A Pennsylvania man has filed a class action lawsuit in the District Court of Pennsylvania against Microsoft, claiming the company has exposed Xbox Live subscribers to point fraud.
Specifically, Samuel Lassoff, a Philadelphia-based attorney, believes the Microsoft Points system is used to "unjustly enrich" Microsoft. He received an invoice reporting he purchased and used Xbox Live Points, even though he never did. The claim circles around incomplete and partial downloads that Microsoft charges, even if the game is never successfully downloaded.
Tech support was uncooperative with returning the funds, and his credit card company said it was a legal problem that must be addressed with a court case.
The Games on Demand service allows users to pay per game title, but won't switch to the same pay structure with its Xbox Live Arcade online store.
According to legal information, the suit was filed "on behalf of several million U.S. customers exposed to point fraud, following fraud, breach of contract, negligence, unjust enrichment, and unfair business practices on the part of... Microsoft Corporation."
Both the Xbox 360 and Nintendo Wii use a points system for online shopping, while the Sony PlayStation 3 allows traditional payments.
This isn't Lassoff's first attempt at a high-profile class action lawsuit -- he filed a lawsuit against Google in 2006, claiming he was "the victim of hundreds of dollars worth of fraudulent clicks."
I've been an Xbox Live member for more than one year ago, and haven't had any trouble with the service.
