the solution to all of this is to buy a prepaid year of gold card, which you then input into the xbox, leaving no way to purchase things without asking your mom... i don't have my credit card on steam or XBL because i know i'll be scrolling through the store and go "wow that game looks good, and only $19.99!" and then buy it without thinking more about it, and over time that adds up... save it for games like SC: Chaos theory and ridiculous steam sales
Kid Rings Up $1700 Xbox Live Bill, Mom Blames Microsoft
- Thread starter Andy Chalk
- Start date
I am going to say this. It is impossible to remove a credit card from your xbox. It just stays active. Imagine if you made a purchase on amazon.com and your card just stayed active and all you had to do to make another purchase was click "buy this" and boom - its purchased. Step away from the PC for a few minutes and your child could have bought just about anything!imperialreign said:
Sure the mom could have kept a better watch on things, but I don't think she was wholly to blame. If you had to enter a CC number for each purchase (like most companies require) then this situation would have never happened. Besides, most moms are very put off by technology. She probably has zero-interest in learning how to use an xbox.
What does she mean that they dont have any way of checking? What about the time she entered all of the necessary information to take money from her bankaccount? Does she need a sign that says: GAMES COST MONEY! TEACH YOUR KID THAT HE MUST ASK YOU BEFORE HE DOES ANYTHING! How can this be microsofts fault? its not the cofee shops fault that i like cofee.
people cant just say: I lost money, and i didn't know about, because i didn't read things through, and i didn't tell my kid not to buy stuff. Give me back my money!
people cant just say: I lost money, and i didn't know about, because i didn't read things through, and i didn't tell my kid not to buy stuff. Give me back my money!
Your making alot of assumptions you really shouldn't. You don't KNOW they kid knew what he was doing. You can assume. But you don't know. He was, 11 right? 11 year olds can be pretty dence. It's not a strech for my to imagian one not fully grasping what he was doing, or not fully understanding the ramafications. God, How many adults doen't even understand a credit card isn't magic money?runedeadthA said:
Your assuming his reaction to said events was, more or less, a show, to avoid punishment. Maybe, but again, you don't know. There are kids out there who feel genuien remorce when they relise they did something reall bad. I did when i was a kid. Esspecally if it puts a burden on the family, or you brake something importent to someone else. Sometimes the reasction is genuien. I can belive it.
And yeah, as far as MS live goes, it's scary easy to spend money. I was abit taken aback when i first relised just how easy it was... you put your card info in, keep it up to date, and buy stuff... i think they ask once if your sure, and that's about it. It's convient for sure, but... i don't know... I'd feel ALITTLE better if they asked me to confirm my last 4 digets or my number on the back or something... just sayin...
But, like you, I am a bit blown away at how MUCH he spent... youd think the hard drive would fill with game before you spent THAT much... *shrug*
And no, i'm not blaming Microsoft. And the Mother shouldn't be blaming MS IMO, but, putting her story out there for other mothers as a waringing, or maybe REQUESTING alittle more security before a purches, IMO, isn't out of line. Though, that doesn't seem to be the jest of the artical apprenetly. Heh.
Live and learn.
Eh look, I get the kid and his mother should take SOME responsibility...
But really? 1700 dollars over six months? That's like what 275 dollars a month? First off how did she not notice? I sure as hell would have. And second why was an account allowed to go to 1000 spent in a year without the smallest sort of inquiry measure being taken?
I mean they love to point out all the parental controls available when they're called out. But I RARELY see them advertising or informing consumers about them as much as they do other features.
More the mothers fault then anything. But Microsoft does handle crap like this poorly.
But really? 1700 dollars over six months? That's like what 275 dollars a month? First off how did she not notice? I sure as hell would have. And second why was an account allowed to go to 1000 spent in a year without the smallest sort of inquiry measure being taken?
I mean they love to point out all the parental controls available when they're called out. But I RARELY see them advertising or informing consumers about them as much as they do other features.
More the mothers fault then anything. But Microsoft does handle crap like this poorly.
Well to be honest Microsoft should have a system in place to prevent this. If the account is in the boy's name, and he's 11 years old...he's not going to have a debit card is he? Stands to reason that on accounts registered to juniors there should be a password protected check in place to prevent unauthorised purchases.
One time, I got completely wasted and bought Pac-Man and some Japanese indie game off Xbox live. Maybe I should sue, too.
If the mother had set up the account as a child account, the parental controls on the console could easily have prevented the child from overspending by not allowing the kid to buy DLC or by setting a spending cap. (It could also have a time limit put on, to prevent overplaying or playing past bed-time.)Sgt. Sykes said:
It sounds to me, though, that the mother had set up the account as an adult account... which, of course, does not have the same controls.
-- Steve
To be fair the point system is designed to make it feel like your not spending money and to make you spend more than you need too.
Also I find it very annoying myself that its so easy to purchase points on Xbox Live.
Me: "Hmm i need 1200 points for this DLC."
-Clicks purchase points-
Xbox: "How many do you want? 800 or 1500?"
Me: "1200 you son of a ****".... fine 1500."
-Clicks 1500-
Xbox: "Purchase complete"
Me: "What the hell!? Your not even going to ask me if im sure or request a password?"
Also I find it very annoying myself that its so easy to purchase points on Xbox Live.
Me: "Hmm i need 1200 points for this DLC."
