Forums > News > More great Microsoft Xbox Support
nullnullnull (1463) on 12/13/2006 4:35 PM · Permalink · Report
The Consumerist is running a post in which a Xbox Customer Support rep screams at the caller, "I don't care if you bought your console yesterday, we still show your warranty is expired.".
As you may recall 100% of the MobyGames staff has had to deal with MS Xbox support in one form or another. Brian's Xbox 360 has been stolen by Microsoft. There is no other explanation. He bought the unit on launch day, November last year and since then has had an operational 360 for no more than 30 days. Currently his unit is floating around the globe and MS has refused to do anything about it.
I had a HD DVD disembowel itself. The guy on the phone was a complete goofus. He kept asking me what my favorite games were and that I must be very wealthy to own a HD TV. After getting his supervisor I was informed that Microsoft was sending out a replacement and to return the unit in the box provided. Great I thought. Wrong! This is where the fun begins.
After a couple of weeks with no replacement I decided to call support. The guy said, "Oh. Don't worry. This is a brand new unit and we will be shipping out a replacement soon.". Ok. No problem. More waiting. After a few weeks and no replacement I called again. After getting a supervisor he said, "Oh. I apologize for the mistake. You need to send in the unit for repairs. No we will not pay shipping. No I will not tell you my name. No I will not send you an email confirming any of this. No I cannot guarantee that what I am telling you is any more accurate than what the two previous guys told you." Ok. So maybe that is not a direct quote, but it is pretty much what he said.
Yup. They got it.
So I FedExed to them bearing the full cost. Gods know what they do with packages that do not require a signature. My guess is throw em in the grinder. The last call I had was a bit confusing. The rep said HD DVD drive had arrived at the repair center and was scheduled for pickup, whatever that means. He also said they would either repair it or send a replacement. It should ship back to me by December 13. That's today. So I called Xbox Support to see if I could get a tracking number. Nope. No luck. The support rep asked me if I had already sent the drive to the repair center. Gah. It sounds to me like they lost the unit. Of course I couldn't speak to a single person that was able to provide any more information other than I should call back in a few days.
DarkBubble (342) on 12/14/2006 4:22 AM · Permalink · Report
Makes you wonder if they're not hiring all of the people that AOL's been laying off.
I'm starting to think that all of the companies got together and decided that since "customer service" isn't in the dictionary, it must not really exist and they therefore no longer have to provide it.
Matt Neuteboom (976) on 12/14/2006 8:35 PM · Permalink · Report
Call me a fanboy but...
The only customer support I found truly good was Nintendo's. I had to deal with them twice and both times they were extremely proffesional. Replaced two units quickly and with no shipping costs. Even when I was having my DS replaced, I left my Donkey Kong game in there and I thought "Yea, I'm not seeing that again." Amazingly enough the shipped it back to me in a little plastic baggy with my replacement.
And check this out. Nick from Inside The Vibe sent this letter to Nintendo. When he was playing the Wii his wrist strap broke and he had this to say:
The thin string that connects the wrist strap to the Wii remote snapped while playing a game last night and went flying across the room. The remote still works - very happy the product is so sturdy. The strap however is not. Do you replace these when they break? I played the system a total of 2 hours before it broke. I have read a lot of reports like this on the web including IGN.com and Engadget.com. Maybe you should make that thin string a little tougher - or a lot tougher actually.
And Nintendo support replied with:
<i>Hi Nick,
Thank you for your e-mail. I was sorry to hear about what happened. I’ll be sure to forward your report to the appropriate department for further review.
Also, since you’re a My Nintendo member, I have a replacement wrist strap on the way out to you by UPS. You should be receiving it within the next 4-10 days.
Sincerely,
Nintendo of America Inc.</i>
Thats how customer support is really supposed to work. :-D
Luis Silva (13443) on 12/14/2006 9:29 PM · Permalink · Report
In here it would take six months, after which they'd do their best to fob with excuses either not to send a "replacement" or charge an enourmous fee. Of course, NoE is now on Concentra's ass, and they are apparently cleaning up their act, at least I've seen more ads for the Wii in the past days than in the past 10 years.
Indra was here (20755) on 12/15/2006 10:48 AM · Permalink · Report
[Q --start Matt Neuteboom wrote--]Call me a fanboy but... [/Q --end Matt Neuteboom wrote--]
At least you're fan-boying for the right team, Matt. :)
Foxhack (32100) on 12/15/2006 11:50 PM · Permalink · Report
I have a similar story.
