My family's XBOX 360 has recently been banned and I find it ridiculous that my console was banned and no one from XBOX support can tell me why. I looked through all the Terms of Use and Code of Conduct and find no reason for the ban. I have also searched the forums and have tried posting on there with no luck. It seems XBOX users are getting their consoles banned for no reason. I know there are some out there that make modifications to their XBOX's and use pirated games and upload and download content that is not approved by XBOX or Microsoft. I assure you I am not one of them and if you do this sort of thing you may as well move on because this BLOG is not for you. This is for the people who bought an XBOX, games, accessories and downloaded content legally and have not used pirated software or made modifications to their XBOX. I urge anyone who has been wrongly banned for no reason and I mean the people who have not made any MODS to their XBOX, used pirated games or have uploaded or downloaded content that is not XBOX approved and follows the Terms of Use and Code of Conduct to file a complaints with the proper agencies.
Federal Trade Commission
Better Business Bureau U.S.
Also go sign this Petition
Also if you have Facebook go Like this page
Hopefully if enough of us get together we can get some answers from Microsoft. I would also like you to respond to this blog because the more response I get then more people will know. Hopefully action can be taken against Microsoft and there ridiculous software glitches. I strongly believe what happened to our console is a scratched disk triggered a copy right protection protocol. Yes a scratch on a disk can trigger something in the operating system of the XBOX that tells Microsoft you’re using a pirated disk and they will permanently ban your console for it even if the disk was a legal copy.
After calling Microsoft XBOX support about my 9 month old XBOX 360 being banned from there server I was blown away to be told the console was banned and they would not give you any reason as to why. Really if you’re going to ban a console when the consumer that spent a lot of hard earned money on your product and services you should get an answer as to why it was banned. My families XBOX has not been modified in any way and all the games I have purchased legally from either Wal Mart or Game Stop. This console is only 9 months old and I have several hundred dollars tied up into it and all that Microsoft would tell me is GO BUY A NEW ONE that isn’t banned. This also bothers me because if it is that easy for them to ban an XBOX without giving the consumer any kind of notice or reason why it was banned I can see how in order to boost sales all they need to do is ban a couple thousand XBOX’s and force the consumer to go buy new ones. I also found out that they banned over 25,000 XBOX’s from there server in the last week. This is why the complaint to the FTC is so important. Since Microsoft aka XBOX has BBB accreditation they will have to answer to your complaint with them. I found a guy that did file with the BBB and his XBOX was un-banned by an XBOX Exceptions Analyst named Mat Munsinger who can also be contacted.
Mat Munsinger
1-866-425-9899 Ext. 1143765
Monday thru Friday 8AM to 4PM PST
I don’t know how long that contact information will last because I am sure if this guy gets bothered to much Microsoft will change the extension or something. Microsoft support gave me an email address to complain to. When I sent the email I sent it requesting a read receipt, it reached about 14 recipients but they all deleted it without reading it. Every one of the emails went to people in Cairo and had names I could not even pronounce so if you got the email addresses from support don’t waste your time with it.
im with u mine was banned today aka friday the 9th sept for NO REASON! absolute bull and microsoft wont say why. i never long got it fixed by them for the red ring so they have proof it wasnt modded or anything and yet its gone
ReplyDeleteThanks for this I sent a formal latter of complaint to Stephen what ever his name is and Major Nelson I copied it to all my local media groups Only for the support of my local forum Boards.e the Xbox section I would have thought I was going mad.
ReplyDeleteThanks for posting this link makes me feel better.
Also filed complaint. This messageneeds to be widwly spread to ensure our cause
ReplyDeleteI recommend you visit our page and sign our petition to Microsoft. There are many others like you who are very upset with the recent ban wave. Help support and organize a collective voice and share links as well!
ReplyDeletehttp://www.change.org/petitions/microsoft-wrongly-banning-xbox-consoles-from-acessing-xbox-live#
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Microsoft-wrongly-banning-Xbox-consoles-from-acessing-Xbox-Live/231005106949818
I violated the TOU , the atualization made somethings on my xbox that " made it looks like a brand new xbox" , since that
ReplyDeletei have played according to the TOU and when a woke up and went to play this week , i just got banned , "OK", i used my friend's console with my old HD , and it got banned too , can somebody tell me if it was due the HD of my old banned console?
