Here's a breakdown of the story thus far: I had 2 x Microsoft Xbox units that developed RROD at the same time (almost) I called Microsoft and had the faults registered. I received the little stickers to place on the boxes. UPS came and picked up the boxes on 28th Dec '07 UPS confirmed that those boxes were delivered to Teleplan, Havant and signed for by some dude called Trevor at 9:19am on the 31st Dec '07. ----- On 10th January one of the 360 units came back, with 1mth Live free - Hoorah! On 17th January I decided that a week was long enough, perhaps I should called Microsoft. ----- I call MS UK, get through to someone who states 'Your second console was delivered on the 20th Dec to Address Y (miles from here) to Mr. X (name taken out for privacy)'. I was then given a tracking number and told to call UPS! So, considering the date given for delivery was 'before' I even had them picked up, I started to feel really uneasy about this. Sure enough, UPS confirmed the same details as Microsoft, however they said 'You clearly aren't Mr. X, and I can see we picked up 2 units from you on the 28th, get back to Microsoft and get them to sort it out'. Back to Microsoft and an entirely different guy (who kept on calling me the wrong name) and I asked him to search the 2 serial numbers. Simple process of subtracting the serial number of the console here, from the repair request et voila, tell me who that serial number is registered too... back came my name & address, not Dude X at Address Y! WTF, is going on? MS confirm the SAME tracking number and say UPS are wrong, you must get proof of them having picked up 2 parcels. Back to UPS, and a new person on the 'phone. This guy is efficient and states the same thing, but has an idea. Why not look for the receipt we gave you, it will have the details on it! So, I explained that the driver gave me no paperwork....oh dear, this isn't good! What to do? Advice, go back to Microsoft, they are ultimately responsible for passing on the details for delivery and they must have some kind of record of this. Okay, this time I go back to MS and ask to speak with a Line Manager... and I am placed on hold. It was a quiet evening, I am on MSN and I start chatting to Paulo (who can vouch for this) so, after 45 minutes of being on hold with nobody clearing coming to the 'phone I am livid! I call MS back again and this time get through and say 'Don't put me on hold, my life is draining away here, I just want to find my 360' The advice this time was incredible - 'Go back to UPS, they are wrong'. Now, Ping-pong was never my best game, but I really need to locate this 360 and Microsoft are NOT interested unless I can provide some kind of written proof. I asked them whether perhaps a supervisor could call Teleplan or UPS to do all of this on my behalf, without much joy. Without proof of UPS pick up, even with a serial number, a repair request and ensuring they have the correct customer details in the system, none of that matters. You must have proof of pick-up! So, what happen if you are never given it or you lose it, surely you can simply call up UPS and give them details such as the date, your name and the pick up address? Nope! They need a tracking number! Nothing happens without a valid tracking number. So, this time when I call UPS the girl on the end of the 'phone has no idea what to do until I say 'Wait, surely if one unit was dropped off, you can verify the details of that unit and the other one will be almost identical as Microsoft would generate the two repair pick-ups at the same time?' Answer 'Yes!' they are apparently only a few digits out and can be easily established. Fantastic! So, after 5 hours of messing around, being placed on hold, explaining the situation to various different members of staff, being kept waiting whilst new details are keyed into computers etc we had an answer. The answer being, when 2 packages are picked up from the same place they are scanned in, the tracking details will be together. She gave me the tracking number of the unit GOING TO Microsoft! Proof of the existence of a second, now verified console! Surely, that is the end of the story? I called Microsoft triumphant! I hold here, in my hand a piece of paper with the tracking number of the missing console. When I got through, I spoke with a lovely German girl who's voice could have melted butter and she was really efficient. She apologised, saw that I had been given the tracking details of a different customer and took down the new tracking details ready for a Supervisor to establish the whereabouts of my missing 360 on Monday and call me back as a matter of urgency. So, after 5 hours and 30 mins a result! ---- Monday came and went without a call. ---- Nothing on my mobile, so I decided to call MS back again just to make sure I hadn't been overlooked. Overlooked!!! I had been totally forgotten 'We have NO record of your calls to us on Friday, we need proof of sending these 2 consoles, go back to UPS....' So, I said 'Would it help if I gave you the reference number for the calls?' 'No!' so what is the point of that then 'No, it's because our system has crashed - call us back in 2 hours - goodbye!' Great! More calls, more waiting and now I suspect I'll have to do yet more donkey work for Microsoft. *sigh!*
I feel your pain, I had a similar problem with AT&T And some collection agency when AT&T signed up 2 accounts for me (when I only used one)... The collection agency wasn't able to do anything without AT&T, AT&T had me calling them back, they had me calling AT&T back.... its was BS because AT&T screwed up! I finally got mine resolved, so I wish you the best of luck. Hang in there, you just got to be on the ball and yes (keep explaining your story) because each person will have no idea what the hell your talking about.... unfortunately. They should have a synopsis on every call made associated to an account, I agree. Jeff.
