"My son racked up £1k bill on Xbox"

[Bihac]

Well, while yeah she should have checked her credit card bill more recently...

Anyone else saying she shouldn't have provided her credit card details: They are actually required on XBL Gold registration for a child's a account these days and automatically saved, in order to prove that a parent / guardian has consented to the child's online activity. (I know because I had to activate my 12 year old sisters on Christmas day, I however saw the possibility of this issue coming and told her if she bought anything I'd kill her.)

 

[IamQ]

The mother is a bad mother because she didn't watch over him, and the kid is bad because he needed to be watched over, since he obviusly isn't safe around a credit card.

What a great combination, ey?

 

[Beryl77]

Clearly a case of bad parenting and selfish child abusing his mother. I knew how credit cards work when I was at his age.

 

[The Last Parade]

This is why I prefer cash to online transactions, with online it doesn't feel like you've spent money, and a kid wouldn't realise that or that it stacks up. The mum either shouldn't have entered the card as a payment method or should have told the kid to talk to her if he wanted to download things

 

[XT inc]

At first I lol'ed and then I realized it was in £ so thats like over 2k canadian/american money. I mean how do you not know your kid is blowing all that cash, how did the kid not know he was spending the cash. I mean by 11 I knew the value of a dollar and I knew what things cost, can't imagine what would happen If I blew 2k of my moms money on games.

step one, apply boot to foot, step two apply boot to ass of child, step three pull away boot, step four repeat step 2-3 indefinitely.

card companies usually call about out of the ordinary spending habits, but I seriously don't see how the kid could be so stupid or such a dick to spend money. It is so clear.

 

[captaincabbage]

Am i a bad person for laghing at the mother?

Yes. Yes you are. BUt we all did, so we all are XD

 

[ThatLankyBastard]

I'm laughing on the outside but on the inside... Wait! Nope... I'm laughing there too!

 

[WorldCritic]

This only furthers my belief that all children are evil. Seriously, the little twerps do what ever they want without thinking of the consequences and are never grateful for what I- I mean adults do for them. And yet somehow despite the fact that I can't stand children, they love me.

 

[mb16]

My first thought upon seeing the thread's title: "1000... BILLION POUNDS?!". I managed to read half way through the first page before I realised it was bill not billion.

Anyway, I hope those dumb-dumbs have fun trying to get their money back.

YES i was also like "wait there is over £1000billion worth of items on XBL?!?!?!?"

The only part that baffles me is that it took the mother six months to notice, I get a bank statement every month and have a look to make sure everything is as it should be.

then again.. she is from SE England... you do get a lot of weirdos down there.

I would be outraged but to be honest "weirdo's" is a lot more polite than what I would call the people around here.

i take offence to that? wait is Wiltshire in SE England?

according to the map... no

 

[chif-ii]

Pretty stupid parenting, but what a dick child

This sums up my entire attitude of this situation. Also, the boy's not going to realize how much he's spent - it's not his money. All he realizes is that Mommy and Daddy use these cards, and it gives them money - he doesn't realize that they toil for 8 hours a day to get the money on that card.

 

[Senaro]

I remember a few stories identical to this one a year or two ago, only it was Farmville instead.

 

[guyroxorz]

Horrible parenting tbh, while the child will have concepts of money he wont fully understand the severity of how much he has spent because at that age you've never handled large amounts of money and a result can't comprehend money on that level. He should still be punished but at the end of the day it's the mothers fault.

 

[Chrono180]

11 years old? That's like fifth grade guys, when I was in fifth grade I didn't understand how credit cards worked. Maybe I was an anomaly but my parents never talked to me about credit cards until I was in my late teens, and even then they only told me enough to make me believe that you should NEVER use them. As a matter of fact, I asked them a few weeks ago to help me find a good way to start my credit score (I'm 21 BTW) and they basically said "Sorry, you're on your own, we won't help you." So, I won't blame the kid because if parents don't teach their kids how credit cards work, how are they going to assume that they are not free money? That's what they appear to be at that age after all.

 

[David Bray]

That, that right there, is bad parenting.

My mother didn't allow games in the house until i was 16. That was also bad parenting because banning things never worked and i never stopped playing them since.

 

[Larmo]

Have him earn the money to pay her back, then he can see how much money that is.

 

[Lilani]

That kid had to have realized it was costing money. Unless she just totally misinformed him and he thought they were free, he had to have some awareness of it. Kids are more aware than we give them credit for--just not aware of the consequences.

 

[loremazd]

Bahahahahahaha!
Morons...
this is probably one of the best reasons i thank my parents for their upbringing of me. "never rely on cards or assume your account will be full at the end of the week". Must say, it has worked wonders for me. I have never bought anything with a credit card (aim never to own one either), plan ahead if i use my debit card by checking the account balance, and attempt to buy everything with cash. Hell, i got my x-box membership and the x-box points via cash for activation card access...
The kid needs to get a job and move out. He'll learn to respect his (and other peoples) money a helluva lot more once he is throw out into the dark and uncaring real world

11 year olds cant work, so he'd die. But yeah, I guess that'd learn him.