# Do you own an X-Box? Are you vulnerable to huge extra charges? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 13, 2016, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-own-an-x-box-are-you-vulnerable-to-huge-extra-charges/743041 "2016-01-13T16:47:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2016, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-own-an-x-box-are-you-vulnerable-to-huge-extra-charges/743041/21 "2016-01-13T19:19:16Z")
I have an Xbox and an Xbox live account…and no credit card attached to it, just to avoid these sort of temptations. If I want to buy something on Xbox Live, I go to Gamestop or someplace and buy cards for the amount of money I need, and then put them in. More tedious? Absolutely. But I see no reason to attach a credit card to an account. Even my tablet is not authorized to make payments, I put in the password every time I want to buy something. People trust too much and they want convenience too much. Why the hell would you give your kid a credit card with such a huge limit if you haven’t taught them the least bit of accountability? If I had racked up _$800_, never mind $8000, of credit card debt for my parents I would have been sweating and miserable and terrified. And my parents were not poor. ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2016, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-own-an-x-box-are-you-vulnerable-to-huge-extra-charges/743041/22 "2016-01-13T19:36:14Z")
I do that with my iTunes. I buy the gift card, redeem that, and use it to make my music purchases. ---
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Wayne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4bbf92/32.png) [@Charlie\_Wayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Wayne)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2016, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-own-an-x-box-are-you-vulnerable-to-huge-extra-charges/743041/23 "2016-01-13T19:42:37Z")
> [@ivylass](#): > > I do that with my iTunes. I buy the gift card, redeem that, and use it to make my music purchases. Personally, I take it one step further. I have never used a credit card to make an online purchase. I’m probably missing out on some great opportunities. But I just don’t trust people to refrain from enriching themselves if they can find a way. Online gambling is a separate topic. But I can’t imagine any sphere of life where cheating is more likely to occur. They ask people to wager their money when the house controls all the algorithms that determine when the player wins and when they lose. IMHO, it is impossible for humans to resist the temptation to cheat under those circumstances. I would have started a new thread about online gambling. But I don’t think there would be enough interest and I’ve been starting far too many threads as of late. ---
**Author:** ![Canadjun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/76d3ee/32.png) [@Canadjun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Canadjun)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2016, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-own-an-x-box-are-you-vulnerable-to-huge-extra-charges/743041/24 "2016-01-13T20:02:29Z")
> [@ivylass](#): > > I do that with my iTunes. I buy the gift card, redeem that, and use it to make my music purchases. I also use iTunes gift cards to buy apps/e-books/etc. for my iPad. Works quite well and costs the same as using a credit card. I do NOT have my credit card number registered with iTunes. I do that for two related reasons. First, if someone were to hack into my iTunes account they would just have access to whatever funds iTunes currently knows about; there is no credit card number to rack up charges on (I currently have a little over $40 in my iTunes account; woop-de-do). Secondly, I KNOW my self-discipline can be somewhat lacking at times with games (and I would assume a typical teenager has a similar lack of self-discipline until I was demonstrated otherwise); using gift cards exclusively seriously cuts down on my impulsiveness in that regard. I have a little bit of sympathy for the dad, but not enough to make me believe he (or the son) should be cut any slack. Let the kid work off his debt. ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2016, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-own-an-x-box-are-you-vulnerable-to-huge-extra-charges/743041/25 "2016-01-13T20:03:05Z")
First of all, this is a really terrible article. It is superficial. It makes no mention of what purchases were actually made, or who got the money–Microsoft or third party providers? This could be a kid squandering money with careless abandon, or it could be predatory vendors who do not make it clear what you are buying and how much it is costing you. It says that “the credit card company has agreed to reduce the amount” but makes no mention of anyone at all attempting to contact the vendors or Microsoft. The article reads like they are summarizing a story reported somewhere else without really understanding it. ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2016, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-own-an-x-box-are-you-vulnerable-to-huge-extra-charges/743041/26 "2016-01-13T20:07:56Z")
This article is better. He was playing FIFA soccer. Still no mention of exactly what was purchased. > **['It floored me': Ontario dad gets $8K Xbox bill due to son's in-game soccer...](https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/pembroke-xbox-bill-8000-1.3397534)** > > Pembroke, Ont., dad Lance Perkins says both he and his 17-year-old son were shocked by the hefty bill generated by in-game transactions on a soccer video game. > [@CBC](#): > > “He thought it was a one-time fee for the game,” Perkins said. > > “He’s just as sick as I am, [because] he never believed he was being charged for every transaction, or every time he went onto the game.” > > Perkins quickly contacted his credit card company, and was told unless he wanted to have his son charged with fraud, there was nothing it could do. > > He then got in touch with Xbox, and the company sent an email within minutes that the bill would stand. > > When he explained his son was a minor, Xbox said it would look into the charge — although Perkins said the family hasn’t heard anything. > > “Until I actually hear from them, it’s actually very discouraging,” he said. > > Microsoft, Xbox’s parent company, declined CBC’s request for an interview, but said in a statement that the Xbox comes with a setting that prevents minors from making purchases without their parents’ permission. > > “Purchases made using a parent’s payment account are legitimate transactions under the Microsoft Services Agreement, and we encourage parents to use the many platform and service features we make available to prevent unapproved charges,” the statement said. ---
