Consumerist
We read a lot of stories about companies doing boneheaded things but rarely do we read anything like what reader Nathanial sent in.
An avid gamer, Nathanial carried his XBOX 360 around to various events, collecting signatures and artwork from members of the gaming community. When his XBOX finally died, he contacted Microsoft to make sure that he could send the console in without having the exterior case replaced or damaged. Microsoft ensured him that his request would not be a problem.
Nathanial included (along with his XBOX) a letter explaining the markings on the case and requesting politely, but firmly, that he receive his original case back.
And he did.
Unfortunately, someone at Microsoft took it upon himself/herself to scrub the exterior of the box until the signatures were completely removed. This just seems spiteful. Trying to picture the person who thought that giving someone's signed XBOX a bath was an awesome idea makes our brain hurt.
We read complaints for a living and can't help but wonder why gamers given so little respect by the companies that make such exorbitant profits off of them. The complaints we get are insulting. From retailers who allow their employees to "check out" products before selling them as new, to consoles and games crippled with broken DRM, gamers are consistently treated like children, or worse, criminals by the companies that benefit from their loyalty.
(I say this purely from observation, as I'm not what anyone would call "a gamer." The vast majority of video games give me motion sickness, to be perfectly frank. I'm quite fond of Lego Star Wars, however.)
Here's the letter Nathanial sent in with his XBOX:
To whom it may concern:Here's how he received the box. The few marker smudges that Microsoft failed to eliminate are circled. You can read a more detailed description of the events here.Enclosed in this package you will find one Xbox 360 console, serial number 610537654806. I pre-ordered this machine months before the Xbox 360 launched, and I've been a proud owner ever since it arrived. Although the original warranty for my machine has expired some time ago, I still keep the sales receipt and original retail box.
I have taken this unit along with me on some of my travels over the past two years, and during that time I have acquired a number of signatures from notable members of the gaming community.
Among those signatures are several members of the Rooster Teeth Productions staff, certain members of the Xbox 360 team, and some of the staff from Bungie Studios. Those signatures are also joined by custom artwork by Rooster Teeth Comics artist and Halo fan artist Luke McKay. This console represents some special memories—of which I am quite fond—from the past two years of my life. As you can imagine, this particular unit has a great deal of sentimental value to me and is quite possibly of reasonable monetary value as well.
I am well aware that in many cases new replacement units have been returned to those who have sent their consoles for repairs. I would be displeased if this were to happen to me. When I put in the service request for my unit, the agent that took my call assured me that the same unit I have sent to you would be shipped back to me. If you must send a different unit back, please put my original case on the replacement unit. Having put the above information forward, it is logical to conclude that I would be most disappointed should I receive a different console with a plain white case in return.
Please take care in handling the case, as despite the fact that the ink is permanent and has had plenty of time to set, the possibility yet remains that it may be smudged.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Another Gamer Screwed by Microsoft [Hawty McBloggy]
Comments
That is just absolute shit. I feel for this guy.
What. The. F**k.
M$ needs to make this right. At the very least, send him a new Halo 3 Edition, signed by ALL the members of the Dev team, and a formal letter of apology.
I wonder if I send in the pants I ruined a few weeks ago if Microsoft will remove the permanent marker stain.
Ouch, that sucks. They can take your sharpie, but they can't take your memories.
At least he's probably pretty buff from carrying his XBox and its brick around to all those places, he can probably go all The Rock in Walking Tall on them and starting whacking people with 2x4s.
I'd be surprised if he got any kind of apology or restitution from MS over this.
I can understand (but still be upset by) a situation where Microsoft replaced his unit, but why would they feel the need to wash it? It's not as if this was a case of a single, unobservable signature; the artwork takes up most of one side of the case! I agree that this appears to have been done purely out of spite.
Is he absolutely sure? Is it possible to replace that panel without changing the serial numbers? Because I've tried to get permanent marker off of consoles before and that shit is tenacious. And they got it off almost without a trace! Also, just eyeballing it, it doesn't look like there were any signatures or artwork close to the edge where the smudge is.
Still sucks, but the poor guy would probably feel better than thinking someone sat there and actively rubbed them off.
Unbelievable. That's not just poor customer service that's downright spiteful and borderline on criminal. Microsoft owes this guy one serious letter of apology, along with an XBox Signed by Gates himself.
And to think he as worried that the ink might get smudged... Boy, was that a misnomer.
I agree, it's one thing to deal with the BS that the RROD causes, but to then have to worry your prized signatures (that you spent countless hours trying to obtain) might get ruined in the transfer process, Microsoft has some esplaining to do.
Where's the gaming community? Kotaku better post this!
@A.W.E.S.O.M.-O: Check the link for the story. The other side of the Xbox is covered in signatures, including both spots that have smudge marks in the picture.
That's just MEAN. I feel awful for the guy. How spiteful of the MS employee!
I find this whole article confusing. Why would he send something this "valuable" to a MS contracted repair center to fix and take the word of a near minimum wage person on the phone?
