Rant: MS wanted to charge me ?500 for a replacement console

[martinmc78]

OK so as the title suggests this is a bit of a rant.

Xbox one working fine Thursday night. On Friday night I turn it on and Kinect doesn't power up and the controllers don't function on the homescreen. Did the usual checking connections and replacing batteries in controllers then turned the xbox on via controller. Kinect still doesn't power up and even though I turned the xbox on with a controller the controller doesn't function on the homescreen. Its pretty late so I leave it and hope to sort it out the following morning.


So early Saturday morning I completely disconnect the xbox then reconnect it all - same issues - get online and chat with support and get informed that the hardware is faulty and I should send it back to the shop for replacement. Phone up Game when they open and ask if the have any Xbox's in stock as my day one edition has stopped working. Get told that they haven't got any day one's in stock and all other stock is for preorder customers they do however tell me that I should phone Microsoft as they have been told they will replace your day one with another and give you a free game for the inconvenience.

Phone up Microsoft and the support guy tries to go through telling me how to try to reset the console but tells me everything that I have already tried, when I inform him I went through all this with online support this morning and they told me my hardware was faulty and needed replacing he tries to palm me off to a website to download an update for the controllers. I question when the update was released as the console worked fine 2 days ago. When he tells me the update came out at launch I start to get annoyed that this guy is just reading from a sheet in front of him and hasn't got much of a clue.

So we get onto the subject of a replacement

Support: "We can send you out a new console within 3-5 business days upon receiving it you will then have to send us your faulty console which will normally reach us within 3-5 business days. However I first need to make a charge of ?349 for the xbox and ?149 for the Kinect this will be held until we receive your faulty console and it has been checked by support."
Me: "Sorry, what was that? You want to take ?500 out of my account for a ?420 console and hold it for at least two weeks?
Support: "Yes. The extra is to pay for couriering your new console and the faulty one"
Me: You've got to be joking. I haven't got ?500 sitting in my account that I can lose for two weeks, two weeks before Christmas.
Support: Well the other option is that you send your xbox in for repair but that would mean you would have to wait between 3-5 weeks for it to be returned.

By this point I am pretty annoyed. Im not raising my voice but the tone has definitely changed to quite aggressive.

Me: "That's completely unacceptable and entirely ridiculous. Under the sale of goods act I have the right to a new console without charge as the item I have purchased is faulty, When my xbox 360 picked up the red ring a month after launch I was couriered out a replacement without any charge and the courier took the faulty one away with him. Why have you suddenly decided to use two courier services when one could do the whole thing"
Support: "I'm sorry sir I can understand your frustration but this is the way we are doing things"
Me: "Is your xbox one faulty?"
Support: "No sir I don't have an xbox one"
Me: Has someone just asked you for ?500 for no real reason?
Support: "No sir"
Me: "Then don't tell me you understand my frustration. This is completely ridiculous and no way to treat customers that have just spent a sizeable chunk of money on new goods that should work and if faulty be replaced immediately without the ridiculous charge.
Support: "Sir the money is refunded once we receive your console and support have verified its faulty"
Me: Why?
Support: "Its to stop people getting a new console and keeping the original one"
Me: You mean keeping the faulty one that doesn't work?
Support: "Yes it may well not be faulty"
Me: "Ok If I give you my bank details can you transfer me over ?500 - I will give it back to you once I confirm the console you send me isn't faulty".
Support: "No sir the console we send you will be a new unit and will work"
Me: "I have a new unit and it doesn't work. Why should I trust you with my money if you aren't going to trust me with your hardware this is ridiculous you have been no help at all and have just made what should have been a simple procedure an unpleasant and sour experience im going back to the retailer for a full refund and maybe purchase a PS4 as I hear they treat there customers better."
Support: Im sorry sir, that's entirely up to you of course.
Me: "yes it is. goodbye"

So now im fuming.

Phone up Game again and relay the basics of the conversation I just had. They are disgusted as I am and offer me a full refund and inform me that the other Game in the shopping centre has some stock that I could then go and purchase if I wanted. By the time I get to Game a few hours later they said they have phoned round a few of the preorders and have managed to source me a day one console that hasn't been purchased. So im a happy shopper again and give my thanks to the manager for doing what a massive corporation should have done in the first place. They take my faulty console and plug it in to give it a test so they can fill out a report.

