I've had some recent fun while attempting to get help by calling xbox tech support including not getting my situation resolved and a rude 'poorly english speaking' 'supervisor'. I'd love to be able to email or talk to someone in the US about my issue and report the behavior of the person I was speaking to yesterday.

I have tried searching for some magic phone number or a complaint's email address, but Microsoft does a great job of avoiding the customer and their problems.

Anyone know of a way I can file a complaint against a customer service person / get my issue resolved by some 'american tech support'?

 

I know exactly what you are experiencing. I got those non-English speakers on XBOX Tech support line and its real frustrating trying to explain your problem to them. This is with pretty much any customer support line though; between this and that stupid automated crap, I don't know what's worse.

Other times I get people who did speak "English" but they are not exactly the smartest people in the bunch and you have to repeat yourself 3 and 4 times for them to understand what you are trying to say to them. I remember getting one guy that every time I said something he would respond "ooooookaaaay, here we goooo", so damn annoying.

But anyway, last time I had an issue with them,and couldn't get help through the technical support line, I ended up writing a complaint on this website: http://www.planetfeedback.com and actually got a call from an English speaking supervisor a couple of days later.

 

I typed up a nice long letter last night but had no where to send it other then the online email help which will get me nowhere. I will post it later tonight when I get home.

My issue deals with the one month free trial of xbox live gold that I am entitled to with my purchase of the 360. I was told they "didn't have the tools" to help me with anything I asked for and couldn't give me anyone else to speak to.

 

my letter:

Hello,

On Wed. 11/07/2007 I purchased a brand new Xbox 360 Pro/Premium package from a local Best Buy. That night I did not feel like opening the box and connecting it online. Instead I went on xbox.com and I saw a link about creating a gamertag, so I decided to go ahead and create my gamertag (KingOf[hidden]). The next night I finally opened up and started using the new system that I purchased. After initial setup I wanted to get on Xbox live so I recovered my gamertag on the system.

On the box that the 360 came in it mentions that I am entitled to one free month of a gold level membership. When I look at the account settings for my gamertag it is only listed as silver and I am unable to play any games online, so I must not have a gold membership. I want to use the gamertag I created and have the free month of gold applied to it. I do not want to create a new gamertag just for online use. I want the name that I created to be the one that gets the free month because if I decide to purchase a subscription to the gold level service I want to retain my game achievements and reputation.

I just spent a half hour on the phone with support where I did not get any help. The only solution they would offer is to walk me though the process of creating a new gamertag through the console. As I mentioned, I want to have the free month applied to my current gamertag and they were unable or unwilling to help me. The reference # I was given for the call is: 1049532805 and I spoke with a supervisor named Cinthia who was rude and unhelpful. When I began asking her for her identification information so that I could report my experience she was resistant to giving such information. All she said she could give me was her name and nothing else. When I asked her for a reference number corresponding to the call she lied to me and said none existed and that calls aren't tracked. After another minute of going back and forth about how I knew she was lying about call tracking, she came up with a reference number for me. When I asked for:
- a code to redeem (under account management on my console)
- or for them to delete my gamertag from the xbox live system so that I can recreate it on the system
- or for them to just add the free month on their end
I was told they "didn't have the tools to help me". They also were unable to direct me to anyone that would help me. What is the value of technical support people that are unable to help customers except if it matches what they read out of a preplanned, flowchart-like manual?

I am sure that the creation of the free Xbox live gold level account is somehow tied to the console serial number. My console id is: 0246[hidden] and the serial number is: 607[hidden]. Please tell me how I can resolve the issue of getting the free gold trial linked with my "KingOf[hidden]" gamertag? The answer given to me so far by tech support that I must create a new gamertag is not only unacceptable, but it is also not mentioned at all on the packing/materials provided with the console or the online terms when I created the account on xbox.com. Hence, this constitutes false advertisement. I do not believe that it is impossible for the trial be added to my account. If I am not given the free trial on the KingOf[hidden] account, Microsoft will be missing out on potential revenue from a gold level subscription from me as I will not subscribe.

Thanks,
Adam



their response:

Hello Adam!

Thank you for writing Xbox Customer Support!

I understand that you have some concerns regarding your 30-day Xbox Live trial Gold membership.

Adam, I apologize for the inconvenience. The 30-day Gold trial membership provides temporary access to the features of a Gold membership. This includes online multiplayer gaming.

When you set up an Xbox 360 console, you follow an account creation sign-up process. This lets you access Xbox Live Silver membership features, assuming that you have a broadband connection. At the end of the account creation process, you can upgrade to a Gold membership. If you do not upgrade, you receive a free 30-day Gold trial anyway. The 30-day Gold trial is associated with a single gamertag and cannot be added to an existing subscription. There are a total of three 30-day trial accounts per console. After a user has created three trial accounts, the user no longer receives a message that provides the opportunity to create a 30-day gold trial account.

By default, the Gold trial does not automatically renew to a paying subscription. Instead, the account automatically converts to a Silver membership at the end of the trial period. If users want to continue with the Gold membership, they can select the subscription length and the payment type that they want on the Account Management screen.

Thank you for your time and understanding.

You may also call Xbox Phone Support at 1-800-4MYXBOX (1-800-469-9269) at your earliest convenience, and we’ll be happy to help you. We are open everyday from 8am to 12mn US Central Time.

To expedite service, please provide Service Request Number 1049537735 when you call.

Thank you for visiting Xbox.com. If you should have future questions on Xbox products or services, please be sure to revisit our Web site as we are continually adding information to enhance our service.

Sincerely,
Billy
Xbox Customer Care Team


I have a hard time believing that "Billy" would be a us citizen. And my original issue wasn't addressed.

 

Hey, at least it wasn't a form letter. His response is BS though. Its been a while, so I can't remember exactly if I was able to do what you are trying to do, but I seem to remember using a free trial on an account I created online; I had to recover my TAG on the XBOX and then use the free trial code. I have no idea why they are giving you so much trouble with this, but customer service really sucks these days and if you don't get the right person its a real headache. XBOX customer support is among the worse I've had to deal with. If it isn't a language barrier, then its someone on the line who is a complete idiot.

I'm trying to figure out if there is a way around this, but I'm drawing a blank right now.


BTW, I saw your letter on planetfeedback