Posts about Microsoft

—>Richard says his wife's Hotmail account was hacked, and now she can't get into her email or fix the problem via Microsoft's customers service online or over the phone. He writes:  More »

—>A man claims his dog bought spent $62.50 on video games by chewing on his Xbox 360 controller at night, Kotaku writes:  More »

—>A reader sent along this tip, and his complaint, that Microsoft's upcoming Xbox 360 update will block third-party storage devices.  More »

—>Destructoid's Conrad Zimmerman hoofed it to the world's first Microsoft Store in Scottsdale. People actually camped out overnight in order to be the first to get a look inside, which shows you how little there is to do in Arizona.  More »

—>What could be more American than celebrating the launch of a new product with an almost comically unhealthy fast-food product? Unfortunately, the seven-patty Windows 7 Whopper is only available in Japan.  More »

—>Windows 7, Microsoft's big bucket of bugfixes, hits stores tomorrow. If you had enough foresight to take advantage of Microsoft's public beta and pre-order discounts earlier this year, you may already have a cheap version of the new OS. If not, here are a few ways to pick up Windows 7 now, without having to hand over $120, the lowest official price for an upgrade.   More »

—>Jon ordered 20 Xbox 360s and was happy with all of them, except for the one that came with a mis-matched power brick adapter. He called Microsoft customer service but says he was stonewalled, dealing with a rep who was either quite misinformed, lazy, lying, or some combination of the three.  More »

—>If you've been waiting impatiently to get your data back on your Sidekick, here's your opportunity. IntoMobile reports that T-Mobile has posted data retrieval instructions on its website. They note that most but not necessarily all contacts should be there, but if you're one of the unlucky few who lost all of your data, T-Mobile has a shiny $100 gift card for you.  More »

—>Is it s sponsored special? A glorified infomercial? We're not sure, but on November 8, the Griffins of "Family Guy" will be hosting their own Windows 7 launch party of sorts, in the form of a half-hour special sponsored by Microsoft.  More »

—>Maybe those lawsuits over the Sidekick data outage were a little premature. Microsoft, parent company of Sidekick maker Danger Inc, reports that they have recovered most, if not all, of users' lost data. Yay!  More »

—>Amber is a pre-paid Sidekick owner who has been a T-Mobile customer for 7 years. After the recent T-Mobile data disaster, she doesn't intend to get burned again. She wants to switch to a different phone, and she wants T-Mobile to buy back her Sidekick since they can't deliver the data security they promised. Initially T-Mobile agreed, but then they pulled a Sidekick Data Outage on their promise and it disappeared forever.  More »

—>After T-Mobile Sidekick users lost data access for the better part of a week, then lost the information stored on their phones, it should surprise no one that the lawsuits are already flying. Though it is surprising that none of them were filed by Perez Hilton.  More »

—>This time last week, we thought of the T-Mobile Sidekick data outage as a mere inconvenient outage, but a temporary one. We grossly misunderstimated how badly T-Mobile and Danger/Microsoft could screw things up.  More »

—>William wrote to us this weekend to point out how little Microsoft does to fight phishing attacks on their hugely popular Xbox LIVE network. It's unfortunate they don't take this sort of crime more seriously, since so many kids—who by all rights should have less experience with phishing—are on Xbox LIVE. Below is what two different Xbox CSRs told William when he contacted them to complain about phishing attacks.  More »

—>Brian believes a firmware update made his 80gb Zune give up the ghost, so he called customer service asking for a repair. The CSR's idea was for Brian to send the Zune and $160 so Microsoft — new 80gb Zunes are going for $217 on Amazon — but Brian had a different idea: call in an EECB airstrike.  More »

—> Edrants.com recently edited together all the moments of Leno & guests dropping product names. Yes, this is just one episode's worth of product references.  More »

—>Not many people really want a computer with Windows Vista. The sensible thing for customers who need a computer—but not right away—to do is wait until the launch of Windows 7 and then buy a computer with the much-awaited OS pre-installed. Vendors realize this, and are trying to get Vista-laden machines off their shelves with the promise of a free upgrade to Windows 7 when it comes out. A free upgrade that is not, in fact, free.  More »

—>Okay, now we get the appeal of hosting a Windows 7 launch party. There's lots of f[bleep]g involved. Lots and lots of it at the skeevy white guy's party, it sounds like. Watch the clip below to see how much better you can make a corporate video by adding a few well-timed bleeps.  More »

—>If Microsoft is serious about getting people to host wild, enthusiastic Windows 7 parties, the company should get potential hosts psyched up the way it did this guy who lives in the Caribbean.  More »

—>Everyone likes hosting launch parties, right?! What? No one likes them? They're not real parties—just promotional events dreamed up to move units? But Microsoft told me that it's okay to host my own launch party! It'll be cool! Just look at these two married couples hanging out and gabbing like a box of birds about how much they love Windows 7.  More »

—>Erik has been patiently trying to get his stolen Xbox Live account back for a month and a half now, but all Microsoft has done to help is lie and fail to follow up on phone calls or emails. Oh, and there was that one point where they sent "how to get your account back" instructions to the person who had stolen the account, which sort of defeated the point.  More »

—>When Apple needs to come up with a hot new product, it turns to CEO Steve Jobs, who is said to micromanage everything from the color of the product's box to how overpriced it should be. And, when Microsoft needs to go after the next big thing, the company turns to ... Steve Jobs. At least that seems to be the idea behind Microsoft's latest plan, which involves poaching managers from Apple's retail stores.  More »

