HEXUS reader Parm Mann lets off some steam.
The following article has been written by HEXUS forum member Parm Mann for the Xbox 360 website, we play Xbox.com. Parm has kindly agreed that we can publish his article in its entirety. Parm tells us that none other than Major Nelson has contacted him and is looking into his problem personally.
Those in the UK who have recently sent Xbox 360 consoles away for repair and are waiting for them to return, be prepared for a very long wait. As a writer for we play Xbox.com, I have been without my Xbox 360 console for over a month and am writing to share my experience with Xbox support and an update on why Microsoft now say that repairs are taking up to 25 working days.
My Experience So Far
I'd had my console since it launched in the UK in December 2005. Regrettably on May 17th 2007, my console started to show 3 red lights and eventually stopped powering up completely. I called Xbox Support and arranged to have my console collected, repaired and returned. The support process went fairly well and I was generally pleased with the procedure.
Unfortunately, on receipt of my repaired Xbox 360, two problems were clearly apparent: 1. The Xbox 360 I had sent to support was in pristine condition. Although it was over a year old, I had kept it in perfect condition and it looked as new. The Xbox 360 I had received back had a rather large crack on the back and was not in good condition.
2. More importantly, the Xbox 360 I’d received back still did not work. After a few minutes of use, the picture on my screen became garbled and pixilated, the console itself continually froze and I couldn’t do anything with it. Though the accompanying letter assured me that my repaired console had been tested thoroughly, this obviously was not the case. The all too familiar 3 red lights
I therefore sent my replacement Xbox 360 back to support once again on June 5th 2007 and despite being told that my replacement would be with me in 10-15 days, I'm still waiting on a replacement. I've phoned support on numerous occasions and have been told that the only information available is that the console is at the repair centre. I’ve asked if I’m likely to receive the same cracked console in return, and have been told on numerous occasions that they simple don't know. According to a Microsoft representative, their policy is to always repair the same console. This can't be true as the broken console I received back had a different serial number and MAC address to the one I had sent to them.
Though I appreciate the large number of returns that Microsoft are required to handle, I've found their service to be far below standards. Here are summaries of three calls I've recently placed:
1. When calling Xbox Support on week beginning June 11th, I was assured that the console would be returned to me that week. On Friday 15th, having not received the console, I called Xbox Support once again. I was advised that the console would definitely be with me the following week. It didn't arrive.
2. On week beginning June 18th I placed another call to support a few days ago and spoke to a most unhelpful representative who continually gave false information. Unhappy with the lack of information and unwillingness to help or reassure me, I asked to speak to a supervisor. The representative went away, put me on hold for approximately 10 minutes and on his return advised that the supervisors were too busy and didn't want to talk to me. He suggested I call back later. I advised that I'd rather stay on hold and speak to them when they’re available. He then put me on hold for a further 30 minutes before cutting me off.
3. Today, June 26th, I spoke to Xbox Support once again and spoke to a very rude representative who again showed no signs of being willing to help. She simply advised that my console was still to be repaired and due to unforeseen circumstances, it could take a further 10 days. When asking what was causing the delay and if I would receive any compensation, I was simply told that no information was available right now and I’d need to call back in a few days. When trying to query the matter further, the representative ended the call.
The experience so far has of course been nothing short of a complete nightmare. Having missed the entire Halo 3 beta, I’ve also now got Forza Motorsport 2 and Colin McRae DiRT sitting here unplayed.
Continued overleaf...
