My console covered; my friends, which is 7 months newer, isn't
My console says it was manufactured on 11/10/2005, a mere 2 weeks before the North American launch. Fortunately, Jeremy at Microsoft's support center lifted my spirits by informing me that my console is still covered for another week or so. We set up the the return, and I'll be shipping it off on Monday. Apparently, I pay for shipping and the turnaround is 12 business days. While that might be unacceptable for some, I was too busy being delighted that I wasn't going to be $140 shorter (and I was talking to a good rep).
The other console was manufactured in April, but it was purchased on July 13th new. The less friendly rep my friend had to deal with bluntly said his newer console was out of warranty. Four phone calls later, after being hung up on three times, and total wasted time of about three hours, none of the employees would work with him.
The interesting thing is that the first "agent" wouldn't give him the mailing address to send the console to; he said he needed to get a credit card in order to pay for the shipping. Why couldn't my friend ship via his own method?
I'm extremely disappointed that they won't help him out. Our consoles died the same night. Both seemed negatively afflicted by the "1080p fix update". Coincidence? It seems to be a stretch.
All I know is that it was hilarious every time he asked them "why does a 7 month newer console have less warranty than one that's over 12 months old?" Although the internet savvy may spout the answer immediately, none of the reps could adequately answer the question. Pathetic if you ask me.
Even better was his threats to purchase a PS3 and throw his Xbox 360 in the road (in jest of course). Maybe on the next call, I'll record audio samples. ;)
Today, Microsoft is proving themselves to be more like Sony. One would hope they would learn Nintendo's fantastic Customer Service oriented support.
The other console was manufactured in April, but it was purchased on July 13th new. The less friendly rep my friend had to deal with bluntly said his newer console was out of warranty. Four phone calls later, after being hung up on three times, and total wasted time of about three hours, none of the employees would work with him.
The interesting thing is that the first "agent" wouldn't give him the mailing address to send the console to; he said he needed to get a credit card in order to pay for the shipping. Why couldn't my friend ship via his own method?
I'm extremely disappointed that they won't help him out. Our consoles died the same night. Both seemed negatively afflicted by the "1080p fix update". Coincidence? It seems to be a stretch.
All I know is that it was hilarious every time he asked them "why does a 7 month newer console have less warranty than one that's over 12 months old?" Although the internet savvy may spout the answer immediately, none of the reps could adequately answer the question. Pathetic if you ask me.
Even better was his threats to purchase a PS3 and throw his Xbox 360 in the road (in jest of course). Maybe on the next call, I'll record audio samples. ;)
Today, Microsoft is proving themselves to be more like Sony. One would hope they would learn Nintendo's fantastic Customer Service oriented support.
posted by SuicideNinja at 11:25 PM
6 Comments:
I'm not sure why they refused to give the address, but the reason they don't let you ship it is because they send their own box. You'll receive a box, with a plastic bag to put over the machine, a holder to go inside the box to keep it from being moved around, and a shipping label to send the box back.
Make sure you remove all accessories (hard drive, etc) from the machine. They will not send back any accessories mailed to them. I believe the reason is because instead of repairing the systems, they simple mail out a new system, and repair that system (if possible) for later to reduce turn-around time.
I'd bitch and moan about the console not being under warranty, they should replace the system regardless if it is a production defect, or a problem brought upon by a patch and not mishandling by the user. As I mentioned in a previous comment, I was able to have my system repaired for free (I didn't even have to pay shipping!) by being persistent. I may have gotten lucky by being shunted to a reasonable customer service rep, I'm not sure.
Yes, the defect and warranty issue is absolute bullshit. Yes, it is worth being persistent and having a 360.
Good luck with it all, hope it turns out alright.
My problem with that is that they gave me the shipping address...so why wouldn't they give it to my friend?
You're right on the dot about removing all the accessories. For anyone perusing about this situation: they didn't want the power supply in either of our situations. Just the console. They did want the faceplate on there (just the stock one...keep any customs).
I will mention that I have a soft spot for call center "slaves". I worked in two different call center for a total of 6 years. Many people have no idea what it is like to be the customer service rep, so I try not to give them a difficult time (unless they are rude). Since the rep helping me was nice, I didn't press the shipping issue. I'm the same way with delivery drivers and servers (I had a year of that type of experience)...you have to tip them or they don't make money. Sometimes I wish everyone could work some of these services that they take for granted; it's a good experience.
My friend will likely call again today or next week during the day. It will be easier to get a real supervisor during regular business hours (from my experience). From my direct experience, I can say that the real supervisor is the one with the authority to help you. I say "real supervisor" because they sometimes allow non-supervisors to take supervisor calls, so you have to be attentive.
We'll see how this goes. I bought Squeaky her 360 yesterday, so at least we have something for the time being. We'll be buying some extended warranties for sure.
i have been reading you blog for a while and honestly i will tell you, that if you live in georgia come see me and i will replace both of the consoles. i am a store manager at eb games. best if luck.
dapperdan
Thanks dapperdan!
Unfortunately, we are quite far from Georgia. I appreciate the good gesture though.
no problem. and apparently i need to re-read my posts before i hit submit. i hate typos!
on a side not, i noticed that your comments section never really worked until recently. why is that?
This blog is hosted by blogger, so if the comments haven't been working, then it must have been due to their recent upgrades. They are trying to move everyone to their "new blogger" which I've not decided to join yet.
Maybe it had something to do with that? I never knew there was a problem with the comments section. Ever since I started this blog, the comments have been enabled.
Thanks for reading!
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