They really did send you round the houses didn`t they! It`s maddening that the systems that are in place to supposedly simplify the tracking and tracing of parcels can`t even be utilised or even understood by their own staff. Pass you off from one customer service employee to another until you inevitably smash your phone and curse the sky. Hope you manage to get this sorted mate :banghead:
Feel my pain instead.... John lewis after being told i live on the second floor without a lift sent the washing machine i ordered 11 days ago (when mine broke) with a two man delivery van... They count the steps and tell me they cant do it! Must be a two man job... 5 calls later no one can explain why the person on the phone told me delivery could be done on monday when its actually monday the 11th! Thats 31 days without a washing machine!!! Because the 3man crew only work mondays and its fully booked untill then!!!! ahhhh OMG i will shoot my self... (well untill 5 mins ago when the manager i talked to 3 hours ago aranged a delivery for tomorrow with another company. :clap
Finally, after slightly over 6 hours on the telephone to Microsoft, UPS and even dragging Teleplan into the arguement, MS have 'found' my unit, forgotten and dejected in the repair shop having been ignored for over a week. They apologise and suggest a Supervisor will call me tomorrow (fat chance!) Let's see what Pt. 2 of the story is - happy or sad ending?
I feel your pain too! Infact, I bought a TV from best buy which went in my room (upstairs, around a corner). They came, told me they couldn't do it, it wont fit. I had to go back and pick out a different one... probably my fault, and I actually got a bigger tv (just slimmer), so at least for me it worked out Jeff PS I'm hoping to hear a happy ending tomorrow parris!
Yeah in my experience also i spent many hours arguing with Microsoft on the phone about various issues, including when i threatend to release private emails between me and a guy in the cooling department on a possible deal we had going, haha the good old times. It seems you get no where with Microsoft call center for the 360, all the staff ive ever talked to have been pretty crap and not so helpful, you end up repeating your story a ton of times to a million people, it sucks.
Unless you get through to someone from Germany! There seems to be 3 distinct call centre regions that kick in depending on what time you call. During the day it's India, in the evening it seems to movie to Middle East and during the period before they close I always seem to end up speaking to Germany. No offense to anyone, but the only staff that seem to really give a monkeys are the German staff!
I was told last night that the console had been located and I was informed that the unit would be returned to me within 6-10 working days, which kind of says 'Oops, that'll be the one I threw out' to me! h:
Good luck with it Parris, i hope all turns out well and hopefully you'll get your console back, preferablly in good condition and working order. When ive phoned Microsoft i must have got through to India every time, they weren't helpful in the slightest, and without any offence intended, i have great difficulty in understanding what they are saying to me over the phone, i guess the only reason i got through there every time i phoned was because i phoned in the day time, damn i wish i'd have phoned later on. At least thats worth while knowing, because ive no doubt one of my 360's is due another 3ROLD in the near future.
Well, it could be coincidence, but I don't think so as I must have clocked up close to 20 calls over 5 days (granted several were also to UPS) and approximately 6 1/2 hours talk time, or hold time, whichever way you want to look at it! ;-)
Yeah thats pretty crazy really, i can appreciate at different times of day you may get re-directed to else where, with different time zones etc it makes perfect sense. To be fair Microsoft should pay for your phone calls, and should deffinatly see you right for messing you around so much, theyve messed up big time so i think they should at least pay for your phone calls and give you some sort of compensation. Its not acceptable with how they handle things at the moment, if some of the call centers are being useless they should get those sorted ASAP, as frustrated users are already having a bad time with their system, never mind with customer services aswell. Some people that have bad experiene on both points could be seriously put off buying any future console they produce, which i do consider a real shame considering how great the original xbox was.
Dell are equally frustrating. I'm trying to arrange an XPS laptop on Finance. Because I don't have a fax machine I had to post all of my documents to them. I sent all eight pages and heard nothing from them for two days. After hours of waiting on an indian call centre (again no disrespect but the accent is hard to understand). they said they had the documents and it would take 2 weeks to process the order. Today however I got an email from my customer service representative to ask why I had not returned the documents, I said that I had and that they should check their incoming mail as they were posted a while ago. Seems odd seeing as the people on the telephone had seen the documents. Some hours later I receive another email saying they have recieved all the documents apart from three important one...which coincidentally are the ones that have to be signed by me. So I try to claim that they were sent and that they must have been misplaced internally but they aren't having any of it. On the plus side, they have agreed to bend the rules and allowed me to email scans of the documents.
I'm supprised youve had so much trouble with Dell, when ive bought from them in the past their customer service has always been next to none for me, ive been chuffed with them every time. They usually call me and check the product ive bought from them is ok and everything. Then again, it does seem now days everywhere you phone if you have to chat to someone on the other end of the phone, its always frustrating and very time consuming to actually get anywhere. I don't understand how such big companies allow call centers and customer service places to opperate like this, it can't be doing their company reputation any good.
this is nothing new for Microsoft. People have been getting fucked by their warranty replacement for awhile. I was lucky, and only got a 2007 console replaced with one from 2006. No shipping problems. You can usually get them to offer you a game for your extreme and unacceptable trouble though.
I tried getting something out of them for compensation after my arguments that went on with them for a long time, and over a period of weeks talking with them hit and miss, but they stuck to their guns and said i couldn't have anything, other than having my console fixed. I had heard others say they got a free game though, so i don't know if anyone in the Uk has managed to achieve that.
It's all about money. The people who operate the billing call centre always answer faster and are easier to understand. Funny that.
Haha yeah thats true, there always super sharp and straight to the point when payment is involved. Before make this side so good, they should all work on their customer care departments, thats what gets them return custom for future profit!
