Murder Most Foul - A Rant
Pardon me for a moment as I indulge in the territory of woeful anachronism and spout a brief eulogy for the violent, untimely death of customer service. I realize this is a phrase still trotted out at regular intervals by any number of disingenuous companies who, judging by the canon of their actions: 1) have little apparent interest in actually providing meaningful customer service and 2) are stained with the blood spilled as they murdered it in its sleep. Watching the modern corporate environment mention customer service is like watching Weekend at Bernie’s, where we are portrayed as the mouth-breathing bystander that doesn’t realize they’re drinking daiquiris with a corpse. So, let’s all have a brief moment of silence as we mourn the loss of our esteemed companion and friend, its brutally beaten body now finally ready to be laid to rest and buried so that its grave can be properly danced and defecated upon by any number of businesses who want to take your money.
[Dennis Miller] Now, I don’t want to get off on a rant here, but American consumer protection is more inept than Bill Buckner trying to field first base with Meniere’s Disease. [/Dennis Miller]
Once, not so long ago, there was a balance. Or at least a better illusion of balance, as the providers of goods and services believed – erroneously, as it turns out – that they would be held to minimum standards by their customers. If you purchased a product, say a video game, and it did not meet minimum standards of satisfaction, like, for example, working properly, this was an age in which the customer would have recourse to return the product. This is, of course, silly now in an environment where corporations can be openly hostile to their customers and infer that any attempt to return merchandise is a defacto admission of guilt at being a thief. Retailers, service providers and the incestuous conglomeration of corporations who have circled the wagons in a collaborative effort to turn a buck at any and all costs, seem to believe that consumers deserve neither right nor recourse in holding the unimpeachable efforts of corporations accountable. This is a time where consumers aren’t even quite allowed to own the products they buy, lest they misuse that ownership by imparting their will on products in ways that might seem unsavory to the supplicants at the altar of the almighty profit margin.
This, I realize, has the tainted stain of anti-corporation rhetoric, and I might be easily enough painted as a tie-dye wearing hippie reeking of Patchouli and multi-culturalism, the fact is that I am myself a small business owner, a consumer and a guy who wants to believe in the system. I understand the mandates of corporations to succeed, but that shouldn’t be at the expense of integrity and ethical behavior. Making a purchase of a good or service was never intended to be a spin of the roulette wheel, particularly one where the croupier makes certain the house wins every spin, and yet as a consumer I’d sooner trust Britney Spears as my new au pair than most retailers to treat me fairly if I should be stuck with a defective product.
And, even on the rare occasions when customers are granted the privilege of returning or replacing defective merchandise—defective perhaps being termed in different language than is currently customary – we are expected to pay for the opportunity to do so either through restocking fees or overpriced product guarantees. From tech retailers to game publishers, airlines to the RIAA, pharmaceuticals to big oil, the balance of power in the wake of irresponsible consumerism has so dramatically shifted away from consumer rights, that I’m shocked CEOs don’t just occasionally send hired thugs to my house to shake me down for loose change.
It is common knowledge that I am on my third Xbox 360. To anyone who has owned a 360 since release, this probably seems about right. I’m not sure why Microsoft saw fit to install into these machines hardware with suicidal tendencies, nor what precise mechanism triggers the machine’s desire to off itself in the night, but I’m even less clear on why, after a year of dramatically downplaying the obvious failure rates and participating in the now common trend of blaming their customers for any anomalous problems we might have the temerity to be experiencing, I’m supposed to feel like Microsoft is some white knight for spending a billion dollars to do what it should’ve been doing the whole time.