—>If you visited the New York Times website last week, you may have been surprised to have your browsing interrupted by one of those scammy "we're scanning your computer for viruses OH NO YOU HAVE A VIRUS!" ads that overtake your window. Now Microsoft has filed 5 lawsuits in an attempt to fight back against the jerks who may have been responsible for it, and certainly for other ads like it all over the web.  More »

—>Reader Ben Strauss is doing a cool project for his marketing class - he's surveying Xbox owners to find out how many have had failed Xboxes and/or know someone who does. So far he's interviewed 200 people and is seeing a 71% failure rate, with 85% of respondents saying they know someone with a failed Xbox. Ben writes:  More »

—>WIRED reports the newly released Zune HD can play video games. They found this promo video, posted inside, which reveals the device would play games, something Microsoft hadn't confirmed.  More »

—>A recent flurry of reports on the internets claim that Microsoft has been training Best Buy employees to push customers away from Linux and Mac systems to those running Windows. While some posts claim that the Gatesians are teaching Best Buy workers to become "Linux assassins," most of what's going on looks like typical retail marketing: a deep-pocketed supplier working with a chain to hawk its products more aggressively. However, Linux pros are up in arms about "inaccuracies" in the Microsoft program that walks customers through the advantages of Windows vs. Linux.  More »

—>In case you were wondering whether or not it would be a good idea to let your deadbeat roommate use your debit card to sign up for Xbox Live, Jake checks in to reassure you that no, it's not.  More »

—>Eurogamer reports that Microsoft is charging $7 for the downloadable Crash Course add-on, due this month, to the zombie-splattering Xbox 360 game Left 4 Dead. Crash Course will be free on the PC version of the game via Steam, but the Destructoid story cites a Eurogamer interview with Chet Faliszek of Valve, the game's developer. He tells Eurogamer:  More »

Apparently, some geniuses at Microsoft decided that an Asian man, a black guy, and a white woman wasn't the best way to sell Microsoft's Business Productivity tools in Poland. So they swapped out the black guy with a white guy in the photo. Nothing terribly unusual about that - ads are altered for foreign markets all the time. But that Photoshopped head of a grimacing, palsied yuppie promises to haunt your dreams.   More »

—>Richard thought he'd take advantage of a joint promotion between Microsoft's Bing search engine and Newegg that gives you 10 percent refund via PayPal if you click on a Newegg banner on Bing.  More »

—>The OS coverage this week will mostly be about Apple's upgrade coming out this Friday, but here's a good tip for Windows users who are planning on trying out Windows 7: you can reset the 30 day trial period 3 times, for a total of 120 days. Although it's not an official "feature," Microsoft has announced that they don't care if customers take advantage of it.  More »

—>Thinking about going for a job at one of those snazzy new Microsoft Stores? Time to stock up on the Creatine and start pumping iron, because Microsoft will need you to be able to lift 75 pounds. That's like two Paris Hiltons!  More »

—>Responding to Sony's announcement that a new, cheaper PS3 — as well as a universal price cut to $300 — is imminent, Microsoft is understandably lowering the price of its Xbox 360 Elite to $300, matching the new PS3.  More »

—>If, like every other frustrated Windows customer in the past couple of years, you've been clinging desperately to your works-just-fine copy of XP while Vista scratches at the window like a 'Salem's Lot kid, you may be able to finally unclench this fall. That's when Windows 7 comes out, and Wired offers 7 reasons why it might actually be worth moving over to.  More »

—>The Xbox 360 breaks five times as often as its closest failure-prone competitor, the PlayStation 3, a print edition-only Game Informer survey found.  More »

—>Dork that I am, I got giddy when I heard Microsoft would start selling full downloads of retail Xbox 360 games to hard drives under the new Games on Demand banner. I bought $60 worth of Microsoft points in order to download Call of Duty 2 and Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga.  More »

—>Thanks to a Texas judge's ruling earlier this week, Microsoft has been prohibited from selling or supporting any more copies of Word that can edit XML-based documents. A Toronto-based company, i4i, sued Microsoft in 2007 over its XML editing patent, and the judge ruled in i4i's favor. The ruling kicks in 60 days from now, unless Microsoft decides to appeal. We have a feeling it will.  More »

—>If you were sitting there staring at your Xbox 360 thinking, "Ya know, I really wish there were a way I could start getting you to take money directly out of my checking account," your dreams are realized. Microsoft is now taking PayPal deposits to buy downloadable content.  More »

—>Being a jaded Xbox 360 owner who's watched his console give up the ghost five times, it takes a lot for a tale of Microsoft customer service woe to move me. And yet a reader named Gower accomplished just that by sending a novel-length soliloquy about his maddening run through Xbox 360 hell. What follows is the Cliffs Notes version (grab your hankies):  More »

—>This is old news to some of our readers, but not all: Microsoft is planning to open their own retail stores. What would such a wondrous place look like? Gizmodo has a concept Powerpoint presentation (what else?) that shows what the stores could look like.  More »

—>In a schoolyard bully battle royale, Microsoft and Yahoo are joining forces to target Google, with the aim of relieving the company of its search engine dominance.  More »

—>Microsoft has changed their latest "Laptop Hunters" ad after a complaint from Apple that the Mac prices cited in the ads are misleading and MacBook Pro have been lowered since the ads were produced. The cheapest model with a 15" screen only costs $1700 now, not $2000.  More »

—>Microsoft's greatest triumph with the Xbox 360 is undoubtedly its Xbox Live service, buoyed by robust selection of downloadable games. You can buy digital versions of classic arcade titles, original Xbox games (and starting next month, Xbox 360 games), avant-garde indie gems and even some Nintendo 64 classics. Customers are so in love with the service that they haven't even noticed that prices for downloadable games have crept up more than 15 percent since the system debuted in 2005.  More »

