rootATdarkstar
01-16-2009, 04:38 PM
*I originally posted this in the official Xbox forums. While I did create an account here in order to post my story, I am actually a longtime daily MaxConsole.net visitor. If you have to remove it, that's alright. I'm just pissed and pursuing this minimalistic quest seems to be helping my mood. I would appreciate a PM/email from anyone who can help.*
Hello all. I'm going to use this "little" post here to inform you of my recent experiences with the Xbox Support staff.
Firstly, my name is Greg. As you can see from my gamertag, I have quite the assortment of gaming interests. I am married to a beautiful woman named Rachel, who also enjoys playing XBLA games - particularly Puzzle Quest and Kingdom for Keflings.
I bought my first Xbox 360 with my tax return money in March of 2006. I was so excited for the system that I did my taxes early. That alone should say something about my fervor. I went all out; I got the Premium Edition with the bright, shiny 20 gig HDD and all the fixin's. Sadly, Microsoft did not incorporate an HDMI output into their shiny new console. I knew that when I bought the system, but at the time, I didn't realize that my tv would not output 1080p via component cables.
Mildly upset, but still fundamentally undeterred, I upgraded to the brighter, shinier Elite console when it came out a year later (in April of 2007, I believe?). I got up early and grabbed one from Target on the day they came out (I should mention I live in MAINE, that odd-shaped state in the Northeast, and so my local Target store only got FOUR Elites in on launch day). Anyway, I sold my Xbox 360 Premium to a classmate, and now all is well and good.
Come April of 2008, a week before GTA4 comes out, my Elite console kicks the "red ring o' death" bucket. I send in my console to be fixed and waited patiently. Meanwhile, I was naturally upset that the console had died so soon, and so I did what everyone does: complained about it ad naseum to my family. Well, turns out, my brother-in-law had decided to buy an Xbox himself, but when he heard what had happened to me, he bought it and gave it to me instead! He simply asked that I give him the Elite console when it returned from the tune-up shop. And so, when the console came back (I believe it was 4 1/2 weeks later), I did.
So, this is now the third 360 that I've owned, for those of us who are keeping count. The DRM thing was a mild issue at worse, only becoming a problem if I lost Internet, but never really an issue. But after Microsoft came out with the DRM tool, I used it and rectified that petty annoyance.
Come June/July 2008, I have a bit more free time. My wife is home from school (she's a high school teacher, by the way), so she finds herself playing XBLA games more frequently. She decides to create her own free silver XBL account. Using her account, she plays her XBLA games and has a lot of fun with it.
But now, this past Wednesday night, my Xbox died just as I was going to bed (error E74). This console (which was bought brand-spanking new by my brother-in-law) is less than a year old (literally MFR date 2/2/2008). My wife, who is still in the middle of A Kingdom for Keflings, was really upset about it. So I called Xbox Support and got the info to send in the console.
In the meantime, we had just received a refund check from the college I go to for a little over $400, so I decided to surprise my wife. I told her I was going out to the garage to tool around with some things, and instead, I borrowed a friend's car (so she wouldn't notice ours was gone) and went out and bought a brand-new Xbox Pro. My friend (who loaned me the car) has been wanting a 360 for a long time, and financially it just hasn't panned out for him. So, secretly conspiring to accrue a stockpile of good karma (à la my brother-in-law) I tell him I'll give him the one my console that is being repaired (once I get it back), along with the 60 gig HDD and all the things that came with the Pro.
In the meantime, I hide my new console and wait for my wife to go to bed. After she does, I go to use the DRM tool, only to find that it cannot be done again, as my last Xbox died less than a year ago. Naturally, given the circumstances, I figure that calling Xbox support would allow them to make an exception. After a grand total of two hours on the phone to Xbox Customer Support, they still have offered absolutely no solution. I bought my wife a $300 console as a surprise, only to find out now that she cannot actually use our XBLA games without buying them again, not because of some super-secret or interesting reason, but just because use of the DRM tool once every 12 months is company policy.
My wife and I have been strong supporters of the console since we got one. As you've probably deduced from my story, we have now owned four separate systems. We own 50+ disc games, and another 50 or so XBLA games. We are avid fans of Gamefly and are constantly playing games new games together (over Thanksgiving break, we played through Gears of War 2 together). We bring the system (with Rock Band in tow) to countless parties and family gatherings and tell all our friends how much fun it is. I have been nothing but a loyal customer of Microsoft's through the lifespan of my last three consoles. But I have got to say, I am quite infuriated by the lack of response on the part of Microsoft Customer support staff and rectify this simple issue.
Those of your reading this have probably heard stories like this. You can probably recite worse ones off the top of your head. My problem may seem comparatively mild to you compared to the others you heard. But my wife is important to me. The fact that she can't finish her Kingdom for Keflings game and earn her little achievements (she gets this big, stupid grin on her face when she gets one; it's really cute) may seem inane or stupid to some, but it's important to me. You may ask, "Why not just spend the $10 and download it again?" But honestly, should I really have to? I just paid $300 as a surprise to my wife for this system. Should I have to pay another $10 on top of it because Microsoft refuses to help me? I say I shouldn't. I say that I just went out on a $300 limb to grab a surprise gift for my wife, only to have said limb snap underneath my feet, and then be told by those at Microsoft that it's my fault; I should have waited the ~5 weeks instead of planning a surprise and trying to be a good husband.