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2016, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-own-an-x-box-are-you-vulnerable-to-huge-extra-charges/743041/27 "2016-01-13T20:16:28Z")
So he ran up an almost $8000 bill on FIFA soccer? What the hell could you buy on FIFA soccer that adds up to $8000? I know the EA sports games offer a lot of additional add-ons but still, I don’t know if I could spend $8K if I tried. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2016, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-own-an-x-box-are-you-vulnerable-to-huge-extra-charges/743041/28 "2016-01-13T20:20:03Z")
> [@CookingWithGas](#): > > This article is better. He was playing FIFA soccer. Still no mention of exactly what was purchased. > > [Pembroke parent gets $8K Xbox bill after son racks up charges | CBC News](http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/pembroke-xbox-bill-8000-1.3397534) A [little more explanation](http://www.inquisitr.com/2699005/teen-spends-8k-on-fifa-for-xbox-one-how-to-prevent-this-from-happening-to-you/): > [@](#): > > FIFA Ultimate Team is the game mode added to EA Sports’ FIFA titles that allows owners to buy packs of player cards using in-game FIFA Points earned from playing or purchased with real world money. The player cards are then used to build teams to compete with others online. FIFA Points are sold for as little as $0.99, and as much as $99.99. > > Every purchase transaction on the Xbox one has to be confirmed before being processed. So, it is hard to understand how Perkins’ son thought it was a one-time fee for the game for the hundreds of transactions he likely performed. My guess (having never played FIFA) is that the card packs are random and he was chasing select top players, like someone spending piles of money on Pokémon cards or baseball cards trying to get a specific super-rare card. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2016, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-own-an-x-box-are-you-vulnerable-to-huge-extra-charges/743041/29 "2016-01-13T20:21:24Z")
The kid’s full of shit. You have to confirm the transaction each time you buy FIFA points, so unless be bought $8K worth in one transaction he knew what he was doing. ETA: ninja’d. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2016, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-own-an-x-box-are-you-vulnerable-to-huge-extra-charges/743041/30 "2016-01-13T20:24:45Z")
> [@Charlie\_Wayne](#): > > Personally, I take it one step further. I have never used a credit card to make an online purchase. I’m probably missing out on some great opportunities. But I just don’t trust people to refrain from enriching themselves if they can find a way. That’s true offline as well. Buying online from reputable companies is as safe as using a credit card in a store. Your information still gets sent electronically. ---
**Author:** ![Macca26](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/13edae/32.png) [@Macca26](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Macca26)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2016, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-own-an-x-box-are-you-vulnerable-to-huge-extra-charges/743041/31 "2016-01-13T20:29:53Z")
Yeah, sounds like a normal case of claiming ignorance and expecting dad to not be able to figure out what he really did. Companies that do in-game transactions have been very particular about always warning buyers that they’re purchasing something every single time. Then again, I can also see the kid mashing the confirm button without really reading the prompt every time it pops up to remind him that he’s purchasing something. “Jeez these menus really are tedious aren’t they? Why does it keep asking me this thing over and over? I already said yes!”. Still his fault, but a stupider take on it. ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2016, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-own-an-x-box-are-you-vulnerable-to-huge-extra-charges/743041/32 "2016-01-13T20:34:27Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > The kid’s full of shit. You have to confirm the transaction each time you buy FIFA points, so unless be bought $8K worth in one transaction he knew what he was doing. > > ETA: ninja’d. Are you claiming a teenager got in over his head and is lying his ass off in the hope that the problem will go away? I thought Canadians were better than that! ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2016, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-own-an-x-box-are-you-vulnerable-to-huge-extra-charges/743041/33 "2016-01-13T20:48:20Z")
I know it’s implausible, but all the other explanations are even \*more \*out there. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Wayne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4bbf92/32.png) [@Charlie\_Wayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Wayne)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2016, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-own-an-x-box-are-you-vulnerable-to-huge-extra-charges/743041/34 "2016-01-13T20:48:48Z")
