My Xbox Live saga
This is long and somewhat vulgar. If you are as easily offended by the word “ass” as the Xbox Live Enforcement Team is, you might want to stop reading now. You have been warned.
For those of you still reading—let’s get this party started, shall we?
Earlier today, I got an email from the Xbox Live Enforcement Team informing me that my account has been temporarily suspended due to inappropriate content in the profile for my gamertag and that either someone filed a complaint about my profile or it was discovered “over the course of operation of the service”.
Let me explain a few things of note:
- The content in question is a quote from the movie Office Space. The entire quote is: Back up in your ass with the resurrection.
- I knew when I added it back in November that it was questionable as to whether it was ok under the Code of Conduct, however, since it allowed me to enter the word “ass”, I assumed it fine. Other, more profane words, such as fuck and shit are rejected when you try to submit your profile. Since ass wasn’t, I assumed it was ok.
- On the other hand, I’ve been playing a fair amount of Call of Duty: World at War Team Deathmatch games lately. Not to toot my own horn, but I’m a pretty good player. Sometimes I do exceptionally well (i.e., 30 kills with only a few deaths) and other times not so good. A few days ago, I was kicking serious ass and went 26-1-3 (26 kills, 1 assist, 3 deaths) on one of the maps. Maybe someone got butthurt at the ass-whoopin’ (perhaps the kid that went 7-18 or the one that was 6-16?) and wanted to be a douche and report me for something. Since I don’t plug in my mic, they couldn’t say I was using harsh language or whatever so they found the above and submitted a bullshit (IMO) complaint.
To be honest, I’m not even that pissed off at the suspension. If I violated the Code of Conduct, fine. Suspend me. However, there are a few things I take issue with and they really piss me off:
- If “ass” is a forbidden word/phrase, don’t allow it to be added to the profile. This is already being done for others, so it shouldn’t be a big deal.
- Since when is “ass” is a curse word? Really? Have you watched any network TV lately?
- I get suspended for having the word ass in my profile, but apparently it’s perfectly fine for you to be a racist, homophobic 12-year old or fratboy. It’s damn near impossible to join a game without one of these assclowns calling everyone in the lobby a fag, nigger, jew, homo, etc.—it’s why I play without a mic 99% of the time.
- No warning? My account was suspended for use of the word ass, and you couldn’t bother to shoot me an email or call me to ask me to remove it before suspending it? That’s pretty lousy, considering I’ve been a paying member for 5 years and my account renewed for another year on April 18th (yes, 4 days ago). Now that I think about it, they could’ve found it while checking my account after renewing. But still. For something so minor, you’d think a quick “Hey, clean up your bio” email would suffice.
- The email I got (see below) says not to reply to the address it was sent from or to contact support because they can’t explain anything. I guess my question then is, who the fuck can? (Oh noes! Good thing this isn’t Xbox Live or that’d be another code of conduct violation!)
Here’s a copy of the email (emphasis theirs):
Xbox LIVE
Notification of Temporary Suspension: Inappropriate content in your profile[ DO NOT REPLY to this email address. It is not monitored. ]
This email is to notify you that your Xbox LIVE account privileges have been suspended due to inappropriate content in the profile for your gamertag. The inappropriate content was discovered in the Motto, Bio, Location, Name and/or Personal Picture.
Your profile was brought to the attention of the LIVE Enforcement Team through complaints filed by other Xbox LIVE users or in the course of our operation of the service. The LIVE Enforcement Team has reviewed the complaints and other evidence regarding this content and determined it violates the Xbox LIVE Terms of Use and/or Code of Conduct. Because this content is in violation, the LIVE Enforcement Team has deleted the content and issued a temporary suspension.
You have been sent a message in the Xbox LIVE Dashboard notifying you when your suspension will end. During this suspension, you will not be able to log into Xbox LIVE. Your Xbox LIVE privileges will be automatically reinstated at the end of your suspension period.
Customer Support is not able to modify or provide any further details about your suspension. Additionally, the duration of your suspension is subject to change without prior notice by the LIVE Enforcement Team if we discover additional evidence of violations.
Microsoft expects that all customers abide by the Code of Conduct. The Code of Conduct provides guidelines for appropriate behavior while using the service. Your failure to abide by the Code of Conduct in the future may result in, among other things, longer suspension periods or cancellation of your account.
