onto me like a bullet. I once bought cigarettes in town A, drove 40 miles to town B and bought a drink in a shop, card was blocked and I had to confirm security questions over the store telephone from my bank.. This was all over the value of approx £2.
Small annoyance but was reassuring.
Small annoyance but was reassuring.
#sorrynotsorry
Member
Exactly. Might have ruined his credit too. 17 should know better though.
Possumowner
Member
Nice.Good PR move by Microsoft.
Bet there happy about it,and damn relieved
Bet there happy about it,and damn relieved
You can't ban partial aspects of an XBL Account. It's an all or none proposition. The kid just got away with fraud.
MikeE21286
Member
While one side of me likes the good story that he got refunded, the other side of me (the responsible parent side) is upset because it sets a bad example where parents feel they have no obligation to controlling their children and there are no consequences to it.
Vital Tundra
Member
And that Dad ain't whooping his ass?
There is nothing wrong with it except that it is not a realistic solution.
How much of their overall revenue/profits is made up from these IAP/micro transactions? Do you really think that these multi-billion dollar institutions are going to just give up a piece of the pie without a fight? A disclaimer is about the best we can hope for state-side.
Shpeshal Nick
aka Collingwood
17 year old?
Fucking little asshole.
Fucking little asshole.
And yet you have them regulating gambling which is effectively how F2P games work to get money. If it is impossible to get them to regulate it like they do gambling, how did they manage to get regulations on gambling (such as making it illegal for minors)? You think the gambling industry liked them putting those regulations on them (and they aren't small companies either) and didn't fight against it as well?
dragonyeuw
Member
That doesnt address my prior post. Why is the onus on the companies to create policies that govern people from their own stupidity? You can't accidentally make these charges, there's checkpoints in place during these transactions. The 17 year bypassed those checkpoints to the tune of 8k worth of transactions. Thats the long and short of it.
You say nobody deserves to be screwed out of 8k. Except thats what MS is right now, but I guess that's ok because they're the big bad corporation, so whats 8k to them, right? And before I get labelled a corporate apologist, I dont care about any of these companies and I have more than my share of issues with many of them, including MS. But I dont agree that MS should be the loser here.
Even if they did that, it wouldn't have stopped this from happening somewhere else with this kid
Solid Samus
Banned
straight up fuckin lies lmao
stargateheaven
Member
why did they get a refund?
Holundrian
Unconfirmed Member
It is right.
I do not see how on one side having someone face potential ruin compares in any way to a multi billion dollar company not getting 8k $.
But sure argue for equal punishment in all cases ignoring all circumstances.
While we're at ridiculous equivalencies everyone killing even in self defense should get life time sentences. Killing is killing.
Pathfinder
Member
PR boost.
I felt it would have been more than fair for Microsoft to take care of half the charges.
Dad should have just filed the kid for fraud. He gets his 8k back from the credit card company, kid is still a "minor" so no record and some community service he so obviously needs. "Thought it was a one time fee" my ass, that's why you had to approve that one time fee 150 times at least right?
Drilbit777
Member
The damn kid is 17 years he should already well know by now the consequences of misusing money. His father needs to give him a serious talk or else this is only going to repeat in the future
Mr_Kuschels
Member
Thats bs. He should have had to paid every single cent. That's the only way he/they would have learned.
Why do stupid people always get treated differently?
Why do stupid people always get treated differently?
You are right it should be case by case. And the liability should be on the one at fault.....is it MS in your eyes?
crazygambit
Member
That's exactly what I meant, sorry if it wasn't clear.
I wonder how long it would take to buy $8,000 worth of downloadable games on the xbox marketplace or psn.
SkylineRKR
Member
Good question. Because he was underage? Well, FIFA can be accessed by under ages. CC's shouldn't, but he did get a hold of it. Which means the dad wasn't paying attention. A CC shouldn't be in reach of minors, unless he stole it. Which isn't MS fault but something between the parents and kids.
I do agree however, that its shady that every kid can basically buy packs and thus gamble. While they would be kicked out of a casino right away.
But 17, come on. By law you're underage but you know full well what you're doing if you spend hours depleting someone else's card.
- 17 year olds should know better
- Video games you can spend $8000 on shouldn't exist
- You should be able to turn off micro transactions at the account and game level for every service/title
- His credit card should have stopped or called to confirm the charges
Am i forgetting anything?
Vital Tundra
Member
That dad is in denial. Bet he thinks that wasn't is son smoking under the bleachers, too.
DeepEnigma
Gold Member
How can you rack up $8K, and not notice $8K over time? Does he not check his statements?
And if it was in a "short period of time", how did the credit card company, NOT, put a stop to that right away? When they see electronic transactions happen like that way too frequently in a short period of time... they lock that card down, and contact the owner for fraud check. It puts up a red flag. No matter what bank I was with, I could not make more than 3-4 purchases at different places in less than a certain period of time (lets say 2 hours), let alone all at the same place before the bank called me. And it did not matter what bank or credit card I was using. They all would put a freeze and contact me. This is pretty much standard basic protection now-a-days.
