Microsoft sued over MS Points

[Queasy]

This is why I buy my MS points on the Zune marketplace. You can get them in denominations of 400, you don't need a zune or any software, they work on Xbox live, and I never have any left over.

That's good to know. I'll have to do that from now on.

 

[Zargon]

i got home from the bar saturday night and my buddy and iw ere playing sf2 on sf:ac. so i was like 'let me just purchase HDR...'

so i go to the marketplace and find it.

it is 1200pts ($15) so I said cool.

i go to purchase points, and i couldnt get 1200. i could either only get 500, 1000, or 2000, which were $6.25, $1250, and $20 respectivtely.

because i couldn't just pay $15, they lost my money.

i did find out the next day though that you could buy points in better increments on the zune store, but it was too late at that point and since it wasnt an impulse buy anymore, and i didn't have a friend over to play against, i didnt buy it.

you could also get the 1600 pt card from an etailer that will email you the code FWIW

 

[purbeast0]

you could also get the 1600 pt card from an etailer that will email you the code FWIW

i dont want 1600, i wanted 1200.

but like i said it was an impulse buy that failed due to MS stupid ass system.

 

[Zargon]

I dont worry about it, because I need another content pack sooner or later, its not like they expire or anything

 

[mugs]

Yes, but it's difference I wasn't even talking about. I've seen "money grab" used to describe many situations which weren't unethical. As for your second point, you pretty much contradict yourself. Sure there will be people that object and spend less, but overall I'm sure it results in more money being spent... it's fairly basic marketing tactics.

When I said "see above" I was referring to the post about buying the cards at a discount. I buy cards when I can get them for 10% off or better. Retailers don't generally discount cards that have a dollar value, but they discount MS Points cards. So even if I end up with $5 worth of points that I can't spend, I've still come out ahead.

We've all spent hundreds or thousands of dollars on video games, and you guys are whining about a couple of dollars.

 

[PieIsAwesome]

I like MS points because the last time I got a 4000 point code it was for $30. Now I want more but cant seem to find any for less than $50. . .

 

[mindcycle]

We've all spent hundreds or thousands of dollars on video games, and you guys are whining about a couple of dollars.

Who cares what we've already spent on video games.. The issue here is being forced to pay more money than what something actually costs.

Neither you or any of the other MS point apologist's in this thread have been able to come up with a decent counter argument to explain why you can't purchase exactly the amount of points you want/need. If MS is really trying to be ethical about DLC purchases through LIVE, don't you think they'd offer us that option?

 

[Zargon]

in none of the other fake buy in economies that I am aware of, can you buy single points.


why cant you subscribe to MMO's day by day?? they are ripping you off too OMG!!!!

 

[purbeast0]

in none of the other fake buy in economies that I am aware of, can you buy single points.


why cant you subscribe to MMO's day by day?? they are ripping you off too OMG!!!!

wow i didnt realize that MS points were a subscription feature...

and i didnt realize that MMO's you pay for points then use those to pay monthly for the game useage...

what a stupid ass comparison.

 

[Zargon]

wow i didnt realize that MS points were a subscription feature...

and i didnt realize that MMO's you pay for points then use those to pay monthly for the game useage...

what a stupid ass comparison.

live points are paying real $$ for a fake item that you use to provide a service(DLC)

a subscritpion is a fee you pay for a service(playing the game) but they limit you to buying monthly or yearly ETC

why does no one bitch they cant buy a week? or a day? its not really that different. hell, in a month I played HGL about 12 days, why did I still have to pay for the other 28


bottom line is probably related to the fees they pay per transaction and making it actually worth their while to take your money.


and of course, you are more likely to spend them and buy more


but if you cant sit on the spare points until the inevitable release of more DLC is available, then you are a sucker anyways


I bought a 400 points card about 2 years for 30 bucks on sale, instead of the going rate of 50, and I still have 800 pts left from it

 

[Zargon]

also i should have prefaced that with, I would rather just be able to buy them with cash outright, but I dont think its a big deal

 

[mindcycle]

in none of the other fake buy in economies that I am aware of, can you buy single points.


why cant you subscribe to MMO's day by day?? they are ripping you off too OMG!!!!

Sorry, but that comparison is pretty weak. An MMO is a service while DLC is a product. There's a big difference there. You pay for a service for a certain amount of time and are able to access the service whenever you want during that time frame. Products on the other hand cost a set amount of money that you pay for at the time of purchase and then you essentially "use up" that product once you complete the content.

 

[mindcycle]

why does no one bitch they cant buy a week? or a day? its not really that different. hell, in a month I played HGL about 12 days, why did I still have to pay for the other 28

Again, not a very good comparison. When you pay for a service you have access to that service during the time you paid for. I'm sure some people out there are against the idea of paying for a month if you only use the service for 12 days, but again it doesn't really relate to the discussion here. We're talking about a product, not a service.