Xbox one powers up, Kinect powers up and recognises me from 10 ft away signs me in and the guy in the shop holding the controller starts navigating round the screen.

Incredibly confused and relieved I leave the shop with my xbox, once again thanking them for being so helpful get home plug everything back in and its been working fine all weekend.

 

[N_LaRUE]

Well that was quite the crappy experience! Good thing you bought it from a retail store instead of MS directly.

Hopefully they tapped that conversation. That was a horrible (but not surprising) support call. If this is the way they are handling things MS is going to kill the Xbox. Can you imagine the poor publicity of this if kids open their Xxbox on xmas and it becomes faulty and parents try to do what you did and get the same treatment? That would go horribly wrong for MS.

Personally if it were me I would have went and bought a PS4 and sent a nasty letter to MS letting them know how horrible they treat their customers. You should do that anyway, without buying the PS4 of course.

I try to be a MS supporter but when I hear crap like this I get very disappointed with them.

 

[Pete]

It's really sad to see another tale of bad customer service from Microsoft. Whenever I've had to contact Microsoft about things, I've invariably had good and accurate service from them. From the sounds of it, your guy didn't seem to know the process, or the process let him down. FYI, the "free game" exchange only applies to X1s with the faulty disc drive issue.

From a quick search, I couldn't find any exchange policy for X1. Good on Game for helping you out so effectively though. Doubly glad that your original console is working great.

 

[martinmc78]

It's really sad to see another tale of bad customer service from Microsoft. Whenever I've had to contact Microsoft about things, I've invariably had good and accurate service from them. From the sounds of it, your guy didn't seem to know the process, or the process let him down. FYI, the "free game" exchange only applies to X1s with the faulty disc drive issue.

From a quick search, I couldn't find any exchange policy for X1. Good on Game for helping you out so effectively though. Doubly glad that your original console is working great.

One of the good things about the sale of goods act in the UK - it overrides any exchange policy if the item purchased is faulty or develops a fault within 28 days its an immediate straight swap or refund. Yeah Game were incredibly helpful - am looking into getting the manager recognised by head office or something she was incredibly helpful especially to go ringing round trying to find me a replacement. Not sure what went wrong with my console though really odd for it to just stop working then start again. Maybe Kinect didn't like me shouting at it became self aware and decided not to work.

 

[Coreldan]

I don't see a huge problem with this. Obviously it would be better if they trusted the cnsumer and no charging took place, but I wouldnt have a problem with the arrangement, cos I'd get it all back.

Good that you got a nice arrangement from Game though.

 

[N_LaRUE]

I don't see a huge problem with this.

Not many people are going to have ?500 sitting in their accounts to do this type of transaction, especially around xmas time. So I personally do see a big issue if this is how they are handling things.

It's not going to look good from a customer service point of perspective. I can see it being another PR disaster in the making.

 

[vaultsurvivor]

Which game was it? I used to work for them and their customer service always used to vary depending on which store you went to. Sounds like you got one of the better ones!

 

[Coreldan]

Not many people are going to have ?500 sitting in their accounts to do this type of transaction, especially around xmas time. So I personally do see a big issue if this is how they are handling things.

It's not going to look good from a customer service point of perspective. I can see it being another PR disaster in the making.

I guess it depends on one's approach to financial things.. If I did not have this kind of amount available to me, regardless of time of year, I think paying 500€/$ for a console is the wrong place to put money into anyways

They offered another way of handling it too, but it would take longer. But as said, ofc it would be better to just be able to get replacement without them having to reserve a charge, but I personally wouldn't have given this a 2nd thought, I would've just told em to go ahead.

 

[martinmc78]

I guess it depends on one's approach to financial things.. If I did not have this kind of amount available to me, regardless of time of year, I think paying 500€/$ for a console is the wrong place to put money into anyways

They offered another way of handling it too, but it would take longer. But as said, ofc it would be better to just be able to get replacement without them having to reserve a charge, but I personally wouldn't have given this a 2nd thought, I would've just told em to go ahead.

Both the options were incorrect and not acceptable. Whether its a console or a toaster the same rules apply here in the UK when it comes to faulty goods. If something you buy is faulty an exact working replacement or full refund are the only two options you should be given. They offered neither.

