Parent Gets ~$8K Bill for Child's Xbox Microtransactions

[Kamina]

This kid sounds like an inconsiderate ass.

[Albatross]

I'm completely stumped by the idiocy of both parents and kids these days. Why do parents trust their kids with something like that? Don't. Just don't.

 

And the father clearly hasn't learned his lesson either, because he thinks the consoles are the issue. Nope. It is how you raised your son, obviously.

[Gix7Fifty]

Actually the parent is not responisble. It is Unauthorized use.

Negative, it's not fraudulent.

[raphidy]

I just hope he gets punished and will work his ass off to pay the debt. Otherwise, they really failed as parents.

[zMeul]

"free to play" goes right in here - this shit should be illegal because publishers deliberately target children with these games

but let's not ignore the parent's issue in this case - when you give a child access to a substantial sum of cash you should also set up, with the bank, alerts on payments

you just don't give your kid a credit card and expect him to understand the value of money

[Misanthrope]

Almost 8k credit limit seems pretty respectable, enough that he could reasonably bounce back financially since you don't build such credit limit over night anyway.

[NumLock21]

so basically you lived like a slave? Unless in your country, going to high school doesnt take 8 hours or more every day of the week.

It's call having a responsibility and preparing yourself for the real world. So by the time some kid graduated from high school, who has $0 in his bank account. He will have a decent amount. Buying the parts you want with your own money, without asking (begging) from parents is the best thing ever, a sense of independence. Maybe you should try that out, instead of saying he's living like a slave.

[MEC-777]

This is all kinds of fail... lol

[Real_PhillBert]

I would be making him repay every penny. Time for a job kiddo.

[silberdrachi]

Almost 8k credit limit seems pretty respectable, enough that he could reasonably bounce back financially since you don't build such credit limit over night anyway.

 

That's not saying much, i have a 18k credit limit on one of my cards and I'm a 27 year old developer with only one income. Sure i might be able to pay off 18k of debit eventually, but it would take a long time and I'm sure the interest would add tons to it by then. My credit is good so the company just keeps raising the limit even when i don't ask them to. Its to encourage you to spend more even if you don't normally.

 

Just because their credit limit is high, doesn't mean they can pay it all off, or without significant hardship. That's why credit card debt is so horrible in the US now days, people have racked up thousands and thousands more than what they can afford because they think credit cards are unlimited.

 

But on topic: Kid was 17, make his ass pay for it. Make them get a job and garnish their wages until they have paid it off. There is no reason for a kid to have their parents bail them out of such a stupid decision at such an age. Giving them a free pass is just going to encourage more bad fiscal habits later.

[Chrysolite]

First off, EA are a bunch of fucktards who only know how to leech your money. Second, this kid is a filthy liar, saying that he was oh-so-surprised at the amount.

 

"He thought it was a one-time fee for the game," Perkins said.

 

WHAT?!?! THAT'S THE PROOF! NO MICROTRANSACTION IS WORTH $7,625.88!

 

"He's just as sick as I am, [because] he never believed he was being charged for every transaction, or every time he went onto the game."

 

That just PISSES ME OFF! HE KNEW HE WAS BEING CHARGED! IT SAYS SO! AND THAT SECOND ARGUMENT?!?! EA MAY BE FUCKTARDS, BUT AT LEAST THEY DO IT LEGALLY!

 

"There will never be another Xbox system — or any gaming system — in my home."

 

Oh yeah, sure!!! Let's just blame the console, I bet that fixes everything! NO IT DOESN'T!! IT DOESN'T!!! THIS GUY OBVIOUSLY FEELS GUILTY ABOUT NOT RAISING HIS SON CORRECTLY AND WANTS TO AVOID PROBLEMS THAT HIGHLIGHT THAT!!!

 

And besides, even if this guy is too stupid to set parental controls, who gives their son a full-blown credit card in the first place? A personal debit for them? Not a bad idea. But CREDIT?!?! NO!!! 

 

*calms down*

 

I had to blow off steam. These cases where the parent is ultimately to blame at some point, and just evades admitting to bad parenting, just tick me off.

 

Now, as to the kid, he should not be able to even touch that game, or any game, until he has paid it off, no matter how long it takes.

 

TL;DR - EA are fucktards, the kid is a lie, the parent is ultimately guilty, case closed.

[thekeemo]

What kind of parent freely let their childern use their own credit card ffs

parents that think they raised their kids right. With the amount of trust my parents give me I could become them in another country.

[escape093]

Abysmal parents or a son with five extra chromosomes?

[ZestyJalapeno]

Fifa? He's lying. He probably just bought the complete edition of Sims 4, early release pack.

