Yet he's guilty until proven innocent, and Microsoft isn't willing to hear him out. He writes:

My console and my fiance's console were caught up in the Mass Banning going on by Microsoft in their latest Pirate Witch Hunt. My fiance is a chef, and plays games like Viva Pinata, Arcade Games, and can't figure out how to remove the battery pack, much less tear apart her system to "mod" anything.

I have purchased (2) Xbox 360 consoles (one for each of us), 68 games, several hundred dollars worth of Live content and DLC, another several hundred on disks that were scratched by faulty first gen consoles, a faulty 20 gig drive that Microsoft refused to warranty, and extra controllers / etc. All together I have dropped over $5200 supporting Microsoft, which I don't have a problem with ... what I DO take issue with is that yesterday we downloaded some content for the game Left 4 Dead and played it a bit, this morning I turned on my console and when I tried to log in, it stated my console was banned. What? The only "mod" I have ever done to my Xbox 360 was replace the crapped out 20 gig drive with an official 120 gig drive I purchased at Best Buy (I know, don't hate on me for buying at Best Buy...) and that was almost 5 months ago. Of course I had a RRoD, but that was over a year ago (whic was another horror story all together).

Of course I tried to figure out what happened, but the outsourced "support" team refused to give me ANY information other than their investigations were very though. At one point a man who called himself "Charles" told me that it was my problem and I should learn to follow the rules, then hung up on me. I checked the Xbox Live Forums and while I am sure that some of the people posting in the Account Suspension and Player Feedback forum have probably done something to their consoles, I find if hard to believe that ALL of the people posting in there have modded their systems or whatever it is Microsoft has been flagging for.

One forum post shows exactly the type of sub-par support I experienced: A supposed Microsoft Support Rep named "StormShadow425" belittles a concerned customer and at one point tells him "But this is what you get back for tampering the console."

Here is the thread if you are interested in seeing what type of support you can expect from Microsoft now.

As it will take several weeks for Microsoft to check my system / account / whatever black magic they do to determine if they made a mistake, I have pretty much written off any more Xbox Live and online gaming on my Xbox for a month at least, if ever. My fiance never actually played on Live, we would either System Link via Wireless to play Left 4 Dead with each other, of if a friend came over and we wanted to play 4-way split screen, or she would just play her little games, so not a big deal there. Our accounts were going to revert to Silver in February I think so not a big deal anyway. I think I am more angry with the spectacular terrible support Microsoft has, and the way they treat their customers... especially right before the Holiday season when people are looking to spend on gifts? I was considering picking up an Arcade bundle for my nephew, but I think I have pretty much crossed that off the list, ha ha! He will have to settle for a Nintendo DSi or possibly a PS3 now that they are cheaper.

Has anyone been banned by Xbox Live for accused modding and managed to get the ban lifted? Other than buying new consoles and starting new Xbox Live accounts, there must be some way for Jeff to get out of this mess.

(Photo: jim699)

We polled readers, who by a 51-29 percent vote said he should keep the console. Ian, though, tried his darndest to get Best Buy to accept the 360, but Best Buy wouldn't have it. He writes:

A seemingly agonizingly long time later (today), Alex from Best Buy Corporate Offices left a message on my home phone. I've written down the most important part.

"I contacted the regional office, and we can't seem to find out where you got two. I guess at this point, you can just keep that, if you haven't returned it to the store already."

I, like approximately two thirds of consumerist readers who answered the poll, have no qualms about receiving a free Xbox from Best Buy. I was very surprised how many of the commenters (who were the minority) proclaimed me a morally corrupt human being for accepting the free Xbox I was offered. I would just like to point out how you really shouldn't judge my entire moral fiber based on one action. I'm a guy who holds doors open for people and regularly gives to charity. At the end of the day, I get to keep the Xbox.

Cheers to Best Buy for handling its mistake like professionals and letting Ian off the hook— as the Cardinals refused to do for the Bears Sunday.

(Photo: tubbynj)

According to Engadget, the new update will allow Xbox users to access content from Facebook, Twitter, and Last.fm, but it will also block "unauthorized" memory cards. Xbox owners are using third-party cards because the largest Microsoft memory card only allows for 512 MB of storage, whereas the unauthorized cards have memory capacities in the gigabytes.

Reader Luis, who sells memory cards, expressed his concern about the limited capacity to Microsoft, who wrote back and assured him that "we are very focused on continuing to provide more options for people to get the storage they want on our system," so although it's little consolation to owners of third-party memory devices, at least future Xbox owners will have an authorized high-memory option available.

Forthcoming Xbox 360 Update Locks Out Unauthorized Memory Unit [Engadget]
(Photo: Tengaport)

Kotaku spotted a snazzy deal in which you get Rock Band 1 and 2, a guitar and drums for $80, shipping included.

Granted, your friends who probably tired of the game after a few months probably would have sold you all their Rock Band gear for $50 just to get the closet space back, but it's never too late to get into a dated fad. Now, to track down that HyperColor shirt my parents wouldn't buy me in 1992.

Maybe The Best Rock Band Deal Yet [Kotaku]
(Photo: Ubiquitous Frame)

He writes:

My name is Jon. I work for an anime convention and we just ordered 20 refurbished Xbox 360s. One of them was shipped with the wrong power brick (brick had three prongs, cord has two holes — every other console we received had two prongs on the brick and two holes on the cord). I thought that Microsoft's customer support would be understanding. They were not.

The first person I talked to did not understand that I just wanted the power brick replaced, so I got on the horn with Louis, her supervisor. I explained the situation that I wanted the power brick for this one console replaced, so I and the thousands of people who come to our convention have a playable console. I told him the other nineteen consoles were fine. He told me I had to register all of the consoles. Since I did not technically own the console I told him I was not comfortable registering something I did not own. I told him it was his company's responsibility to send out the correct materials of product they refurbish. He told me they do not refurbish consoles. I know this is a lie, as 1) I used to work for MS and know they do, and 2) I had a friend who was just laid off from refurbishing consoles at Microsoft.

He then continued to be rude and would not let me speak to his supervisor. This man continued to be unreasonable, and I eventually told him I would be informing your site and ended the call before I went off the deep end.

Is it too much to just own up to your mistakes? Anyways, I appreciate the help.

Jon gave up on Microsoft and ended up ordering the proper part online. He probably would have been better served his cause to have called customer service again another time or two, hoping for better luck with a more helpful CSR, but if his story is accurate it's inexcusable how he was treated this way.

If you're an Xbox 360 owner, you've more than likely dealt with customer service and developed your chops. If you've got tips on how to deal with Microsoft's wily customer service folk, leave them in the comments.

(Photo: tom.arthur)

He doesn't spell out his request in his message, but you can tell he's struggling with a moral dilemma. The devil on his shoulder tells him that the extended warranty he bought when he purchased his destined-to-break Xbox 360 entitles him to whatever results from the process when he makes Best Buy live up to its end of the bargain. The angel says, "Be better than Best Buy."