> [@CookingWithGas](#): > > First of all, this is a really terrible article. It is superficial. It makes no mention of what purchases were actually made, or who got the money–Microsoft or third party providers? This could be a kid squandering money with careless abandon, or it could be predatory vendors who do not make it clear what you are buying and how much it is costing you. It says that “the credit card company has agreed to reduce the amount” but makes no mention of anyone at all attempting to contact the vendors or Microsoft. The article reads like they are summarizing a story reported somewhere else without really understanding it. I agree. However, the article does say that Microsoft sometimes makes good and refunds the amount - but it’s only willing to do that once per lifetime. Given that, it would seem to imply that MS got the money. Otherwise how is it they are the ones giving the refunds? However, that is really a minor quibble and for the most part, I agree the article was not at all particularly informative. Good call! ---
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Wayne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4bbf92/32.png) [@Charlie\_Wayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Wayne)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2016, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-own-an-x-box-are-you-vulnerable-to-huge-extra-charges/743041/35 "2016-01-13T20:51:41Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > Obviously **Charlie Wayne** has internet access, presumably through a computer or possibly a smartphone. This means he’s vulnerable to huge extra charges, because there are sites on the internet where one can rack up huge credit card charges. Not if you never give them any credit card number. But you are correct. I had to provide my Phone Service a credit card or else I could not get some apps I really wanted. It was heart-wrenching for me to do that. I tried to get them to accept PayPal. But it was no dice. Sigh. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2016, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-own-an-x-box-are-you-vulnerable-to-huge-extra-charges/743041/36 "2016-01-13T20:58:54Z")
> [@Charlie\_Wayne](#): > > Given that, it would seem to imply that MS got the money. Otherwise how is it they are the ones giving the refunds? Microsoft gets the money on behalf of Electronic Arts, which is the game distributor. Microsoft probably takes a cut, but EA would get the bulk of the revenue. Microsoft is responsible for refunds because it’s Microsoft’s online marketplace where the in-game purchases are made. They probably just write them off. Amazon will also issue refunds on behalf of third party vendors who sell through Amazon, because it’s just good business - even though Amazon is not the “seller” and takes only a percentage of the sale. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2016, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-own-an-x-box-are-you-vulnerable-to-huge-extra-charges/743041/37 "2016-01-13T21:04:39Z")
I would assume that Microsoft, or Google Play or Apple or any of those guys either eats the cost as part of doing business or just deducts it from the next payout to the publisher. Most of these places will do a one-time refund when your four year old buys a hundred grain silos in Agriculture Town (along with a stern lecture about the parental control settings) but are probably less likely to give grace to a 17 year old who spends $8,000 on FIFA card packs. ---
**Author:** ![typoink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecb155/32.png) [@typoink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/typoink)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2016, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-own-an-x-box-are-you-vulnerable-to-huge-extra-charges/743041/38 "2016-01-13T21:55:26Z")
> [@Charlie\_Wayne](#): > > I’ve been looking to get either an X-Box or Play Station. This pretty much seals the deal for me. How about you? EVERY single paid transaction on an Xbox prompts you individually and tells you what you’re being charged. It’s not even an “in-game” confimation, either. An Xbox system dialog pops up over the screen, shows the dollar amount, and requires you to confirm. There is absolutely NO way the kid didn’t know what he was doing, he just didn’t care enough to pay attention to the amounts that were adding up. And, FWIW, Playstation uses the exact same system for the exact same purchases. If you want to blame somebody, blame EA for building sketchy-but-addictive paid-content “booster packs” into retail games. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2016, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-own-an-x-box-are-you-vulnerable-to-huge-extra-charges/743041/39 "2016-01-13T22:13:22Z")
> [@typoink](#): > > EVERY single paid transaction on an Xbox prompts you individually and tells you what you’re being charged. It’s not even an “in-game” confimation, either. An Xbox system dialog pops up over the screen, shows the dollar amount, and requires you to confirm. > > There is absolutely NO way the kid didn’t know what he was doing, he just didn’t care enough to pay attention to the amounts that were adding up. > > And, FWIW, Playstation uses the exact same system for the exact same purchases. > > If you want to blame somebody, blame EA for building sketchy-but-addictive paid-content “booster packs” into retail games. It’s obscene. I play the Sims Freeplay on my phone and EA provides game packs costing as much as $99 loaded with things such as simoleans, life points, and social points for those players who don’t have the patience to earn them the normal way. You do have to confirm your purchases, but I can see some naive kid racking up hundreds of dollars in purchases. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2016, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-own-an-x-box-are-you-vulnerable-to-huge-extra-charges/743041/40 "2016-01-13T22:26:51Z")
Bleh. If the game is free to play, I see no reason why they shouldn’t charge for in-game content. FIFA is like $60+, so it’s bullshit to charge players for content. I have the same problem with _Guitar Hero 5_, though so far I haven’t actually run into anything I need to pay for. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-own-an-x-box-are-you-vulnerable-to-huge-extra-charges/743041.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-own-an-x-box-are-you-vulnerable-to-huge-extra-charges/743041.md?page=3)