Further, any good will the company may have cultivated by being dragged like an unwieldy ass to the stable is entirely dissolved by its offensive handling of DRM problems with Xbox Live Arcade games for repaired systems. Considering that defective 360s are as common as toast, you might imagine that on receiving a repaired system you would have full access again to the games you legitimately paid for, but as it turns out the protection on these games is such that most people with repaired systems can only play the games they bought and once had unfettered access to by signing into their Xbox Live account. Oh, yes, I suppose I have “access” to the games I paid for, but now it is conditional access. For a while Microsoft saw fit to refund points to customers so they could rebuy their games – a hoop laden solution that was at least a good faith attempt – but apparently this policy proved too convenient for customers, so instead now the answer customers receive is to try redownloading the game after a month or so and see if that reauthorizes the game to the new machine.
This almost never works.
And, should it not work, well guess whose problem that is? Here’s a hint: not Microsoft’s. What’re you going to do, return the games? Ha! Until it’s perceived as a potential PR problem this will be treated much like the defective rate of the machines was treated, a problem to be handled at the company’s convenience and dismissed as inconsequential. At worst they’ll have to hire some more subcontinent workers to handle the increased call volume at “support centers” that operate off scripts designed to provide as little actual support as possible.
But, let’s not paint MS as the only villain in this morality play, because they are but an example of an endemic disregard and disrespect. Even Harmonix and EA, which is being lauded for its superior support of Rock Band peripherals (read: about equal to the kind of support that used to be common) gets a free pass for making shoddy equipment to begin with just because they don’t require a strip search to have it replaced. Hey! Congratulations on slapping together cheap plastic peripherals and then not treating us like criminals when they break. That’s just stellar!
Stop nodding your head in agreement; you’re part of the problem. You who can’t be bothered to wait for a review before purchasing a game you suspect is going to be crappy. You who keep shopping at the exact places that have destroyed customer return policies and good service. You who mumbles about companies deserving to maximize profits to justify unethical practice. You who buy service agreements and have never demanded to talk to a manager even if the effort was perhaps futile. You who continue to patronize the very murderers of customer service, who fly on Northwest Airlines, who buy Sony CDs, who continue to buy from Xbox Live Arcade even though you can only play your existing games provisionally, who just sit and take it. You are legion, innumerable in your vast army of complacent enablers, disinterested, uninvolved and placated, and I blame you!
In the end, it’s we who murdered customer service, or at least spectated as it was flayed and beaten while we tossed money into the pools of its blood. We made it entirely clear that despite the worst that retailers and service industries could devise to throw at us, we’d come back to burden them further with our business, harboring nothing but diminished enthusiasm and lowered expectations. We offered no resistance in the revolution that thwarted the consumer protections that we once took for granted, and now it seems almost futile to even complain about activities that seem offensive at best and illegal at worst.
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Yes I am!!
Wait, that was an insult! Screw you!
Nope! GameFly and Steam have given nothing but outstanding service to me.
Gaming / PC Tech Blog: Blast Processing - www.blastprocessing.net
Xbox Live: Legion SB | PSN: Legion_SB
New cell phone AIM: Legion SB Cell
Twitter: legion
Truer words have never been blogged.
Steam: Datin
Team Fortress 2 Screenshot Album
Clearly when the second Xbox died you should have just thrown it out. You are just encouraging Microsoft to keep punishing you. Of course, I fell into this trap too... and have a great story to tell.
Part 1: http://tleaves.com/2007/10/10/raging-red-ring-reaction-rant/
Part 2: http://tleaves.com/2007/10/19/returning-red-ring-rage-redux/
Also, it wasn't really poor Bill's fault. The Red Sox bull pen sucked.
Xbox Live: psu13, PSN: psu_13
Two words, caveat emptor.
"The light at the end of the tunnel is just the light of an oncoming train." - Robert Lowell
Xbox Live - Trainwreck GWJ
Yikes! I'm almost afraid to comment because I think I feel some heat behind this rant. And I do agree that too many manufacturers (and other companies) do not do an acceptable job in terms of quality of product and in customer service. But I can't get behind the notion that customer service is dead.
