Microsoft's Xbox Live online gaming service has a Gold level tier where gamers pay to gain access to multiplayer features, early access to demos and more. Now an Xbox Live subscriber has filed a class action lawsuit against the company claiming that Microsoft sometimes double bills its customers. According to Courthouse News Service, the plaintiff, Ryan Graves, claims that Microsoft's terms of service for its Xbox Live subscriptions are "vague and onerous."

In his lawsuit, filed in the state of Washington on July 29, Graves claims that in January 2010 he bought a one year subscription to Xbox Live via a debit card. In June 2010 he canceled his debit card and as such the Xbox Live subscription ended in January 2011. However, in March 2011 he bought a new one year subscription to Xbox Live via a new debit card but he later discovered that Microsoft charged his new card twice for the same one-year Xbox Live subscription amount.

The lawsuit states that when Graves went to protest the second charge, "Microsoft informed Graves that the duplicate charge was not a mistake. The representative further explained that one charge was for the authorized subscription that he manually signed up for on March 4, 2011, and the other was for the automatic renewal of his previous expired subscription. The representative informed Graves that he had two years worth of subscriptions that Microsoft would allow to run consecutively." Graves claims that he didn't want two years of the Xbox Live service and asked that the second charge be refunded. The lawsuit claims that Microsoft refused.

Graves is seeking damages and restitution along with a "reverse all unlawful, unfair, or otherwise improper charges, and to cease and desist from engaging in further unlawful conduct in the future." Microsoft has yet to respond to the lawsuit.

http://www.neowin.net/news/microsoft-sued-for-claims-of-xbox-live-gold-double-billing

Posted: Aug 12, 2011 7:56 pm