He writes:

Today I went and picked up a refurbished Xbox 360 Elite from my local Best Buy that they gave me as a replacement for the one I brought in a couple weeks ago which was broken. The only thing is, I had already returned the broken Xbox and received $400 in store credit for it. I had tried to get it repaired through their extended warranty program (which I know is a terrible deal for everything else, but has worked wonders for my series of Xboxes), and they couldn't repair it. I had been eyeing the release of the Modern Warfare 2 Xbox 360 being released in November, so instead of simply picking up another Xbox 360 Elite, I asked if I could get store credit instead.

The retail price of an Elite was $400 at the time of purchase, and the new MW2 Xbox will also retail for $400. $400 of store credit was granted, as well as a prorated refund of the extended warranty. Basically, I milked the warranty program to get a free upgrade to a newer version of the Xbox (which I had previously done when my Pro Xbox died and I upgraded to an Elite without being charged due to price drops), but this is an entirely new quandry for me. They gave me a replacement Xbox for one I already returned to the store for store credit. I have a feeling it may be an issue with the Best Buy computer system accepting the refund and the Geek Squad system automatically giving me a replacement for an Xbox they couldn't fix. Do you guys think I should try to give it back?

OK, time to weigh in on what you think Ian should do.

(Photo: Tengaport)

Bryan writes:

Just wanted to share what my local Best Buy here in [redacted] was doing to rip the unaware off. They are taking brand new Xbox 360 Elites and opening them and updating the system software, and as you can see in the photo, charging people 29.99 for a service that is available for free!!! Now do they discount these units after they have opened them, nope full price for all. Now I don't know if Microsoft is aware that Best Buy is tampering with the seal and replacing with a Best Buy branded "Inspected By". Sorry for the crappy pics but it's a cheap cell phone don't usually take pics, but readers beware of their new scheme. Thanks Best Buy — way to stick it to the uninformed.

I really should have slapped this with the "above and beyond" tag. Just look at that penmanship! And the exquisite rectangle! It adds the appropriate amount of class to the endeavor.

Jake's roomie skipped out on him, and now he says Microsoft won't let him remove his account unless the roommate gives the thumbs-up. He writes:

Once upon a time I had a roommate and let him use my debit card to sign up for Xbox live as he did not have one, that was many months ago and he has since been evicted for believing going to work and paying rent was not important. About a week ago I noticed I had a charge on my debit card for $20.00 from Xbox live and seeing as I do not own an xbox I knew immediately what it was, a renewal fee for my ex-roommates Xbox live membership. So I called up Xbox Live thinking it would be an easy task to get my Visa removed from the account, turns out it's not.

Even though the Visa is under my name and address the only way they can remove it is if I have my ex-roommates phone number or email he used to sign up for the account. I don't have either and will not be able to find out what they are since as far as I know he still doesn't have a job to pay his phone and I have no idea how to get in contact with him, and even if I did he probably wouldn't speak to me because after all I was the one who kicked him out. I have talked to three representatives and all have told me the same thing so come Monday I will have to go to my bank and see if there is anything I can do from that end. Hopefully they can block Xbox Live from charging me but there is a very good chance I will never get the $20 back.

I've heard similar stories from friends. Microsoft certainly doesn't make it easy to cancel Xbox Live or remove credit cards from profiles.

Calling the bank to stop the charges is a good idea. Hopefully Jake isn't forced to cancel the card altogether. Have any of you found yourselves in similar circumstances?

(Photo: tubbynj)

"We own our platform, Steam. Microsoft owns their platform. They wanted to make sure there's an economy of value there."

You go, Microsoft, with your bad "economy of value" selves.

L4D1 DLC pricing not Valve's decision [Eurogamer, via Destructoid]

GamePro brings the past to life by selecting its five greatest console wars, disregarding the in-progress donnybrook between the Xbox 360, Wii and PlayStation 3, which is destined to crack such future lists.

The choice for No. 1 was easy: the early-1990s clash between the Super Nintendo and Sega Genesis. GamePro's McKinley Noble writes:

With initial sales in Japan turning up nothing, Sega USA used the success of Sonic the Hedgehog, along with an ad campaign that got more ridiculously campy as time went on, to start turning up the heat on Nintendo. Fans started digging trenches and hurling slogans at each other, while TV commercials told the public that Sega's Genesis could do "What Nintendon't". It was magical, and the war went on and on.

The story hardly scratches the surface of the Nintendo-Sega battle for youth gamer mindshare, including Sega's ridiculous "blast processing" ads. So effective were the respective marketing machines, daring you to choose a side and stick to it with ferocity, that it seemed almost sacrilegious to own or profess fandom of both. The ingrained fanboy bias grew up with a generation that refused to put away its childish things and continues to drive up the average gamer age.

As a lifelong Nintendo fanboy, only recently have I managed to separate myself from my taught, ignorant prejudices to respect the greatness of the Genesis classics. But I still hate Sonic the Hedgehog, Mario's spastic rival for the same unquantifiable reason I despise the Dallas Cowboys, and always will.

What about you, Consumerists? Which way did you swing — Nintendo or Sega?

The 5 Greatest Console Wars [GamePro]

A Gizmodo reader spotted the as-yet officially unannounced $100 price cut in a Walmart ad.

Microsoft's attempt to steal Sony's thunder is a win for gamers who are still holding out on plunging into the current generation. Of course, the Wii is still by far the cheapest bet, and judging from Nintendo's sales dominance, it seems the 360 and PS3 are still another price cut away from challenging the current king.

Why Hello, $299 Xbox 360 Elite [Gizmodo via Destructoid]
(Photo: Tengaport)

The poorly manufactured, red ring of death-prone console has a 54.2 percent failure rate, compared to 10.6 percent for the PS3 and the Wii's 6.8 percent.

The magazine surveyed nearly 5,000 readers to get the data. And while the 360's rate is alarmingly higher than the others, it's still bafflingly low because it blows the mind to imagine that 45.8 percent of the consoles have not broken. Also, Microsoft's numbers are inflated because 360s are used the most of the three consoles. Results said 40.3 percent of 360 owners use the console three to five hours a day, compared to 37 percent of PS3 owners. Meanwhile, the plurality of Wii owners (41.4 percent) play their consoles less than an hour a day.

Microsoft also seized the gold medal for unhelpful customer service, taking nearly a month to repair or replace a console, while Nintendo and Sony stuck closer to a week. Only 37.7 percent of Microsoft customers found the company's customer service was "very helpful," compared to 51.1 percent fo Sony and 56.1 percent for Nintendo.

The most shocking number from the survey — and frightening from a consumer perspective — is only 3.8 percent of Xbox 360 owners said they'd never buy another Xbox because of hardware failure.

EPIC FAIL (print edition only) [Game Informer]
(Photo: gongus)

But when I tried to buy the games, my 360 stopped me cold. It gave me the option to either buy the games with a credit card or input a 20-digit code, but wouldn't let me spend my Microsoft funny money.

Discouraged, I called customer service. The CSR told me Games on Demand required "real money" rather than Microsoft Points. When I told him I bought those points with "real money," he explained that Microsoft was responding to consumer demand by letting customers purchase games directly with credit cards rather than making them jump through the Microsoft Points hoops. I asked if he could refund my points or maybe transfer them back into "real money" so I could spend them on the games I wanted, but he turned me down. His supervisor, "George," gave me the same spiel and refused to let me speak to his manager, who "doesn't take calls." At least the supe gave me a reference number and advice about how to complain about his service on xbox.com. A crafty one, George reminded me of the Indian version of myself, so I couldn't find it in my heart to complain.