I've only made a few posts here on the site and I think I've given a few details in the past about my background. My background is kind of complicated, but to make a long story short I deal with data that helps companies make marketing decisions. I've got a doctorate in cognitive psychology (decision making, memory, attention) with a specialty in quantitative psychology (statistics). I crunch numbers (for loyalty programs, sales, appended data like satisfaction surveys) and do research (on-site intercepts at stores, web intercept, conjoint studies that tell what features someone is willing to pay for what price). I've used customer satisfaction data (like the American Customer Satisfaction Index, customer satisfaction surveys on receipts, etc.) and bumped it up against sales data many times. And I've done this stuff for a number of companies, including packaged goods companies, large multi-unit supermarkets, multiple restaurant chains, major airlines, etc..
In my experience, I haven't had a hard time convincing large companies that customer service is important because they already know that. Most don't hesitate at setting up systems and processes for monitoring customer satisfaction and issues that relate to it (including issues related to products and problem resolution). I've even run across a CEO that personally read all customer feedback on their products and store experience (EVERY letter and email from customers).
Full disclosure, I've also done some work for Microsoft and I can't get into everything about that.
To summarize my experiences, I've found that almost all large corporations "get" the importance of customer satisfaction and customer service *even if they are not what you would consider a "service" provider*.
But I agree that there are some companies that make mind-boggling decisions in terms of customer service or the lack thereof. I don't shop at Best Buy or EB Games or GameSpot. I stopped buying Sony CDs after they added the DRM (I check every CD to see if it's Sony before I purchase). I've stopped using two airlines because of customer service issues (and I frequently only use a specific airline regardless of price because they have excelled at customer service and problem resolution for me multiple times). There are multiple restaurants that I will not visit, clothing stores I will not buy from, supermarkets I won't enter, and wireless carriers I will not use.
I don't disagree that the failure rate on XBox 360s is absurd. And I also agree that DRM issues decrease value (for multiple products). But I also know that many companies care a *lot* about customer satisfaction and customer service because they know how it affects their bottom line.
Can you edit that? Maybe add a line or two about buying themes, gamerpics and half-baked DLC? I realize it's not directly on topic, but certainly it's an issue that, like the issues outlined above, falls at the feet of overeager customers.
Xbox Live: StaatsM
I have loved my experience with Steam!
It was Mrs. Peacock in the Conservatory with the Lead Pipe. I swear!
Xbox Live Gamercard - bennard
Bennard's Blog
Beer For Ben
Hey, I got thrown out of best buy. I can't even go back to that one.
*Legion* wrote:
I have actually been surprised at how positive my experience with MS has been. I haven't had the above issues with my XBLA games, but I do know they exist. I'm amazed there isn't a patchable solution.
I, too, have given up on several major corporations - most notably Best Buy who refused to take back (even for store credit) component cabling valued at $50.00 (still sealed in their original packaging, with identical SKUs hanging on the shelves) after I had spent over $2K on them and other equipment a scant two months prior. A long-winded note to their customer service department got me a voice message but no return call once I called them back. Incredible. Its OK, tho - Amazon has great Plasma TVs and all the trappings
How did that happen? Your dollars weren't green enough?
Perhaps his shirt was too blue?
BUY MY STUFF!
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Xfire/Xbox Live: StylezXP
What about Nintendo? As far as I can tell they seem to be one of the few companies that have what might actually be considered "customer service." My wiimote broke so I sent it back, no problem, got one back within 2 weeks. I can't remember the details, but I think Rabbit's wii broke and he said he got it replaced didn't he?
We are complicit. Yes. I like to play games, though. Between this and my frustration over the pubtards, I'm not sure how long I'll be a loyal 360 fan. Other companies across the board are, of course, bad in their own ways. But the 360 for all the great things you can do with it just has so much wrong. And not wrong in the sense of the game library is a little weak. But wrong in the sense that you could literally be called racist and homophobic names in a Live match (which you're paying for) only to have your 360 red-ring and go through what so many go through. That's not just bad customer service. That's stuff that drains the fun out of your hobby and makes you consider jumping platforms wholesale.
