BT (British ISP) customers charged for Xbox Gamepass Ultimate, without their knowledge or consent

[xollowsob]

BT customers unknowingly charged for Xbox Game Pass

Customers tell the BBC of "worrying" fees added to their monthly bills without their consent.

www.bbc.co.uk

BT stands for British Telecom, a company who offer internet but also own all landlines in the UK. If you have ADSL internet, Or BT Fibre, you MUST pay for a phone line and line rental. They are rip-off merchants and have been for decades. The landline rental is a hidden tax for having a phone or the internet.
If I wanted to have third party ADSL, I have to pay that ISP for the internet AND BT for a landline I don't even need, want Or use.

The article is concerning for a few reasons:

1) These kinds of charges are highly illegal in the UK. Microsoft and BT are in hot water here.

2) For BT to offer this service, a deal must have been struck between Microsoft and BT. BT is meant to be impartial, meaning they could boost XBL traffic and strangle PSN traffic with these new deal.

3) Microsoft is getting desperate with selling gamepass, to the point where they are selling it to customers who don't need it, want it, Or even know what it is. Ethel won't be playing COD at 86 ears old, but she will be paying for gamepass.


This will be interesting to watch because it's a scumbag American move, using a British, supposedly impartial service, to sell a product in a highly illegal and scandalous manner.

Thoughts?

 

[Jim Ryan]

I must check if I was charged.

 

[Box]

This is low even for Microsoft

 

[laynelane]

The article states it's a known issue that keeps happening. Says a lot, doesn't it? It's unclear who is at fault here - BT or MS or both - but the fact that customers can be charged for Game Pass without their knowledge or consent and this has been an ongoing problem for months now is pretty damning.

 

[anonpuffs]

This is low even for Microsoft

lol no it isn't, this is what they do.

 

[Heisenberg007]

"Mistake"

 

[FatKaz]

As much as I'd like to shit on Microsoft at every opportunity humanly possible.

Isn't this more of a mistake by BT? They probably have an option to add game pass optionally and fucked up somewhere and applied it to accounts that didn't ask for it.

 

[Nimrota]

Have to grow the subs somehow...

 

[Kokoloko]

I bet they are celebrating the increased numbers to higher ups

 

[Thirty7ven]

That’s one way to inflate those numbers.

 

[xollowsob]

As much as I'd like to shit on Microsoft at every opportunity humanly possible.

Isn't this more of a mistake by BT? They probably have an option to add game pass optionally and fucked up somewhere and applied it to accounts that didn't ask for it.

Possibly, but why is gamepass being offered with a, supposedly impartial, ISP?

At one point, BT was owned by the government/people/tax payers, then their internet arm was spun off to become BT Open Reach. If they're offering gamepass and not PSN, EA or Ubisoft, that's a scumbag move. If they are offering those services, then why is it only gamepass that keeps messing up?

Will BT refund those customers in full?

 

[FatKaz]

Possibly, but why is gamepass being offered with a, supposedly impartial, ISP?

Impartial in what sense? Many UK broadband and mobile providers let users add extra third party services to their broadband or mobile package. This is nothing new.

I have no idea of what third party services BT let's you add, but I know EE who they own let's you add gamespass to your mobile package. If you go on BTs website to buy a SIM it even redirects you to EE.

 

[xollowsob]

Impartial in what sense? Many UK broadband and mobile providers let users add extra third party services to their broadband or mobile package. This is nothing new.

I have no idea of what third party services BT let's you add, but I know EE who they own let's you add gamespass to your mobile package. If you go on BTs website to buy a SIM it even redirects you to EE.

BT, like BBC are taxpayer owned and are supposed to remain impartial and unbias. EE are a private company.

It's been a while since I've dealt with BT, as they're a scumbag company, as is evident from this article.

Either way, charging people for something they don't know about is a very shitty thing and if MS don't jump to reimburse the customers or release a statement, then to me, they are complicit in this 'mistake'.

 

[FatKaz]

BT, like BBC are taxpayer owned and are supposed to remain impartial and unbias. EE are a private company.

Are really like the BBC though? BT went private decades ago.

 

[Gamernyc78]

..

 

[Kokoloko]

Are really like the BBC though? BT went private decades ago.

They went private I believe but the heads are probably the same type of scumbags as Bbc. Just like Royal Mail.

They will all be in bed with big daddy MS and whoever made/said the quote, “you will own nothing and be happy...”