Something is odd about the "ignorance" of the parent. And if the story was 100% kosher, which clearly it just can't be, then that is the worst credit card protection I have ever seen in today's financial society. Lemme know the name of them, so I know, NOT to do business with that bank.
And if it was in a "short period of time", how did the credit card company, NOT, put a stop to that right away? When they see electronic transactions happen like that way too frequently in a short period of time... they lock that card down, and contact the owner for fraud check. It puts up a red flag. No matter what bank I was with, I could not make more than 3-4 purchases at different places in less than a certain period of time (lets say 2 hours), let alone all at the same place before the bank called me. And it did not matter what bank or credit card I was using. They all would put a freeze and contact me. This is pretty much standard basic protection now-a-days.
Something is odd about the "ignorance" of the parent. And if the story was 100% kosher, which clearly it just can't be, then that is the worst credit card protection I have ever seen in today's financial society. Lemme know the name of them, so I know, NOT to do business with that bank.
You covered them all other then kid needs his ass beat\grounded for life\a job to learn the value of money etc...
The problem is while the behavior is akin to gambling it is not gambling. Black's Law Dictionary defines gambling as a "betting or wagering". "Betting or Wagering" means the staking or risking by any person of something of value upon the outcome of a contest of others, a sporting event, or a game subject to chance, upon an agreement or understanding that the person or another person will receive something of value in the event of a certain outcome. That is not what's happening here.
IMO F2P games/IAP/micro Transactions are more akin to trading cards.
Drilbit777
Member
Exactly, if I was that boy's father is make him get a job and work off the $8000 he carelessly spent. That way he would know how hard it is to actually earn that money.
DeepEnigma
Gold Member
However, purchasing a pack of cards, that may have a chance to get a platinum card or whatever they call it, is what... a gamble. It is basically digital slots shrouded by semantical definitions.
Holundrian
Unconfirmed Member
There are other forms of punishment. I just think it's sad when people on their high horses cry for blood like it's appropriate.
But while we're so anal about liability, at the end of the day dude was still a minor.
Or we can be reasonable and recognize that this is fucked up in more ways than bad parenting.
Bam Bam Baklava
Member
I'd like to point out that the odds of getting anything good in these packs is so insane. This kid very likely spent that money and didn't even get the best card in the game (Pele).
SkylineRKR
Member
I see it as gambling, you're constantly throwing in money in the hope you'll get those lucky 7's, ie. a TOTW Messi card. The RNG is like real life, you'll get loads of shit and sometimes a carrot.
Transistor
Banned
Yeah, that kid was definitely an age that he should know better.
Sure, but teens make bad decisions by nature.
Eventually some industry regulations are going to have to come into place.
MS didn't lose 8K.
They probably just wiped away the transaction like it never happened. EA never gets their cut, MS never gets their cut.
It's not like the cards cost $8K worth of digital bits to create out of the digital ether.
Well. It's all virtual, so no one is really a "loser" here because nothing real has even changed hands. MS would get a modest percentage of of EA's DLC sales in this instance.. EA is the "loser" if anyone in this case, but they've of course not lost anything in the process by reclaiming virtual goods.
With that being said, it's absolutely impossible for a 17 year old kid to rack up charges like this without knowing full well what he's doing and I don't agree with them refunding the charges. This isn't a 3 year old kid playing with an iPad. It's a grown ass man essentially.
aussiedude08
Member
Its a PR move that could ultimately backfire. Whats to stop other kids around the same age to try the same shit and play dumb thinking that MS might refund the parents if they act convincing enough.
The kid is either dumb as fuck or just doesnt care about results of his actions.or is a deranged asshole who will try th8s again with others.
Not pressing charges or anything lets the the kid get off free and a chance he wont learn anything. Its not like a 5 year old who doesnt understand the concept of money.
And now whats to stop him from getting his own credit card when he is 18 and doing the same shit. He must have an addictive personalty if he can spend $8K on micro transactions.
The kid is either dumb as fuck or just doesnt care about results of his actions.or is a deranged asshole who will try th8s again with others.
Not pressing charges or anything lets the the kid get off free and a chance he wont learn anything. Its not like a 5 year old who doesnt understand the concept of money.
And now whats to stop him from getting his own credit card when he is 18 and doing the same shit. He must have an addictive personalty if he can spend $8K on micro transactions.
Have you seen those KSI videos? People lap that shit up.
Boombloxer
Member
Let's see if we'll have the same calls for regulation as the app store.
We won't, because its a garbage argument
so what are you trying to say? everyone should deny abusive consumable microtransactions. at least they can make consoles a better place.
Petrae
Member
Microsoft will laugh at him before sending his ass to collections and fucking up his credit for years if he pulls this shit as an adult.
It's one thing for publicity's sake when Junior runs up Daddy's credit card and MS forgives $8K in charges. It's another when you're deemed a credit-worthy adult and piss your credit line away on Ultimate Team digital cards.
You obviously didn't read the article. The father gave his son a CC card 'for emergencies'.
Shai-Tan
Banned
Yeah, seems predatory to me but it's not illegal just unethical that whales also includes the young and stupid so I'll leave it at that I guess