XBox Live Gamertag: DSGamer GWJ
Go ahead and shout your agreement if you want, but just know that if it wasn't popular to agree you'd in all likelihood still be sleepwalking along and letting the abuse continue.
"Frogger did not convince me to jump into oncoming traffic." --rabbit
Writing, gaming, and stuff.
I was returning a wireless card for my dad and gave a couple computer advice contrary to Best Buy. I got yelled at and then told them they were the reason we have Luddites.
*Legion* wrote:
Speak for yourself. I was screwed over by Qwest; they don't get a goddamned penny from me anymore. When it became apparent what an incredible piece of unreliable crap the 360 was, I didn't buy one -- you did. It was you guys pimping games for the system, feeding the beast you so vehemently decry. I don't buy games immediately, I wait until I can get an impression of their quality. I didn't buy the PS3 because I didn't see appropriate value, no matter what Sony might say. I support digital distribution and so I buy my games digitally whenever possible. I want to be treated as a customer, not a criminal; my purchase of Sins was partially motivated by that sentiment. In short, I put my money where my mouth is, and vote with my dollars appropriately.
I just got done listening to the podcast, listening to you guys talking to Chris from Petroglyph about the whole Live Gold being required for PC play. All I heard was a bunch of people falling all over each other to say how appropriate it was to pay for ranked play. Not one damned person had the balls to stand up and say the obvious: charging for online (yes, even laddered) play is the demon-spawn of corporate greed and a prime example of the sort of crap forced on us by increasingly powerful corporate gaming interests. Now don't misunderstand me, I was right there alongside of you waving the flag there for most of your post, but I've got to call you on the hypocrisy of ranting here, and essentially fellating a guy who's telling you that Microsoft's scheme to suck money from console players is appropriate for PC gamers too. The hell with that! If you want to stand up for gamer and consumer rights, I'm behind you all the way. But you can't say that Microsoft is screwing you over while simultaneously dropping cash on games for their system. Take a stand: sell your 360 and stop feeding the machine.
/rant
"Triscuits - Nice little crackers that just want to be liked. They want me to put festively colored toppings on them and serve them to my friends at parties. They're made from wheat, I should like them. F Triscuits." --Dr_Awkward
I always thought we, that is the game buyers, were part of the problem, but Elysium does a far better job of expressing it.
The fact that some third tier title like Kane & Lynch sells more than 1 million copies is a black eye for gamers....it just will allow developers/producers to set the bar even lower, to see just how low the common denominator gets.
You might want to listen to that section again because no one was saying they loved the idea. In fact that whole conversation starts with the Lord of Leisure calling him on it and asking him how that was all going to work. Than when Chris explains that the type of online play you need to pay for is only the type that allows you to play cross platform (which happens to be the ranked games) they got their answer but no one said that it was great or awesome. Is that great? I don't know I don't own the game. I did like hearing that at least you can play custom non ranked games vs other PC players for free though.
Than there's the fact that Elysium was not even on the show and neither was I and whether you believe it or not, everyone at GWJ has their own opinions, and they are allowed to express them. Just because Elysium doesn't like something it doesn't mean that everyone here at GWJ feels the same way. If Certis feels a certain way about something it doesn't mean that everyone here has to feel the same way either, even though he would probably prefer it that way.
I hope that clarifies things a little, and in the future you might want to be careful when you try to paint everyone with the same brush. At least in his article Elysium includes himself in the mob of people he feels is responsible for letting Corporations get away with shoddy customer service.
"Can I have a job? I donut have much experiences, butt I always use an spellchecker spellchecker on my articles." - Sway
Using Prayer To Microevolve Latent Antibiotic Resistance In Bacteria since 2005!
Spoiler Fanatic!