 

[mugs]

Who cares what we've already spent on video games.. The issue here is being forced to pay more money than what something actually costs.

Neither you or any of the other MS point apologist's in this thread have been able to come up with a decent counter argument to explain why you can't purchase exactly the amount of points you want/need. If MS is really trying to be ethical about DLC purchases through LIVE, don't you think they'd offer us that option?

Why would I come up with an argument for something I don't believe? ^_^ I think they should offer that option.

I just don't agree with the people who think MS should use regular currency exclusively instead of MS Points, because I'll happily accept a small unused balance in my account in exchange for being able to get points at a discount.

 

[Dari]

Damn. Microsoft screws their customers even on purchases? Wow, this company really has thought of every single way to fuck over their customers. Tell me, do they at least offer a reach around?

 

[Thraxen]

Why would I come up with an argument for something I don't believe? ^_^ I think they should offer that option.

I just don't agree with the people who think MS should use regular currency exclusively instead of MS Points, because I'll happily accept a small unused balance in my account in exchange for being able to get points at a discount.

These really aren't mutually exclusive though. Sony, for example, sells point cards and takes cash for the exact amount online.

Truth be told I don't really care all that much, I've never made much of a deal out of it before other than the occasional grumble about Sony's system being better. But given the choice I'd rather be done with the whole point system and the lawsuit is just an excuse to debate it for a while

 

[oznerol]

Why would I come up with an argument for something I don't believe? ^_^ I think they should offer that option.

I just don't agree with the people who think MS should use regular currency exclusively instead of MS Points, because I'll happily accept a small unused balance in my account in exchange for being able to get points at a discount.

The discounts are a result of the vendor, not the point system. Microsoft, to my knowledge, has never sold points at a discount (they have given small amounts out for free occasionally).

Amazon has offered direct XBLA game code purchases, at a discount, with straight cash. I prefer that method over anything else. Though, I suppose it is unrealistic to expect retailers to carry every piece of downloadable content available on the marketplace, which is why I agree that the point system is fine.

 

[mindcycle]

Why would I come up with an argument for something I don't believe? ^_^ I think they should offer that option.

Ok, point taken. Maybe we're ultimately in favor of the same thing here.

I just don't agree with the people who think MS should use regular currency exclusively instead of MS Points, because I'll happily accept a small unused balance in my account in exchange for being able to get points at a discount.

The points system is fine (other than being overly convoluted IMHO), it's the fact that you can't actually buy only the points you need that I have a problem with.

 

[DivideBYZero]

 

[BD2003]

I hope they lose.

This nonsense of nearly everything being sold in 80 point increments mean I should be able to buy 80 point increments. 400 is the standard...I should be able to buy 400 points for $5, not be forced to pay $6.25 for 500 points.

It's intentionally exploitative. That's blatantly obvious to everyone. Yes, it is a matter of a few dollars and cents, but the principle here is not a laughing matter. The fact that they get away with this is absolutely disgusting, and I'm glad someone is taking them to task for it.

 

[viivo]

I hope they lose.

This nonsense of nearly everything being sold in 80 point increments mean I should be able to buy 80 point increments. 400 is the standard...I should be able to buy 400 points for $5

You can on the Zune website.

 

[BD2003]

You can on the Zune website.

Which I'll do from now on, but there's no reason why I shouldnt be able to do the same on my xbox. The practice is completely indefensible.

Still doesnt make their past behavior any less unacceptable. I've got 240points in my account that I forgot about...which is exactly what they want.

Its easier to steal a dollar from a million people than a million dollars from one person.

 

[RyanPaulShaffer]

If you could add a specific number of MS points to your account to pay for purchases, instead of only being allowed to purchase specific MS point bundles that almost always leave you with wasted points you can't use, then I could see it as a legitimate business decision to avoid dealing with currency exchange rates.

As it is, with the restricted MS point bundles and almost always having wasted points in your account, it is indeed a money-grabbing scheme. Sony and Nintendo let you buy specific amounts of points to pay for your purchases...there is no need for this "MS point bundle" scheme. I hope this lawsuit gets Microsoft to drop this very customer-unfriendly practice. I have a list of Rock Band songs I'd love to buy, but I adamantly refuse to because I always end up wasting points (in other words, wasting money) because I can never get down to 0. I did at one point, but then I stupidly bought more songs.

 

[Zargon]

its basic psychology at its finest.

Again, not a very good comparison. When you pay for a service you have access to that service during the time you paid for. I'm sure some people out there are against the idea of paying for a month if you only use the service for 12 days, but again it doesn't really relate to the discussion here. We're talking about a product, not a service.

um, yeah, Im not going back into that because the only reason I was debating is that I was bored waiting for a server update to finish so I could go home

but a service, IS a product. is it not?

 

[mindcycle]

but a service, IS a product. is it not?

http://ezinearticles.com/?Differences-Between-Products-And-Services&id=159561