 

[Coreldan]

Both the options were incorrect and not acceptable. Whether its a console or a toaster the same rules apply here in the UK when it comes to faulty goods. If something you buy is faulty an exact working replacement or full refund are the only two options you should be given. They offered neither.

Around here that typically goes through the store that sold it to you, which seemed to happen to you as well?

And just as a disclaimer, I was mostly just explaining why I personally wouldn't have had a problem with the arrangement, not expecting everyone else to not mind it

 

[5150 Joker]

Build a PC next time. Consoles are underpowered.

Sent from my GT-I9100

 

[N_LaRUE]

Build a PC next time. Consoles are underpowered.

You haven't seen his setup. I have. He has the best of both worlds in an awesome setup that I would gladly have, if I were younger and into gaming.

 

[martinmc78]

Build a PC next time. Consoles are underpowered.

Sent from my GT-I9100

Custom Coffee Table PC & XBox360 on Behance

 

[N_LaRUE]

Around here that typically goes through the store that sold it to you, which seemed to happen to you as well?

And just as a disclaimer, I was mostly just explaining why I personally wouldn't have had a problem with the arrangement, not expecting everyone else to not mind it

I'm glad you don't mind paying twice for something. You're right, not everyone would feel the same way, hell, like martinmc78 they'd be pissed. Personally I would be more than pissed. I'd be asking for their supervisor and then the manager. If I didn't get that, I'd would be taking it to the press.

There is no reason to take a a ?500 deposit to 'repair' something. I sent my laptop in for repairs. They didn't ask for a deposit or carrier fee and it was almost out of warranty.

There is no reason at all for the way they handled the situation considering how new the console was. Regardless of where he bought the console from, MS provides the warranty.

 

[5150 Joker]

Custom Coffee Table PC & XBox360 on Behance

Nice table, pretty creative, I like it! I'm using a plain 6 ft folding table to hold my beast (3770k@4.5, 2 x Titan SLI). You should upgrade that table to accommodate watercooling.

 

[martinmc78]

Nice table, pretty creative, I like it! I'm using a plain 6 ft folding table to hold my beast (3770k@4.5, 2 x Titan SLI). You should upgrade that table to accommodate watercooling.

Thanks - Thought about watercooling but its overkill - even the fans are overkill, currently the air volume shifting through the table and the air volume around the components means that even running games on ultra settings with the fans on 300rpm im not going above 25 deg even after 5-6 hour gaming sessions. The fans go up to 700rpm so even adding another 7870 and crossfiring I would have enough cooling. Ive got another couple of designs that are alot more slimline with watercooling in though.:wink:

 

[TheLiege]

I had this fault with mine. Turned it off by holding the power button and then turned it back on (does green xbox one screen rather than black with logo screen) and then it worked again.

 

[martinmc78]

I had this fault with mine. Turned it off by holding the power button and then turned it back on (does green xbox one screen rather than black with logo screen) and then it worked again.

Yeah I tried that when I went through it with support online - didn't work at the time though.

 

[MacDaMachine]

There is no reason to take a a ?500 deposit to 'repair' something. I sent my laptop in for repairs. They didn't ask for a deposit or carrier fee and it was almost out of warranty. .

They arent charging him for repairs. They are sending him a brand new console, so they are putting a hold on his account until they get the broken one back.

If he sent it in for repairs it would take at least two weeks (he sends it in, they fix it, and send it back). They gave him an option of basically overnighting a brand new console and putting a hold on his account (btw never do this with debit cards only credit cards.) until they get the broken one back (just incase he is scamming them.)

 

[radmanvr]

I understand that you are upset about this but there is a reason why MSFT is doing this. It's because others have done what you have done but were scamming MSFT. I understand that $500 bucks to MSFT is chump change but you also need to look at it from there point of perspective.

I do agree with you that this SOP is ridiculous. They should only charge you if the defective console does not reach them in 3-5 business days. Instead of charging you upfront.

There are a couple of reasons why I think they did this but I do not work for MSFT so I can not say exactly. I think in the past others have given them false credit cards/bank accounts for them to charge, if the defective console did not reach MSFT.

What I would have done if I was in charge would to have my reps charge you $.01 to make sure that the bank account/credit card is valid and refund you if the defective console gets returned.

Off topic thought: Here in the states at high-end gentleman's club they charged $500 to your card (on hold/pending) in order to make sure you have money to spend at their club and will refund the difference.