Moderators over at the Xbox Forums seem to be unable to cope with Microsoft’s recent banning spree as users complain about console bans.
Numerous posts regarding the console ban on the Account Suspensions and Player Feedback forum remain unanswered by mods. Those that have got replies are full of identikit responses from mods, with the most common one being:
“Our investigations are very thorough.
However if you PM Tatsu24 with your consoleID and serial number we will re-verify our investigation. Your console ID is located in System Settings>Console Settings>System Info
Before replying, please be sure that you:
1. Purchased your console brand new and unopened from a reputable retailer
2. No individual has ever handled the Xbox outside your direct physical supervision.
3. You have thoroughly reviewed the information and FAQ located at http://www.xbox.com/en-US/consoleban/
Please be aware that if our re-verification is correct, this could result in a permanent suspension of the Xbox LIVE accounts on this console, along with all associated licenses and gamerscore.”
Yet how can “very thorough investigations” lead to the need for re-verification and so many threads pleading innocence on the Xbox forums?
There are those out there who play innocent, but here are a few topics lifted from the forum where we think they genuinely are:
Chandlermccool‘s topic sees him claim to be a father of four Xbox hungry kids. One of his kids’ consoles was initially banned before he reveals further into the topic that a second one was banned and that his kids “are going CRAZY”. He claims to have spent “A LOT of money with Microsoft” and he also claims to have called Xbox Support 15 times without answer. The response? Check the paragraph in italics above…
Verdict: His sincerity and insistence makes us think he’s not guilty. This is some mighty fine bullshiting if otherwise.
LQNupe718 claims his console was banned without explanation, as was a second console he bought. The user questions Microsoft’s “lengthy investigation” after his second Xbox was banned within days of purchasing. He is also adamant that he is not a cheat or a modder. The answer? The same spiel as the previous case. Except Nupe then makes a good point. A re-verification would require his console to be connected to Xbox Live, but he can’t because his console is banned.
“It seems to me from what you are saying is that they will just go over information they already have which is pointless in my opinion,” he contends.
Verdict: Again, this guy’s insistance suggests he’s fighting for a cause; an innocent one at that.
Finally, the most (presumably) innocent award goes to…CornabllDragoon. He’s a silver member who plays games with his four year old son. Cornball has 19 games on his profile which includes the likes of Big Bumpin, Sneak King, PocketBike Racer, Disney’s Bolt, Transformers 2, Cars…ok, Gears of War may be there, but who are we to judge his parenting? He has 1105 achievement points. He’s hardly screaming of modder. But his plight was met with the firm hand of a mod’s banal copy+paste technique.
Verdict: Common sense would suggest he’s innocent.
Personally, Microsoft’s inability to tell 100% if a console has been modified and used in a fraudulent way is absolutely ridiculous. But the message is clear: do not buy a console from ebay and do not even touch, let alone look, at the innards of your Xbox 360. Ever.
Please comment and let us know what you think of the recent bans MS has issues. Do you think a lot of these folks are innocent? Registration is not required to comment.
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Or, of course, any of these guys might’ve bought their consoles secondhand. Caveat emptor, etc.
the last one is BS, they shouldve unbanned him straigh away.
He should SUE
*Yawn*
Everytime MS brings down the ban hammer, we get this shit. This is why you don’t buy 2nd hand. Hell, the RRoD should be reason enough not to buy a 360 2nd hand.
KB:
I won’t even buy a brand new 360.
I think the pic up there says it like this.
We’re banning your console so you can buy a new 360 so we can kick Nintendo and Sony’s ass in sales. And after you bought a new 360 we’ll ban it again so can support us more. And if that wasn’t enough, we’re thinking of inscreasing the Xbox live gold subscription to $100 so you can play more Halo, Gears and all other FPS that is worth getting in our console, you can play soldier all your lifetime.
I find it funny that they can do this so freely; you can only repair your console 3 times in its warranty life, so if THEIR bad engineering and THEIR faulty products fail just a 4th time, you either have a to buy a new one or get it repaired. Now since repair is cheaper, get it repaired, but then its banned, get a new one, more money down the drain. Its quite an interesting show to see how Micro$oft handles this. Its basically more and more money.