I have a couple 360's and both have been in for repairs. Last year MS announced that ALL consoles manufactured in 2005 (launch date) would be replaced with a new unit because the manufacturer used a lot of substandard parts. Since he pre-ordered his console it would be one of these 2005 units and therefore he wouldn't get the same unit back from the repair center. I have a unit made in early 2006 that's been in for repairs 3 times and they just keep sending the same one back. When the 2005 unit broke they sent me a shiny brand new unit. I think he needs to recheck those serial numbers and report back.
Okay, I nomiated MS for worst company...and I think this kind of acting, going out of their way for NO APPARENT REASON, to screw over a customer, means they deserve the award.
@sourc3: I don't think replacing the signatures will help.
He needs something from M$ that represents the equal emotional value of what he lost...not sure that can be replaced.
@rwakelan: Ah, I see. Need to get me whatever they used to scrub it off...they did a great job! Wrong job, but a great one nonetheless.
Oh fuck. That sucks.
I've said it before and I'll say it again.
It's Microsoft, after all. What do you expect?
This is the single most bizarre story I have read this year. I know how people, when told to do something, will quite often do the exact opposite, but they never have to work this hard to do so. I bet the poor guy scrubbing that marker off had to put in some overtime hours.
I'm sure this is standard practice.
Think about it - they've had tons of these consoles come in, and the one you send in is rarely the one you get back. I've gone through this process myself and I received a pristine console in return for the red-ringed pile of junk I sent it. I assume it's protocol to clean the systems etc. in the course of the repair, and the random Indian or Texan making a few hundred bucks a month just followed the process.
This guy is owed, however, and I'm sure Microsoft will make him whole now that you've reported this. Their Operations process was not as flexible as they told him it was over the phone.
hmm, If it was so valuable, why send it in? just buy another one.
I just wouldn't have mail it in, This was bound to happen.
Er, it takes a lot to scrub off permanant marker, even if you use a chemical to burn it away.
I'm more convinced that someone STOLE the cover, replaced it with a blank one, and put some smudges on there to hide the theft.
Wow. Just wow. If anything like that ever happened to me I'd want to go find the guy that did it and put his head through a brick wall and sign with a permanent marker whatever part of him wasn't bleeding. I don't believe everyone that works at these companies is an idiot, but really, when stuff like this happens, the company should make it right and just fire the employee. People like this deserve to be on an unemployment line in perpetuity.
@A.W.E.S.O.M.-O:
I agree. I'm not sure that's the same case. I can't imagine how difficult and how long it would take to get all that permanent marker off of the case. I think that's a new side, or new case. While I agree that not everything companies do makes sense, having an employee spend countless hours scrubbing and scrubbing the permanent marker off just out of spite? I just can't believe that. Maybe he can call and see if they still have the original case. I will say, when I worked at a large electronics manufacturer, we told people not to put notes in with the units, and that we couldn't guarantee that any notes we put on the repair would be read/honored. Those departments are simply too busy to read each and every note that comes in, and it's rare that one is really and truly important. That being said, I think that they still need to fix this for him, by either trying to hunt down that original or sending him some free games, etc. As far as the "emotional" bs, I don't think that's worth anything. He doesn't deserve cash, but there's no reason they can't hook him up with a handful of new games, or some accessories.
@Happy13178:
Good thing you've never made a mistake!
@ADismalScience: Really? You think scrubbing off permanent marker is standard practice? Why?
Fuck, Sony won't even repair your console if it's got dust on it.
MS is handling the RRoD in the worst possible way, waiting until there was a near deafening cacophony before actually extending the warranty. Fuck'em.
We hope beyond reason that we don't lose our data when we send our PC to GeekSquad, or that our son's ashes won't get nicked when put them in our checked luggage, or we that don't lose our valuable case art when we send our 360 into MS, but it happens. Especially more for commodity goods like PCs and gamer boxes being sent to nameless huge corporations.
If it was that precious to him, he should have insured it under his personal articles policy, or sent it back in with an old dummy case he got off eBay for $20. Boo on MS for not following through on what they said, but a little risk reduction would have been smart on the consumer's side too. We don't cry for the pearls lost behind the luggage carousel, why cry for this?
FWIW, I don't think that's even the same case. In the photo, the ink smudge marks aren't in the same place as the original art/sigs.
I would be pissed as hell, if this happened to me. Wonder if he can sue for damages? Seems like Microsoft destroyed a collectors item/piece of art to me.
On a side note - I will NOT be replacing my 360, if it ever breaks down. Can't trust the product, nor the company behind it.
I really feel for the guy. Completely sucks this situation.
You can be sure that once Major Nelson sees this he'll probably get something done to make this right.
I feel bad for this guy, I really do and I swear I am NOT BLAMING THE VICTIM but... I cannot imagine packing up something that had a lot of value to me and shipping it off to a large corporation that's just dying to screw me over. It's probably a good lesson to everyone that no matter what precautions you take, there's always risk involved.
Get off the couch son, find a girlfriend/mail order bride/hourly sex industry worker to play with your rumble stick once in a while, and you won't miss the video gaming community autographs so much.
@A.W.E.S.O.M.-O: Acetone will take that shit off so fast it will make your head spin.
