20 year old account gone because Microsoft can't be bothered.

jim spin · Oct 22, 2023

Hi all

So this will be as much a rant as asking 2 questions, so sort of apologies but stick with it.

About a month ago, finally brought an Xbox series X. Tried to sign in with my account and it triggered the warning about suspected use of account. So fill in the recovery form. And it doesn't believe it's me. Filled in over 50 time's now, still won't let me in. What the point of security codes and special words are for I do not know, cos trust me you wouldn't guess my first pet's name. Of course being unable to sign in I can't really reach support, except for social media, where I get the same thing repeated to me over and over. "it's the only way" etc etc. Why have Microsoft made it all automated? Why is it so outdated with the info it asks for? Surely regular emails you receive would be much better than last sent. Last conversation I had was with someone with a Eastern European surname, how am I supposed to remember that!? Of course I know enough about servers that they need to be maintained by humans, so no access is the first lie, second an automated system is run by a computer which funnily enough can be interacted with. Anyway, after locking me out of my emails and Xbox account, costing me a prospective job, and money, I'm still stuck without an email and Xbox.

So my questions. 1) of I turned up at the local MS office, which I know where it is, with proof it was my email address and I am who I say I am (passport, mobile banking, online storefront accounts, social media accounts all in the same name or bank details) you still couldn't give me the account back.

2) Can I transfer my Xbox account across to a new email? Remember I cannot sign in. I don't particularly want to lose the purchases from that account. And seeing as it was a Microsoft product that caused this in the first place, it really is the least they could do.

I'll also point out I'll never recommend Microsoft services to anyone else. The support has been terrible (left in a support chat for 48 hours without response or completely ignored), the recovery system is woefully outdated, and a multi million dollar company doesn't care. Would rather give a refund over actual help and support.

Anyway rant over, would appreciate some answers.

:)

jim spin

Great so Microsoft has locked me out of 2 accounts, amazing.

The recovery form is useless, because I have spent over 10 hours getting details of who I last emailed. I know for sure 2 are correct but as they weren't the last emails I sent the system ignores them.

And could you provide actual details of who I'm supposed to contact? The phone number simply tells you all support is online, which is completely useless if you cannot sign in. And every live chat I've been in, social media or otherwise tells me the same thing, "fill in the details as best you can" etc etc. That is not support, it is reading from a script. I have no more details to give the form, I might as well start making stuff up.

I noticed no answer to actually going to MS with my details. Can you not see how broken your system is when I can prove who I am to you but your system cannot?

So the subscription that was brought for me, that's just gone too yeah? £60 for nothing. Will be looking how this contravenes UK consumer law as it was a Microsoft product that caused all this.

Nkosana23

Hi. My name is Brilliant, an independent advisor, happy to assist you today.

Microsoft uses an automated service for account recovery because it is more efficient and secure. The automated service is designed to verify the identity of the account owner and reset the password without human intervention. This ensures that the process is fast, accurate, and secure. Microsoft takes security very seriously, and the automated service is one of the ways it ensures that your account is protected from unauthorized access.

However, if you are unable to recover your account using the automated service, you can contact Microsoft support for further assistance. You can either use their chat support or phone support. They will be able to guide you through the process and help you recover your account.

It’s important to note that Microsoft takes security very seriously and only the owner of the account can verify it. This means that even if you speak to a human representative, they will still need to follow a strict verification process before they can help you recover your account.

Secondly, It is not possible to transfer games and data from one Microsoft account to another. This is because game data and purchases are tied to the account that made them, and cannot be transferred to another account.

I hope this helps.

Ben1973

No that changes the alias. If I do that all I am doing is associating a second email to my Microsoft account. If I delete the email currently set as the primary, which is a Hotmail account I have had for 20 years, that account is gone forever, including
20 years of archived emails. That is not an acceptable solution to transfer a game account to a teen, because I was trying to abide by the rules in place at the time by not creating a fake account for a child under 13.

xTye

Since it's so old...there is no way to recover it because there is no Windows Live ID (Microsoft Account) associated with it. I have an account that I'd like to recover as well from years ago, but it's lost.

I'm afraid it's gone for good my friend.

the 1st tank

I have the same problem, but my account is old enough to be an adult account, only problem is I can't change it to an adult account because of the new terms of use, can someone at Microsoft do it for me because if I lose my account im just gone get PS4 instead

20 year old account gone because Microsoft can't be bothered.