UPDATE: You can indeed use Microsoft points to buy Games on Demand, contrary to what the CSRs told me. A Microsoft rep said he'd be following up with the misinformed CSRs I spoke with.

(Photo: darabidduckie)

Sticking true to its corporate strategy, Microsoft makes the should-be convenient process more difficult than it needs to be. For starters, you can only deposit funds online, rather than from the console itself. Secondly, the system only lets you buy Microsoft points, the funny-money system that echoes Chuck E. Cheese's tickets-for-prizes setup.

Microsoft's Larry Hryb spells out the process on his Major Nelson Blog:

It's pretty easy and just like adding a credit card to your account. Sign in to Xbox.com and head to the account summary page. From there choose "Manage Payment Options" (from the left navigation menu) then click "Add a new PayPal Account." Follow the instructions and you'll be set up in no time.

There is good reason for Microsoft to allow more ways for gamers to empty their bank accounts into their 360s. Starting Aug. 11, several retail 360 games will be available for download for the first time in a Games on Demand service, ranging between 1,600 and 2,400 Microsoft points ($20-$30).

PayPal now available for US Xbox LIVE Accounts [Major Nelson]
(Photo: Travelin' Librarian)

I had purchased an Xbox 360 about two years ago and during that time I had to send it to Microsoft four-five times for repairs under warranty for various things- red rings, cd drive not working etc.

Because of all the issues with the Xbox Microsoft extended the warranty to three years for additional issues, and in mid May my Xbox stopped working after giving red rings and error messages before having no video on the screen at all.

Gower called customer service and set up the repair. Or so he thought.

The next day I get a message from Sam saying he needed to talk to me further about the issue with no further explanation. All calls made to Sam to try to reach him went unanswered. I did get calls back from Sam at times I specifically said I could not be reached and he left messages telling me to call him back. This went back and forth for a bit until one day it looks like he made a mistake and called me when I told him I was actually available. So what does he do? He hangs up on me as soon as I answer! He then calls me back a half hour later, after I was at work and tells me that due to not being able to reach me he is closing my case.

I then resorted to contacting the BBB on May 26thand a few days later I was contacted by a supervisor named Sean at Xbox support. He apologized and said they would send a box out to return my Xbox through UPS and overnight it to me and I received a tracking number a little later.

Gower's 360 coffin was shipped not to him, but to someone down the road who wasn't there. He had to convince UPS to get the package to him at his proper address. Then he sent the 360 to Microsoft, which promptly told him he'd receive his refurbished unit in short order. Bet you can guess where it was shipped.

I checked the tracking number and it said they tried to deliver but nobody was home at another address that was not mine, again. I called UPS and told them again that they are trying to deliver to someone elses house and to deliver to the correct one tomorrow. I again told Sean about the shipping problems and he told me again he would contact them to straighten the issue out. I was a bit upset at this point as someone was being careless and I didn't like the thought of UPS giving a $300 console to complete strangers.

I got the Xbox delivered to me the next day, however I was quite shocked to find the console was damaged! The USB door was missing from the console and the front of the console was covered in deep scratches like someone had dropped it on the ground several times, and there was the sound of something broken and rattling around inside the console. The box it shipped in had no dents or signs of damage, and there was no sign of the missing usb door in the box so it must have been damaged by the repair center.

Gower e-mailed his good pal Sean, who blamed the damage on UPS and said he'd get another console out to him. Guess where the package ended up?

I waited again for the box to come, and YET AGAIN no box showed up. I went online to check the tracking number and it said in the notes it was delivered to someone elses house yet again, but this time a woman accepted the package at this address and signed for it.

I called UPS quite mad at this point about the errors. It was at this time I found out that nobody from Microsoft called to report the shipping errors or the damage to the console! I emailed the supervisor Sean back relayed back what UPS told me, and he had the nerve to say he never promised to contact UPS about the damage, and that its not his responsibility to contact UPS about the shipping errors! First of all, Microsoft is the shipper so they are in fact required to contact UPS about the errors, as they should have anyways. Added to this, I have save email transcripts from Sean telling me that he would contact them. I even copied quotes from him about him promising to contact UPS about the damage and the shipping errors. So what does he do in response? He emails me back saying that arguing is not going to solve anything and he is ceasing contact with me and will send another shipping box to my address and will only send electronic updates once my Xbox is received and replaced. At this point I had to call Microsoft several times and report how Sean was treating me and handling the case and was able to get the case transferred to another supervisor named Michael who communicated from there on.

When Gower finally got his "like new" 360, which turned out to be the exact same console he had sent in, broken USB door and all. He contacted Michael, who acted as though he didn't believe him and requested pictures. Michael said he didn't know why the repair or replacement wasn't made and sent out another coffin. Gower tried to escalate his complaint and sent two dozen e-mails out but got no replies.

I finally get yet another replacement box, ship it out, and after a week I get confirmation that my Xbox is being sent back. I check online while at work to see the status of the delivery, only to find the message says it was left on front steps of the house (whose, I don't know) at 11:30am, at least seven hours before I get home. I am alarmed since all my other packages have required signatures and I don't know whose bright idea it was to leave a $300 Xbox on the steps without a signature. Ive called UPS and Microsoft and each are placing the blame on the other and neither wants to help me now. Microsoft said they need to run an investigation as to what happened but I have not heard from them about what theyre doing yet. I did get a call from my supervisor Michael yesterday, but he address me by someone elses name (he dialed the wrong customers number). When I told him my name, he hung up on me. No apology or explanation, he just hung up on me. Wont answer his phone or return emails either.

It's now two and a half months since I contacted Microsoft to have the Xbox repaired under warranty. I have resorted to buying a brand new console at the store since I have many Xbox games and HD-DVDs that are useless without a console to play them on. I don't know what to do at this point…

It was the HD-DVD part that really hit home, because the obsolete high-def movie format is a symbol for all the trust Microsoft's customers have channeled into its products, only to be trampled on. I once owned a bunch of HD-DVDs but ended up making the walk of shame to sell them at a used book store. And I've been through console repair misadventures. Most of us have. To suffer through poor customer service, dream of a better tomorrow and double down on your investments is the way of the Xbox 360 gamer.

(Photo: dirtyblueshirt)

Kotaku broke down the economy-defying inflation:

The average price of an XBLA game in the 360's first month was just under 600 points at about $7.31. That has risen to more than 700 points as of last week, or $9.05. And that's not counting how the average will likely rise again during the Summer of Arcade. Four of the five games offered for the new promotion will run 1200 points ($15).

The digital format makes for a non-fluctuating supply, but it looks like demand keeps pushing the prices up. Microsoft has wisely instituted a weekly sale program and an occasional free game to keep cheapskates happy. You wonder if the price of downloadable games has hit a sweet spot, or if gamers will allow Microsoft and its partners to keep nudging the prices upward.

The Rising Price Of XBLA Games [Kotaku]
(Photo: tubbynj)

But not to worry! Xbox Live director of programming wrote on his "Major Nelson" blog that the ads will actually enhance gamers' experiences rather than detract from them. Admit it — you were worried there, weren't you!