The HD is not affected when a console is banned. The HD is a seperate piece of hardware. It would be like using the power cord or the controller from your banned console on a new console. The only way your HD has gotten your friend's console is if you had pirated games downloaded to it.
ReplyDeleteThank you for creating this blog I got here through the xbox forum. My 13 year old sons console was banned yesterday. He turned his system off while he downloading a game and when he got home from school his console was banned. He worked his butt off for 2 months to earn the money for his xbox. He is broken hearted and mad and so am I. I appreciate the links, I will be contacting all of the options available.
ReplyDeleteIf this blog helps anyone then I am glad I did it. I have filed with the FTC and the BBB at this point I am still waiting to hear anything, but I will keep people posted on what happens from here.
ReplyDeleteI hope this helps my console is over 2 years old its the old model and it seems that everybody with a old model got banned like they want you to buy a new slim so they can make more money.
ReplyDeleteMS is not obligated nor required to tell anyone why they have terminated their access to the Live service. ALL of you would know that if you actually read the Terms of Service you so readily agreed to when you joined XBL.
ReplyDeleteBTW, it doesn't look very good for your 'cause' if you rant and rave about MS doing this and that to your console when they legally have every right to do so according to the legally binding documents you electronically signed when you joined their service.
Yes all posting "me too", "mine is banned as well" is certainly going to get the matter sorted. Why not wait until someone has something constructive to say? All very immature guys!
ReplyDeleteIn response to THOMAS, just because Microsoft has the legal right to ban anyone, anytime,anywhere for anything it doesn't make it right. Segregation was legal up until the 1950's, do you think discrimination is right? Change does not happen by accepting the unacceptable. And until you have been charged, convicted and sentenced without opportunity to assert your innocence than may I suggest you kindly keep your own little rant and rave to yourself. And just as a reminder, you too electronically signed the documents pertaining to the terms of service and code of conduct so it would appear that you too are just as stupid as the rest of us who agreed to allow Microsoft to terminate our access to Live just because they can.
ReplyDeleteAnother blog to follow and pass on to as many people as you know.
ReplyDeletehttp://angrymombitesbackatmicrosoft.blogspot.com/2011/09/dont-mess-with-angry-mom-microsoft.html
Judging from these posts it sounds like a few of us got banned on the same day...or at least around the same time (within the past week). My console was also banned last week and no one will give me any answers. I even had one person on the phone tell me that there was nothin in the computer system to state why I was even banned. She told me that there's always something and that a supervisor would call me back in 24hrs. I got a call back but not from a supervisor but from tech support, who rebutted everything the woman from the previous day stated about there being something in the system reflecting reasons for banning and then directed me to the Xbox Online Forum team for more answers. Only to get to the online forum and see that they don't even address console bans...like seriously?! WTF?! I'm recently unemployed and sure as heck can't afford to go out and buy a new xbox just cause Microsoft WON'T tell me why my console was banned.
ReplyDeleteAnd Thomas: Just because they have the legal right to do so and we submitted electronic signatures with creation of XBL accounts doesn't mean that we don't have the right to know why our money was just flushed down the toilet, ESPECIALLY if a hardware or software glitch is the cause of the banning. Whether I've had my xbox for 2yrs or 2mnths and whether I'm to blame or not...I have the right to know why I am unable to use a piece of recreational hardware I spent my hard earned money on...PERIOD.
It seems like Microsoft wants to increase a sell of their new console. There are amount of users whose old console are banned, so they have bought new slim console. Among them, many of users are turned out for another products.
ReplyDeleteLNB
This is RIDICULOUS!! First we were told we were thieves who obtained content by illegitimate means and now apparently we are pirates.