—>Microsoft's series of "Laptop Hunters" ads are cute, realistic, and appeal to consumers at a time when our disposable income is limited. Apple doesn't seem to think they're so cute, though—the company's lawyers apparently tried to have the ads stopped.  More »

—>If I were still preparing to take the GRE, I would start by purchasing study guides from a company that seems to have a grasp of basic logic. That company would not be Kaplan. See, Kaplan assumes that none of their customers are using Windows Vista. You know, the latest commercial release of the world's dominant home computer operating system. At least, that would explain why their practice test software doesn't work on computers running Vista, and their tech support staff don't seem terribly concerned.  More »

—>What happens when Microsoft hires a small digital ad agency to help promote the next version of Office? You get Office 2010: The Movie, an action-thriller interpretation of Microsoft Office. Does it work? You be the judge.  More »

—>Tired of Windows, don't like fine-tuning Ubuntu, can't afford buying into the Apple ecosystem? Google has just announced they're releasing an open source computer operating system called Chrome OS next year.  More »

—>While the Wii and PlayStation 3 give it up for free, Microsoft gets away with charging gamers $50 a year for its online service, Xbox Live, because it's so robust and user-friendly. And yet earlier this week Microsoft revealed it was taking a step to water down that latter advantage by using Silverlight to bombard its users with ads.  More »

Wondering about Windows 7? PC World has put together a FAQ that will bring you up to speed on all the pre-order deals, upgrade policies, and everything else you need to start plotting your escape from Vista. [PC World]  More »

—>Amidst the chatter about the iPhone 3G S and iPhone cultists' users' hate/hate relationship with AT&T, here's another bit of bad news for AT&T subscribers: reader Mark e-mailed to let us know that the cost of directory assistance calls will go up to $1.99 on July 1. Fortunately, when you need 411 service, you don't have to pay for it.  More »

—>MSN has a neat article about the 38 "amazing things" that you didn't know the technology you own could do. The well-meaning writers posted about a neat tech trick, without realizing how it could be misinterpreted.  More »

—>Funny or Die has a pretty funny, nsfw parody of the current Microsoft "You find it, you keep it" commercials. Jake's in the market for a decent laptop that can meet his needs, which include a big screen, the ability to go online, and enough cash left over for some subscriptions to certain adult websites. It's basically what the real commercial would look like in a world without TV censors.  More »

—>Microsoft feels it was tricked out of $750,000 in online ad dollars by three Vancouver residents, so it's suing their pants off and trying to set a new precedent for throwing legal heft around in the digital advertising world.  More »

—>Since 1991, Microsoft Money has been there to keep track of your financial triumphs and foibles, making you fess up to your dumb impulse purchases and encouraging you to believe that your mountain of debt really will dissipate if you keep on chipping away.  More »

—>Although we received an indication in March that Microsoft was phasing out its Xbox 360 return policy of sending customers padded boxes with prepaid return envelopes, gaming blog Joystiq confirmed that Microsoft quietly made it official in late May.  More »

—>Good news for gamers, bad news for anyone who count the pixel-obsessed among their social media friends: This Fall Microsoft will bring Facebook and Twitter applications to the Xbox 360, allowing gamers to more easily stalk acquaintances from their couches and brag about their gaming accomplishments. Gaming blog Joystiq covered the announcement, which came at Microsoft's Electronic Entertainment Expo press conference in Los Angeles Monday:  More »

—>Microsoft's Zune is like Rocky in his fight with Ivan Drago. After getting the crap thoroughly beaten out of it in front of the entire civilized world, the Zune just keeps stepping back into the ring for more punishment.   More »

—>If Microsoft has its way bending your brain with a megabucks ad budget for its forthcoming Bing search engine, someday you'll replace the verb "googled" with "binged." Which could give new meaning to the phrase "binged and purged," but whatever.   More »

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—>Bad news for gamers who are dreaming of an Xbox 361, PlayStation 4 or Wiii. You won't be playing hovercraft Mario Kart or holographic Halo until well into President Palin's first term.  More »

—>Taking a page from the grossly overpriced playbook of Barnes & Noble college bookstores, earlier this week MIcrosoft sent an e-mail to users of the myriad Windows Live and MSN services reminding them that they...had opted not to receive e-mail from Microsoft. Um, thanks?  More »

—>According to research by the gaming blog Joystiq, a mysterious new error has been affecting the XBOX 360. The "E74" error, according to some non-scientific data compiled by the blog, has been increasing since the debut of NXE (New XBOX Experience). Now Microsoft is acknowledging the error and extending their 3-year Red Ring Of Death warranty to cover it.  More »

—>Xbox Live has struck again, this time by screwing up the auto-renewal on a customer's account and ruining the prepaid annual membership he activated just three months ago.  More »

—>It's not uncommon to run into a dead end when trying to resolve your Xbox 360 or Xbox Live issues with the official customer support channels, which is why sometimes you have no recourse other than to try to get the attention of the executives at Microsoft. Here are some addresses to try, culled from the Penny Arcade forums.  More »

—>By now, most people know about the dreaded Red Ring of Death issue on the XBOX 360 — and the accompanying 3 year warranty. What many do not know is that that 3 year warranty only covers the "3 red lights" issue. If you get any other error code, you're out of luck.  More »

—>Every year Erick gets a Christmas present from Capital One. They reopen the credit card he closed 4 or 5 years ago. At that point, Microsoft gets into the act and starts billing that account for XBOX Live service he canceled at about the same time.   More »

