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Microsoft Scam? MICROSOFT *ONLINE BILL.MS.NET WA


S2005
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So, I checked my bank statement today, like I do several times a week...

 

I see this: MICROSOFT *ONLINE BILL.MS.NET WA $1.00

 

I don't remember buying ANYTHING from Microsoft. The only thing I've done was update my credit car on XBL so I could add points to buy game add-ons. (Add-ons I haven't bought yet, I was going to buy them on the 27th.)

 

I did a small bit of research, Google, And I got a website called rip-off report. Many people ignored it as it was only $1. But the following month it goes up, to $9, and so on. Some people get screwed out of $100+...

 

I have emailed Xbox Support, about 20 minutes ago, and I went and deleted all my credit card info off their site.

 

Has anyone had this happen before?

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This sounds fishy. Thanks for the info, I might have to go check my own stuff.. just to be sure o.O

 

EDIT: By the way, the only thing I can remember being $1 on xbox is one month of live. It's for silver members only, $1 for one month of live.

Edited by TheVoidRose
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Yep :D

 

If I see another charge, I'm going to my bank and getting a new Card number. I'm going to probably go talk to the bank anyway tomorrow. I know its only $1, but if I wait and don't complain, I don't want bad stuff to happen... I read this on another website:

 

Category:

On-Line Business

Submitted: 9/19/2005 9:32:42 AM

Modified: 9/19/2005 9:33:00 AM

Microsoft Online, Svcs-bill.ms.net Ripoff Charge my Amex card without me buying anything! Redmond Washington *EDitors Suggestions on how to get your money back into your bank account! http://www.complaintremover.com/images/line.gif

Company

Microsoft Online, Svcs-bill.ms.net

 

Address:

Redmond Washington 98000

U.S.A.

Phone Number:

Fax:

 

On may I have called Amex Card and ask them what was a charge of 59.99 and another of 4.99 Euros in my Card since I have not received any receipt or have asked for anything from Microsoft that is with "microsoft online svcs-bill.ms.net" which is the only informnation I have (No telephone, Fax, email or anything else)

 

American Express reinbourses me 4.99 but not the 59.99 (Hey these are Euros!. Again I call Amex for a new debit of 9.99 Euros and then the Customer Service Office in Englad explains to me that "Any withdraw from microsoft online svcs-bill.ms.net" has to be claim to them (well... to which address or where?) and that Amex could not reimbourse any monies charged by "microsoft online svcs-bill.ms.net".

 

This is good stuff!!! American Express has to asked Bill Gates to return monies he is taking by fraud from people!!!

 

Joe

Attorney In Spain

 

Joseph a.

Malaga

Spain

 

Editor's Suggestions on how to get your money back!

 

HERE IS WHAT RIP-OFF REPORT SUGGESTS YOU DO:

 

Go to your bank within 60 days of the charge, or as soon as you know about the charge, don't delay, and tell them that there has been fraudulent activity within your account. Explain that you wish to file a dispute, and demand that they assist you in accordance with Federal Regulation E.

 

According to the majority of victims interviewed by Rip-off Report, those who immediately called their banks to dispute the charges did not get very far. Many victims got the following responses from their banks: �we could not do anything for you� or �you waited too long; it has been more than 60 days�.

 

If the bank is says that you have waited too long, explain to them how you called their 800 number as soon as the charges were found, and were told by the bank that nothing could be done. Remind the bank that they failed to assist you properly at the 800 #, and instead, provided you with an inadequate explanation of your right to dispute. Tell the bank that it's their fault time has expired, and since they gave you the wrong info to begin with, they will just have to deal with it, take the loss and reverse the charges.

 

Tell them the truth; this was unauthorized and your account was NOT to be charged! Keep emphasizing how you never authorized anything! Direct them to the hundreds of victims reports that were filed on Rip-off Report.com. And if you're at the bank, walk them over to their computer and make them go to this site! If you are on the phone with them, tell them you will wait while they access this site! Either way, be persistent!

 

DO NOT TAKE NO FOR AN ANSWER!

 

Let them know nicely, that you were advised to Report them (the Bank) and this situation to the Banking Commission in your state. Since each state has a different name for the agency/controller over banks, find that name before you call or get to the bank so you can throw it in their face. The more knowledgeable you appear to be, the further you will get.

 

And just continue to demand the Federal Regulation E form! The bank CAN, MUST and WILL reverse the charge! But, you must be persistent; ask to speak to the supervisor or the area manager for all the branches in the state.

 

Let the bank personnel know you are meeting with the media later in the day, that you would much rather they do the right thing (as most other banks have) by looking at the complaints and immediately reversing the charge(s) to your account; no matter how long ago it was. Be sure to call the Media if necessary so you are telling the truth.

