Paid for marketplace item that should not have been for sale!

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First off, I am very new here and to this sim, but familiar enough with how everything generally works.

So I recently purchased the Bf-108 by inibuilds on the marketplace for 2024, looked really cool! I must note I have only ever owned MSFS 2024, not MSFS 2020. On the first flight, it was very apparent the aircraft is bug ridden / pretty unusable. Flight model issues, sound issues, interactivity issues, overall feels a mess. (This is my experience for 2024, nothing compared to what other peoples experiences are on YT for the Bf-108 in 2020.)

I contacted Microsoft to see if I could have compensation, they basically said no and to contact inibuilds directly for any support. So I go to inibuilds and contact them, they said

“This product should only be available in 2020. It isn’t officially 2024 supported.”

Okay, so I asked why its being sold in 2024? I would like some form of compensation. So they said:

“I imagine it was automatically made availably by Microsoft as it met their compatibility requirements for MSFS 2020 products in 2024.

You will need to ask them to approve a refund as it is sold on their platform.”

So my situation is, I paid for a marketplace product that should not even be there in the first place, even as said by the dev. Microsoft is saying its all down to the dev of that aircraft, the dev says Microsoft has caused the issue, the last message I got from Microsoft is:

“We have forwarded your feedback to the marketplace team for review. Unfortunately, we are not able to provide individual responses about their investigation and what the resolution will be.“

I’ve had no response, so are they just taking my case as “feedback” and wont update me? Ive asked for this to be escalated if that means anything to them.

I simply want to know if I have any other options? Or am I at a dead end here? As I say, I am very new here but I’m feeling quite a bit annoyed at this. Thanks in advance for any support!

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If I were in your shoes, assuming you have the quote from IniBuilds in writing, I would call the credit card company and ask them to reverse the charge.

If that works, great, if not, I would take both the quote, and the response from the credit card company, and write a letter on paper to the head of Microsoft Gaming, copying Jorg Neumann (head of MSFS) addressed to Microsoft’s HQ.

I think many of us have learned not to trust anything on the Marketplace until many, many people have gone before you and reported on the quality and/or compatibility.

It is the definition of “buyer beware” and after years of feedback, little has changed, in my opinion.

2 Years ago I opened an MSFS Marketplace Discussion thread, and the first item I called for was, an overhaul of the Refund Policy.

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Unless someone in authority says this is OK, I would strongly recommend against trying this! If you do a chargeback to virtually any software company they will block your account until you pay it back almost like it’s an automated process and it probably is. That would mean you would be unable to log into Flight Simulator to use it at all.

The one time I needed a refund from the store I contacted Technical Support. I had to go through Steam as that where I spent the money, but I was able to get it after a couple of hoops had been jumped through.

Edit: But to keep in mind their official response is that they do not do refunds, so this is something you should keep in mind and always do research before purchasing.