Last summer, during the Best Buy clearance sale, a friend of mine got Drill Dozer for me. I got it, but it didn't rumble. So I sent an email to Nintendo, and they said they'd replace the game - even though I got it as a gift and didn't have a receipt.
Of course, they took over a month to get me the replacement. Not because they forgot, but because they didn't have any copies around. But the customer representative was very nice, and explained the whole problem to me. A month later, I got my game via UPS.
Nintendo screwed me out of two years of Nintendo Power and my free Dragon Warrior over ten years ago, but they're cool with me now.
Trixter (8952) on 12/15/2006 6:52 AM · Permalink · Report
[Q --start DarkBubble wrote--] I'm starting to think that all of the companies got together and decided that since "customer service" isn't in the dictionary, it must not really exist and they therefore no longer have to provide it. [/Q --end DarkBubble wrote--]
That's not far off: Many places have documented analysis that shows saving 50-70% or more on customer support costs is easily worth the 20-30% more customer aggravation and potential lost sales due to said aggravation. So the next time you call customer support, ask them how the weather is in Bangalore.
DarkBubble (342) on 12/15/2006 2:57 PM · Permalink · Report
[Q --start Trixter wrote--] That's not far off: Many places have documented analysis that shows saving 50-70% or more on customer support costs is easily worth the 20-30% more customer aggravation and potential lost sales due to said aggravation. So the next time you call customer support, ask them how the weather is in Bangalore. [/Q --end Trixter wrote--]
Between Linksys and Dell, I've been there. American Airlines lost my luggage twice in a year's time and most of their reps had me wondering if perhaps they were outsourcing as well.
Brian Hirt (10409) on 12/14/2006 10:40 PM · Permalink · Report
I've been calling microsoft every Friday for as long as i can remember. Last Friday the customer support guy told me that they initiated a trace with UPS on Dec 5th. I told them that they initiated a trace with UPS on Nov 1st (7 weeks after this this particular case number). I also told them that UPS called me on the same day. I told them UPS asked if i received the package and apologized when I said no. I told them UPS said they would contact Microsoft immediately. The Microsoft Rep told me that it was impossible that they had already initiated a trace. I asked if it was normal for Microsoft to take 12 weeks to initiate a trace when a package is lost and was told that it's a long process and I should be patient. I was also told that they won't cross ship a new unit because gamers are thieves and we will steal them if they cross ship them.
I'll call them again tomorrow and see if there is any new news. I'm thinking about calling Visa and disputing the service fee i was charged for this repair.
Riamus (8480) on 12/14/2006 11:13 PM · Permalink · Report
[Q --start Brian Hirt wrote--]gamers are thieves[/Q --end Brian Hirt wrote--]
Uh... and M$ wants us to buy games and consoles from them? That sort of statement is one that I would love to see circulated WIDELY and see how much impact we 'thieving gamers' can make by boycotting all games and consoles from M$ for making such a statement. (Not that it would happen, but it would be nice to see M$ forced to make a statement that they were wrong and that they apologize for having incompetent customer support people).
Indra was here (20755) on 12/15/2006 10:51 AM · Permalink · Report
[Q --start Riamus wrote--] [Q2 --start Brian Hirt wrote--]gamers are thieves [/Q2 --end Brian Hirt wrote--]
Uh... and M$ wants us to buy games and consoles from them? That sort of statement is one that I would love to see circulated WIDELY and see how much impact we 'thieving gamers' can make by boycotting all games and consoles from M$ for making such a statement. (Not that it would happen, but it would be nice to see M$ forced to make a statement that they were wrong and that they apologize for having incompetent customer support people). [/Q --end Riamus wrote--]
Doesn't customer support have to know a thing or two about public relations, or is that no longer relevant in the 21st century?
LepricahnsGold (142745) on 12/15/2006 5:10 PM · Permalink · Report
You're implying that that was customer SUPPORT? It sounds like "Give excuses" to me.
Brian Hirt (10409) on 12/15/2006 10:05 PM · Permalink · Report
Well, after 45 minutes on the phone today I was told "please be patient" and "blah blah blah we apologize blah blah blah" more times than i can count.
If i got a nickel every time microsoft said that to me in last 6 months, I'd be richer than Bill Gates. Anyway I should rest assured that they are working hand in hand with the service center to resolve my issue, but unfortunately there has been no update to my ticket since last friday. Absolutely they will call me back in the next 48-72 hours with an update on the problem. Other than that there is nothing they can do. Hopefully I can understand that there are processess that must be followed and I should trust them that they eventually get me a replacement, but when that date is they have no idea.