 

If you have to, be loud (but nice) in front of other customers. If you are just calling by phone, the above tactics should still work. The bank can easily fax or mail to you the Federal Regulation E dispute form.

 

CHARGES TO YOUR CREDIT CARD

 

If the charge was to your credit card (not debit card, check card, or checking account), contact the credit card company as soon as possible to request a dispute form. Consumers usually have a little longer to dispute fraudulent credit card charges (up to 6 months), but it is better to act right away. In this type of situation, credit card disputes are usually successful since fraudulent companies often won't contest the disputed charge. In rare cases, credit card companies will review disputes, but refuse to reverse the charges. If this occurs, complain to a manager and let them know you will be filing a report here.

 

Remember� Don't let them get away with it! Make sure they make the Rip-off Report .. The more Reports filed on a Company or individual, the more likely it is that the authorities, media and attorneys will want to take action.

 

And good luck� Let us know how you do!

 

ED Magedson � Founder, Rip-off Report.com & Author of www.xxxxxxx.com

[email protected]

badbusinessbureau.com

www.xxxxxxx

 

Don't let them get away with it.�

Make sure they make the Rip-off Report!

 

We are not lawyers.

We are not a collection agency.

 

We are Consumer Advocates.

...the victims' advocate

 

WE are Civil and Human Rights Activists

 

We are a Worldwide Consumer Reporting News Agency

...by consumers, for consumers

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Well, normally is you update your credit card information through Microsoft they put a temporary $1 charge on your card to make sure it goes through. However that should only happen if you change the credit card you gave them for the XBL service and if you have automatic renewal turned on.

 

I did it a few days ago and mine didn't look anything like that, so I would definitely see what's up with that before it gets out of hand, just to be cautious.

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upon researching this, it is an MS withdrawl, but the reason is iffy, as i see lots of reports upon searching just bill.ms.net wa

 

http://www.pctechtalk.com/forums/recycling-bin/12254-msn-strikes-again.html?t-12254.html=

 

 

not to criticize, but this is why i never enter any CC info.

 

hell i don't even have a CC or Debit card, i just pay for my live stuff at a store, w/ cash :)

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If you just changed a Credit Card on live, they'll take a dollar out, to see if you actually have the funds. They refund you the dollar in a day or so after taking it.

 

Not rocket science...No scam either..

 

Exactly. You've described a CC authorization. I've had that many times when I rent 360 games from Blockbuster. Although I pay with cash, they authorize the card on file as it is my "back-up" funding they use if I were to not return the games.

 

The charge doesn't stick and is only temporary.

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This is why I buy prepaid cards for live/ms points...I know lottsa people that once they added their cc to their account, they kept having unathorized transactions and took a couple months to get the card removed from their account...It's bull, total rip off, don't do it...

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So, I checked my bank statement today, like I do several times a week...

 

I see this: MICROSOFT *ONLINE BILL.MS.NET WA $1.00

 

I don't remember buying ANYTHING from Microsoft. The only thing I've done was update my credit car on XBL so I could add points to buy game add-ons. (Add-ons I haven't bought yet, I was going to buy them on the 27th.)

 

Does it show that charge as clearing your account or is it showing up as pending? I used to work at the bank, and 99% of the time I saw a $1 charge, it was a temporary charge that goes away within 2 business days. You can think of it as testing a credit/debit card to make sure it's a valid card. If it does go through, definitely get a hold of your bank or card issuer and start a chargeback.

 

Kudos for being on top of your bank accounts. Much better to catch something like this early on then to let it become a mess later.

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This is weird, considering I've had a slightly similar problem. Before I explain it, I'll just tell you that I'm 17 with a banking account and a crappy job, so Xbox live is actually scheduled into my budget.

 

Anyway, a few weeks back I wake up and check my banking account to see how much money I had before I cashed my check. I go to the site and it pops up insufficient funds of 120 dollars. I hadn't bought anything for a week from my banking account so that was a fairly big shock to me (specially considering my check isn't much more then that).

 

I was charged 3 times the day before of 7.99 by Xbox live. The last two were when I had no money left in the bank (:() so I got fees. I was furious as hell but thought a simple call to the friendly Microsoft customer support would solve the problem. I called and explained the situation and the guy put me on hold for 10 minutes (to the tune of good music, mind you).

 

When he got back on the phone he was unable to explain to me how exactly I was charged 3 times. He said sometimes they charged for months I hadn't paid. Not only was that one hell of a dumb answer, considering I was looking at my bank report online and it showed 7.99 being took out the past 3 months. But also, why would I continue to have a gold membership for 3 months without paying? He of course, was dumbfounded by these questions.

 

Long story short I didn't get 3 months of service, and 7.99 was actually taken out of my account the next day for that current month of service. My parents paid the fees and I just went out and bought a card for 12 months of Live.