You can view the Xbox LIVE Code of Conduct from the Xbox LIVE Dashboard under Xbox LIVE Policies in Account Management, or by visiting http://www.xbox.com/live/codeofconduct.htm.You can view the Xbox LIVE Terms of Use by visiting http://www.xbox.com/live/termsofuse.htm.
Note: if you are not a user of Xbox LIVE, this suspension may have been enacted due to your activity in the Zune Social. You can view the Zune Social Code of Conduct by visiting http://www.zune.net/legal/codeOfConduct.htm. You can view the Zune Social Terms of Service by visiting http://www.zune.net/legal/termsofservice.htm.
Thank you,
LIVE Enforcement Team
So, I’m suspended from Xbox Live until tomorrow and apparently there’s nobody I can contact to inquire about it. Instead I get a “Thanks for paying us $50/yr for the last 5 years! Here’s an account suspension to show our appreciation!” email.
If it weren’t for the fact that I regularly play online with a few friends, I’d call and cancel the Xbox Live service entirely and demand a refund for the year that I just paid for purely because of the completely shitty and impersonal service. I’m sorry, but that’s just not how you should treat long time customers.
Bauhouse
April 22, 2009 at 8:58 pm
Xbox Live is like a really raucous, high school party held at the ‘rich kid’s’ house while his parents are on Safari. At first is is an absolute blast, but very soon after the party gets really out of hand and people start tipping cars over and setting the lawns on fire while screaming racist epithets. When the cops come over they start to look for the troublemakers and you are caught wearing a shirt that reads something as benign as “poop stinks.”
It’s off to jail for you for the night, funnyman.
This is poor customer service at best and against one of their most staunch supporters no less. I am a testament that you have been supporting that system FAR longer than any normal person has. Red rings, broken controllers and having to wade through an online playground of the educationally impaired; you’ve paid your dues to Xbox and this is how they do it?
Reeeeeeee-tarded!
roman
May 1, 2009 at 10:12 pm
HAd to respond, same thing happened to me today,
DeathPimP Ho’s H8trs
i thought it was funny, and a ho is a garden tool, in ENGLISH it would be
DEATH PimP WHore’s HATERS like the bitch asses that can’t play and bitch about it to their surrogate mommy’s who are actually BigBROthers with a HARD on for any little bit of power. FUCK XBOX LIVE!!!
FUCK you COMPLAINING BITCHES!!!!
Been a customer for years and not even a warning letter the fucking ppl on the phone were reading as answers, dumbass douchebags scared of losing their jobs if they stand up.
as soon as blu-ray emerged i shat my pants, FUCKING should’ve stuck to SONY. Bill Gates couldn’t make a headshot or solve a game to save his life, no wonder he only hires idiots, pray that EA stays away from that monster.
So to all of YOU at XBOX live n xbox LIVE Enforcement Team n all you haters,
F.U.C.K. YOU and NO SOUP 4 u!!!!
SamboGrove
May 16, 2009 at 4:02 pm
The same thing happened to me today. I had some song lyrics that had the word fuck in in my profile. Some little git who I owned on gears 2 decides to complain and im banned even though every match I get abuse becoz I’m a Brit or becoz I’m host or becoz I’m nigga. It’s absolute bullshit. As a paying customer I deserve better. At least a formal warning or an email to let me know that I might be breaking this ridiculous code of conduct before an automatic ban on a double xp weekend of all times. Utter utter shit!
Chris
May 21, 2009 at 4:06 pm
I feel your pain. I was suspended twice for having the word shits in my profile. I did the Customer Service thing they couldn’t help me. I did the account suspension forum thing. Put a long-winded thread up. My thread gets locked with the response, your account was banned for the word shits. Well, fucking ya i know that. I’m asking why its banned for the second time? Good luck trying to contact these guys after they lock a thread. Emails, PMs, twitter – no one responds. I call CS backup they tell me they can’t help me, there is no one to talk to. I asked for a complaint dept. They said there is none. I call up MS and ask to file a complaint. I do. I get a call from xbox support. Basically, another middle man. 6 business days later (9 total). I get a, yup you were suspension was valid. After telling them I want to know why i was suspended the second time. 6 business days to hear your suspension is valid but they didn’t give us a reason why. I filed a report with the BBB but i can already tell its not going to do anything.
