Austin, TXLee Brock is one of many disgruntled Xbox Customers. "This is what I want Microsoft to do. First, I want my money back. Second, put a year's warranty on their product and lastly, they should put a warning on the box to inform consumers that a percentage of their products are defective and if necessary, cover the cost of repair," he says.
Brock bought an Xbox 360 in July 2006 and figures he played about five hours of gaming and 20 DVD movies before it malfunctioned. "I don't play games that often so the 90 day warranty was up when the machine just flashed three red lights," he says. Brock is a musician so he knows how to tool around and he also works in the solar energy industry - he considers himself tech savvy. He checked the manual and it actually gave troubleshooting instructions if this 'three red lights' problem should occur. Brock followed the instructions, to no avail. Then he called customer service.
"They basically told me to do the same thing that I did in their manual: unplug the machine for a few minutes and turn it back on. Someone walked me through this process over the phone - they just wanted to make sure it was connected properly. But when I powered it back up, nothing had changed. Next up, the rep told me that I would have to send my Xbox to their repair facility, somewhere in Texas. And I would have to pay for the repair in advance—they already knew how much to charge!"
It was going to cost Brock $139 exactly. On top of the $700 Brock has already paid for the box including one game and accessories for two people to play. No wonder he's upset.
"And now Microsoft wants me to give them even more money to pay for a new machine," he says. "I did some research and was amazed at how many people had these same complaints. I found someone who had a crazy idea: wrap the Xbox in a blanket, turn it on and off a few times in 10 minute intervalls. It worked! I can play movies but I can only play a video game for a few minutes before it freezes. Now I just have a fancy DVD player.
I got a complete piece of junk and for me to have this Xbox working, I would have to pay another $139. Microsoft will send me another system with another 30 day warranty and want another $30 a year for an extended warranty - I think this is all pre-planned, so they can sell the extended warranty. I am furious because they refuse to take responsibility for this defective product and I'm afraid to turn it on because it might break.
I think this product was marketed too soon. The manufacturers wanted to beat their competitors and put it on the market before Christmas, but they should have waited until it was working properly. Here we are, almost two years since Xbox has been on the market, and there still isn't a recall. Instead, they are making a huge profit from repairs. In my experience, when something electrical breaks, a diagnosis is required to find the problem; maybe something burnt out or maybe there is just some dust on the machine. But Microsoft tells you the problem without a diagnosis and it will cost that magic number - $139. The price for repair is about the price it would cost to make the machine. Not to mention the profits made on the extended warranty...
Kristie Scarbrough from Addison, Texas was so frustrated with her Xbox that she sent Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer a letter. In it she told of her son's disappointment (it was his Christmas present) and total lack of customer service. She has yet to receive a response.
"In December 2005, I purchased an Xbox 360 for my son's Christmas present. However, just four months later, we experienced problems with the console. I called 4-MY XBOX several times but was always put on hold. Months later, I was finally able to speak with a representative but he wanted to put me through a series of diagnostics; I had to call back when my son was at home to help me. After spending two hours on the phone, I was instructed to buy a new cable. I was told that our problem would then be fixed. This did not fix the problem. I started calling again and finally went through another diagnostic procedure. On this particular day, we spent four hours on the phone waiting and being transferred. Finally, it was determined that the Xbox needed to be sent in for service, and my service warranty would cover the cost.
However, his database was down and the rep could not create a service order. I was told to call back. Finding this very absurd, I called back and held for another hour. I demanded to speak with a supervisor. I was put on hold for 30 minutes then transferred to Trish. She said she was a supervisor and she apologized for the inconvenience. She said the database was down but she would create a service order and send me a box to ship it in. She also had me go through another series of diagnostics. She determined the console and hard drive was defective and instructed me to send both for repair.
It is now October and maybe my son would have a working XBOX 360 by Christmas 2006. We received the shipping box three weeks later. We packaged everything per the instructions and sent it off, including the hard drive. We waited. After 2 ½ weeks the Xbox 360 was returned. We received a console with NO hard drive. I was furious.
I called 4-MY XBOX. I was put on hold while on my cell phone for 30 minutes. When I finally spoke with Joseph, I asked him to transfer me to Trish or any supervisor. He refused. He said the database was down and there was nothing he could do and I would have to call back. I demanded to speak with a manager or anyone with some authority. He refused to transfer me. I hung up. I called back again and spoke with Kim. She transferred me to a supervisor named Brittany. Brittany apologized and said she would send me a free game and that someone would e-mail me or call me regarding the hard drive. Well, after a week guess what... no hard drive, no e-mail, and no call.
When I got back home, I finally got hold of yet another rep named Jason. I was relieved because he could speak English and I could understand him. He was amazed that I had been put through this. He talked to his supervisor. He said that my complaint had been "ESCALATED" and that meant someone hirer up would be handling it. He said that, once they verified that my hard drive had indeed been received, they would send another one.
I have not received a hard drive, phone call or an e-mail.
I have made an expensive purchase from Microsoft and I have a piece of hardware that is worthless. I work for a large corporation in the United States that is one of the most profitable companies around today. We pride ourselves on our customer service. We would never let a problem like this fall through the cracks. And the bottom line is that Microsoft has ruined a Christmas for my son. I want the public to be aware of the type of service they will receive when purchasing a Microsoft product."