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.
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Identifying Yourself As A Lesbian Gets You Banned On XBOX Live
By 2.25.09
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.”
Office Depot Comes Through On Promised Gift Card
By 2.9.09
Last week, Jake wrote to us wondering why Office Depot hadn’t mailed the gift card they promised back in November. Someone from the company contacted Jake, and they all made up, and hugs, and happy Monday morning there’s a gift card in the mail heading Jake’s way now.
By 1.20.09
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Best Buy is selling Far Cry 2 for Xbox 360 for only $29.99, for some reason. It’s selling elsewhere for $59.99. Backordered online, but you may still be able to find it available for in-store pickup. [Best Buy] (Thanks to Chris!)
Nintendo To Rest Of Planet: What Recession?
By 1.16.09
Video games are proving recession-proof as record sales continue even as the economy goes from bad to worse to holy %#$% #$%!!
Gamestop Selling 'Not For Resale' Game Bundle, Overpriced Of Course
By 1.13.09
This Gamestop somehow ended up with extra bundles of the games that were supposed to be included in holiday Xbox 360 sets (the ones that shipped with Lego Indiana Jones and Kung Fu Panda). So what do they do? Why, slap a $100 price tag on them and put them on the shelves, despite their “not for resale” labeling. You can buy both games brand new for less than $80 total, by the way.
Teleperformance USA: Call Center Of Customer Service Nightmares
By 12.18.08
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…
Microsoft Can't Send You A Shipping Label Because They Already Have Your XBOX?
By 12.12.08
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.
Sam's Club Lets You Swap Out RedRinged Xbox Hassle-Free
By 11.21.08
Virg’s Xbox360 got the dread Red Ring of Death. He bought it in Feb ’07, and it started failing this Nov ’08. He figured it would be months before he would get it back and expected to have to pay somewhere. Much to his surprise, Sam’s Club let him swap it out for a new one for free.
Secret Phone Numbers And Email Addresses To Reach Executives At 101+ Companies
By 11.7.08
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.
Circuit City's "Advantage Protection Plan" Doesn't Live Up To The Sales Pitch
By 10.22.08
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?
Whoops: I Paid $143.82 for 1.5 Years Of XBOX Live
By 10.17.08
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.
Budget Gaming 101: Tips For The Broke Gamer
By 10.13.08
Reader Ozzie points us to video game developer Ashley Cheng’s blog post about budget gaming. The tips are basic, but it’s good advice nonetheless.
By 9.3.08
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Speaking of elite, the XBOX 360 just got cheaper. Cheaper than the Wii.
UPDATE: Microsoft Offers Full Refund To Overcharged XBOX Live Member
By 8.19.08
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.
Microsoft Charges You $50 For Two Months Of XBOX Live
By 8.18.08
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.
Microsoft Left A Sheet Of Stickers Inside My XBOX 360
By 7.21.08
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.