Then I’m thinking do they base it off of how many complaints? And once again I use the scenario of what if account A Is a highly viewed account and account B is not. Is that fair then (if the case for suspension) to say account A will be banned twice since there were 25 complaints vs account b with 2.
concubine.christ.
May 31, 2009 at 3:16 am
there so fucking picky i went 3 weeks with the word rape on my profile but the minute i used molested oh no violation! the xbox live enforcement team is a cult of christian assholes that are so boring in general they got to make sure everyone is (im pretty sure its ran by that fat troll who wouldent even get sexed up on world of warcraft (trixie 360 the only way youd ever get laid is if you were sleeping and sat on your keys!)
(why do people suspened me?)
Crack
May 31, 2009 at 4:26 am
Dude!! I recieved the exact same dam e-mail this past Monday!
Here’s my story:
I have been an avid XBoX Live gamer for over 2 years now. I’ve bought their games, their Subscription cards, their M.P cards, I’ve went through 2 CONSOLES (alot of cash -_-) and they send me an unexpected email notifying me that my account has been “Temporarily suspended due to the violation of the Terms of Use a.k.a Code of Conduct.”
Ok…..
Half of my time playing I NEVER use my mic, and when I do have it plugged up, I usually do not speak (unless it’s L4D and even then i don’t speak alot.) Like the author stated about the word “ass” that word to was in my motto. For those of you who have played Left 4 Dead you will occasionally hear “Bill” yell out “WATCH YOUR ASS!” well I decided to put this as my motto……roughly 4 MONTHS AGO!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?! and NOW they decide to tell me it’s offensive!?!?!?! WTF is up with that?!?! So now because of (has to be) that everything in my account is locked. What is worse….is that they will not even allow me to access my account (via computer) and change my information there!! I have to agree with the author, a nice e-mail notifying me that for some odd reason the word “ass” has offended them and their stupid Code of Conduct so I could’ve changed it. INSTEAD, they just shut me down, I’m sorry but if Microsoft wants to keep their fanbase/support they really need to learn to treat their users ALOT better. If I had the finances I’d say fuck XBoX and go PS3 or something. It’s ridiculous. So now…a week later I still can’t fix anything on my profile and there’s a week of Live waisted (21.00 down the drain)
Does anyone know a way I can find a way to e-mail them and recieve a response from a support tech, not some bullshit computer?
Sorry for ranting….but this is just ridiculous and is wrong..especially when stated by others that there are some people with ALOT, and I mean ALOT of worse things on their profiles. Racist comments, sexual inuendos, and alot worse vulgarity than the word, “ass” 0.0…i mean really…..what the hell???
If there gonna go there…why don’t they just monitor ALL their games and place language filters in their games or system now that way ALL vulgarity and all profanity, racist, sexual and everything else offensive is virtually bleeped out.
Dam….fuck Microsoft……-_-
Brad
June 4, 2009 at 5:39 pm
hey same thing happened to me… got banned for 7 days just today… apparently I cant have cursing in MY bio
I really like micrsoft and xbox live in general… but this is like the third time I have been banned.. The Enforcement squad must be Mormon…
odd thing is I just go banned now months after the content was added… A few days after I won my first Free for all match in COD 5 waw…
Ass
June 4, 2009 at 11:19 pm
Here’s an idea, DONT BE A DUMBASS AND WRITE ANYTHING IN YOUR PROFILE THAT MIGHT PISS PEOPLE OFF. Seriously? You’re going to complain about getting banned from Xbox Live for something that was plainly obvious AGAINST the code of conduct? You should know fucking better. You know that thing that nobody reads and you click that little accept button to something called the terms of agreement? THATS WHAT THAT FUCKING WAS. Kids play Xbox Live, its called a “Gaming Community” and not everyone has a foul mouth on it and most parents don’t want to have their kids subject to that shit. Sorry for swearing, I’m just trying to explain my fucking opinion in language you might understand.
