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Lance Perkins is disgusted at the near $8,000 (CAD) bill he received for purchases made by his 17-year old son in a recent FIFA release on the Xbox platform. Perkins received a credit card bill for $7,625.88 after his son purchased multiple in-game purchases for the game.His son, being of an age where he should know better, fed his father a line about how he had no idea that it wasn't just a one-time fee.
Perkins said he had given his son a credit card for emergencies or to make purchases for the family's convenience store.
Although his son confessed he had been using the card illicitly, Perkins said his son, too, was truly shocked at how much he had spent.
"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."
Although his son confessed he had been using the card illicitly, Perkins said his son, too, was truly shocked at how much he had spent.
"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."
The credit card company said that unless he wanted to charge his son with fraud there was nothing he could do. Microsoft responded similarly via a prompt email saying that the bill would stand. Microsoft said they would look into it after Perkins informed Microsoft that his son was still a minor.
"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.
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.
Perkins said, "there will never be another Xbox system - or any gaming system - in my home." Perhaps he should instead look into not giving his irresponsible child a credit card, or at the very least looked into how to enable some of the many parental controls that consoles have in place for situations like this. Of course, the multitude of in-app purchases that have flooded recent games, sports titles in particular, is equally absurd.
(via CBC)
There shouldn't be a cap on anything. It's not EA's responsibility to gate how much people spend. They shouldn't have to be some far reaching parent taking on the roles of actual parents or just common sense.
For more on the recent gambling additions to games i recommend Danny O'Dwyer's video on Destiny on Gamespot's The Point.
A similar thing happened with my nephew. He was staying at his grandma's house and playing on her ipad. She let him install some driving game, then the next morning came some bill for all the in-app purchases totaling $20. He was 12 at the time and had no idea these things cost real money. Grandma freaked out and yelled at him, but luckily when I setup her ipad I used a $25 itunes card because there was no way I was putting a credit card on file.
Of course, there was nothing to stop the kid from simply making his own, separate Xbox account and using the card there either. He had access to the credit card and that's where the root of the problem lies. I don't believe this is any fault of the consoles or the games, but with the access to the card, responsibility, and a healthy slice of the role of parenting in all this.