Microsoft is making a major pro-consumer change to its Xbox subscriptions - Sony should follow suit
Microsoft will be making several pro-consumer changes to its Xbox Live Gold and Xbox Game Pass subscription services in the UK.
The changes will alter the services’ auto-renewal practices, and were agreed upon following an investigation into Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo’s subscription services by the UK’s Competition & Markets Authority (CMA).
The CMA said it was particularly concerned that consumers found it unclear that membership to the subscriptions would automatically roll over at the end of each month, the difficulty consumers had in turning off auto-renewal, and that some hadn't realised they were still paying for the services after their initial subscription period had ended.
As part of the agreement, Microsoft will be making changes to its refunds policy, changing the way information about auto-renewals is presented, contacting subscribers whose accounts have been dormant, and better signally price changes.
It's committed to making the following changes:
“Gamers need to be given clear and timely information to make informed choices when signing up for auto-renewing memberships and subscriptions,” said Michael Grenfell, executive director of enforcement at the CMA.
“We are therefore pleased that Microsoft has given the CMA these formal undertakings to improve the fairness of their practices and protect consumers, and will be offering refunds to certain customers.”
Auto-renewing subscriptions are one of the uglier aspects of modern gaming. If not carefully watched, they can quickly turn what should have been an affordable way of playing games into an expensive burden. There’s little worse than realizing you forgot to cancel your Xbox Game Pass subscription several months ago to find your wallet £50 lighter.
The changes
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