My console was banned just a week ago, i came home as surprised as anyone (maybe not as surprised as those ‘infallible pirates’) to find that a game of Halo i wanted to play was not allowed because M$ Didn’t want to disclose those details.
Isn’t it highly illegal to ban someone from a service THEY pay for and not explain why?
Otherwise if you haven’t violated the terms then you have no argument…
All a bit suss i guess.
“But the message is clear: do not buy a console from ebay and do not even touch, let alone look, at the innards of your Xbox 360. Ever.”
Or maybe this message is clear: Dont buy an Xbox 360, Ever.
Seriously, how can you people put up with this ineptitude?
@microsoftisjustawful
I would assume it’s because some people genuinely enjoy some of the titles they offer, like any system.
Oh sure, those people were all totally innocent. Babes in the woods even. Right. Amazing how I read sensational blog articles like this everywhere this evening evangelizing how innocent people are being banned.
Like the parent complaining about his TOTALLY INNOCENT teenager, who runs his potty mouth all day on Live using the N-word and worse, only to look at his parents with angel eyes while denying any wrong doing. And the parents, who are at work all day, cannot possibly believe that their latch-key kids would even attempt to mod their console or act like ASSES online. No, not their kids. Evil Microsoft. Yeah, right.
By the way, all you pirates, hackers and TOS-violators, good riddance. You know what you did and you can stand here in the blog-o-sphere proclaiming your innocence all day. You are not fooling anyone.
I am SO GLAD that 1,000,000 hackers, modders, and foul-mouthed teenagers were banned today.
Here’s a thought. Just buy the games legally, quit modding your XBOX 360 and play fair online. And you won’t have to worry about being banned. Lesson learned.
what a brilliant tactic.
sales are starting to dip dramatically so they ban 1M consoles so they can push up there sales.
brilliant M$ absolutely brilliant!
So Soh Knee, where’s the stereotype you speak of within the article? Did you read the examples? I’m interested in your sensational commenting.
Almost nothing is ever 100%, especially with Microsoft hardware, so I would expect that there were some mistakes with the banning. I feel bad for those unlucky people.
Until you know the methodologies and technologies that MS uses when banning people, you cannot pass judgment.
Get a PS3 you fools!!!
I feel bad for some of the people that got banned and didn’t deserve it, but there are always going to be friendly fire. I respect MS for doing this, all those hackers were probably hurting the industry a little. If they decide to get a new 360 at least they will be putting some money back in. Hopefully, MS will look at some of the cases that look legit and fix it for them, although that probably won’t happen. Best thing I can say for those people is try making your console RRoD and get a new one.
So getting the red ring of death and sending your xbox to MS means you can be banned.
No individual has ever handled the Xbox outside your direct physical supervision.
But that happens when you send it in for repair.
This is just 1 more reason to turn away from consoles and go back to pc gaming. If you get banned for cheating with a PC game you are out $20-50 instead of the cost of a new console. It is absolutely rediculous that they can ban the hardware that you are playing on, not just your gamertag. I agree 100% with banning hardware that has been playing burned games on live, but for cheating/foul language? C’mon… Ban the account. You lose your achievements, you lose your scores and that is MORE than enough punishment without banning the hardware that might be sold second hand to someone else!
@The_Truth
I was more then prepared to dismiss your comment as PC fanboyism, but upon reading it, you bring up some very good points. Losing all record of your achievements would certainly be a blow against most Xbox owners, and is a much more reasonable punishment than banning them and grouping them with modders and pirates.
Different level of crime calls for a different level of punishment. Well said.
I was looking for an excuse to not buy an xbox360 this Christmas. Thanks Microsoft, this works rather well. With this kind of policy I would much rather burn the $300 in a date than give them to Microsoft.
As usual, Microsofts BS cannot get any worse..
Soh Knee, nice way to kiss Microsofts Ass, don’t you think mate..