That's fair enough. I'm aware that he wasn't on the show, and painting everyone with a broad brush is fun for blowing off steam, but I should probably back off a bit. I should be clear that my posts wasn't meant nastily, but rather as a rebuttal. I guess my point is that if you're going to point the finger of blame (even if you include yourself), then just stop being a part of the problem! Stop buying crap, get rid of shoddy hardware, or better yet just don't buy the hardware in the first place. If we, as gamers, are going to take back any part of our hobby, we have to start actually doing, rather than saying. It's all well and good to rant online, but how about keeping your wallet closed next time Microsoft puts out a console until you're sure it's a quality product? If a game company treats us like crap, then just refuse to buy their products, no matter how tempting the fare.
It's analogous to people who complain about the dreck put out by the music industry, and how the RIAA treats customers like criminals, and then still go out and buy CDs. Sure, not buying a cool game is going to suck, but that's what it's going to take to make a difference. With respect to the Windows Live stuff though, I stand my ground. It's absolute crap that anyone is being forced to pay for multiplayer, even it is just the cross-platform stuff. Microsoft is charging console gamers for this stuff, and they will try to make that the standard multiplayer model if we don't stand up to them. I'd much rather have heard Chris say "we tried to tell MS to go screw themselves over the Gold account on PC thing, but they forced us into it" rather than "it was tough to fit into the Games for Windows model" and "we wanted them to have a reason to go to Gold". Sure I was proud that a fellow Brit called into question the validity of paying for a game, and then paying to play online in in ranked games. But then Rabbit turns around and starts talking about pinball machines, despite the fact that ranked online games exist without subscriptions all over the place. Besides, the last time I checked, I put my money in the pinball machine to play the game; my score appearing on the leaderboard didn't cost extra.
But hey, everyone has their own opinions, as you say, and I can certainly respect that. I didn't particularly care for the tone of the article, nor the perceived hypocrisy of decrying a company's customer service while docilely submitting to a level of quality that would result in massive lawsuits in any other industry. That said, I'd like to keep it a more friendly and, in retrospect, probably should have kept my mouth shut. I'm stupid like that.
"Triscuits - Nice little crackers that just want to be liked. They want me to put festively colored toppings on them and serve them to my friends at parties. They're made from wheat, I should like them. F Triscuits." --Dr_Awkward
I am doing something. Two year old PC, no console systems, not expending more than 15euros in a game. And believe me, I do play and a lot. But hey, I have just ordered the Icewind Dale pack, Neverwinter and Neverwinter 2, no I didn't had a chance to play with them. And indeed at that time I was playing even more than now. But I know that I am going to enjoy them now much more, with faster computer, no bugs, mods, high res.
You just need to stop paying attention to all the adds, hype, and the actual philossophy of "the new is always better than the old". So, what if they suddenly stopped making games right now? For my part I think I would still have fun with what we got for all my life, and I have still a lot of years ahead
Bah! I put my foot in my mouth plenty of times! I still speak my mind when I believe in something.
I agree with your opinion though. We have to start speaking with our wallets and I try to do that as often as I can. I never owned the original Xbox until I was given a broken one that I repaired myself and had I not got my 360 for free, I would probably still not own one. I only started paying for Live after I got my 360 because so many others here play 360 games and I want to join in the fun. So as far as Microsoft goes I still feel that I am ahead of the game money wise, and hopefully I will be for a while.
I think we can all agree, no one wants to be treated poorly, especially when we are paying for the pleasure.
"Can I have a job? I donut have much experiences, butt I always use an spellchecker spellchecker on my articles." - Sway
Using Prayer To Microevolve Latent Antibiotic Resistance In Bacteria since 2005!
Spoiler Fanatic!
I just want to say that I do not do those things that Shawn suggested that I do. I sold my 360, have not shopped at a big box retailer in over 2 years, and the last Sony BMG CD I bought was more than that. I am sadly forced to fly NorthWest, because they are really the only show in the Mid West. And as far as the warranty issue, buy the extended manufacturer's warranty, it is worth more.