Major Nelson's sweet talk should calm your nerves:

One of our core principles is to enhance, not interfere with the gaming experience, and we work directly with our partners to only deliver experiences that are relevant to the LIVE community. Silverlight will help make those ads a more organic part of the dashboard, like we've done with some of the NXE slots in the past.

That got me wondering exactly how ads would enhance my personal experience, so I brainstormed a few ideas for Microsoft to chew on:

-A Kool-Aid Man who tags along with me to online Halo 3 matches, punching through walls and pinning enemies to the ground so I can shoot them easier.

-Not letting anyone but me get help from the Kool-Aid Man.

-Downloadable coupon codes for free Kool-Aid.

-Did I mention I need a Kool-Aid Man to help me fare better in online warfare? Yeah, that sure would be neat.

Microsoft Comments On 360 Dash Advertisements [Kotaku]
(Photo: dcJohn)

As of May 26 the policy was discontinued "in an effort to expedite the repair process." Customers will have the option of receiving an e-label to slap on the box they ship their bricked consoles in, but the days of the "coffin" are now over. A Microsoft spokesperson tell us, "Customers can now ship their consoles themselves using an e-label provided by Microsoft and do not need to wait for an empty box to be shipped to them."

Why, how thoughtful of you, Microsoft! We're sure the move is all about customer convenience and has nothing to do with passing costs on to victimized customers who keep on having to return their breakdown-prone consoles to you for another breakdown-prone refurb.

On the plus side, I've never met an Xbox 360 owner who hasn't had his machine give up the ghost at least once on him — I'm currently on my sixth 360 — and most everyone has so little faith that their console will last that they've kept at the ready the box the console was shipped back to them.

Microsoft kills 'coffin' policy, time to pack your RRoD Xbox yourself [Joystiq]
(Photo: Cheap Ass Gamer)

The core technology for the Xbox Facebook service is Facebook Connect, which links logins for different programs and sites (such as Digg) to a Facebook user profile. On the 360, it'll link your Facebook profile to your gamertag. From your linked Xbox Live profile, you can look at friends' Facebook profiles, update your status and look at pictures you and your friends have posted. In addition, if you accomplish any incredible in-game feats, you can update your Facebook profile to let your friends know of your achievement.

Gamers are giddy about the cross-integration, but geez, I'm pretty hard core gaming freak and still I'm thinking I don't really need to know when a friend racks up 100,000 kills in Gears of War 2. Some things are best kept private.

There's already an application that lets gamers post their achievements on Facebook automatically, but the new 360 interface will streamline the process. Anticipate Facebook's "hide" news feed function to hit an all-time high once this feature hits.

In addition to the Facebook and Twitter revelation, Microsoft also sent a few more shockwaves Monday by revealing it's releasing a motion-controller project, release on-demand movies in high-definition, stream Internet radio and offer current-generation games as downloads on Xbox Live.

Unfortunately, none of the new announcements addressed any sort of remedy for the fact that Xbox 360s constantly break.

Facebook on Xbox Live: What it is, and what it isn't [Joystiq]

Microsoft says:

While the majority of Xbox 360 owners continue to have a great experience with their console, we are aware that a very small percentage of our customers have reported receiving an error that displays "E74" on their screen. After investigating the issue, we have determined that the E74 error message can indicate the general hardware failure that is associated with three flashing red lights error on the console. As a result, we have decided to cover repairs related to the E74 error message under our three-year warranty program for certain general hardware failures that was announced in July 2007. We have already made improvements to the console that will reduce the likelihood of an occurrence of this issue.

Further, Microsoft says they will refund he amount their customers paid for an out of warranty repair due to the e74 error message, and that no action by consumers is necessary. If you paid for this issue to be repaired you should automatically get a refund within 4-12 weeks.

If you don't get your refund by July 1, 2009, Microsoft says that you should contact them to file a claim.

Description of the E74 error message warranty extension [Microsoft]

Nicholas writes:

I love gaming. I've been a happy go lucky gamer for as long as I can remember, but I have been deeply saddened by recent events. My Xbox Live account subscription was nearing its end in December of 2008. I do not like auto renewal services so I use prepaid cards. My account ended on 12/27/2008 and I activated a 12 month + 1 month prepaid card on 12/30/2008. I set my account status to not auto renew; however, the auto renewal took place anyway and on 3/2/2008 my account was cancelled because the credit card on file was expired. I didn't think this would be a problem since I had used a prepaid card. After providing the 'secret answer' to my account's 'secret question' many times to Xbox Live support, I have been told that I can take one of the following options:

• Pay $54.11 to have my account reinstated and have 22 months of service (12 from the auto renew and the 10 remaining from the prepaid card)
• Have the $54.11 waived and be denied the remaining months on my prepaid card as they are tied to the account that would remain cancelled.

This just does not at all seem reasonable. I do not want an entire year's worth of extra service, but the only alternative is to lose 9 months of service that I have already paid for! What should I do in this situation?

We suppose you could take them to small claims for failing to provide the membership you've already paid for and activated, but we think you should continue your fight to get this straightened out. Check out this post for contact info of Microsoft executives.

You should also report them to your Attorney General's office—the more complaints AGs receive about Microsoft's abysmal Xbox customer service, the more inclined they may be to do something about the company's screw-you approach to its customers.

Reader Matthew just found out about this the hard way:

I bought my Xbox 360 Pro at the end of January 2008 and I've had a flawless experience with it until Saturday afternoon. I turn the system on and see an error screen that says "System Error. Contact Xbox Customer Support" Also, an error code of "E74" appears in a larger font at the bottom of the screen. I quickly glance over to the Xbox itself and see flashing red coming from it. Now, at this point I'm thinking my time has come for the Red Ring of Death (or 3 flashing red lights error). I wasn't even angry, thinking that this is just a rite of passage for anyone that owns this system and I just have to deal with it. Though my normal one year warranty ran out on 1/23/09, I figured I'd still be in the clear with the extended warranty for flashing red light errors.

Guess again.

My next step was to get on Xbox.com to set up a repair on there. When I get to the drop down box where you specify the problem, I'm surprised to see 1 flashing red light, 2 flashing red lights, and 4 flashing red lights in addition to the 3. Just to be sure, I turned my Xbox back on to make sure it was 3 red lights — only 1 red light flashed in the lower right. I did a few more tests and the result was always the same. So, I returned to Xbox.com to select "1 flashing red light" but I see that costs $99 to fix! I looked the other flashing light selections and only "3 red flashing lights" came up at $0. At this point, I'm stunned and fairly angry. My system has failed, but because I have one light instead of three I have to pay half the cost of a new system to get it repaired. What gives?

As much as the RROD gets reported, I never once heard of other flashing red light errors besides the RROD. I Googled "xbox 360 E74" and quite a few hits come back. Turns out it's a well documented issue among users — one that Microsoft does not want to include in the extended warranty since it's not 3 red lights. From what I gathered, this problem seems to be on the increase with newer consoles like mine. Since attempting to set up a repair online to my satisfaction failed, I decided to call Xbox Customer Support. I knew this would get me nowhere, but I wanted to exhaust all the "standard" ways to get my problem resolved.

