twmac

Damn you EB Games, damn you Microsoft

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I've been hooked on Xbox Live for the last month, so I decided to fork out 68 dollars and buy a year's top up card for it.

The two guy's at the shop joked that some people were scratching the cards to much and rubbing out the subscription code. So I very carefully scraped mie away, only to find the first two digits missing.

Obviously I tried to take the card back to the retailer. And after a heated discussion with the manager I was turned away with no exchange. This actually didn't surprise all that much as it the same with mobile phone cards, the retailer claims no responsibility for them.

My problem is that, the guy's attitude as the manager was rather unhelpful. He gave me no options on how to get in touch with Microsoft, instead one of the employees gave me a phone number. When I said I didn't have a phone I got a shrug and a half-arsed apology.

In the last 2 years I have spent well over a thousand dollars there, not including my 360 which I would have got from there but they were sold out. Some of the staff even knew me by name. 20 minutes on the phone wouldn't have hurt they're sales.

I've tried online but can find no way to get help from Microsoft that way (they're Xbox website is confusing and misleading, oh the irony), anyone have any suggestions before I waste my lunch break at work/or waste another 68 dollars on a piece of plastic that might not have the numbers?

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Damn, that sucks, but how can you not have a phone, either at home or at work? Don't use more money on subscription cards, go get a cellphone instead. If you call Microsoft they'll probably sort it out in no time. I guess this isn't the help you were hoping for though, but I couldn't find anything on Xbox.com either, sorry.

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Thanks for the comiseration. I'll spend sometime at work tomorrow, I just hate having to use my half hour break to sort something out, when email would be more preferable.

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I'm guessing the EB games wouldn't have let you use their phone?

With a few exceptions, most high-street games stores give awful service. They seem to be completely clueless about why they are faring less well and what they can do to compete against online stores.

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Speaking of online stores, can't you just buy an xbox live subscription through the marketplace?

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Well, you could buy a pre-paid phone card, and use that at a pay phone or something to make the call.

Just be careful not to scratch the card too hard, or you might rub off the security code! Then you'd have to call the phone company's customer service...

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Apparently, the only person's fault that there are two numbers missing, is me.

After talking to an obnoxious automated response thing called Max I spent almost an hour on the phone with an arguaby less helpful support staff. It was rather phenomenal. Rather like talking to a rat or dog that only has multiple choice options:

1) We are not liable for this

2) What is your gamertag?

3) What is your address and postal code?

4) I'm sorry, I'm not at liberty to do that

5) You must take it back to the retailer

6) Thank you for waiting patiently

After about the umpteenth time of telling her as much information (answers to 2 and 3) as I could, and for her to keep telling there was no known gamertag with that title. I logged onto Xbox.com and was staring at it while she continued to deny my existence.

I then asked several times to talk to a line manager or someone else in charge, to which she refused each time with response 4.

I then pointed out that it seemed ridiculous to me that in the time they had been supplying this service, that no single person had ever called up about this, so she answered with both 1 and 5.

She then finally found my gamertag, made me wait and then came back to me with 6 and then with answer 1 again.

I managed not to shout at her and then firmly said that I couldn't take it back, then she said that they didn't deal with sort of stuff. I then became quite unreasonable and demanded she just give 12 months of online now (answer 4).

Finally they gave me a fax number and a reference number that I could fax the evidence to, in the vain hope that I might be able to get some sort of, I don't know... service?

And ended it with the classic:

Thank you for calling Xbox support, please call again.

C***s

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Speaking of online stores, can't you just buy an xbox live subscription through the marketplace?

Yeah, I would have but I have no means of purchasing it, Canada doesn't believe in debit cards, and won't give me a credt card.

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Wait, you can do debit stuff on Xbox Live in the states? That'd be useful as all hell. I'm always frustrated when I have to go onto Live, put through points with my credit card, then go downstairs to the computer to get to my bank's website and pay it off my credit out of my bank account. Seems like a lot of useless steps to me. Stupid Canada (or really, anywhere not-U.S.) getting shafted with this crap. I wouldn't mind being able to use my Xbox for TV shows like the states, either. Especially with that HD South Park thing going on right now.

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Don't rightly know about the US, but in the UK I used to be able to do pretty much anything with my debit card. Without the monthly charges etc.

After another half hour on the phone with a much more coherent Xbox support staff, I've been redirected back to the shop I bought the card at... Thngs are not looking good.

The worst bit is that I'm currently so demoralised by the whole experience, I'm not sure I can be bothered to argue anymore, and am almost prepared to let them win

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