Microsoft's new policies are garbage. Them out.

So. I haven't owned an Xbox in years. Since at least 2013. I bought (wasted money on would be the correct phrasing) the Xbox One S thinking I would open it up, turn it on and then call the toll free number to recover my old account.

That's not the case at all.

Turns out Microsoft's new verification system relies on a code. That can only be sent to either the email address or the phone number linked to the account.

That would be fine... The only problem is that I can't remember which of the dozens of emails I've used over the past 4+ years is linked to the account. I've tried everything I can think of. Some of them I can't even gain access to at this point, I get a
message telling me that it seems like someone else may be using my account and then I receive a message saying that the information I'm providing them isn't good enough to prove ownership. So there are least 3 email accounts, all with my full name I might
add, out there that are being used by other people apparently.

But here is what I don't get...

WHY IN THE !@#$ is there such a stupid system in place. Before, if I had an account issue and I called in, my identity was verified with my DOB and postal code or phone number.

IF I HAD ACCESS TO THE EMAIL ADDRESS I WOULDN'T BE CALLING YOU FOR HELP YOU TWATS.

My heated conversation with the rep and her supervisor, who by the way clearly hates her job up there in WA (I volunteer to replace her, any day of the week, call me) ended with me !@#$%ing at the rep for being lazy and walking over to the desk at the back
of the room, or center depending on the layout of the center, to get her supervisor and probably say something like "Heyy, ******, I have a guy who just won't take no for an answer and he's gonna mess up my call times for the week, mind helping me out?, instead
of connecting me to another department like I asked. And telling the supervisor to connect me to her superior, or what ever back office team there is at Microsoft that has more qualifications on their resume than the ability to type 30wpm and speak broken
English.

I was hung up on. Understandable, in their defense. I've worked in plenty of call centers. But there's still no excuse for someone to put that little effort into their job.

I'm sure there's some kind of database/knowledgebase that they all have access to with a directory of departments at Microsoft, including phone numbers, and if not phone numbers then at the very least an email through which I can contact a "specialist" of some
sort on the matter.

Anyway, back to my question.

Why can I not verify my identity with A) my DOB, B) address, C) phone number, D) postal code, E) payment methods on the account. Or better yet... PIECES OF IDENTIFICATION. Say a government issued driver's license for example.

That's !@#$ing stupid. And Microsoft needs to give their heads a violent shake. Preferably in the direction of the nearest wall.

:)

 

why does Microsoft keep stressing .....

[quote user="Eggnogga"]

Digital is the future, whether you like it or not. MS' initial policies are also the future. I think people had an issue with them, because the infrastructure needed for those policies isn't fully in place yet.

[/quote]

While I'll agree that digital is the future, Microsoft's polices are in no way the future. People didnt like them because they were crap policies. They are policies that will never work. Plain and simple.

 

why are you going with ps4 when they said there going to do the exact same thing in 2014

because if i support microsoft's new policies i really don't like.. i can only imagine how horrible they'll be next gen.

 

you can but you need to validate the info on the account

There is two ways of doing this none of them are short

You must work with answers.microsoft.com

If you try 3x and can't get it them you can try support for an expired email form

However you need 3 Sr numbers from answers.microsoft.com and you would need the original.xbox you set it up on

To help with answers.microsoft.com

Keep in mind the generic questions they ask you are written by the privacy laws and the fines are heavy for everye violation like 800 dollars on the employee

So yes they do take it seriously

Thing is your proof of I'd won't work because ms isn't really allowed to ask for that and you didn't provide it when creating the account

However in the answers.microsoft.com there is a trick and my friend used it to help his mother recover her account

It doesnt matter how little the info is like stuff that only you would know like date of creation

Serial number of the xbox you created it on

Isp when you last logined

Achievements and date

Friends etc

Every single info to prove you are the true owner will help in those forms

 

I don't have the console that I created it on. But I know the last ISP that I myself logged in from. And last time I logged in my gamerscore was around 8500 and now it's over 100k with a blue avatar... So I'm pretty sure it's been modded all to hell. I've
creeped my profile.

As for all of the original registration info, like I know who my ISP was when I originally created the account as well as the ISP I had at my last login in 2013-2014. As well as all of the original account info, i.e. my name, DOB, address, postal, etc.

Just about everything on the account is different now except for the login email. I THINK. I THINK I've finally found the login email, but all of the info for recovery of the email itself is different. The alternate email isn't one of mine, and the phone number
doesn't end in anything I recognize.

 

I don't have the console that I created it on. But I know the last ISP that I myself logged in from. And last time I logged in my gamerscore was around 8500 and now it's over 100k with a blue avatar... So I'm pretty sure it's been modded all to hell. I've
creeped my profile.

As for all of the original registration info, like I know who my ISP was when I originally created the account as well as the ISP I had at my last login in 2013-2014. As well as all of the original account info, i.e. my name, DOB, address, postal, etc.

Just about everything on the account is different now except for the login email. I THINK. I THINK I've finally found the login email, but all of the info for recovery of the email itself is different. The alternate email isn't one of mine, and the phone number
doesn't end in anything I recognize.

Also my twitch account registered to the same email address has a profile pic that says hacked. Unrelated but gives me more reason to believe the account has been used since my last login.

 

Hi CeasingFerret93!

We take account security very seriously, which is why there are those policies and protections in place. To make sure, have you already had a chance to fill out the
Account Recovery Form to try and recover that account?

For this particular issue, you would need to work with the
Chat/Phone teams specifically, as they are able to work with you directly while keeping any private information secure. We would not have additional options here on the forums beyond what they would be able to provide.