—>Reader Zach's Xbox 360 just suffered its second Red Ring of Death. He dutifully called up Microsoft customer support to get a shipping box to mail his Xbox in for repairs, and instead was told he'd need to find his own box and ship it himself.  More »

—>Teresa, the reader who was banned from XBOX Live for self-identifying as a lesbian, caused quite a stir on the internet. Joystiq managed to get a statement out of Microsoft regarding the issue. Microsoft says they do not allow expressions of sexuality of any kind in GamerTags or in profiles, and that they take harassment "very seriously."  More »

—>Teresa says that she was harassed by other players and later suspended from XBOX Live because she identified herself as a lesbian in her profile. When she appealed to Microsoft, she says they told her that other gamers found her sexual orientation "offensive."  More »

—>Last week, a U.S. federal court judge denied class action status to the Microsoft "Vista Capable" lawsuit, on the grounds that "the plaintiffs could not demonstrate that their claims were common to the entire class of consumers who bought computers marked with the 'Windows Vista Capable' but without the 'Premium Ready' label."  More »

The New York Times' Bits Blog posits a terrifying idea: what if they bring back Clippy to work the floor in the new Microsoft retail stores? "It looks like you're trying to run out of the store in disgust!" [Bits]  More »

—>Those wily Xbox 360 gremlins are at it again, and this time they're cracking Michael's game discs in little spokes along the inner ring of each disc. His customer service call went nowhere, naturally, so someone on the Penny Arcade forum where he posted his story suggested an Executive Email Carpet Bomb. The only problem is, it keeps getting sent back as spam.   More »

—>Do you play games for more than 3 years? I do! I still like Super Mario 3, and that's no lie. Well, if you are like me, you might be concerned about the fact that the PC version of Gears of War shipped with DRM that automatically made the game unplayable after 1/28/09.  More »

—>Video games are proving recession-proof as record sales continue even as the economy goes from bad to worse to holy %#$% #$%!!  More »

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—> Brooke's long, tedious, and unnecessary Zune repair is finally over, and it appears Microsoft has done her right. The day after our post on her situation went live, she got a call from Blarim, a personal rep at Microsoft Seattle, and the ball went a-rolling. But she ended up getting a lot more than just her Zune back.  More »

—>The 30-gig Zunes may have temporarily revolted last week, but Brooke's limited edition 80-gig Zune has been MIA for over three months now, apparently lost in that magical ever-transitioning Zune world from the commercials. (It just keeps falling through floors and walls and swimming pools.) Maybe someone at Microsoft can take a look at what Brooke's had to go through so far, and get back to her with a real answer?  More »

—>If you're Steve Jobs, you probably dream of stories like this: Zunes all over the world froze up at around 2am this morning and won't reboot, and nobody knows why.  More »

—>Wanna know why your call to customer service went so poorly? Maybe because it was routed to an outsourced call center run by Teleperformance USA where, according to an insider, customer service goes to die...  More »

—>Ryan is probably looking at his XBOX 360 right now, wishing he could play it, but he can't. Why not? Red Ring. And Microsoft can't fix it because they say they already have it.  More »

—>Emily bought a very "high quality" pirated copy of Windows from an Amazon seller and didn't realize that anything was amiss for an entire year.  More »

—>Inside, email addresses, phone numbers, and addresses for over 100 different companies to inject your customer service complaints into their corporate executive offices, and get it well on the way to success.  More »

—>Anyone who was once a child or has been around a child during the holidays knows that toy packages are pure evil straight from hell. Now, according to a letter currently on the front page of Amazon.com, they've decided to dedicate themselves to removing this scourge from your lives.  More »

—>A reader signing off as "Sucker" wants to let the world know that Circuit City's extended warranties/replacement plans aren't living up to the sales pitch. When he bought his XBOX 360, the salesperson assured "Sucker" that if the XBOX broke (as they tend to) that instead of having to wait around for a replacement — he could get a refund in the form of a gift card. He accepted. Guess what didn't happen?  More »

—>Thomas did something dumb and he wants to warn others not to follow in his footsteps. He assumed (incorrectly) that his $7.99 per month subscription to XBOX Live would roll over into a yearly subscription once he'd paid $50. (A yearly subscription costs $50, obviously.) Yeah, it didn't.   More »

—>The next phase of Microsoft's new advertising campaign launches today, and the company is taking some shots at Apple's ubiquitous "I'm a Mac, I'm a PC" tv spots. The New York Times says that the new campaign will feature interesting, exciting people (like the dude in the shark cage above) embracing their "PCness."   More »

—>Someone is jealous of the Apple Genius Bar! Microsoft has announced that they'll be sending 150 "Gurus" to electronics stores like Best Buy and Circuit City in order to improve their customer experience.   More »

Speaking of elite, the XBOX 360 just got cheaper. Cheaper than the Wii.  More »

—>XBOX Live member ForceTrainer writes in with an update about his issue with Microsoft. In our last episode, ForceTrainer has been charged $50 for 2 months of a XBOX Live gold membership— the price of a year of service.   More »

—>XBOX Live member ForceTrainer says that after he forgot to update his credit card information, Microsoft shut down his XBOX Live account. He was fine with this, but when he tried to update his info, pay his balance, and convert his account to silver, Microsoft demanded he pay an entire year's fee to settle the two months he was delinquent.   More »

—>Of all the good places to store a sheet of stickers, "inside someone else's refurbished XBOX 360" is fairly low on the list. Maybe even at the very bottom. Unfortunately for reader Nick, Microsoft appears to be using his XBOX as sticker storage. Read Nick's letter inside.  More »