I spoke to a younger male who I think was named "Ed" (The thick Indian accent made him difficult to understand.) and I explained to him my problem. We first went through the game of making sure the connections were good, etc. I asked Ed what is causing the 1 flashing red light and and the E74 error code and the response was "hardware failure or some other problem." I then ask what causes the 3 flashing lights and the response there was "general hardware failure." I then inquire what the exact differences are and why isn't the 1 flashing light covered by the extended warranty. Ed, unfortunately, could not give me a straight answer and just trailed off. I immediately ask for a supervisor, but Ed claimed there was no one else for me to speak to, but that technical support might have the answers. For some reason, Ed could not put me through to them either. Ed then brings up getting the console repaired. If I chose to set up the repair over the phone it would be $120 (plus shipping). He also points out that if I did it online, I would get the discounted price of $99. I declined both of these offers said "Thank you" and ended the call.

I have spent a good deal of money on games, peripherals, and an Xbox Live subscription. I took good care of my system, but in the end, it did not matter. As far as I'm concerned (and I suppose its a matter of opinion) both 3 flashing lights and 1 flashing light are the same thing — Hardware failures. In both cases the console does not function properly and must be sent off for repair. Of course, Microsoft is only going to see it their way. That's how they've always operated and it isn't going to change anytime soon. The last thing I want to do is argue semantics over the phone with a CSR in India. I'm aware of do-it-yourself guides to fix the problem myself, but I don't want to go down that road quite yet. It will be interesting to see if a new wave of failures emerge.

So, the moral of the story: 3 red lights means life after death. 1 red light means eternal darkness and damnation.

We haven't heard of anyone convincing Microsoft that the "1 red light" error should be covered under the extended warranty — but we suppose if it starts happening with the frequency that the "3 red light" errors occur, they'll have to start covering it.

In the meantime, if you bought the XBOX with a credit card, check to see if your card offers extended warranty protection. Some cars automatically double the warranty — so you may be covered without even knowing it.

(Photo:julian-'s )

My Xbox red-ringed for the second time this weekend. Which is almost a relief after hearing how bad my disc drive was sounding, but not so much after hearing the new policy. I was told that Xbox no longer ships out a box to you and you must find a box to ship it out in. Yeah I guess its not a big deal, but I think it gives them another thing to hold over your head; "We are sorry, Sir, but you didn't back it well enough and it appears the damage was due to shipping, we cannot help you."

This might not seem like a big problem-it's just a box, right? Yes, but the problem that Zach had, the Red Ring of Death, is such a notorious failure in the Xbox 360 that Microsoft extended its warranty three years for RROD repairs. It's enough of an inconvenience that Zach's console broke from a design flaw and will be inoperable for several weeks; now he needs to track down a box and packing supplies for it?

Perhaps more importantly, as Zach notes, by making customers use their own packing materials, Microsoft is (depending on your level of cynicism) exposing its customers to further damage on their consoles or giving itself an irrefutable reason to deny a repair. The boxes that electronics companies use for repairs are uniform, sturdy things. In our experience, we've had anti-static wrap, form-fitting foam padding, and a solid box. That would probably cost about $20 for a customer to purchase; instead, he'll probably stuff a box full of crumpled newspaper and hope that his broken Xbox doesn't break any more in transit.

(Photo: Tengaport)

Here's his story:

In November when the online Black Friday deals were starting to heat up, I saw that Office Depot was running a sale on XBOX 360 bundles with BioShock for $199.99. (It was item number 0519380.)

Their current page for this item is here: http://www.officedepot.com/ddSKU.do?level=SK&id=519380

On Friday, Nov. 21, I went on the Office Depot website and tried to order this item. Every time I tried, it told me that the item was invalid for my area, and it wouldn't allow me to put the item in my cart.

So, I called Office Depot's telesales number. There, I spoke to a girl who was very friendly. She put me on hold for about ten minutes while she tried to place the order for me. When she came back on the line, she told me that she could see the item, but she wasn't allowed to place orders for it. When I asked her what I should do, she told me there's a chance my local store manager can order it for me.

Then I called the Layton, UT Office Depot. I spoke to Matt, the manager there, and he was very friendly. I told him the item number for the XBOX 360 I was trying to buy, and that telesales had told me that he might be able to order or reserve it for me. Instead of putting me on hold, Matt looked at his in-store system with me on the line, and found that he also could see the item, but he couldn't order it. He said that he wasn't sent any to stock either, so he couldn't help me get one.

I was almost ready to give up, and I asked Matt if there was anything else I could do.

"Look", Matt said to me, "It's there on the website, so you should be able to order it, right? So why don't you just call that telesales number again, and tell them to order it for you, and if they say they can't, escalate it until whoever you're talking to can."

I was amazed to hear one of Office Depot's store managers telling me this, and I felt that he was absolutely right.

I called the telesales number again.

This time, I got Michelle. I told Michelle about the website, and about my first call to telesales, and about the store manager, and that she should take a look at the item number and if she can't order it for me, please escalate the call.

Michelle was great. She found that she was not able to order the item, and escalated me to her supervisor right away.

I waited on hold for the supervisor for about five minutes, and when she came on the line, I forgot to write down her name (oops). When I explained the situation to her, she told me that she was going to send my call to executive customer care. She said I might be on hold for a while, but to wait, because the person I would get on the phone there could help me.

I held for about fifteen minutes, and then someone answered with, "Office of the Chairman, this is Margaret."

Margaret listened to all the things I'd done to try to order the XBOX 360, and then she told me that she would have to research it.

I told her that would be fine, but I had already done all this work, and I wanted to make sure that I wouldn't hang up and then never hear from her again. So, Margaret gave me her full name and phone number.

That was Friday the 21st. I knew that I wouldn't hear from her during the weekend, so on Monday, Nov. 24, I waited all day for her call. Around 3:00 pm, I called her number and got voice mail. I left a message that I just wanted to follow up with her and was looking forward to her call.

A few minutes later, she called me back. Margaret told me that she was unable to find an XBOX 360 in any of her warehouses, and she was very sorry. Then, she said, "To make it up to you, I'd like to send you a $260 shop card. Would that be ok?"

I was so surprised that I didn't know what to say, and I think I stuttered that it would be great. I gave her my address and thanked her several times, and that was it.

And since then, I've been waiting for the promised card to show up. I figured there might be a delay, because things take time to process, so I've kept telling myself to be patient. I've tried to call Margaret a couple of times, and I've left her one or two upbeat voice mails asking if she could check on the status for me.

But Margaret hasn't called back, and now it's February.

I was really blown away by how every single interaction I had with an Office Depot employee was excellent. They were always nice, and they always tried to help. And I never expected to be offered a shopping card, but a broken (or delayed, hopefully) promise is hard to overlook.

So I'm hoping that writing this to Consumerist will get Office Depot's attention. And I'd really like to see the card come through, but failing that, just an explanation would be nice.

Thanks!

(Photo: dev null)

Is this the latest stage in an EECB arms race, or is there something he's doing wrong to trigger the spam filter? Here's his email; what do you think is the problem?

