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Microsoft / Xbox Live customer service call

I just had a funny call to Microsoft, well to Xbox.com support, that really just gives some insight into what Microsoft culture is like.

So what I want to do is stop having them automatically renew my credit card for Xbox Live Gold Service ($49.99/yr). I go to their website and poke around the account settings page, and come to find out that I can’t do that online, I have to call and talk to someone. Fine.

I call Xbox Live at 800-469-9269 and go their voice menu prompt system and choose the “Accounts & Billing” -> “Other account questions”. Apparently I went to the wrong place. After explaining what I wanted to do the CSR said I had to be transfered, I guess I am cancelling my subscription, instead of just turning off auto renew.

The first problem started here, it wasn’t too obvious where I needed to go in their menu system. The second problem was immeadate: the CSR asked me to verify my account information, screen name, email, address, phone, last 4 digits on my credit card.

He then transfers me to the billing who procedes to ask me the same questions again… waste of time there. Starting to get annoyed.

Now after I explain again that I want to stop the auto billing “feature”, he asks me if he can give me some Microsoft points to keep my subscription. Further annoyed.

I say no, that I don’t want to have my card auto billed. So he asks me why I want to stop the auto renewal, and I reply that its more than $20 cheaper to buy the Xbox Live Gold Cards then to have them auto charge my card.

So he suggests that I reduce my plan to the $7.99/mo plan because it is less expensive. Ugh! I just want to stop the dang auto renewal. So by this point I’m over it, I ask him to just remove my auto renew plan and be done with it.

About time. By the way, that wasted 15 minutes of time. Add another 10 minutes for this rant.

Thank you Microsoft! If that had been Apple or some other customer focused company I could have done the whole thing online in 30  seconds.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, March 3rd, 2009 at 5:05 pm and is filed under Life. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

  • Tory

    Oh man do I feel your pain. My recent call to them was nearly as horrendous. I kept telling the agent that my DVD drive had died and they couldn’t understand what I was saying. After repeating myself over and over using different words she finally understood.

    How in the world is $7.99 a month cheaper than $30 a year? Even their $50 a year is cheaper than $7.99 a month. I went to North Sanpete High School, which means I can’t add :) but even I know that $30 a year is cheaper than $7.99 a month :)

  • Susan Fueu

    Like DUH.. They once told me that even though I had a confirmed cancelation of my account and they had then billed my card for an automatic renewal that their computer could not make an error!!
    Watch your card for an automatic billing….

  • http://renewalclock.com Mac

    I had a bad experience like this with a hosting company. It makes business sense to not make canceling “easy”, but it should at least be able to happen without dealing with a sales rep (IVR at the very least).

    I also think notifying consumers prior to renewal should be a legal obligation.

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_IKVLH6GGGT6FUGPKBZEB5NNMUQ World Citizen

    I was billed on my credit card for something Microsoft XBox and in the state of WA and it was for 4.99. I don’t even own an Xbox. How much fraud is involved with this I wonder?