A sordid tale of customer service woe and fraud
Right, so this is going to be a bit convoluted:
Last night I upgraded my Netflix account from el-cheapo plan to one with unlimited streaming and support for streaming devices, because a friend got me addicted to Doctor Who and Torchwood, even though I hate sci-fi.
Even though I've ranted extensively in the past about the BS of paying for an Xbox Gold account just to use Netflix, I decided to pony up for a 3 month subscription just to see how well it worked, and to watch it on my TV instead of my monitor, until I decided on a less power-hungry and noisy home media solution. (Roku box, Mac Mini, etc.) Stupid me, should've seen karma brewing.
I get up from my desk, where I've just upgraded my Xbox account, walk into the living room, and turn on my 360, which rarely gets any use anymore, and BAM! 3 Red Rings. :mad: I go through the support and trouble shooting sites, and resolve myself to the fact that it's f*cked. Fortunately, the console is still covered under warranty for this particular issue. Unfortunately, I've now sunk $20 into a service I can't use for at least a month and a half while this thing gets repaired, and probably won't want to use by the time I get it back.
Step 1: Call MS to confirm it's under warranty, even though the site says it isn't. They spend more time telling me they want to ensure I have a pleasant experience and am getting the service satisfaction I need than it takes to just answer the question. I also get a reference number.
Step 2: Call MS to ask for a refund for my Live subscription. Oh no! The system won't let the poor phone jockey do it! Whatever shall we do? Well, here's a reference number sir, but I'm afraid my manager will not be allowed to do anything either. Have I provided you with satisfactory customer service?
Step 3: Speak to the manage: Hello sir, but I'm sorry, the system won't let me refund your account. Here is a reference number. (I have 3 reference numbers.) Have I provided you with excellent customer service? No, but Amex will when I tell them to deny you the charges. I'm sorry to hear that you're sorry to hear that that is my prerogative, but I appreciate you telling me it is my decision to do so. I didn't realize I needed your permission from halfway across the world to have my credit card company tell you to f*ck yourself over $20. I've already wasted $20 of MS's time and reference numbers on this call, when you could've just refunded the money.
But wait, there's more!
A co-worker tells me to call the credit card I used to purchase the Xbox with a few years ago, they may offer a refund or warranty. Worth a shot. I haven't used that card in over a year, zero balance, zero transactions, except for late last week when I had no cash and couldn't use Amex. I call them to ask about the warranty, and they tell me about a buck-and-change charge to NY Times Digital, the same day my lone purchase in months was processed. Hmmm...thanks, but no, that wasn't me, I'll be reporting the card as stolen right about now... (turns out I didn't even use this card to buy the Xbox), but what a stroke of dumb luck.
And now that I think about it, when I did use said fradulated card...the register girl punched in the number instead of swiping it.
And, yet still, I can't watch Doctor Who streaming on my TV. :(