Dear Sirs/Ma'ams,

I am writing to you to inform you that my Halo 3 Xbox 360 console, which I obtained around October of 2007, has begun cracking game discs that I put into it. So far, it has cracked 2 of my games, which are Halo 3 and Rock Band 2. It has begun to crack a third game, Fable 2. All 3 of these games have the same exact crack pattern, which I have detailed in this internet posting:

http://forums.penny-arcade.com/showpost.php?p=8809840&postcount=1

I have tried to get your customer support line to assist me in this manner, but they either stonewall me or deny the Xbox is capable of doing this. I keep my games in their boxes, and take care of them. This has started to happen over just the past couple of weeks. I cannot get your customer support line to even consider fixing my Xbox, let alone replace my games. Losing over 180$ worth of games because my Xbox decided to break them is not a fun idea. If I cannot get them replaced, I am not going to rebuy them just to have them broken again, and I am not going to spend money on another Xbox to replace a manufacturer defect. There is also the fact that I cannot buy a new Halo Xbox 360, as they were a limited run.

As a side effect of this, I can no longer play my hundreds of Rock Band DLC tracks, and cannot buy anymore without spending 60$ to replace the Rock Band 2 disc.

I look forward to a reply on this matter,
#########
########@gmail.com
(402)###-####

But they don't. Ryan has it. They sent it back to him, unrepaired. He's tried to explain this concept to Microsoft, but all they do is tell him to call back later when their computers are fixed. Ryan is tired of calling back.

Do you guys know any way of me to force someone to fix my XBOX 360? It red ringed a month ago and I called in to get it repaired. I talked to Microsoft and they told me I would receive my shipping label within 24 hours. 2 days later on Monday I call them since I had not received a shipping label... and they claim the past phone call never happened or that their server is updating. I finally get a shipping label.

I ship it back to them and about 2 weeks later I get my XBOX back. I plug it in and start it up, and it immediately wants to do an update, which I let it do. It is taking a while to download so I leave it for a bit. I come back,' install the update and than turn it off as it took a while.

About a week later I get a chance to play and go down and turn it on and it has Red Ringed again. This is last Thursday. I call Microsoft again. They say they are sorry and are issuing a repair order. The next day I have not received it, so I call again and they say their server is updating so it never went through. So I ask again to get my shipping label, and they say their server will not let them issue a repair order for my XBOX since their service department claims they have my XBOX.

They tell me call back in 24 hours it should be clear.

So it is now last Saturday (12/6/08) and I call again, and they say that now they are going to contact the service dept and it will be 24-48 hrs. So I call Monday and they say they can't issue it call back in 24 - 48 hr and the supervisor promised it would be different this time.

By now it is Wednesday. I call back and they say they will contact the service dept and they promise it will be fixed in 24 hrs but there is nothing else to be done.

So now it is Friday I have relayed all of this to another csr and got hung up on when he finally got me to the Supervisor. I called back to be told by another Supervisor after an hour of calls that maybe Monday they could issue a repair order.

Is there anything I can do besides just wasting their money tying up lines calling everyday? I also find it funny that Microsoft is claiming they can't give me a shipping order because of computer problems!

Sure, Ryan. We have some posts about escalating your complaint with Microsoft — and some specifically about the XBOX.

Here are some links:
Reach Tier 3 XBOX escalations
Executive Email Addresses For XBOX Complaints
Secret Phone Numbers And Email Addresses To Reach Executives At 101 Companies

When you reach someone, slowly explain that they can't have your XBOX if it is currently at your house. If you're lucky, you'll have contacted intelligent life.

(Photo: Milkham )

They even let him keep his hard drive from the first one so he wouldn't lose all his games. And when it turned out they only had cheaper bundles available, they refunded him the difference. Virg says the key was, "the often mentioned Consumerist advice of dealing calmly and courteously with store employees and asking for a reasonable resolution to my problem. It scored a direct hit and got me a fantastic end result. Thanks guys!"

(Photo: naviniea)

Thomas says:

Just wanted to shoot you guys and gals a quick note on how I am an idiot and hopefully others don't make my mistake. I was under the impression that the monthly charge of $7.99 for Xbox Live service would roll into a year once I hit a total of $50 in charges.

I was wrong. Dead wrong. Over the past year and a half I have paid $143.82 for Xbox Live. Almost the price for THREE FULL YEARS of service.

When I noticed this I called their support and asked why they don't just roll it into a year once a user hits the $50 mark, both representatives I spoke with said the exact same thing "You are signed up for a reoccurring monthly payment of $7.99" and could not comprehend why I would ask such a question... I guess as a naive consumer I am expecting to much from a company to give me the best bang for my buck automatically.

I accept full responsibility for this situation and hope others avoid this.

-Thomas

Oh dear, that really sucks. At least you learned a valuable lesson (check your bank statements) and are trying to help others avoid your fate.

Halo 3 Limited Edition Xbox 360 [Hot Topic]

ForceTrainer says:

First off, many thanks for posting my experience with XBOX Live billing on your site. About 6 hours after the post went up I received a phone call from XBOX Live support asking about the situation. Unfortunately I did not speak with support list night, and after calling them back today I got in touch with one of their reps.

I spoke with James in their escalated support for about 20 minutes. Right off the bat he explained to me what MS would be able to do, and I was offered the option of a full refund of the amount that I paid or they would provide me with a 12-month XBOX Live Gold membership code that I could redeem. I opted for the full refund since all I wanted originally was to downgrade to a Silver membership.

After getting that cleared up, James asked me to explain the entire situation to him, and I gave him the story pretty much verbatim from what I sent to the Consumerist. When I finished James apologized for the confusion that occurred, and he explained a few things including why he thinks the situation occurred:

- His first comment was that I was absolutely right that I should have received a full credit for the time paid for (vindication!).

- My case should have been escalated by default when I first spoke to billing because my request and situation were non-standard. My account was in a decline state which the billing department can handle, but since I wanted to downgrade to a Silver account while in a decline state I should have been escalated immediately.

- James believes that the major confusion occurred because my annual account was in a decline state, and that it is very rare for a billing CSR to deal see. Decline states are common with accounts paid on a monthly basis (which makes sense), and the CSR treated my annual account like it was a month-to-month. With month-to-month billing if you get declined your payment to bring your account current gets you paid for that month. Basically you're just paying for time that you've already used. However, with the annual membership, when you pay your balance there is time that is owed to you. The CSR that I spoke with just pretty much screwed this part up.

I absolutely believe that James was sincere in his evaluation of the situation, and his point that decline states don't occur often with annual accounts means that the CSR I talked to may have never had that exact situation before. While that doesn't mean that what the CSR did was right, mistakes happen and MS worked quickly to fix the mistake. James said that they will make sure to address this in training with their CSRs. Whether that happens or not I don't know, but the fact that they called me directly speaks volumes.

I did ask James if he knew why I received a call from their department, and his response was that he was just told by his boss to call me and not given any other information. This to me was a pretty big clue that it was the Consumerist post that sparked the phone call. I'm definitely not going to complain about that!

