Hikari On The Subject

Out of Order: Why Microsoft Needs An Xbox 360 “Upgrade Program.”

A few days later, I received my UPS shipping label. My lady friend had recently purchased Gears of War 2, so I decided to put off sending it in for a week, getting what last bit of life I could out of the dying drive to play Gears 2 with my lady, and avoid sending it in on the 4^th of July Weekend and have it sitting in a service center for 3 days. The shipping label itself gave me some comfort, in that the address printed on it was to a location in Mesquite, Texas, about an hour and a half from where I live. “Surely,” I thought, “This means I should get my console back inside of a week.”

On Tuesday, July 6^th, I packed up my console, including a detailed note of all the issues I’d been having (thank you, IT training), dropped my console in the UPS drop off at my local Office Depot, and anxiously kept track of my console from Pick Up to Delivery, the next day. The next couple of days I knew would be a waiting game, until Saturday morning when I received a non-working tracking number in my E-Mail from Microsoft, stating that the console was shipped Friday night and that I should be receiving it soon. Of course, believing that my console was coming from Mesquite, I thought that surely I would be receiving my console soon. However, as the weekend rolled on, my tracking number never worked.

Monday came and went with no sight of the UPS carrier or information on my tracking number.

I called UPS thinking that possibly they would be able to give me some information on my tracking status. They told me they had none, and that I needed to contact the shipper. So, I called Microsoft; they assured me that the shipping had sent my console, and that it was in UPS hands. I called UPS back and again, they had a tracking number that was indeed active, but it wasn’t showing any sign of them ever having contact with my package. I decided to wait until the following day.

Tuesday came and went with no package and no update on my tracking number. Once again, I called UPS and they told me to call Microsoft. During this dance of calls I was informed that the due date for me to receive my package was Wednesday, I should definitely have it in my hands by Wednesday. Happy and assured, despite having no tracking number, I relaxed and waited.

Wednesday came and went. No tracking number, no console. Now why would it take them 5 days, or 3 business days to send me a console that they received in one? So, I contacted UPS, who informed me that I needed to call Microsoft and have them contact UPS and put a tracer on the tracking number. Once again, I sat through Microsoft’s irritating 3 minute long recording about Repairs, The Xbox 360 S console and transferring data from an older hard drive to the new console, which I now have memorized because no matter what key you press, you cannot skip straight to the main menu.

Upon getting in touch with an agent, I rattled off all the verification information I knew they would ask for before they even asked for it and quickly got to the point of my call which was where is my console? The agent I spoke to on this call gave me some rather infuriating and distressing news. Until now I was under the impression that my repaired console would be coming from a repair center in Mesquite, Texas. I found out on this call that it was coming from a center in Guadalajara , Mexico and that it had not yet been sent out, but had been prepare for shipping.

I immediately asked to speak with a supervisor. I was promptly connected with a man named Michael who did his best to reassure my console was safe and sound that it would be on its way to me soon, however, Hurricane Alex created a week long delay in all their shipments. I proceeded to have him explain to me why I was receiving a refurbished console rather than my original system. He informed me that the reason for this was that in the interest of me receiving my console faster, it was going to be quicker for them to send me a system, rather than repair my original console. Again, I knew it was disc drive. A quick trip to Google will show you that self-replacing a disc drive takes less than 15 minutes.

(Please note that any attempt to open your console and service it yourself will void your warranty, therefore leaving you on your own if a more serious issue arises with your console. Hence the reason I sent it in rather than performing the repair myself.)

I asked Michael, if there was any way I could get a new console, because of my disastrous history with repaired and refurbished consoles. Again, I was told that they currently have no such upgrade program and that he completely stands by the quality of their products. When I asked if there was anyone who could authorize such an upgrade, who would I have to speak to. He informed that if they were going to authorize such an upgrade it would have to be one of the people above him, however since the status of my console was that it was being sent back to me, nothing could be done.

He also attempted to sell me an extended warranty despite how clearly upset I was at these latest developments. I eventually got off the phone and decided to wait it out. However, I was still enraged from having been given the run around for so long.

Thursday I called back one last time to see if I could check the status of the warehouse in Guadalajara and to speak to a supervisor so I could ask the a couple of questions that were nagging at me. I found out from the supervisor on this call that I would not be receiving a refurbished console they had lying around. I find out also on this call, the main reason for the delay is that the roads are in need of clearing, which is why UPS is unable to get to my package. This leads me to ask the agent, “Why is the console I sent to Mesquite, Texas now resting in repair center in Mexico?” I never got a solid answer from her because she kept dodging the question at every opportunity.

Once I again, I ask about getting the upgrade, and she informs me that at this time “no such program exists”, with which I fire back, “Okay, I get that, but I bought this console less than a year ago for 299, the new consoles that just came out are 299. It’s not as if I’m asking for an Xbox 360 in exchange for the original Xbox.” Again, she avoids, and the dance continues. Eventually she gets my contact information and informs that she would contact me when there was any update to the situation. However, I do not believe I will be receiving a phone call, as this was probably just an attempt to get me off the phone.

While I understand why they don’t want to give every person out there an automatic upgrade on their console; if you have a history of constantly having to replace or repair your console, then you should get a new Xbox 360 S console, in box and unopened. Being on my fifth system, it’s very difficult for me to sit by and blindly have faith the console being returned to me will last for very long or that it won’t suffer from the same issue that this and at least 4 of my previous consoles have suffered from, which has been the disc drive.

There’s also the matter of the repair center. The last agent I spoke to informed that they have three repair centers in Texas: one in Mesquite, one in McAllen and another she did not disclose. If you have three repair centers in the state of Texas, why then, did my console end up in a service center in Mexico? Curiosity got the better of me and I began researching this online; my research brought me to service message board threads on the Gamespot forums, including one where a poster claimed to once work at the UPS Hub that’s on the same block as the Mesquite repair center.

According to a poster by the tag of “camelryder“; “Well, I worked at the mesquite hub and here’s the deal. Xbox has a major account with UPS and they send all the Xboxes there, then they put all the Xboxes in one big trailer everyday and send them to Mexico for them to [for repair]. Cheap labor, but they send several trailers every day it’s amazing we still buy the game. That’s why you send it there; Microsoft doesn’t want you to know you’re sending it to a Mexican repair shop.”

Normally, I’m not inclined to believe random posters, but in light of my current ordeal with Microsoft, (as of this post, I have yet to receive any information on my tracking number), I’m willing to believe him. Not only was I misled about where my console was going to be repaired, I am still uncertain as to whether or not I will be receiving a refurbished console or my original console. I am so unaware as the state of the console after sitting in area that’s been affected by hurricane conditions for over a week. I have also been misinformed numerous times as to where my console was or when I would be receiving it.

So that other 360 owners do not have to go through the same stressful time I have with my system, I believe now is the time to demand that Microsoft imitate some sort of upgrade program for their Xbox 360 consoles. I know I’m not the only person who’s had this many troubles with their console and I certainly won’t be the last. If the Xbox 360 S is as reliable as they say they are, then measures should be taken to ensure that if you’ve had a history of console failure that can be proven, even by traceable change in serial numbers on your account, then you should receive a 360 S, if for no other reason than “the interest of getting your console back sooner.”

posted by Teksuo Hikari @ 2:08 PM 0 comments