ReplyDeleteArghh… Matey. Which, though, I’m thrilled to find out we didn’t steal anything still baffles me just a teeny tiny little bit since everything we own was retail purchased brand spanking, sparkling, wrapped in nice shiny transparent cellophane, price tag in the right upper hand corner NEW. So, how then did we become pirates? Well, after hours and days of soul searching, racking my brain, raking my poor kid over the coals, sadly I remain clueless. Light bulb moment! Ah Ha! Maybe my nice Microsoft Moderator might know how this came to be. Conversation went a little something like this, may not be verbatim but you’ll get the general gist of the conversation:
Me-
“Microsoft Moderator, since everything we own we purchased brand new and nothing is modified, how is it then we became Pirates?”
Microsoft Moderator
pause, sigh… “Well…..(grasping at straws)…….(awkward silence) .……(more straws)…is there someone watching your console and games all the time?”
Me
“I’m sorry Microsoft Moderator, I think I misunderstood you, what did you just ask me?”
Microsoft Moderator
“Well I’m sure there isn’t someone watching your equipment all the time”.
Me
“Microsoft Moderator, where exactly did it say in the Terms of Use that my games and console required 24 hour surveillance? Are you suggesting that because I failed to provide my equipment with adequate security measures that at night when I was sleeping, night prowlers snuck into my home and modified my X Box console so that the tiny little fairies could play pirated games of Peter Pan on my X Box while I was sleeping?”
Microsoft Moderator
“….(trying to keep a straight face)….No, Lorraine I am not suggesting that”
Iinterrupt,
“Well, Microsoft Moderator, what exactly are you suggesting?”
Microsoft Moderator
“Well, I’m just saying….well….I don’t have the answer to that question”.
Me
“Guess what Microsoft Moderator, SAME BOAT, I don’t have the answer to that question either, who do you think might?”
Microsoft Moderator
“…….cut, paste… cut, paste… from the Microsoft issued script in front of him… the Enforcement Team doesn’t discuss console bans”.
Me
“Well, that’s awesome news Microsoft Moderator, I know just as much as I did before, which is ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!!!! (I may have raised voice…there may have also been an expletive…sorry Microsoft Moderator)
More bantering back and forth, ending the conversation with a customer satisfaction survey...are you kidding me?...well...you can all imagine how that went!
Is there anyone over there at 1 Microsoft Way, Redmond Washington with any level of intelligence that can actually take the feedback they are getting and recognize that maybe, just maybe they have a problem. Pick up the darn phone somebody and call HOUSTON!
Talked to Microsoft corp. today. They my son's console and all the rest banned around the beginning of September have been unbanned. I haven't tested his console yet to see if it works, but microsoft wants his console and is going to send him a new one. The guy said they had so many complaints and found enought consoles that where banned by error that everyone was unbanned. And they are asking some people to send in consoles and certain games so they can try and figure out what happened.
ReplyDeleteThank you scheffner for posting this blog. I never would have thought to file a complaint to the BBB or FTC. The ms rep called to let me know this because I had filled a complaint with the BBB.
Thanks again scheffner.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteHi All, we too have been 'unbanned' and it's a relief to know that if we scream loud enough we can actually be heard. It is a step in the right direction that Microsoft has admitted fault and is trying to make amends by offering free Live and points but that is just a start, the next logical step is a change in their policies so that this never happens again, when that happens I will then consider this matter closed. Private enterprises are not exempt from upholding due process of the Law, if they are going to accuse someone of illegal activity such as pirating then the rights of the accused must be protected. The way this
ReplyDeletesituation was handled goes against everything we stand for living in America and this cannot and should not happen ever again. I hope that all those who went out and bought new consoles are requesting some form of reimbursement from Microsoft. We can all attest to the fact that Microsoft insisted they had
"overwhelming evidence" of our guilt and that there was no recourse, console bans were not up for discussion period and that the only way to get back on Live was to purchase a new console. Microsoft made a mistake and they need to be held accountable for it. I hope that by insisting our voices be heard by Microsoft we have begun to pave a different path for those who are caught in the crossfire when the next 'ban wave' hits but heres hoping that we don't need to find that out!
September 28, 2011 7:19 PM
it appears this is still an issue, even though this blog is 5 years old my 9 year olds box was just banned, anyone else have this happen recently
ReplyDelete