Things are looking up though. I was promised a phone call (this promise has been made and broken many times) and I wasn't insulted or called a criminal.
Riamus (8480) on 12/15/2006 11:32 PM · edited · Permalink · Report
- Call support and wait 30 minutes...
[support] Hello, M$ customer service. May I help you?
[you] I'd like to speak to your supervisor.
[support] I'm sure I can help you with anything you need.
[you] Nope, you can't. Please give me your supervisor.
[support] But...
[you] (interrupting) I said you can't help. I need to speak to your supervisor.
[support] Please hold. - Waiting 20 minutes...
[support level 2] Hello, how may I help you?
[you] Are you the supervisor of the customer service department?
[support level 2] No, however I am level 2 support and can assist you with any problems you may be having.
[you] The only problem I am having is getting your department supervisor. Please put that person on the phone.
[support level 2] Sir, ...
[you] (interrupting) No. I want to speak to the department supervisor.
[support level 2] Really, I...
(interrupting and angry) Do you understand English? You are not the person I need to talk to, so go get the right person. - Waiting 30 minutes...
[supervisor] (sounding slightly annoyed) Hello, I am the supervisor for this department. What can I do for you?
[you] What is your name?
[supervisor] Joe.
[you] What is your exact position?
[supervisor] I told you, I'm the supervisor of this department.
[you] I heard you... what is the title of your position?
[supervisor] I'm the Customer Service Manager.
[you] Ok, Joe. As the Customer Service Manager, I expect you to solve a problem that has lasted 6 months and cost me considerable money trying to get your customer service people to actually do something. Either you can help, or you can give me your supervisor right now and save both of us some time and headaches.
[supervisor] What seems to be the problem?
[you] You lost my replacement XBox and your customer service people continue to call me a thief because I want you to ship it again. The UPS people have already been in touch with you about this. Your customer service people have been nothing but rude to me and have done nothing except continue to promise results and not follow through. You can solve this right now, or you can give me your supervisor. - Conversation continues for 1 hour before realizing that the moronic supervisor knows less than the level 1 customer service people who weren't very smart to begin with.
:D
nullnullnull (1463) on 12/19/2006 3:41 PM · Permalink · Report
Well it arrived today. A working Xbox HD DVD drive. I plugged it in and played the awful King Kong movie that came with it. Looksee amazingee.
Don Komarechka (1615) on 12/19/2006 4:40 PM · Permalink · Report
Tech support woes are common no matter where you go. I almost had to look towards legal action when dealing with Acer.
I have an Acer C310 Tablet PC. Nice little thing, unless something breaks. Then you have to send it away from repairs. They did nothing. I had a screen/tablet input issue issue. Knowing enough about computer hardware, I could tell you the wacom tablet behind the monitor was receiving too much interference, and that the problem could be the tablet portion, or some of the cables around the screen. The cursor with jump around randomly at times. Since there is no penalty for opening up your own machine, I did so... and marked somewhere on every piece with a permanent marker.
When I got it back, no parts were changed (I could verify this by my markings) and the problem persisted. I called the tech support, went through the usual hour-long bitch-fest and got no where. Their repair depot was 3 hours away. I drove there in person and complained. Went back 3 hours later and it was "fixed." Right. Same problem, yet they did actually change parts this time (found this out when I got it home)
Another tech-support bitch-fest ensued. They agreed to send me a refurb unit and I could send back the broken one when I got my new one. a holding charge would be placed on my Visa that would be finalized if they did not receive the laptop within 2 weeks.
Here is the kicker: They sent me a refurb from their repair depot. I opened it up to find pieces with black marker on it. Some of these were mine! I'm guessing they played musical-computer-parts with my original one and this one. At this point I was just fed up and could live with the problem. I sent one back.
They never got it (yay!)
See, their Ontario depot sent me shipping labels to return it to their Texas depot, without the proper customs documentation. It was stalled at the border. Now, I did not have a tracking number since they provided the label and frankly I didn't even notice it on the label and copy it down for myself. However, they obviously keep track on all their outgoing shipping labels.
And the quest for a tracking number begins. I called them about 4 or 5 times, once actually getting into a screaming fight with someone simply because they refused to forward me to their supervisor. Friendly folks, them. When I got in touch with the supervisor, they said that if I didn't have the tracking number, the $2500 charge on my Visa would stay there. At this point I threatened legal action. The next day I got a call with my tracking number locating my laptop at the boarder, they apologized and reversed the charge.
And my laptop is still kind of broken. I just gave up on that.