@Typhoid: I agree. From what I can see from the pictures provided, I think the original was stolen - and sadly, the letter itself was proably what made someone think is was valuable enough to steal.
@Pylon83: Acetone or gasolene will make "permenent" marker run off of plastic like water.
@savvy999: Or you could try to read the article & discover that the other side of the Xbox still has art on it.
With all the sick jokes about eating puppies and stuff, I honestly never thought I'd see something as wholesale mean as this. I've collected signatures on items before, and they transcend their original value and become like holy relics once you do that. To imagine receiving my prized possession back defaced in this way would make me think 7-figure lawsuit for sure. I'm not saying it's worth 7 figures for the signature, but the cruel damage it does to a person's psyche to lose a prized possession like that is definitely a life-altering event.
I see several possibilities.
1. Someone who works at the repair center is laughing their asses off and has a new memento to show friends after replacing the side panel.
2. Someone who works at the repair center is a dick and wanted to 'stick it' to those people who keep sending in X Box 360s because maybe this will stop the endless flood.
3. Bill Gates heard about this and ran down to the repair center with a mad look in his eye, a bottle of cleaner and a rag (silk of course) so that he could have fun ruining something of value his company produces like usual.
All that being said, I'd like to see Microsoft go above and beyond to make this right. I do not believe there was any company policy at work here. This was just an employee being a jackass.
@Jaysyn: Don't forget good ol' WD-40.
I'm really in amazement over how craptacular Microsoft customer service is. What a kick in the balls for this guy.
Why in the hell did he send it in? If it's that valuable (read: more than the guts of the thing), then just buy a new one and swap the case yourself. Once he had it signed and decorated, it became art, not a console.
I'll be the zillionth person to say "that sucks".
I wonder if it was a result of spite or of incompetence. I tend to think incompetence, as in someone not reading instructions and instead just repeating the same cleaning task for 50 machines a day regardless of what's on there.
This though... this would be dedicated incompetence.
I think that was the last straw.. Today is bonus day and I was planning on going to get an xbox 360 after work today but after this total disregard for their customers I think I will pass.. Now hopefully I can find a wii!
@Elvisisdead: I somewhat agree with you here. I'd love to assume that explicit instructions would be enough to prevent this from happening, but hey, here we are.
mr. clean magic eraser?
@Jaysyn: A 360 case comes apart, one side could be swiped out independently of the other. [www.llamma.com]
@moore850: Really, life altering?
I feel for the guy and I know it took him hours to get all of the sigs and what not. But, I doubt he was about to stop going to the conventions and other events. He can actually replace these things, they may not be exactly the same but still replaced.
well...looks like Luke@Bungie took note and posted a snippet on the OG article page (comment #61). If Luke is willing to do something, I bet Nathaniel will orgasm when all is said and done.
Personally, I would be paying a visit to the Microsoft campus had this of happened to me.
@savvy999:
Umm.. are people missing the part that says:
"When his XBOX finally died, he contacted Microsoft to make sure that he could send the console in without having the exterior case replaced or damaged. Microsoft ensured him that his request would not be a problem."
He called them and made sure the case would not be REPLACED OR DAMAGED which they said would not be a problem. I'm sorry but if you call a major vendor and put in a specific request like this along with a letter, Microsoft owes you big time.
Damn that sucks. What the hell got into them to do that? The marker was not gonna hurt anything inside their sody console, who's the asshole that thought he should do that? Or wait, perhaps the employee that did it was just exactly being an asshole.
Heartbreaking!!!
That is seriously. Seriously. Fucked. Up.
Microsoft definitely owes him. The signatures and artwork upped the value a great deal, and they destroyed it's value - AFTER promising that no harm would be done.
Maybe someone swiped it and made it look like the original had been scrubbed. :P
@Dibbler: Read the full article. The serial #s match. This is the same box with a cleaned case. CLEANED not replaced. F'd up.
... the guy felt it comming, I think that's why he enclosed the letter and was very carefull.. he knew he could not trust MicroSoft... yet he went against his instict and sent the system.
about the employee that took the time to scrub that, i work with manufacturers and there is no such policy to spend time/money cleaning the outside of a system... if I were his manager i'd probably suspend or fire that employee.... for damaging a customer system & second for slacking off cleaning a system instead of doing his work
makes me wonder why more and more people stand by consoles... you don't hear this kind of issues with PC's
@marchhare22: I'm not saying it doesn't totally suck. This guy had something valuable to him, trusted MS with it, and now it's gone.
I like to buy and trade in vintage concert posters/handbills from the 60s and 70s, some going for hundreds of dollars each. I could use one to mod up a 360 case something awesome-- permanently glue it to the side-- would make a badass retro machine! But do you think regardless of some company's assurances over the phone, that I would ever send it in that way?
Hell no, unless it was either insured for full value or I removed the art from the case first.
It's a shitty lesson to learn: if something is valuable to you, you take the extra steps to protect it. A phone call or 2 by the original gamer maybe made him feel like he was securing his property, but it really wasn't.
Main problem is that this gamer guy is trying to be an amatuer collector of gaming memorabilia-- sigs, artwork-- but he didn't understand or know how to protect his hard work and investment.