Excess Microsoft Points Lead to Class-Action Lawsuit
Hate the whole Microsoft Points system? Then you’re in the same boat as Attorney Samuel Lassoff. A fighter for Justice and All That Is Good, Lassoff has filed a class-action lawsuit against the evil Microsoft, saying that the company screwed him out of money.
Lassoff bought some Points to download whatever it is lawyers download through Xbox Live. Like many other gamers, after his purchases were made he had leftover Points that he couldn’t do anything with. What’s a lawyer to do in a situation like that? Litigate, of course!
In papers filed in the U.S. District Court for Eastern Pennsylvania, Lassoff claims the company “engaged in a scheme to unjustly enrich itself through their fraudulent handling” of his account. The suit also claims that “Microsoft breached that contract by collecting revenues for digital goods and services which were not provided.” Not being a high-falutin’ lawman like Mr. Lassoff, I’m not sure how much legal precedence this lawsuit holds. It does seem that this whole runoff point problem might cost Microsoft a hefty sum.
This lawsuit comes at an interesting point, as last week we heard news that Microsoft was looking to scrap the Microsoft Points program. Product manager Aaron Greenburg specifically said in an interview with G4 that “we never intended to mislead people” when purchasing MS points. Maybe this threat of legal action, coupled with pressure from the general gaming population will get rid of the horrid moon money in the future.
Hope this works out, the points system is frankly bullshit.
yeah ok, so lets scrap the points. But let the gamers only buy in steps of € 23,75. And every game on the store is only allowed to cost a multiple of € 5,00. Problem solved.
If this guy wins his lawsuit, I am going to sue him for screwing it up for me. People bitch about the points system, but it is actually great for gamers.
When was the last time someone offered to sell you $20 cash for $15? MS Points cards go on sale from time to time, whereas PSN cards rarely get a discount, and a paltry one at that.
How about all those MS Point giveaways? They happen all the time on Xbox LIVE, the internet, text message, or in-store. No way there will be as many contests and promotions if the Points system is abolished.
They just don’t happen that much for PSN, because that’s real money, not some monetary abstraction…
Sure, MS should change the purchasing system, make smaller denominations available. At the same time, they need to have a minimum purchase amount, to cover credit card transaction fees.
Basically, they should let you choose any amount above their minimum, in 10 point increments.
Forgive them father, for they know not what they do…