Microsoft has declared that the owners of banned Xbox consoles have no recourse and no choice but to buy new consoles. Some users see this as unfair and a vast Redmond conspiracy, and law firm AbingtonIP is fighting back with a class-action lawsuit. God bless America.
xbox live
If You Don't Care About Online Gaming: Banned XBOX 360s Available
By 11.18.09
Last week Microsoft banned a crapload of modified XBOX 360s from XBOX Live. If you happen to be one of those people who don’t care about playing online, you might consider grabbing one on eBay or Craiglist. Then again, if you’re looking for an XBOX 360 that actually works with XBOX Live, you might want to be wary of buying a used one right now.
Microsoft Says There Is No Recourse For Gamers Whose Consoles Were Banned
By 11.12.09
Are you one of the 1 million gamers that was recently banned from XBOX Live? Too bad, says the BBC. You’ll need to buy a new system.
Microsoft Refunds Dog's Purchase, Gives Dog His Own Gamertag
By 11.3.09
Good news, Xbox 360 players! If you’ve got a shopaholic dog who buys Microsoft points as you sleep by chewing on your controller, Microsoft will give you a refund and even get your dog his own profile — at least if the story makes headlines.
Xbox Live Customer Service Proves The Key To Solving Hotmail Woes
By 10.30.09
Richard, whose wife had her Hotmail account swiped by a hacker, was able to get it back by calling Xbox Live customer service, of all people.
Man Wakes Up To Find Dog Went On XBOX Spending Spree
By 10.26.09
A man claims his dog bought spent $62.50 on video games by chewing on his Xbox 360 controller at night, Kotaku writes:
Microsoft Turns A Blind Eye To Phishing Scams On Xbox LIVE
By 10.6.09
William wrote to us this weekend to point out how little Microsoft does to fight phishing attacks on their hugely popular Xbox LIVE network. It’s unfortunate they don’t take this sort of crime more seriously, since so many kids—who by all rights should have less experience with phishing—are on Xbox LIVE. Below is what two different Xbox CSRs told William when he contacted them to complain about phishing attacks.
Why Can't Microsoft Help Get This Guy's Stolen Xbox Live Account Back?
By 9.25.09
Erik has been patiently trying to get his stolen Xbox Live account back for a month and a half now, but all Microsoft has done to help is lie and fail to follow up on phone calls or emails. Oh, and there was that one point where they sent “how to get your account back” instructions to the person who had stolen the account, which sort of defeated the point.
Reader Says Microsoft Won't Stop Charging Him For Ex-Roommate's Xbox Live
By 9.8.09
In case you were wondering whether or not it would be a good idea to let your deadbeat roommate use your debit card to sign up for Xbox Live, Jake checks in to reassure you that no, it’s not.
Xbox 360 To Get Facebook And Twitter, Still Breaks
By 6.3.09
Good news for gamers, bad news for anyone who count the pixel-obsessed among their social media friends: This Fall Microsoft will bring Facebook and Twitter applications to the Xbox 360, allowing gamers to more easily stalk acquaintances from their couches and brag about their gaming accomplishments. Gaming blog Joystiq covered the announcement, which came at Microsoft’s Electronic Entertainment Expo press conference in Los Angeles Monday:
Xbox Live Cancels Year-Long Prepaid Account, Demands Another Year's Subscription To Reactivate
By 3.25.09
Xbox Live has struck again, this time by screwing up the auto-renewal on a customer’s account and ruining the prepaid annual membership he activated just three months ago.
Email Addresses For Microsoft Executives
By 3.25.09
It’s not uncommon to run into a dead end when trying to resolve your Xbox 360 or Xbox Live issues with the official customer support channels, which is why sometimes you have no recourse other than to try to get the attention of the executives at Microsoft. Here are some addresses to try, culled from the Penny Arcade forums.
Microsoft's Policy Regarding Identifying Sexual Orientation On XBOX Live
By 2.26.09
Teresa, the reader who was banned from XBOX Live for self-identifying as a lesbian, caused quite a stir on the internet. Joystiq managed to get a statement out of Microsoft regarding the issue. Microsoft says they do not allow expressions of sexuality of any kind in GamerTags or in profiles, and that they take harassment “very seriously.”
Identifying Yourself As A Lesbian Gets You Banned On XBOX Live
By 2.25.09
Teresa says that she was harassed by other players and later suspended from XBOX Live because she identified herself as a lesbian in her profile. When she appealed to Microsoft, she says they told her that other gamers found her sexual orientation “offensive.”
Whoops: I Paid $143.82 for 1.5 Years Of XBOX Live
By 10.17.08
Thomas did something dumb and he wants to warn others not to follow in his footsteps. He assumed (incorrectly) that his $7.99 per month subscription to XBOX Live would roll over into a yearly subscription once he’d paid $50. (A yearly subscription costs $50, obviously.) Yeah, it didn’t.
UPDATE: Microsoft Offers Full Refund To Overcharged XBOX Live Member
By 8.19.08
XBOX Live member ForceTrainer writes in with an update about his issue with Microsoft. In our last episode, ForceTrainer has been charged $50 for 2 months of a XBOX Live gold membership– the price of a year of service.
Microsoft Charges You $50 For Two Months Of XBOX Live
By 8.18.08
XBOX Live member ForceTrainer says that after he forgot to update his credit card information, Microsoft shut down his XBOX Live account. He was fine with this, but when he tried to update his info, pay his balance, and convert his account to silver, Microsoft demanded he pay an entire year’s fee to settle the two months he was delinquent.
Netflix Says "I Do" To Microsoft's Xbox Live
By 7.15.08
During their press briefing at E3, Microsoft announced that they have entered a partnership with Netflix, according to MSNBC. The (unholy) union means that starting this fall, Xbox users will be able to view streaming videos from Netflix’s collection, however, they may only select from the 10,000 movies and shows which are available online and not the complete DVD library which includes some 100,000 titles. Microsoft has been touting this new service as free, however, that’s not completely true. Details, inside…