Most importantly (because I want to help other readers that have been trying to deal with XBOX Live billing) I brought up to James that there were other Consumerist readers that were having similar problems, and I asked if there was anything they could do to make getting their situations resolved a little easier. This is what I was told:

1) If you are having billing related problems with your account, call XBOX Live support at 1-800-4MY-XBOX.

2) When the IVR (known as Max) answers, wait for the option to speak with billing. This option is AFTER the choice for XBOX Live support. He said that many users choose the option for XBOX Live Support when in fact they need to speak with billing (obviously they should be changing their prompts).

3) If you account is in a decline cycle (meaning your credit card expired, etc.) tell the CSR that you know you are in a decline cycle, and explain exactly what you would like to have happen. This could be anything from just paying your bill to downgrading to a Silver membership. Be clear and things should hopefully shake out.

4) If at any point you feel uncomfortable or confused with what the CSR is saying, ask to be escalated to the next level of support. They should do this immediately without any objections.

5) At this point the escalated support should be able to help you out. They have authorization and additional information to handle most requests including refunds if necessary.

The main reason I didn't escalate my call was because I was rather angry, and I didn't want to yell at someone that was just trying to help me out. In the end everything worked out, and I thank the Consumerist for that! With the information that I got from James as well I think that other people with billing related problems should be able to get squared away. If not, just write in to the Consumerist :)

Thanks!
ForceTrainer

Let us know if ForceTrainer's instructions work for you by emailing us at tips@consumerist.com. Good luck! And remember that you shouldn't ever be afraid to ask for your complaint to be escalated! There are limits to what your basic CSR can do. If your issue needs TLC, ask for someone with more authority.

(Photo: Maulleigh )

So last week I sent my Xbox 360 to be repaired due to the RRoD, the 2nd time it has happened since I bought the system in November 2006. It initially RRoD'd around 9 months after the purchase date, then was sent in and repaired. It started freezing again last week and then RRoD'd, and I sent it in for repair #2. I just received my system back today and started looking through the vents to see if it was a 65nm Opus repaired system, and then realized somehow there was a piece of paper with labels on it left inside of my system. I've called support now, had my case escalated to level 2 while speaking with a supervisor (who had never heard of this happening before), but was told I will not hear back from them for 48hrs.

Nick sent a bunch of pictures taken through the vent holes of his XBOX. This is the clearest one. Looks suspiciously like a sheet of stickers to us. Whoops. Guess the surgeon left a sponge inside, huh?

It's a simple two-part process. First, you must transfer your authorized licenses here on the site. Second, you must download the transferred licenses onto your new Xbox 360.

Microsoft points out that if you've sent your Xbox 360 in for repair or replacement, "the licenses have already been transferred as part of the repair process, and you do not need to use the license transfer tool, but you may need to download the content again."

"Transferring Content Licenses to a New Console" (Thanks to Justin!)

RELATED
"UPDATE: Microsoft May Slowly Be Fixing Their Broken XBOX DRM"
"Replace Your XBOX 360? 'Sorry, We Can't Help You. Buy All Of Your Content A Second Time'"

Hi guys, not sure if you're interested in putting this sort of thing on your site anymore, but I've had my own problems with Microsoft, the 360 and their support.

In a sentence, I called their support after replacing my busted 360, and their response to my question as to why I can't access most of my content either online or offline from my old hard drive anymore was "Can't help you, sorry. Buy all of the content a second time."

Now here's the long version:
I was kindly greeted by Alex, the automated system guy (I've never seen any company give theirs a name), then transferred over to a man who I believe went by the name "Jeeves" (at least that's what it sounded like to me through the accent). After a bit of friendly banter and him asking me for a whole bunch of different information, I explained to him the following situation of which I will attempt to detail here in as few words as possible:
- My launch 360 broke about a year and a half ago, but it wasn't under warranty, so I cracked it open and fixed it, making the new extended 3-year "three red ring" warranty void.

- My launch 360 red ringed just a little while ago.

- I decide to purchase a new console, figuring I'd like the fresh warranty and the new (instead of refurbished) console, and I'd just put my old hard drive in the new console and things should work alright.
- Even after logging into Live, I can't access the full games that I'd purchased over Live, so I call Microsoft's Xbox support line, expecting someone to be friendly and help me with my problem. While they were friendly, the only solution I was offered was to buy all of my content a second time. Yes, they instructed me to buy the content AGAIN.
I promptly explained to them that they'll transfer licenses between the broken and refurb consoles they send out, so I wondered why they couldn't help me. I could prove that the consoles were both mine in whatever way they wanted, verify hard drive serial numbers, give them receipts, Xbox Live account information, etc... And I got nothing other than the exact same line about not being allowed by publishers to transfer licenses, and that they have to contact them about transferring licenses and get the publisher's approval for each game.
Then I asked to be elevated, and "Jeeves" politely transferred me to his supervisor, Ian. I spoke with Ian briefly and he gave me the same response: "Buy the content again." To his credit, he did get me to attempt some other things to at least get my content working when I'm online, but he ultimately said it's not up to him.
It's very frustrating, seeing as I've gifted consoles to friends, bought a launch 360, and even replaced my 360 when it broke, and now this is the sort of awesome customer service I get for being a dedicated 360 user.

I'll probably end up selling my two 360s and accessories, and buying something else with the money I get from it. This experience with Microsoft's DRM has absolutely put me off of any of their products in the future, game-related or not.

- Mac

Any XBOX 360 experts have better advice for Mac than Microsoft did? Or does he really have to buy his content a second time?

(Photo: Milkham )

Someone in Microsoft's fulfillment department needs to make a note that "Version Français" means, like, "this game is in French" or something:

My boyfriend bought Mass Effect for his Xbox 360, but within a month it was clear there was something wrong with the disc (frequent disc read errors occurred).  Microsoft readily agreed to replace it, but every replacement they have sent has been in French.  I’m writing to you 5 months and 4 French discs later!

At the beginning of January my boyfriend returned his faulty English version.  Over the next month and a half he made 4 calls to Microsoft, where the status of his replacement oscillated between “It’s in the mail” to “have you sent the original yet?”  His replacement finally arrived late February.  He popped it in the Xbox and was all ready to play, but all the text seemed to be in French.  Confused, he grabbed the case and found a green oval on the front that said, “Version Française.”

He phoned Microsoft and explained that he needed an English disc to replace the English disc he returned.  They assured him that wouldn’t be a problem.  The second replacement arrived quickly, but was also in French.

He phoned Miscrosoft again.  They apologized and assured him that a specific note was in his file saying all replacements should be in English and the 3rd replacement would definitely be in English.

In April a 3rd replacement arrives.  The case is damaged… and it’s also in French.

He phoned Microsoft.  Again.  They phoned back 3 or 4 times to say they were so sorry and that his issue would be escalated.  Then someone phoned saying she was the manager and was on top of the situation.  On May 11 they phoned to say the English replacement was on its way and should arrive in 3-5 days.  On May 12 a package from Microsoft arrived.  Inside: Mass Effect, Version Française.

I’ve attached a photo of our 4 French versions of Mass Effect.  Despite escalating the complaint and involving a manager, Microsoft still sent a French disc.   At this point we’re wondering if we’ll see an English version by mid-June, the half year anniversary of when he last got to play Mass Effect.  My boyfriend may be moving soon so it’s important they get an English version in the mail.  Any suggestions?