I tend to sympathize when people are coerced into frequenting a particular store. Kids cannot shop on Amazon or Go Gamer with their allowance money. They need mom or dad to allow them to, or they still a credit card.
I find that in the adult populations, people continue to frequent places that they hate out of convenience or perceived necessity. Gamestop is less than a mile away, and where else am I going to get 5 bucks in funny money to buy the next game that I should have rented? Part of the solution is stopping, often sacrificing convenience for a superior experience. I shop at Amazon.com, Direct 2 Drive, and rent from Gamefly and Netflix. All have provided me with nothing but stellar customer support.
One thing that is omitted is how we created this consumer hating monster by putting price ahead of all else. We said no to the corner store, no to the small business retailer. We want wholesale prices, factory direct bargains. We do not want personalized service when buying a TV, we want the 18 year old Chad to get off his damn cell phone long enough to sell it to us at a sticker price, with a 4 year replacement guarantee, and 200 dollars worth of cables. We did not want to pay for experts of the products to sell them to us any more. There was once a time where the gentleman selling the TV also repaired them, knew them inside and out. But the ballot of the dollar was cast, and we voted that measure down. Or think back 10, 15, 20 years and to what your local game retailer was. Remember what FuncoLand was, when it was a small franchise. Remember when you did not get calls on the phone to sell back used games. Remember when you bought used games to play an old title, or fill out a collection, not to fill a bottom line by saving 5 bucks on something that was new yesterday.
Unless you're a masochist, in which case, being treated poorly is the pleasure you're paying for.
Stengah's Steam ID
ICO: Stengah
Great article and i agree completely, Elysium.
MS should have issued a product recall... the reason they didn't is becoming increasingly apparent - the 360 isn't fixable. We'll see whether the dual shrunk CPU/GPU gets rid of all red-rings but that is only coming out in the autumn...
For the record, i tend not to buy CDs (i don't pirate them either) i don't own a 360 and won't until reliability is proven and i don't like downloading DRM-ridden games that i have no protection in using. I've bought some games over steam and i own Gal Civ 2 (though i also got a hard-copy) and i've found that, where possible (as i pointed out in another thread) i'll try and buy a hard-copy rather than the digital route because it's cheaper to do so here.
[edit] Decided to avoid a flame war...
Quote:
Unfortunately, I believe that this period of time where our economy is roiling and thrashing about is going to be the only thing that has a chance of applying pressure to the spurting artery on the thigh of customer service. I work for a large consumer electronic chain, and while we are staying profitable, it is getting more and more difficult to do so. The result of this has been a directive from our corporate office to do anything we possibly can to make the customer happy, be it a new customer or someone who has already made their purchase and is unhappy with some aspect. Items we previously would have refused a return on we are now accepting, and our previously adamantine ten day return policy has become as flexible as a Romanian silver medal gymnast. And yes, I do admit that it is atrocious that it takes a mortal fear that our business will collapse to convince us to treat our customers the way that they actually should be treated. But within the last few weeks, we have found out about similar instructions being passed down from our competitor's corporate offices, including Best Buy and Circuit City.
In the brutally Darwinian world of retail, I can only hope that one or two companies will realize that by treating their customers like human beings, they may find themselves achieving a leg up on the competition. If customers actually start demonstrating that they are willing to be loyal to the store that provides them with the level of service that they deserve, perhaps we will see a new surge in customer service across the board.
Excellent article Elysium. It echoes many thoughts I have on the topic as well.
I try to vote with my wallet as often as possible. I own an XBOX 360, but have avoided downloading anything that costs points from Live due to the whole DRM bullsh*t that accompanies it. Until they create an easy fix for the DRM Live downloads, I won't be purchasing any additional content. I am already on my 2nd 360, and every time this one makes even the smallest, slightest of odd noises, I fear for the worst and picture myself having to make the call to get another coffin shipped. It is a sad state of affairs when turning on and playing your console is a digital form of Russian roulette. Between myself and my 4 close friends who own 360s, two have died.
