Wow. It must be time for my bi-annual GameSpot blog update already. Well hoo-ee. Doesn't the time just fly away.

I don't usually complain too much about Xbox Live. It's without a doubt the most well-developed online system for the modern day consoles, and there's no doubt that it should be given the huge head-start Microsoft have had over the competition. I also tend to leave the "Why should I pay for it when Virtual Console and PSN are free?" argument well alone. I'm not so naive to think that these services would be anywhere near as effective without some kind of funding from the people that use it. Some may balk at the way the almighty Microsoft has the audacity to ask for even more of your hard-earned money, but then they will happily praise the XBL service and its ease of use and range of facilities.

Make your feeble minds up, you whining melodramatic children. You people don't deserve consoles or games. You only complain about them, ritually, no matter what they do right.

I digress. So with the above all in mind, I find myself with a complaint to make. Not one specifically orientated around the XBL service - that part of the deal is fine. No no, this is entirely about money, and the way Microsoft deals - most notably - with mine. This blog will track the progress of this complaint, where every month Microsoft collects my money from a very normal Visa Debit card every, but then disallows me the privilege of making a XBL purchase from the very same card.

So then. The following complaint (complete with the reference number I was given) was sent to Microsoft through their purpose-built webpage at around 17:15 on the 12th December 2007, and I'm fairly disappointed that 5 days later there still hasn't been any response:

Microsoft Reference # 1052338553

I currently have a Visa Debit card set up on my XBL account (Gamertag: LowEnergyCycle). It happily pays for my un-used Gold account every month without fail. This is important: XBL HAS ABSOLUTELY NO PROBLEM TAKING £4.99 FROM THIS CARD EVERY MONTH FOR A GOLD ACCOUNT THAT I NEVER USE AND CAN'T FIND ANY OBVIOUS WAY OF CANCELLING. However, whenever I try to purchase MS Points with this card (to buy something that - heck - I may actually want) it says that it can not be authorised, and tells me to enter the correct card details. Your system is too stupid to allow me to edit the card details themselves once they are entered so I can't check how valid they are. Your website is also too stupid and ill-designed to allow me to remove the card from my XBL account and start again (probably because it is tied to the Gold account status which - of course - I can't seem to cancel). And trying to add the same card details as a second payment option (in a bid to migrate to this theoretical 'working' card) produces the very same "can not authorise" error. The card type MUST be compatible with XBL because it bills me every month. What on Earth do you suggest? XBL can take money from me without any damn problem. I can't seem to find a way to cancel that process at all through your website, despite never using the Gold status for anything. Yet when I decide I'd like to use MY OWN DAMN CARD to buy something from XBL, it tells me I can't. Still, that recent and totally pointless Friends Browsing update sure softens the blow.