Microsoft Customer Service Failure

[David Tucker]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://consumerist.com/5124023/14-weeks-and-counting-but-limited-edition-zune-still-not-fixed' target='_blank'>http://consumerist.com/5124023/14-w...still-not-fixed</a><br /><br /></div><p><em>&ldquo;The 30-gig Zunes may have temporarily revolted last week, but Brooke's limited edition 80-gig Zune has been MIA for over three months now, apparently lost in that magical ever-transitioning Zune world from the commercials. (It just keeps falling through floors and walls and swimming pools.) Maybe someone at Microsoft can take a look at what Brooke's had to go through so far, and get back to her with a real answer?&rdquo;</em></p><p><em><img src="http://images.thoughtsmedia.com/resizer/thumbs/size/600/zt/auto/1231295246.usr307.jpg" style="border: 0;" /></em></p><p>I&rsquo;m a big fan of the Consumerist after they <a href="http://consumerist.com/201916/t+mobile-u-r-a-l1ar-lol" target="_blank">helped me </a>with a problem once before. No company is immune to making huge PR gaffes and what Brooke is going through sounds pretty horrendous. The whole story is at the Consumerist but for three months, Brooke has been without her Limited Edition Joy Division Zune. Its bad enough that Microsoft was taking forever to fix her bricked Zune. On top of that, they lost it. Yep, they lost her Zune.</p><p>And in one of the most insulting attempts I&rsquo;ve seen in a while to make it right for Brooke, the customer service rep didn&rsquo;t offer to replace her Zune with another Joy Division Zune. No, the offered to replace it with a standard 80 GB model. <a href="http://consumerist.com/5124023/14-weeks-and-counting-but-limited-edition-zune-still-not-fixed" target="_blank">Hop over to the Consumerist </a>for the whole story. I hope that Microsoft gets their act straight and gets her back her Zune or a Limited Edition replacement.</p><p><em>UPDATE: Well it looks like Brooke has been very well taken care of in this <a href="http://consumerist.com/5130530/update-limited-edition-zune-fixed-and-then-some" target="_blank">update</a> from the Consumerist.&nbsp; Its a shame that it came to this but at least Microsoft did things right in the end.</em></p>

[Ed Hansberry]

I am not at all happy with Microsoft's customer service. http://forums.zune.net/380312/ShowPost.aspx

A month and a half later, not a peep from them. I purchased a $5 credit to use for songs to test it out. Have only purchased 2. Once I use it up, never again. I'll either buy Amazon MP3's or the physical CD.

Keep it up MS, you'll destroy your market.

[Civisi]

Zune support isn't good based upon my experiences, either. Brooke's experience mirrors my own! In fact, the dates are almost exact! You would think that the Zune division could learn from the Xbox division; it's not like MS doesn't have experience repairing things.

I've owned a Zune 30 for nearly 2 years now. I am very happy with it, so I bought a Zune Originals 8 GB for my wife as an anniversary present. She has used it for less than a week since I purchased it in late September. I turned it on around October 2nd and it locked up. I let the battery drain and it started working again, so I assumed it was a fluke.

I gave it to her on the 9th, and a couple days later it froze again. I called Zune support. After about 40 minutes on the phone, the rep confirmed that there was a problem, but instead of opening a ticket while I was on the phone, she directed me to the online submission form.

I filled out the form and waited for the box. Then I get an email that says my repair request will be canceled if they don't receive my device soon. I never got a box!

I called Zune support who told me that there was an issue generating the service request to have the box sent out.

To make a long story shorter, I ended up calling Zune support at least 5 or 6 times between October and December trying to get a box, each time having to wait 5-7 business days, and each time given a promise that it would "work this time." During the last support call, I was told that someone would call me within 5 business days. No phone call, but I did receive a box -finally - in the middle of December.

It's been over 3 months since that purchase, and most of that time has been spent just waiting. Since the middle of December, the status on the Zune Support page has simply stated "Repair Status: Device Received at Service Center." I'm going to call Zune support today to get a status update.

I really want a Zune 120, but this support experience has severely tainted my view of Zune. If I didn't love my Zune so much (and if I didn't hate Apple products), I would have bought an iPod by now. I am considering canceling my Zune Pass, especially since I bought it for my wife to use on a Zune that she's barely seen.

GRRRR. THIS MAKES ME SO MAD JUST THINKING ABOUT THIS!

[inteller]

I'm sure that Joy Division zune got "lost" right into a support person's pocket.

If I had an Orange or Hot Pink Zune that went bad, I'd change out the casing before I sent it in. I trust those repair people about as far as I can throw them.

[David Tucker]

That's a pretty jaded view. I find that pretty unlikely...anymore than any other workplace theft. Microsoft has so much expensive stuff that they have to moniter it well. This issue not withstanding. I just can't believe there is rampant theft going on.

[doogald]

It's amazing to me sometimes how obvious the response to this should have been and equally obvious how they could have fubared it so spectacularly.

The item is lost, you replace it right away, you send a coupon redeemable for Microsoft products, you credit the user's subscription plan for a month, you ship it overnight and you include all that with a humble letter of apology.

[inteller]

That's a pretty jaded view. I find that pretty unlikely...anymore than any other workplace theft. Microsoft has so much expensive stuff that they have to moniter it well. This issue not withstanding. I just can't believe there is rampant theft going on.


um, considering that all of these units cross the border into mexico to get fixed, I would not be so quick to dismiss my hypothesis.

[Janak Parekh]

Read the posts through to the end, there's someone else with nearly the same problem (without the ridiculous box-wait). It appears this (replacing custom units with standard units) is regular practice for custom edition MS Zunes. :( Maybe it's not a good idea to buy a custom edition unit...

I wonder what Apple does with their custom devices. That said, their "custom" devices tend to be really large runs, not such limited-edition affairs, so it's probably not a worthwhile comparison.

--janak

[Pony99CA]

um, considering that all of these units cross the border into mexico to get fixed, I would not be so quick to dismiss my hypothesis.
So you've gone from saying Microsoft customer service people are thieves to basically saying all Mexicans are thieves? Wow....

Steve

[Civisi]

I'm on hold with Zune support right now.

My Zune has been received by the repair center, but I was told that there is a delay with the Zune originals because they come from China "where the artists are" and that there's a delay because of the holidays.

I asked to speak with a supervisor and was told that my device has been repaired and that it's awaiting shipment out of the repair center. She also said that the repair center for the Zune Originals is different than the regular repair center. It has not been assigned a tracking number, but I will be calling every day to get one.

That repair center needs some help...

Oh, and to add further frustration to anguish, a few weeks after sending it in for repair, the price of the Zune 8 dropped $20!

[inteller]

So you've gone from saying Microsoft customer service people are thieves to basically saying all Mexicans are thieves? Wow....

Steve


no, you are the one that made that leap bucko. it is a fact that your zune can't be tracked in transit once it reaches mcallen,TX and hops on a truck to reynosa to get fixed. anyone, mexican, american, martian, could intercept certain devices and put them on the black market.