—>During their press briefing at E3, Microsoft announced that they have entered a partnership with Netflix, according to MSNBC. The (unholy) union means that starting this fall, Xbox users will be able to view streaming videos from Netflix's collection, however, they may only select from the 10,000 movies and shows which are available online and not the complete DVD library which includes some 100,000 titles. Microsoft has been touting this new service as free, however, that's not completely true. Details, inside...  More »

—>Today's episode of everyone's favorite post "Stupid Shipping Gang" is sure to be a crowd-pleaser! Newegg was concerned about Rob's software license (Just a license. No discs.) being damaged so they shipped it in a box. With packing peanuts.  More »

—>Here at the Consumerist we get a lot of emails requesting more "happy stories." While we wait for some to happen, here are 13 headlines we would love to write. They are in no particular order.  More »

—>As suspected, Microsoft has finally addressed the DRM issue with content you've purchased on your Xbox 360. In the past, if you bought a new console you couldn't transfer the licenses�one customer was told by an Xbox 360 CSR to "buy the content again." Now you can visit this page on xbox.com and transfer your licenses to a new console. Hooray for progress!  More »

—>The results of the Harris Interactive survey that tracks the reputations of the 60 most visible companies in America has been released and here they are: Google is tops and Halliburton is not. Not shocking, but there are some interesting findings. Honda is the only car company to make the top 10, and Comcast, Sprint and Northwest Airlines are the least well-regarded in their respective industries.   More »

Today is the last day to buy a Dell computer with XP instead of Vista. [Consumer Reports]  More »

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—>Reader Mac's XBOX 360 was out of warranty when it broke, so he decided to buy a new one thinking he could just transfer his old hard drive to the new XBOX. Sadly, no matter what he tries he can't get his content to work properly on the new machine. He called Microsoft to see if they could help him out (after all they do this sort of transfer all the time for people whose boxes are replaced under warranty), but Microsoft's only answer was "buy all your content a second time."   More »

—>Microsoft charged Bill $1,632 for a single Windows Vista Ultimate upgrade license. Each time Bill, an IT Manager, tried to his enter his payment details through Windows Live Marketplace he was told that Microsoft could not be contacted, and to "please try again later." What Microsoft really meant was, "Ha! Got your money! How 'bout some more?!"  More »

This is Round 44 in our Worst Company in America contest, US Air vs Microsoft!Here's what readers said in previous rounds about why they hate these two companies...  More »

—>Reader Richard would like to use his full name as his gamer tag, but XBOX has decided that "Gaywood" is offensive. Here's his letter:  More »

—>Reader Jeff writes in with yet another tale of Xbox woe: After sending in his third Xbox 360 for a third Red Ring of Death, he was surprised to receive a package from Microsoft only seven days later. "I figured Microsoft was so efficient and concerned about their loyal customers that the quickly delivered me another 360," says Jeff. That's not what happened.  More »

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—>Jason at Doombot has developed a process for reaching intelligent life at XBOX customer service. He discovered this easy 4-step procedure thanks to a XBOX 360 that enjoys not reading discs.  More »

—>Bryan Carroll can't pick up his repaired Xbox because Microsoft printed his name on the address label as "Brian Dyranerool." After he scheduled a repair with a CSR in India, Bryan was assured that he would receive a shipping box within 3-5 days. After 6 days had passed, he contacted an apologetic supervisor who said she would simply email him a shipping label and send out a free wireless controller for his wasted time and trouble. However, the name on his shipping label read, "Brian Dryanerool." He contacted Microsoft about the error and was told that the problem was corrected. The good news is that Bryan's Xbox was repaired and shipped swiftly to a UPS customer center. The bad news is that his box was addressed to "Brian Dryanerool," and he was not allowed to pick up the repaired Xbox. Bryan describes his saga inside:  More »

—>Microsoft hasn't returned Tiffany's XBox 360 for four months because they think she is a thief, even though she has her original receipt and a credit card statement proving that she is the console's rightful owner. Microsoft repaired the XBox back in January and tried to return it via FedEx, but a shipping snafu landed the box back at Microsoft's service center. Tiffany has called repeatedly. She even sent a letter to Microsoft's legal department, after sending her receipt and statement, asking how else she could prove ownership. That was 22 days ago. She has yet to receive a response.  More »

—>This is Round 24 in our Worst Company in America contest, Toshiba vs Microsoft. Vote which sucks more, inside...  More »

—>Reader Dustin lives on a military base and Microsoft keeps telling him that they can't fulfill his warranty because UPS doesn't ship XBOXs back and forth from military bases. According to UPS, this isn't true. Dustin tried escalating his complaint and got some apologies, but months went by and still no box arrived for his broken XBOX 360.  More »

—>Though Microsoft bowed to a gamer backlash and gave 3-year warranty protection for the widespread Xbox hardware failure known as "The Red Ring of Death," it seems another debilitating malfunction, "The Red Light of Death," hasn't become enough of a PR fiasco to merit the same treatment. Let's help it along with reader Steve's story...  More »

—>After he called Microsoft to cancel his Zune account, reader Will noticed that his XBOX Live account was suddenly silver instead of gold.   More »

—> He just wants to send his Xbox in for repair, and you keep losing his request. He swears he's not a "crazy blogger," but despite that, we still want to help him. So please? You've got all his phone numbers and contact info now. Can you send a box?  More »

Evening, Consumerist Editors (and hopefully readers)!  More »

—>Remember that video game fan who sent in for repair an XBOX covered in all sorts of priceless art, along with the express instructions for it not to be washed? And then it was washed? Well, he already got a nice box of goodies from Bungie, but now Microsoft has stepped up and sent him their own prize package which includes a faceplate signed by Bill Gates. Nothing like a frag marathon officially endorsed by the second-wealthiest man in the world! Woohoo, game on!  More »