[Linus_torvalds]

I have never used my credit card for games, ever, and never will. i'm done with games. i have not played for 6 month. just mobile games when going to work and back. i was playing games on PC for 5 years and have closed 97 games. It is just a waste of precious time. i'm 24 now and i feel good without games and windows (yeah i use Linux and Mac)

[ITS-PARTY-TIME]

"pc gaming is expensive" 

[reptileexperts]

Couple notes:

 

1) does fifa support in game trading (i.e. skins for money?) if so, he could have bought some special edition, one of a kind skin that cost $7,500 that just made some dev happy . . .

2) The father is not responsible. IF and only IF, he files fraud charges against his son. Making his son a felon. He would never do that, so he has to foot the bill.

3) Talk of credit card limits? lol. . . 50k is easy to have as a limit, between 3 cards, I could buy a nice home if they allowed that kind of transaction. But all it really means is that it keeps your % credit use lower based on what you actually use. i.e. you do not want to use more than about 6% of your available credit on your combined cards. So, if all of your cards total around 100k in available credit, you don't want to have over 6k on them at one time. Otherwise it effects your credit ratings (read this statement a few times if you're new to credit).  

4) at 17, the kid new good and well what he was doing. Unless they breed em differently up in Canada, eh?

[RagnarokDel]

It's call having a responsibility and preparing yourself for the real world. So by the time some kid graduated from high school, who has $0 in his bank account. He will have a decent amount. Buying the parts you want with your own money, without asking (begging) from parents is the best thing ever, a sense of independence. Maybe you should try that out, instead of saying he's living like a slave.

full time job 40 hours a week

going to high school 40 hours a week

assignments 5-10 hours a week

studying 5-10 hours a week

commute 5 to 15 hours a week

I dont want to live in the real world if the real world requires me  to work 95 to 110 hours a week. No fucking wonder kids theses days are all on redbull and garbage like that.

[suicidalfranco]

FIFA as become a f2p?

Hope the parents did the only American thing to do and shot that console down and slap the crap out of his son... Oh wait! Slapping your kids is no bueno now, right? Then that explains a lot

[Betabot]

full time job 40 hours a week

going to high school 40 hours a week

assignments 5-10 hours a week

studying 5-10 hours a week

commute 5 to 15 hours a week

I dont want to live in the real world if the real world requires me  to work 95 to 110 hours a week. No fucking wonder kids theses days are all on redbull and garbage like that.

 

Full Time Job - Average is 38 Hrs

High School - 35Hrs

Assignments and Studying - 10Hrs

Commute - 4 Hrs

 

That would have been what mine would have been if I worked in high school, remember it's different everywhere.

 

168Hrs (24Hrs x 7days)

- 87Hrs (Above)

- 49 Hrs (7Hrs sleep per night)

 

32 Hrs Free - which would be around 4.5 hours free each day, which sounds about average and not to bad. Considering you can buy and manage your own money.

 

38Hrs x $14/Hr = $532/Week

x~40 weeks working = $21280

x 3 years = $63840

 

Taking into account you may not want to work for your last two years of high school (focus on study) and my Country's averages (Australia). So after High School you could buy a car and pay off a university degree, that's a lot better then my current position (wish I worked a tiny bit in high school). But in the end it's not for everyone.

 

Edit: forgot that grade 7 is now High School, so that even gives another year of possible income, or reduced income.

[IAMSWIFT1]

this reminds me of someone I know payed $500 on rolling CS cases off his his dad's credit card.

i just hope that one day they get kicked to the curb and can't fend for themselves because mommy isnt there to shell out cash.

I dont spend money on case or keys,I trade for them which is the smart way,I just don't know how he could spend that much

[Stuff_]

The parents have a credit card with a high limit (I'm assuming at least $10k). Interesting that they would allow their child access to that card. 

 

I would never give my kids my credit card, unless it had a $1k limit, or less.

[bcredeur97]

Microtransactions are extremely annoying for parents. Seeing games with $100+ microtransactions and kids wanting them but not understanding why they cant get it (little ones usually) is REALLY terrible. Games should not be like this at all. I refuse to support any of it.

[Castdeath97]

Quote

On Dec. 23, Lance Perkins got a credit card bill for $7,625.88 after his 17-year-old son used his credit card to make in-game purchases for one of the FIFA series of soccer games.

 

 

Football*
 

 

I'll go to hell for starting this but someone had to do this

 

 

 

 

[SuperShires]

Why would you need to give a kid a credit card with over 8k limit? Im 24 and I only have a 1.6k limit on mine and it does me just fine..What a stupid parent for giving a 17 year old that kind of money.