Xbox live, child purchases; anyone successfully claimed money back?

lblisalou

I have had a few payments taken from my paypal account from a company my son has purchased coins from, which I have authorised. Over Christmas I have a few more taken which havent been authorised when my son has not ben on his xbox. I have put investigations through paypal which they have replied too saying they have looked into and saw no misuse of my account. I have looked in my paypal payment settings and deleted what I can, but this person/company is not listed. We have emailed/chatted to these people and at a point they cut us off. How else can I delete this person/company from taking any further payments without authorisation?

Tony-taxguy

Yes, I was successful in getting a refund from Microsoft

But I think the circumstances of the case made the difference.

Because my son had been spending every penny he ever had on FIFA coins, I has stopped funding his bank card a couple of months ago (giving him his pocket money as cash instead). This led to his Xbox live account soon running out one weekend, as he funded it monthly.

So I temporarily allowed my own card on the Xbox and paid his (annual) subscription to Xbox live. On trying to delete my card from the box immediately afterwards, it refused, citing an unfinished transaction. So I left it for a couple of days, warning my son not to even think about paying any other charges.

Sorry to say that my son very soon started buying FIFA coins, not thinking or caring how it was being funded. Over less than 48 hours he did around 50 transactions and spent over £500. I picked up on it pretty quickly. Since I believed my son's protestations of innocence to begin with, I called the bank, cancelled the card citing potential fraud / hacking.

I then contacted Microsoft support using their online chat tool. A very slow experience but I recommend it in such circumstances, as it forces you to get the facts out in plain language so they can't misinterpret what is going on. They looked at the account and stated they would escalate it to another team who would contact me by telephone within 72 hours.

They called me the next morning, having reviewed the case. They had a few more questions. Both myself and son looked worse by the end of the Q&A, in particular:

• I had allowed my son (then 17) to change his d.o.b. on the Xbox set-up to appear as an adult (not knowing about the child features and other potential tools I could have accessed to stop crazy spending!).
• My son had turned 18 at the time of the £500 incident in any event and so the "silly minor" excuse wouldn't wash.

The lady (USA based) was pleasant but very businesslike (all "corporate-speak"). It sounded like they had already approved it for refund before the call began, but I cannot be sure. I would advise keeping to the facts only, being truthful and, in effect, throwing yourself on their mercy.

I received a full refund 3 days later from Microsoft. I presume they clawed the money back from EA Sports, but that is their business. I consider myself lucky, that I wasn't vigilant enough and my son has a complete lack of control which must be addressed. Arguments in my favour were:

• Xbox basically refuses to takes cards off once on the machine. The message tells you to contact customer service. Four days after the transaction I had authorised for the subscription, it still wouldn't let us take the card details off.
• the sheer number of back-to-back transactions, and the short time period, suggested a person not acting in any kind of rational mann

er.

I doubt we would have obtained a refund if the time period had been a month instead of a couple of days, I felt we were successful in part because I asked for the refund in a polite and reasonable way, and that included pointing out the issue with the card not coming off. But we may also have been successful because Microsoft has softened its stance recently in view of bad press around such incidents - I'm aware we are just one more entry on a long list of people suckered by EA Sports etc..

Lessons were learned all round, and I think we were very lucky. I sympathise with those who have borne the costs. EA Sports' FIFA game in particular is a master of manipulating impressionable teenagers (and young adults!) using psychology to relieve them of as much cash as possible. The fact they make them buy a new version every year (no cross-compatibility is allowed) is testament to the way they do not treat customers fairly. They have the customers right where they want them it seems.

Son has had to destroy the team he built, then wipe his EA account and wipe the Xbox of the FIFA app, He will never play it again, at least on my watch. His financial education continues.....

powerful_Rogue

Tony-taxguy wrote: »

The fact they make them buy a new version every year (no cross-compatibility is allowed) is testament to the way they do not treat customers fairly. They have the customers right where they want them it seems.

They don't make you by the new version every year. That's the choice of the consumer.

DCFC79

Tony-taxguy wrote: »

Lessons were learned all round, and I think we were very lucky. I sympathise with those who have borne the costs. EA Sports' FIFA game in particular is a master of manipulating impressionable teenagers (and young adults!) using psychology to relieve them of as much cash as possible. The fact they make them buy a new version every year (no cross-compatibility is allowed) is testament to the way they do not treat customers fairly. They have the customers right where they want them it seems.

Son has had to destroy the team he built, then wipe his EA account and wipe the Xbox of the FIFA app, He will never play it again, at least on my watch. His financial education continues.....

Tony you didn't have to enter your card details into the Xbox to continue his subscription

If I were you I would research how to buy the Xbox Live subscription cheaper than the £39.99 you can pay on the Xbox.