—>Great news, America: Intel's ultra-cheap Classmate PC isn't just for impoverished third-world schoolchildren anymore! The chipmaker today announced plans to sell the notebook domestically in the coming months. Intel insists its sub-notebook isn't designed to compete with the non-profit One Laptop Per Child project, which is powered by chips from Intel's rival, AMD, but they have aggressively moved to undercut OLPC wherever possible. The laptop will likely cost Americans less than $500.  More »

Apparently, Microsoft is thinking about using Johnny Knoxville to sell PCs to "jackasses." [CajunBoyIntheCity]  More »

—>Remember Nathanial? Microsoft's repair center senseless erased the valuable signatures and cool artwork he had painstakingly collected on his XBox 360. When Bungie, the maker of Halo, saw what happened, they wanted to help—even though they had nothing to do with the calamity. They decided to ship Nathanial an awesome swag bag stuffed with signature-adorned freebies.  More »

—>We read a lot of stories about companies doing boneheaded things but rarely do we read anything like what reader Nathanial sent in.   More »

—> Reader Brad took his XBOX Live Gamertag to a friend's house. When he got home, he realized that he'd forgotten his memory card (with the Gamertag on it) at his friend's place.   More »

A couple of weeks ago we wrote about the Windows Vista hearing, where Microsoft executives were shown to have complained internally about the misleading "Vista Capable" campaign. The judge has granted the case class action status. [Computerworld]  More »

XBOX HD DVD is dead on sale for $49. [Bloomberg]  More »

—>Reader Kevin's XBOX 360 suffered the usual Red Ring of Death, so he sent it in to be repaired. He got back a different XBOX 360 with a different serial number. That would be no big deal, except Kevin has purchased a bunch of content through XBOX Live... content that is no longer fully functional due to Microsoft's broken DRM.   More »

—> Microsoft's "Vista Capable" program was so misleading that even Microsoft executives complained about it according to emails revealed last week in court. The emails were read aloud at a hearing to determine class-action status for a related lawsuit against the company. One corporate vice president wrote, ""I PERSONALLY got burnt. ... Are we seeing this from a lot of customers? ... I now have a $2,100 e-mail machine." The co-president of another division wrote, "We really botched this. ... You guys have to do a better job with our customers."  More »

Yahoo rejects Microsoft's takeover bid for reals for reals. We are safe from the threat of the creation of the world's largest, crappiest, search engine...for now. [AP]  More »

—>Cupid is helping Microsoft whisper sweet apologies to customers who may not receive their Valentine's Day edition Zune until after February 14. Even though the players are en route, the company has promised full refunds to any scorned Zune buyers.  More »

—>If you have a problem with your XBOX and you want it heard by senior executives, here are some dudes to blast it to:  More »

866-506-3826 is an escalated XBOX support number where they all speak English.  More »

Microsoft has been trying to make Google seem like a threat to privacy, when in fact it's both of them," says Jeff Chester, the executive director of the Center for Digital Democracy (CDD). "We may now have two companies that will rival the National Security Agency in their ability to compile detailed profiles of users wherever they go online."  More »

Microsoft is interested in buying Yahoo! [Ars Technica]  More »

—>Jon writes:

I was one of the first to get an Xbox 360 when they came out, paying way more than I should have. I had problems with the console right out of the box and after weeks of haggling with their normal customer service department, I was contacted by their escalation department. Within a week, my problems were solved and they sent me a bunch of free stuff (games & controllers). Fast forward two years, and I'm having the same problem. I emailed both Bill Gates and Kathleen Hogan(Corporate Vice President, Worldwide Customer Service, Support and Customer and Partner Experience) yesterday...

—>The video game industry is on fire! Wooo! Sales are up! Times are good!

In December, Nintendo had its biggest month ever with the hot-selling game system. Holiday shoppers bought 1.4 million Wiis, according to sales data released Thursday by the NPD Group. The Wii's success helped drive the video game industry to a record-setting $17.9 billion in sales, about 43% higher than 2006's $12.5 billion, which was also a record.

—>Reader Jen was having a hard time using AT&T's website. She says, "It was very slow, I was asked to log in several times, the fonts unreadably small in places (and not just fine print, either)."  More »

—>Microsoft sells scratch off cards that contain codes you can use with XBOX live. Trouble is, if you get overzealous and scratch off the code along with the scratch-off stuff—you're out of luck.  More »

—>On 1/8/08, 10 years after he placed a call to Microsoft tech support, they called Brian back to see if his problem had been resolved. Are they just that backed up? Latent Y2K error? Phishing attempt? The truth is much more banal, and potentially, more frightening. See if you can figure out the solution before continuing on to the answer...  More »

—>Dan, whose Xbox360 was "lost in transit," spent the past six months trying to get either UPS or Microsoft to give him what he had paid his hard-earned money for, has finally succeed in his quest. After we posted his story (see Microsoft Presents: UPS And The Case Of The Vanishing XBOX 360) and he sent executive email carpet bombs (EECBs) to both UPS and MIcrosoft, they are shipping him a brand new Xbox360. We briefly spoke with Dan over IM about his harrowing journey...  More »

The free Microsoft Vista offer reported by Lifehacker yesterday is now off the table due to high demand. [Computerworld] (Thanks, Melinda!)  More »

—> Oh noes! The children! Microsoft released a Santa bot on its Windows Messenger network that had a surprising predilection for swinging the conversation to oral sex.   More »