Here’s a another tip, don’t complain about getting banned. You violated the Code. You got caught. Not everyone does. That’s life. It’s called reality. Some people kill people and get away with it and some people get caught speeding and get a ticket. Use your brain and play it safe…or don’t write anything at all.
And for all you others, Xbox Live has MILLIONS of players. I know that’s a number most of you can’t wrap your brains around but the Xbox Live Enforcement team can’t possibly sift through all the bullshit that goes on. Why do you think it relys on people to file complaints against others? So if you’re gonna complain about putting offensive language on your profile whether it be from Office Space or some random song lyric or if you’re just being retarded…to quote Christian Bale: “THINK FOR ONE FUCKING SECOND!” People look at your profile. If you’re naturally good at a game and own people don’t put shit on your profile that might piss someone off or give them the idea to file a complaint.
Games are rated M, Xbox Live isn’t. Remember that before you put ASS in your profile…oh and by the way, ASS = PROFANITY to the real world. Just because its in a game and on TV doesn’t change that fact…sheesh. Why the fuck do you think the ESRB exists? or maybe the TV rating system? Ya know, those little white boxes on the corner of your screen that say shit like TVMA on them?
Just use your damn brains and don’t write foul shit in your bio, or if your gonna drop an F bomb online, UNPLUG THE MIC. Then you won’t have to complain about getting banned for being a dumbass. :)
jim
June 5, 2009 at 12:39 am
I never said it wasn’t my fault and, as I said in the post, I wasn’t pissed off about it. I was complaining about the way they went about it, particularly when it’s someone who’s had an account forever.
That’s the problem right there. The parents. If they don’t want to have their kids subjected to that shit, MAYBE THEY SHOULDN’T BE BUYING THEIR 10-YEAR OLDS A FUCKING M RATED GAME. I can guarandamntee you when my kids are 10 they aren’t going to be playing shooters online. If they do get online to play something, they certainly aren’t going to be screeching, racist little shitbags like 99% of the kids on Xbox Live now because, if they are, that’ll be the last time they touch the damn Xbox.
rob
June 14, 2009 at 4:14 am
thats nothing pal igot banned for 1 week for putting ” 70% avoided yeah baby” in my bio how pathetic as i put that in cuz of so many idiots filing complaints on me for kicking “”ass”" on GOW1 lmao
rob
June 14, 2009 at 4:29 am
oh yeah and exactly what does the remark ” suck pig mean inGOW 1 ” and what s all the gay and lesbian whore stuff and indecency crap in fable and general swearing in loads of games that make money ? They are just a complete bunch of geeks at xbox live, muslims could have a field day about that comment suck pig. The arguments are endless whats the point i think everyone should cancel subscription for 6 months if they get banned, i am going to next time.
dan
February 11, 2010 at 3:06 am
I got the same treatment for the motto “Poup in your Soop” Really?
Sean
February 23, 2010 at 5:33 pm
I received a ban for an even more undefined offense. I had a bio with the ATHF quote “I’m not into doing anything illegal, but I would kill someone in front of they own mother for a 10speed bicycle. And if anyone testified against me, I’d gouge they eyes out.” No profanity, no hate speech, no drug references. Best I can figure is that people cried in MW2 (my kill death ratio is 1.80) and they took me out on the most nebulous concept they could.
Cody
March 6, 2010 at 1:09 pm
Well 3 days ago I got banned for a day for having my bio say “I’m that guy that’ll sh1t on you”. I have had this bio for at least 6 months now and haven’t even been warned to change it.Yes i know it was a violation to the Code of Conduct and I accepted being banned for the day. Unfortunately, today I have been banned again for a week this time. I was accused with the same exact thing with my motto saying “I’m that guy that’ll sh1t on you”. Only this time my motto says Code of Conduct, because I bought a new game and started playing it and I haven’t had time to change it. But Xbox Live Enforcement Team accused me of having the same motto they banned me for having three days ago. They have wrongly accused me and I would like to know of a way to contact them because I need a fucking explanation of why I have been banned again for something I have not done. Obviously someone is pissed at me for shitting on them at Halo or Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and has sent a million complaints on my account. What I don’t get is why I must be banned for being better at someone in a game, and because Microsoft has made a mistake and didn’t even bother to double check my account. They just banned me because the same guy, or maybe even several people, reported me.