A Mind Without Purpose Will Walk In Dark Places
"I may be out of ammo but I ain't out of chainsaw B*TCHES!" - Sinister's warcry for Gears of War
Awesome article Elysium and I couldn't agree more. Getting away from what you talk about is the core value of the business Stylez and I are about to start. One of the reasons I felt so weighed down working for Geek Squad and my other former employers was that they didn't get good service at all and looked at me like I was mad when I suggested that sometimes, it's worth making a bit less money right now to make someone happy. I've tried for many years to avoid companies that screw me over. In my house, we don't use Rogers Cable, we don't use Bell for home phone service or Internet and I do both through a small company that treats customers like gold (though Bell is now trying to take that away, see here.) I don't shop at EB Games because of their service and high-pressure sales tactics and if I buy a game that's broken and I believe I should be able to return, I will burn my way up the ladder until someone agrees to. I even did with with a Steam title once, successfully. If a company burns me with what appears to be intent or callous disregard, they don't get my business any more. Honestly, dealing with the business you and Elysia run has been one of the best experiences Stylez and I have had thus far. Almost everyone else I've had to deal with in starting this business up has been a nightmare, even on the sales side. But you guys get it and that's why you'll have our continued business.
That said, it drives me mad to see people still giving these companies money with one hand while shaking the other fist at them. In Canada, Bell Sympatico is still the most popular Internet service despite having some of the worst customer support in the world and what they're now trying to do to other ISPs. Rogers Cable is still the most popular TV service despite the same reasons. All my customers who are on them complain about them but when I offer them an alternative, they see it as "too much work to change." Yes, making two phone calls and changing some router settings is too much work. I currently have several restaurants I'm working for that are having debit payment authorizations screwed up because of Bell. It's hurting their business but they don't want to change because they'll lose the approximately $15/month they're saving by having Bell DSL bundled with their phone service. When I ran my Xbox Live DRM site, it took over 6 months to get 1,000 signatures on my petition and I couldn't get anyone but you guys to give it any coverage, including outlets that are not complaining as if they just discovered this. Meanwhile, some pubtard creates a horribly written petition demanding Capcom keep DMC4 a PS3 exclusive and it's on every gaming site and gets 40,000 signatures in a bloody afternoon. And frequently, I was lambasted on forums for daring to call the 360 a hastily engineered piece of junk (which it is) and that I should be grateful that Microsoft admitted their mistake and dealt with it. I see, so spending $1B to avoid a looming class-action lawsuit (the only reason they extended the warranty on red ring) is something to be grateful for and gets them off the hook for crappy hardware, horrendous oursourced customer service and DRM that locks me out of my content? I can only hope people are as tolerant of mass ineptitude when I start my business. Somehow, I doubt it.
Anyway, this has gone into a rant of my own so I'll shut up now. I think that having been in the customer service business for almost 10 years, seeing this kind of thing continue to worsen just gets to me more. Soon, Stylez and I will raise the bar.
"Just because something's popular, that sure doesn't make it right." -Penn Gilette
"You can't fix stupid." -Ron White
Net Neutrality Rally in Ottawa on May 27th!
Well that settles it. Microsoft get tons of my money for their OS and games. Looks like my first purchased console will be a Wii. I have had a number (3) used PS2's go bad on me (only reads PS1 disks) and was bouncing between a 360 and a Wii to spend my "guvmint" rebate on. Lets see.... DDR on Wii, check; Guitar hero on Wii, check; Rock band on Wii, coming someday. Ok good enough for me.
KingGorilla speaks the truth that we the consumer have put price above all when shopping. We do get what we pay for.
"Do. Or do not. There is no try." - Yoda
It's lonely out here when you're not buying over-priced sequel after sequel. Or you don't purchase a 360 because it's the most unreliable console in history and noisy as a jet.
OR you purchase something other than a Vista machine.
That's what some of us get for voting with our wallets.