State of the Console Wars: Wii is still winning, Microsoft is second, and Sony is complaining that they're not as far back as Microsoft says they are. [Seattle P-I]  More »

Marvel at Microsoft's craptacular "Office Online Gift Guide 2007." Professional backgrounds for PowerPoint for only $199! [Microsoft via BoingBoing]  More »

—>"While moving to our new house last week a friend who was helping us accidentally spilt beer on my son's DS lite and it stopped working. I knew that his DS was still under warranty, but I also knew that I would not cover physical damage caused by neglect. After checking Nintendo's website, and confirming that spilling liquid on it would not be covered and that I would have to pay for the repair."   More »

Microsoft has said it will not participate in the upcoming wireless spectrum auction, because it wouldn't help their business model, which is to create and sell software to handset makers. [Reuters]  More »

—> Okay, we'll say it, and understand that we're writing this post on an old iBook: the iPod line is starting to look tired. Sure, that Touch is elegant in the same way as the iPhone—but its capacity is similar to the Nano, and what if don't want to carry around a Kubrick-style slab of minimalism? There are now some really nice alternatives out there if you're willing to walk away from the perks of being a member of the Apple camp.  More »

—> Today Microsoft unveiled "Health Vault," a "search-engine" supported service that will organize your health records, should you decide to allow your doctors to share them with Microsoft.   More »

—>It seems people aren't taking to Vista as quickly as Microsoft would have liked. The result? XP will remain available through June 30, 2008.   More »

—>Next gen consoles have more features than ever before, but if you're like many consumers, you don't know about them.  More »

—>The rumored 20 gigabyte XBOX 360 price cut goes into effect tomorrow according to the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. If you're in the market for an XBOX, don't buy one today or you'll pay $50 more for no reason.  More »

—>Can't beat 'em? Compete with them! Microsoft has lowered their prices in China in an attempt to thwart pirating.   More »

—>The CCIA, an industry trade group representing the interests of the likes of Google and Microsoft, asked us to let you know they've started an online petition at DefendFairUse.org.   More »

—>Google, Microsoft, and others speaking through the Computer and Communications Industry Association or CCIA, have announced their intention to file a complaint with the FCC accusing copyright holders such as Major League Baseball, the National Football League, the MPAA and the RIAA of "overstating" their rights in various consumer warnings.  More »

—>Coca-Cola has come out on top of the "Best Brands" Harris Poll for the first time ever. Sony, the leader for the past 7 years slipped to number 2.   More »

Brouwer said his Xbox 360 scratched two of his games, "Gears of War" and "Madden NFL 07," and that Microsoft offered to replace the games for a $20 fee. He is seeking more than $5 million in damages, according to the court filing.

—>Remember Richard? Microsoft and numerous commenters mocked him for trying to get his XBOX360 fixed under warranty repair because he had a random tech pry open the box, thus voiding the warranty.   More »

—>The racketeering case against Best Buy and Microsoft has taken an ugly turn. An attorney for Best Buy has admitted to altering emails that were to be used as evidence in the case. If you're new to this class action lawsuit, Microsoft is accused of paying Best Buy to collect and use customer's credit card information without their permission, signing them up for "free trials" of MSN that they didn't want and or weren't aware existed. When the free trial period was up, MSN began to bill them without their knowledge or consent. A former Best Buy employee wrote in to confess to pulling this sort of scheme on customers, if you're looking for more detail on how it all worked.   More »

—>It's not a direct line, but you'll get to the admin secretary closest to Steve Ballmer. If you have a longstanding Microsoft issue that multiple trips to the MS customer service line haven't solved, try pitching her your problems.  More »

—>Meet Tim. Tim has a simple request. He'd like to run Windows XP on his new laptop and Windows Vista on his old laptop. This requires him to switch the operating systems. Sounds easy. It's not. Tim writes:

So, I'm running XP on the new laptop and Home Premium on the old laptop. I have the Dell OEM Home Premium disk and the Windows Anytime Upgrade disk with a CD key.   More »

—>However much you like your man now, don't let him sign up for XBOX Live using your credit card. Why not? Because after you've broken up, Microsoft won't take your credit card number off of his account. Instead, they'll tell you to change your credit card number or submit it to you credit card company as fraud. Also, they will be sarcastic to you on the phone. Weird, huh?   More »

—>Is Xbox360 like the most fault-prone device in the history of video gaming or what? As if in a deliberate attempt to add injury to insult to injury, Microsoft provided only a 90-day warranty, AND staffed their call centers with a goodly numbers of jerks. To wit, this recent conversation Richard had when trying to get his Xbox360 fixed under warranty repair:  More »

—>If you bought a laptop at the end of last year, you probably qualified for a free Vista upgrade. We did and although it took 6 weeks to get the disc in the mail from our laptop manufacturer, we didn't run into too many hassles. No so for a lot of people, according to PC World:

"I was told it would be an easy process," says William Bond, of Tampa, Florida. But, he says, the process has been anything but simple. Bond purchased a Hewlett-Packard Pavilion desktop in November at Circuit City and is still waiting for his Vista upgrade disc from ModusLink, the company handling the program for HP.  More »

—>When you think RICO you think Al Capone, or maybe Tony Soprano if you watch too much HBO. You don't really think of Best Buy and Microsoft, do you? James Odom does. He's the original plaintiff in a now 4 year old class action lawsuit that just won't go away for Best Buy and Microsoft, one that now includes racketeering charges.   More »

—>If you're in the market for a Zune, you might want to check your local (closing) Tweeter store because they are experiencing a glut according to Reader Andrew, who sent in this photo.   More »

—>UPDATE: Dan gets sweet sweet resolution.  More »

—>After hearing from over 10,000 users wary of Windows Vista, Dell has decided to once again sell computers loaded with Windows XP. Most computer makers stopped offering XP after Vista's launch, even though many users, especially small businesses, are wary of the newfangled operating system. Dell did not consider these concerns reasonable at first.