No 1 is forced to buy the new Fifa game every year, they have a choice.

zagfles

Tony-taxguy wrote: »

Yes, I was successful in getting a refund from Microsoft

But I think the circumstances of the case made the difference.

Because my son had been spending every penny he ever had on FIFA coins, I has stopped funding his bank card a couple of months ago (giving him his pocket money as cash instead). This led to his Xbox live account soon running out one weekend, as he funded it monthly.

So I temporarily allowed my own card on the Xbox and paid his (annual) subscription to Xbox live. On trying to delete my card from the box immediately afterwards, it refused, citing an unfinished transaction. So I left it for a couple of days, warning my son not to even think about paying any other charges.

Sorry to say that my son very soon started buying FIFA coins, not thinking or caring how it was being funded. Over less than 48 hours he did around 50 transactions and spent over £500. I picked up on it pretty quickly. Since I believed my son's protestations of innocence to begin with, I called the bank, cancelled the card citing potential fraud / hacking.

I then contacted Microsoft support using their online chat tool. A very slow experience but I recommend it in such circumstances, as it forces you to get the facts out in plain language so they can't misinterpret what is going on. They looked at the account and stated they would escalate it to another team who would contact me by telephone within 72 hours.

They called me the next morning, having reviewed the case. They had a few more questions. Both myself and son looked worse by the end of the Q&A, in particular:

• I had allowed my son (then 17) to change his d.o.b. on the Xbox set-up to appear as an adult (not knowing about the child features and other potential tools I could have accessed to stop crazy spending!).
• My son had turned 18 at the time of the £500 incident in any event and so the "silly minor" excuse wouldn't wash.

The lady (USA based) was pleasant but very businesslike (all "corporate-speak"). It sounded like they had already approved it for refund before the call began, but I cannot be sure. I would advise keeping to the facts only, being truthful and, in effect, throwing yourself on their mercy.

I received a full refund 3 days later from Microsoft. I presume they clawed the money back from EA Sports, but that is their business. I consider myself lucky, that I wasn't vigilant enough and my son has a complete lack of control which must be addressed. Arguments in my favour were:

• Xbox basically refuses to takes cards off once on the machine. The message tells you to contact customer service. Four days after the transaction I had authorised for the subscription, it still wouldn't let us take the card details off.
• the sheer number of back-to-back transactions, and the short time period, suggested a person not acting in any kind of rational mann

er.

I doubt we would have obtained a refund if the time period had been a month instead of a couple of days, I felt we were successful in part because I asked for the refund in a polite and reasonable way, and that included pointing out the issue with the card not coming off. But we may also have been successful because Microsoft has softened its stance recently in view of bad press around such incidents - I'm aware we are just one more entry on a long list of people suckered by EA Sports etc..

Lessons were learned all round, and I think we were very lucky. I sympathise with those who have borne the costs. EA Sports' FIFA game in particular is a master of manipulating impressionable teenagers (and young adults!) using psychology to relieve them of as much cash as possible. The fact they make them buy a new version every year (no cross-compatibility is allowed) is testament to the way they do not treat customers fairly. They have the customers right where they want them it seems.

Son has had to destroy the team he built, then wipe his EA account and wipe the Xbox of the FIFA app, He will never play it again, at least on my watch. His financial education continues.....

Well done! Proof that it's well worth pursuing rather than listening to sanctimonious ranting about parenting skills etc

stingrayj

DCFC79 wrote: »

Tony you didn't have to enter your card details into the Xbox to continue his subscription

If I were you I would research how to buy the Xbox Live subscription cheaper than the £39.99 you can pay on the Xbox.

No 1 is forced to buy the new Fifa game every year, they have a choice.

what a miserable person you are. have some sympathy

unholyangel

stingrayj wrote: »

what a miserable person you are. have some sympathy

Sympathy is typically feelings of pity for anothers misfortune/bad luck.
This scenario has !!!!!! all to do with luck.

However, if resurrecting a 10 month old thread just to have a dig at someone who was offering money saving advice isn't the actions of a miserable person, I don't know what is.

George_Michael

stingrayj wrote: »

what a miserable person you are. have some sympathy

If people want sympathy, they should post on a different forum. If however they want advice on consumer issues, this is the place for that post.
Anyway, who is the more miserable.
The person who gives advice and also their opinion on a subject or someone who finds posts that are almost 10 months old to complain about?

tomtontom

stingrayj wrote: »

what a miserable person you are. have some sympathy

stingrayj wrote: »

don't do it. My son just spent £1000 in two weeks. we are trying to get money back now

DCFC79 is not the person you should be venting your frustrations at!

bod1467

These are not the droids you are looking for.

Anyone else think that poster is connected in some way with the OP or "Tony"?