-Clicks purchase points-
Xbox: "How many do you want? 800 or 1500?"
Me: "1200 you son of a ****".... fine 1500."
-Clicks 1500-
Xbox: "Purchase complete"
Me: "What the hell!? Your not even going to ask me if im sure or request a password?"
This is why they also sell the cards with codes in stores, in New Zealand anyway, but I doubt it's just here. A parent can go into a store here, pay $70 and that's a whole years subscription once the code is punched in.
I'm sorry, but I don't buy this at all. Not only that, but you can lock it so the kids can't access certain things, perhaps when a parent buys a gaming machine for several hundred dollars, they should look through the manual and keep an eye on this investment.
I'm so glad that as someone with this know how, when/if I have kids, I'll know how to deal with this.
I'm sorry, but I don't buy this at all. Not only that, but you can lock it so the kids can't access certain things, perhaps when a parent buys a gaming machine for several hundred dollars, they should look through the manual and keep an eye on this investment.
I'm so glad that as someone with this know how, when/if I have kids, I'll know how to deal with this.
They do, his mother would have set up an adult account using her details I would imagine. A child account has all sorts of parental controls and things to do with things like money spending allowances to how long they can play.Alandoril said:
I don't think the "mothers don't know anything about technology" bit holds any water.
Back in 2000, my 50-something grandma read the computer manual so she'd know how to give me a kids account online. Later, my mom read the instruction manual to learn how to setup the child blocks on my PS2.
Yeah, they might not look at it and automatically know everything about it, but god damn it they can learn with a bit of effort.
Back in 2000, my 50-something grandma read the computer manual so she'd know how to give me a kids account online. Later, my mom read the instruction manual to learn how to setup the child blocks on my PS2.
Yeah, they might not look at it and automatically know everything about it, but god damn it they can learn with a bit of effort.
I just noticed lately, (i don't use XBL much) that when i bought something, my MS points didn't decress... I had gotting a large ammount because i had a few games i was going to get, went to get the first game, and still had all my points.FinalFreak16 said:
Apperently, you can no just pay for a game stright up with your card, no points needed. They just bill you 2 bucks, 4 bucks, ect. Which is FINE, i like that, no wasted points... except for the fact i had a bunch to use at the time cause i didn't know about this change. You can toggle between points and cards now. So.. they aren't really wasted for me, just not using them atm. And I can afford it, it's no where near 1700 bucks. LOL. But yeah, i can belive they system is set up to be to easy and slightly confusing, to MS's advantage. ;-) No, it isn't EVIL, but sneaky IMO. And no, i'm still not blaming MS for this situation, but, IMO, there system SHOULD have SOME kind of check out process.
in stores when you bring something to the checkout, the the cashier ask you if you really want to buy this? nope he just rings t up and you pay. it's the same way on xbl you select the items you want and then you click "buy". why would you click buy if you don't want to buy the things? i don't know.. having a extra check after you click "buy" that says "are you shure you want to buy this?" is for one anoying and also it makes the customers think more about if they really should be buying it, so it would probably be bad for business also. ^^Kingsnake661 said:
No, they don't ask me if i want to buy it, but they sure make sure It's MY credit card, and not stolen. (Most do anyways.) You know.. check my ID. Then they have to enter my security number on teh back of my card, meaning i have to hand it too them.qeinar said:
When your online it's different. They can't check your ID. So, yeah, a pop up that requires a password or your security code would protect against idenity theift. It's common since. I was shocked they didn't do it on XBL, they do almost every else i've been too.
To play the devil's advocate I am familiar with a mistake like this in my youth. We were at a hotel and I was playing the games. My mom went to sleep and at some points the game would tell me that I was being charged to continue playing on it. I didn't know what it meant so I press continue anyways. Well the next day the bill was rather huge I think my mom got them to waive it but we never made that mistake again.
When it comes to parents and technology they are usually asleep on the wheel until it's too late. No one ever teaches them how to use these products despite there being plenty of tutorials and devices made to assist them. It's a shame.
When it comes to parents and technology they are usually asleep on the wheel until it's too late. No one ever teaches them how to use these products despite there being plenty of tutorials and devices made to assist them. It's a shame.
i've not used one sight were they've checked if it's my credit card i'm using. you can even have a paypal acount without them checking if it's your credit card. i usse steam they don't check if it's my credit card i'm using there eighter. they also don't check if it's my paypal acount i'm using. i've also never been checked in a store if i'm using my own credit card, only when i'm buying booze, but that is for different reasons, and even then i could have showed them my passport or license and used someone elses credit card.Kingsnake661 said:
Eh, good for you? ;-)qeinar said:
I use steam but i don't keep my credit card info saved, i enter it new each time. Same with most other sights i go to. I've made the sole exception with XBL because.. using the controller to enter my card info is annoying. *shrug* Maybe i'm mistaking my own sets in protecing my idenity for the websights efforts. My mistake.
And really, no one ever checks your ID when you buy stuff? Granted, they don't me ALL THE TIME, but they do often enough, and esspecally for larger stuff. People may consdier it an inconvience, but it's really in your own best intrest that they should do it.
*shrug*
I can sympathize to an extent actually. The only way to remove your credit card details is to ring up Microsoft once you have a subscription. And the account with the subscription can easily be used to by tons of stuff on XBLA. I personally blame Microsoft. They should allow you take off credit card details the same way you put them on.