So I just wanted to say thanks Microsoft. Thanks.
-Greg F.-
rootATdarkstar
Hello all. I'm going to use this "little" post here to inform you of my recent experiences with the Xbox Support staff.
Firstly, my name is Greg. As you can see from my gamertag, I have quite the assortment of gaming interests. I am married to a beautiful woman named Rachel, who also enjoys playing XBLA games - particularly Puzzle Quest and Kingdom for Keflings.
I bought my first Xbox 360 with my tax return money in March of 2006. I was so excited for the system that I did my taxes early. That alone should say something about my fervor. I went all out; I got the Premium Edition with the bright, shiny 20 gig HDD and all the fixin's. Sadly, Microsoft did not incorporate an HDMI output into their shiny new console. I knew that when I bought the system, but at the time, I didn't realize that my tv would not output 1080p via component cables.
Mildly upset, but still fundamentally undeterred, I upgraded to the brighter, shinier Elite console when it came out a year later (in April of 2007, I believe?). I got up early and grabbed one from Target on the day they came out (I should mention I live in MAINE, that odd-shaped state in the Northeast, and so my local Target store only got FOUR Elites in on launch day). Anyway, I sold my Xbox 360 Premium to a classmate, and now all is well and good.
Come April of 2008, a week before GTA4 comes out, my Elite console kicks the "red ring o' death" bucket. I send in my console to be fixed and waited patiently. Meanwhile, I was naturally upset that the console had died so soon, and so I did what everyone does: complained about it ad naseum to my family. Well, turns out, my brother-in-law had decided to buy an Xbox himself, but when he heard what had happened to me, he bought it and gave it to me instead! He simply asked that I give him the Elite console when it returned from the tune-up shop. And so, when the console came back (I believe it was 4 1/2 weeks later), I did.
So, this is now the third 360 that I've owned, for those of us who are keeping count. The DRM thing was a mild issue at worse, only becoming a problem if I lost Internet, but never really an issue. But after Microsoft came out with the DRM tool, I used it and rectified that petty annoyance.
Come June/July 2008, I have a bit more free time. My wife is home from school (she's a high school teacher, by the way), so she finds herself playing XBLA games more frequently. She decides to create her own free silver XBL account. Using her account, she plays her XBLA games and has a lot of fun with it.
But now, this past Wednesday night, my Xbox died just as I was going to bed (error E74). This console (which was bought brand-spanking new by my brother-in-law) is less than a year old (literally MFR date 2/2/2008). My wife, who is still in the middle of A Kingdom for Keflings, was really upset about it. So I called Xbox Support and got the info to send in the console.
In the meantime, we had just received a refund check from the college I go to for a little over $400, so I decided to surprise my wife. I told her I was going out to the garage to tool around with some things, and instead, I borrowed a friend's car (so she wouldn't notice ours was gone) and went out and bought a brand-new Xbox Pro. My friend (who loaned me the car) has been wanting a 360 for a long time, and financially it just hasn't panned out for him. So, secretly conspiring to accrue a stockpile of good karma (à la my brother-in-law) I tell him I'll give him the one my console that is being repaired (once I get it back), along with the 60 gig HDD and all the things that came with the Pro.
In the meantime, I hide my new console and wait for my wife to go to bed. After she does, I go to use the DRM tool, only to find that it cannot be done again, as my last Xbox died less than a year ago. Naturally, given the circumstances, I figure that calling Xbox support would allow them to make an exception. After a grand total of two hours on the phone to Xbox Customer Support, they still have offered absolutely no solution. I bought my wife a $300 console as a surprise, only to find out now that she cannot actually use our XBLA games without buying them again, not because of some super-secret or interesting reason, but just because use of the DRM tool once every 12 months is company policy.
My wife and I have been strong supporters of the console since we got one. As you've probably deduced from my story, we have now owned four separate systems. We own 50+ disc games, and another 50 or so XBLA games. We are avid fans of Gamefly and are constantly playing games new games together (over Thanksgiving break, we played through Gears of War 2 together). We bring the system (with Rock Band in tow) to countless parties and family gatherings and tell all our friends how much fun it is. I have been nothing but a loyal customer of Microsoft's through the lifespan of my last three consoles. But I have got to say, I am quite infuriated by the lack of response on the part of Microsoft Customer support staff and rectify this simple issue.
Those of your reading this have probably heard stories like this. You can probably recite worse ones off the top of your head. My problem may seem comparatively mild to you compared to the others you heard. But my wife is important to me. The fact that she can't finish her Kingdom for Keflings game and earn her little achievements (she gets this big, stupid grin on her face when she gets one; it's really cute) may seem inane or stupid to some, but it's important to me. You may ask, "Why not just spend the $10 and download it again?" But honestly, should I really have to? I just paid $300 as a surprise to my wife for this system. Should I have to pay another $10 on top of it because Microsoft refuses to help me? I say I shouldn't. I say that I just went out on a $300 limb to grab a surprise gift for my wife, only to have said limb snap underneath my feet, and then be told by those at Microsoft that it's my fault; I should have waited the ~5 weeks instead of planning a surprise and trying to be a good husband.
So I just wanted to say thanks Microsoft. Thanks.
-Greg F.-
rootATdarkstar