P.s. Anyone want a French copy of Mass Effect?

Jason says:

I won’t dwell on the details, which are boring. The long and the short of it is that Xbox customer support people are stupid at the main number, and useful at the escalated number. I have now discovered what I need to do in order to get future Xbox problems dealt with, and I thought this information would be useful to share with you.

1. Call 1–800–4–MY–XBOX.

2. Get a reference number for your problem as quickly as possible. You may need to say “I already did that” when they try to make you do the troubleshooting script, just to expedite the process.

3. Hang up and call the escalated support number, 866–506–3826.

4. Talk to someone who knows what they’re doing.

How did I come upon this process? Well, I tried calling the main number first. I talked to a complete and utter moron, who told me to call back and tell the voice system my problem was with Xbox Live (despite that my problem is independent of whether I even have an internet connection). I immediately tried the elevated support number next, but you need an extension or reference number for an existing problem to get past the initial voice recording.

Thank you, Jason. You've done the hard work for all of us.

Jason's XBOX Sage: The Revenge [Doombot] (Thanks, Dan! )
(Photo: tubbyny )

My family cannot play video games. My family cannot watch movies. My family cannot get anybody from Microsoft to help us. I bought the extended warranty for the system, bought the HDDVD add on, bought dozens of games and dozens of movies, bought a bunch of arcade games and videos from Live, but apparently our brand loyalty and investment in [Microsoft] products doesn't mean what it used to.

Now Chris at Microsoft has told Greg that "it's impossible" to get a new Xbox 360 console. Maybe what he really means is that it's impossible for Greg to get a working one.

Update: Our esteemed TV-friendly editor Ben suggests you may have a case for demanding a replacement or refund under the federal lemon law, the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act (see more information on it here). You should check the fine print of your extended warranty and then see whether or not you can move forward on getting a new unit without Microsoft's permission.

(Thanks to Greg)

(Photo: drdementox)

Rob writes:

BestBuy has a rewardszone coupon for 10% of 1 toy, 15% off 2 toys and 25% off 3 toys. See attached coupon. Went to my local Best Buy in Bridgewater NJ and attempted to use the coupon on a Xbox 360 and 2 games for the system. I was told by multiple rude employees that an Xbox 360 is a video console and not a toy. A search on BestBuy's website for the item "toy" shows Halo 3 as the 1st item. Also further down the list it shows the Xbox 360 unit.

How is a video game not a toy? I called Best Buy corporate office and was told same thing. I was told a doll is a toy. Didn't know Best Buy was in the doll selling business. Then I was told that if it is an electronic game for a child 12 and under it is a toy. Doesn't seem like Best Buy has any clue what a toy is. As you can see from the attached pdf file no were in the exclusions on the coupon does it state Video Game Consoles.

Got to love Best Buy making up rules that only suit themselves.

Game Over.

benpopken: How has this experience affected your opinion of UPS and Microsoft?
dan: Well, I am more cautious about shipping with UPS. I always make sure I have a paper trail with their stuff. I still think of Microsoft as I did before. They are slow when they have to work between departments but overall they have been a great help.
benpopken: So you place most of the blame on UPS?
dan: Yes, since it was lost in transit. And they have a tendency not to return phone calls.
benpopken: That's 6 months you spent on the issue.
dan: Yeah, mostly dealing with UPS.
benpopken: Do you think a couple of brown shirts are playing with your Xbox in a breakroom somewhere right now?
dan: Most likely, yes.

PREVIOUSLY: Microsoft Presents: UPS And The Case Of The Vanishing XBOX 360

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.

Microsoft responded to the lawsuit:

Microsoft spokesman Jack Evans said, "Out of the millions of Xbox consoles in use, Microsoft has not received any widespread reports of Xbox 360s scratching discs."

I'm sending this to you in the hopes that it might interest enough people to make something happen.

I purchased an Xbox 360 Premium from Sam's Club in June of last year. About two weeks after getting Oblivion the 360 scratched the heck out of the disc and refused to read any others. After jumping through several hoops and waiting nearly three weeks I received my replacement 360 (Microsoft refused to replace the disc). Fast forward to December, when I picked up Gears of War and essentially had the exact same thing happen. I called MS tech support and set up the return. After waiting nearly two weeks with no return box in the mail, I called back only to find out that they'd screwed up the order and sent the return box to the wrong address.

All right, fix that problem, wait another week, get the box. Two weeks later I had my third Xbox 360. I hooked it up, hit the eject button, and watched in utter frustration as the disc tray refused to open, getting stuck after moving about 2mm. Finally, on the fourth push of the button, the tray opened.

This is how I've been using my 360. I usually have to try two or three times to get the tray open, but otherwise it works well. That is until this past Friday, when I picked up Dance Dance Revolution: Universe, and the 360 started locking up randomly. It only seems to happen with this game in particular, but it's a bit of a showstopper. You expect any computer to crash every now and then, but at this point it's basically a foregone conclusion that I'm going to have to reboot the 360 at least once during any DDR session. I've done some googling and it doesn't look like there's a specific lockup problem related to this game. It's clear my 360 has unique problems of its own.

This is why I'm coming to you. This is now my third 360, and I'm afraid that if I call Microsoft tech support all I'm going to end up with is about three weeks without a 360 only to have whatever refurb they send me work the same way. That, or they'll give me the proverbial finger.

How many others have had this kind of crappy luck with the 360? Isn't it time Microsoft bit the bullet and started sending us new units? This constant recycling of refurbs isn't helping anyone. And don't get me started on their clearly outsourced tech support. If you can't understand what they're saying they're trying to pin the problem on you. I've been an IT professional for years; I know better than to move a piece of [shoddily assembled] equipment while it's operating. The only reason I've dealt with any of this so far is because I like the games themselves, but I'm just about ready to do the Web 2.0 thing and set up a website for people with broken Xboxes.

Help!

Regards,
Joseph

Lawsuit claims Xbox 360 system scratches disks [Seattle P-I]
(Photo: hellblazer!)

EB Games held conference calls for its Canadian stores informing them of the new policy changes and revealing alarming failure rates of the Xbox 360. "The real numbers were between 30 to 33 percent," said former EB Games employee Matthieu G., adding that failure rate was even greater for launch consoles. "We had 35 Xbox 360s at launch I know more than half of them broke within the first six months (red lights or making circles under the game discs). Two of them were dead on arrival."
...
The failure rate nearing a third of all Xbox 360 consoles was found at other retailers too. A Best Buy customer service department manager, who wished to remain unnamed, said that failure rates for the console were "between a quarter to a third" of all units sold.

"We see a ton of [Xbox 360s] come back all the time. We strongly push our customers to buy our service plans no matter what they buy, but it is especially important for them with the Xbox 360," said the manager. "It's a lucky thing for us that Microsoft extended the factory warranty to one year, because we were having a hell of a time dealing with the launch units. Now we don't have to deal with those broken [Xbox 360s] until their second year, for those who have purchased the two year plans."

Retailers Estimate Xbox 360 Failure Rate High as 33 Percent [DailyTech] (Thanks, Phil!)
(Photo: Spoon Monkey)