Riamus (8480) on 12/19/2006 10:32 PM · Permalink · Report
Heh. I had an issue with a company and a motherboard that was DOA and they "replaced" it twice and it never worked. I finally gave up (I had to keep paying shipping) and bought another from another company. I forget the company now, though I think I actually have that stupid motherboard laying around somewhere.
D Michael (222) on 12/19/2006 11:25 PM · Permalink · Report
Here's a good story for ya;
A few years back I bought a refurb 21" Viewsonic CRT model A110 for $190. Not bad at the time.
When checking out the store wanted to sell me a full 3 year warranty for $19. I almost never buy those stupid store warranties but decided that 3 years warranty on a monitor was damn good. About 1 month before the warranty expired, the monitor started just turning off. I found out that what made it turn off was whenever there was mostly white on the screen. For example, opening and maximizing notepad, it'd shut down. Mostly white background, shutdown. View mobygames forums, shut down. I took it back in with only a month left on the warranty. They duplicated the problem immediately.
They pointed out that they could attempt a repair and would provide for a loaner monitor while that one was being worked on. When the tech requested the loaner, it was informed that they didn't have any at all. The tech went through a bunch of people and more BS (we waited an hour) but got a manager to approve (get this) a 20" Dell LCD loaner because that was 'all they had in that size at the time'.
2 weeks later I get a call, informing me that the monitor could not be repaired, and that the model had been discontinued. They asked me if it would be ok for me to just keep the loaner monitor and consider the issue resolved. Hell yeah I did. LOL
But of course this was in store not over the phone and via the mail. I get really pissed hearing some of these stories though, even if it's not my hardware getting lost.
Matt Neuteboom (976) on 12/19/2006 11:57 PM · Permalink · Report
I had to go through a lot of trouble when I was getting my computer fixed after the MASSIVE break down it had and I had to get it wiped (a few of you may remember this, I posted stuff here on the forums).
More tales from the crypt.
After I installed the new HD I was having some problems with the drives. I couldn't install any of my drivers so my audio, video accelerator, and internet weren't working. My problem was that since the HD was new, the drive letter that was assigned was I and not C, and the drivers I downloaded could only download to the C drive. Because of this the internet was down, and I had to sadly go through telephone. I called Gateway, which was a very very bad move.
Tech support answered, but before we could progress, I had to give the woman my model and system number (presumably because they don't want other non-Gateway users to use their tech support. What whores.) I rang both off to her and she explains that because my computer is retail bought, I had to go to their retail line. This how many people don't get the computer from a retail store? As far as I know the only other way is to build one, and who in God's name builds a Gateway?
They can't connect me to the retail line through their system, so I have to hang up and redial the number they gave me. I dial and......the number doesn't even exist. I get the nasally phone voice telling me the number I dialed doesn't exist. So I called back and complained (this was now 4 hours into me trying to fix this, so you'd understand I'd be annoyed) and she said she could do nothing about it.
WTF
I hung up and I went downstairs to use my play computer. I looked up a tutorial on the internet for how to change drive letters. I did it, finally, though unfortunately because you cant change the drive letters on drives with your main partition, I had to reinstall everything. The whole process took a couple of hours. WORST. DAY. EVER. And I had school that next day, with plenty of work still left to do.
To this day I still think they gave me a false number so they wouldnt have to deal with me. I wonder what they actually do if someone actually DOESNT have a retail computer. They probably send him to a fake non-retail line I bet.
Suck it Gateway. Suck it long, and suck it hard.
Riamus (8480) on 12/20/2006 12:12 AM · Permalink · Report
Never ever buy Gateway... or Hewlett Packard computers (printers are great), Packard Bell, or Compaq (opinion of most everyone who knows about computers). And if you ever want to do work on your computer yourself, don't buy Dell (personal opinion).
D Michael (222) on 12/20/2006 2:13 AM · Permalink · Report
I've actually had decent experience with HP notebooks. Most aren't power systems but have lots of options.
For example, 1.5 ghz, 1gb ram, 3 usb ports, remote control, card reader, dvd-cdrw, firewire, S-video out, 128 mb intel graphics, 17" widescreen, altec lansing speakers, 60gb hdd, $400. Not a gaming rig but good for the price.
Riamus (8480) on 12/20/2006 2:59 AM · Permalink · Report
The best advice I was given regarding computers (other than avoiding anything that has a "pack" sound in the name) is to never buy a computer from a company that makes good printers. For some reason, the computers end up not being as good.
Anyhow, that isn't to say all are bad, but in general it is best to avoid them.