But on Dell's IdeaStorm Web site, where visitors can post suggestions for the company and vote on the ones they think are important, a plea titled "Don't eliminate XP just yet" racked up more than 10,700 votes.

Under the settlement, individuals and businesses that purchased certain Microsoft software between May 18, 1994 and June 30, 2006 are eligible for benefits, as well as Iowa state and local governments that purchased software between July 1, 2002 and June 30, 2006. The OSes included in the settlement range from MS-DOS all the way up through Windows NT and Windows XP, and the other applications include Word, Except, and various versions of Office.   More »

—>Following Apple's lead, Microsoft has announced that the Zune Marketplace will offer DRM-free downloads from EMI's catalogue. Microsoft also claims to be discussing similar arrangements with other music labels.

"The EMI announcement on Monday was not exclusive to Apple," said Katy Asher, a Microsoft spokeswoman on the Zune team, in an e-mail to the IDG News Service today. She said Microsoft has been talking with EMI and other record labels "for some time now" about offering unprotected music on its Zune players in an effort to meet the needs of its customers.

—>Recently we posted a Dell tech support chat in which the Dell rep cut the call short by blaming windows for a (probable) hardware issue, claiming a Windows Vista Upgrade was "third party software." Oddly, it seems that Microsoft likes to pull the same trick on Dell owners.   More »

—>Conor's plan to return his broken Xbox in a 40ft shipping container is over, thanks to Microsoft's improved Xbox warranty, which now says:  More »

03/27/2007 01:18:23PM Agent: "Did you purchase your copy of windows from Dell?"  More »

The clerk told the customer that Microsoft handles all warranties on the Xbox360 and that Microsoft would not allow BestBuy to exchange the device.  More »

—>Reader Kim is mad. Her dad called MSN because he was having some computer issues, and they changed his password to something that he doesn't remember. Unfortunately for Kim's Dad, MSN's solution to a lost password is to email the password to the account that you lost the password for. Even more brilliantly, if you call to reset your password, MSN's verification system is based on the credit card number used to open the account, and that Kim's Dad no longer remembers.  More »

—>Microsoft is sending ALL of its XP and Vista tech support calls to India starting March 29th, according to a call center insider. Previously, the call volume was split between a site in North America and locations in Deli and Bangalore.   More »

For three weeks this March and April, Microsoft Corp. warns that users of its calendar programs ''should view any appointments... as suspect until they communicate with all meeting invitees.''  More »

—>Yesterday's fanciful Windows Vista promotion featured thirteen unitard clad abseilers racing down the Terminal Building, waving gaily colored flags to form the Vista logo. It may also have been completely illegal according to NYC Admin Code.  More »

—>Gothamist has evidence of some "off the wall" advertising by Microsoft. In celebration of the imminent Vista launch, they set up a special billboard in Manhattan...then circus performers encased in colorful scuba diving suits repelled down the surface, hailed cabs and left. Yes, really. It kind of reminds us of that dance cycle guy from the Big Lebowski. Not sure if that was their intention.—MEGHANN MARCO  More »

The other day we linked an article that listed 15 reasons to switch to Vista. The article was from PC World. Now they have one called: "Wait! Don't Buy Microsoft Windows Vista!" Here are some of their reasons:  More »

• Most CompUSA stores will be open from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. (New Jersey stores will not be open because of state retailing laws.)  More »

—>It appears that Microsoft and T-Mobile have teamed up to offer free T-Mobile HotSpot Wifi to users of Windows Vista starting January 30th through April 30th. The promotion actually goes live today, the 26th, but that's a "secret." Oooh, rumors on the internets. Check out Microsoft and T-Mobile's incredibly odd website for more details.—MEGHANN MARCO  More »

This site is a result of my customer service experience with the Microsoft Xbox 360 support/repair team. My 360 failed for the second time in 6 months but this time the service has changed... without warning. According to their "highest tiered" phone agent, Microsoft has exercised their "right to change the terms and conditions" of my warranty without notification. Upon first failure I received an empty box in the mail to return the damaged goods in, shipping covered. This time the cost of shipping falls upon me and, apparently, there is no other option. I pressed and pressed and pleaded my case but I was assured there are no exceptions. Well, since they can't help me out and cover the cost of an empty box, they are going to be receiving and returning the biggest damn box they have ever seen. I won't spend 15 dollars but I'll spend 15,000 dollars to prove my point and expose their conniving ways.  More »

—>Let's face it, you must want those semi-transparent windows or whatever, because they keep showing them to us. Look, look, "special windows!" Ok, awesome. But how do you get Vista onto your Windows XP machine? Can you even upgrade? Will your computer even run it?  More »

Gates said that no one is satisfied with the current state of DRM, which "causes too much pain for legitimate buyers" while trying to distinguish between legal and illegal uses. He says no one has done it right, yet. There are "huge problems" with DRM, he says, and "we need more flexible models, such as the ability to "buy an artist out for life" (not sure what he means). He also criticized DRM schemes that try to install intelligence in each copy so that it is device specific.  More »

—>Lifehacker has a Q&A with Microsoft that's pretty interesting, as the questions were taken from Lifehacker readers. Of critical importance: Should you upgrade?  More »

—>Brent's friend bought an XBOX in November with a 90-day warranty. It died. When he called the Bangalore based tech support, "Steve" told him:  More »