This is something that blows my mind, and I am still having a hard time wrapping my head around Microsoft's twisted logic. I am not sure if this is Microsoft ripping me off or more of 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 an Xbox 360 and an Xbox 360 Gold membership in November. When you purchase the Gold membership, you pay $49.99 for the Xbox 360 Live service for the year in advance. So in November I paid for service to be used from November through November.
In November, Microsoft attempted to bill me for another year of Live service that would run from November through November, but my credit card had expired, so it was declined and the Live service was suspended. That was fine with me because I was no longer using Live, so I felt no need to think or act on it any more.
Now, in May, I wanted to restart the Live service, since I had purchased a game I would like to use with it. Figuring I could update my account and pay $49.99 for service for the next year, I went through Microsoft's website, updated my billing information with a new card, and was billed $49.99. Yet for some reason my account was still showing as cancelled.
I contacted Microsoft to ask why my account was not active even though I had paid $49.99 that day for a year's service. Their customer support told me that the $49.99 I paid was not for new service but was $49.99 that I OWED Microsoft because they could not renew my account back in November for service to run through November. They said 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 suspended. 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 did not want the service, I was not using the service, and you had stopped providing the service because of 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 let's say, IF (a big if) we were going to use their twisted logic and say the account was past due, then why, when I paid the $49.99 they say I owed them for service between November and November, do I not have service at least until November? Instead I have no service at all and have had none since November, so again, why do I OWE them ANYTHING?
When I asked these questions of their customer support representative, based somewhere out of this country, I just got a repeated answer: "Our terms of use state 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 eligible for a refund. Talking to a supervisor got me all the same scripted responses as before.
I asked 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 I would OWE money for services I never received or was not going to receive in the future, and why I should have to pay for services I never got and obviously now that it is paid I am not going to get, she hung up on me.
It is a very frustrating ordeal, and it is a shame because I would like to keep the Live service for another year, but I do not want to support a company that treats people like this. Any suggestions?
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