 

I'd say it indirectly ended up costing me over 200 dollars in 3 days. I know I'm a sucker for even paying the money, considering I could have probably bought a used console and few games with that much money, but hey, I dislike Sony.

Edited by Jewls
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This is weird, considering I've had a slightly similar problem. Before I explain it, I'll just tell you that I'm 17 with a banking account and a crappy job, so Xbox live is actually scheduled into my budget.

 

Anyway, a few weeks back I wake up and check my banking account to see how much money I had before I cashed my check. I go to the site and it pops up insufficient funds of 120 dollars. I hadn't bought anything for a week from my banking account so that was a fairly big shock to me (specially considering my check isn't much more then that).

 

I was charged 3 times the day before of 7.99 by Xbox live. The last two were when I had no money left in the bank (:() so I got fees. I was furious as hell but thought a simple call to the friendly Microsoft customer support would solve the problem. I called and explained the situation and the guy put me on hold for 10 minutes (to the tune of good music, mind you).

 

When he got back on the phone he was unable to explain to me how exactly I was charged 3 times. He said sometimes they charged for months I hadn't paid. Not only was that one hell of a dumb answer, considering I was looking at my bank report online and it showed 7.99 being took out the past 3 months. But also, why would I continue to have a gold membership for 3 months without paying? He of course, was dumbfounded by these questions.

 

Long story short I didn't get 3 months of service, and 7.99 was actually taken out of my account the next day for that current month of service. My parents paid the fees and I just went out and bought a card for 12 months of Live.

 

I'd say it indirectly ended up costing me over 200 dollars in 3 days. I know I'm a sucker for even paying the money, considering I could have probably bought a used console and few games with that much money, but hey, I dislike Sony.

 

Sounds like you gave in too easily. You should have called your bank and had them deal with the MS charges.

 

I recall something similar I went thru with AOL a few years back. They had charged me for something I was sure I had canceled and when I got nowhere with them over the phone I simply called my bank. They issued me a new bank card and dealt with AOL themselves. A few days later I see a full refund in my account and all was well. Similarly it was a charge that incurred bank fees for insufficient funds and those were removed as well.

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  • 8 years later...

Never been fond of having a CC on my Xbox Account. At first i was buying points card (then money cards when points where delisted) but back then i was only buying DLC and sometimes a gamerpic pack with points left...

 

Now there so much stuff we buy on live... some evening i am in the mood of watching a movie and even tough Xbox Live ain't my first choice for movie rental (too much movies only in english, and damn its expensive compare to the video store nearby) sometimes its the only place i can watch a specific movie. So i do.

 

But then i don't always feel to go out get an Xbox card at the convenient store, sometimes its just too late too.

 

What im trying to say is that there is so many reasons why its convenient to be able to pay online these days.

 

So what i did was put my paypal account. PAYPAL is actually consumer friendly usually and if there is anything fishy, im sure they would back me up. My CC itself ain't on the Xbox.

 

Now i do have one big rant tough. When you used to buy Xbox live with pre-paid card, you would enter the card and once the card was over, you would revert back to "Silver" and that was it. Thats what i loved about it. Never there was any auto-renew. I HATE PRE-AUTORISED PAYMENTS. I never ever do them in real life. The only thing i am forced to deal with that is pre-autorized is my bank account monthly fees and Credit Card interest (not sure if its the correct word in english)

 

But otherwise, all the rest, i pay when i pay. For instance my phone i log on there website and pay manually. My internet services i call them so they take the payment on my card.

 

The reason is simple, sometimes i just have no funds left on my CC or bank account... :rolleyes:

 

Anyway where i am going with this is that NOW when you buy a pre-paid Xbox Live card, as you enter the code they actually have an auto-renew automatically set on YES. I was lucky to see it and turn it off but what the actual fuck is that? If i pay with a card there is a reason, i don't want you to automatically renew live at a monthly over priced fee on my paypal. I was VERY MAD when i saw this. If your in a hurry to enter a code and go play with friends (happened to me in the past, live would finish between 2 games but had the card ready so i entered it quickly) you may miss this auto renew thing.

 

The main reason why i am frisky when it comes to live is because i had a friend in the past that had a CC on there account to pay live, and at one point the card expired and they didn't renew it, but Xbox kept letting them play, trying to charge the card in question. After several month they finally blocked the account but entirely. They told my friend if he want to get back his account, he would have to renew that card and enter the new expiration date so they can take all the months he own. But for some reasons he was not able. Don't remember why, may have been somebody else CC that he was using and didn't had acces anymore. He even said he would buy pre-paid cards and they could take months off out of it, but nop... the CC was the only way for him to get acces back to his account. So in the end he lost it (including all his achievements etc)

 

Hell imagine if that happened today, with all the digital stuff we get compare to back in 2008. I mean back then you where loosing only achievements. Now you would love a lot of money value.

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