last Friday I bought an Xbox 360 Pro. one of the features included in my xbox that I was really excited about what that it was backwards compatible - meaning that it can play a variety of original Xbox games.
one of my favorite games is The Sims 2. I double checked the website to make sure that it was one of the backward compatible games. I searched for over a full day, calling EVERY electronics store in my city for a store near me that carried the game, as multiple attempts to bid for it off of Ebay had failed. I FINALLY found a store that carried it, and so I bought it for $18.
fast forward to that night (Saturday night). I pop the game into my 360. guess what? it doesn't work. I'm told I need a software update in order to make my 360 be backwards compatible. why in gods name this wasn't included WITH the $350 console beats me. but.. whatever.
I call Xbox support for help. I speak to quite possibly one of the worst customer service reps I have ever spoken to. he refuses to answer any of my questions without at LEAST 10-20 seconds of silence. it's as if he had to look up and force himself to read every answer to my questions... he tells me that I have a few options as to how I want to get the software update I need. I could either download it from Xbox live, download the .zip file from xbox.com & burn it to a disc, or I could place an order online for it to be sent to me 28 days from now.
unfortunately, the only option I had at the time was for it to be sent to me via snail mail. my CD burner does not work, and I don't have Xbox live [I don't have much interest in it right now & I don't have wireless internet]. after fighting TOOTH & NAIL with the guy to place the order for me, he finally does it. he seriously tried to tell me for about 20 minutes that I should go to Xbox.com and do it myself. I couldn't do it at the time as my computer was being used, so I asked him kindly if he could place the order for the disc himself. he said yes, then 5 minutes later, he's instructing me how to go online to download the .zip for myself! he was rude, and highly unprofessional. but I sucked it up & dealt. the order was placed, and I'm currently waiting almost a month to get this damn update CD.
fast forward to last night. a friend of mine offers to let me come over & burn the update I need to a CD. awesome, I think.. I can finally get this out of the way and start playing The Sims 2 on my 360! WRONG. both Xbox.com & Microsoft.com - on TWO different computers, on TWO different internet browsers, with LOW privacy setting/NO pop up blocker - absolutely WILL NOT let me view the page. I keep getting the error "page cannot be found" when I attempt to download the .zip file.
I call Xbox & the guy tells me he can't help me and that I need to call Microsoft. I call Microsoft, and after minutes of giving them basically everything except my SSN, the rep tells me that in order to get help with the issue on THEIR website, I have to pay them $60!! WHAT?!? no. I politely tell her that I refuse to PAY for an issue that is with their website and that I did not cause. she offers to transfer me back to Xbox support, but they could barely help me before so what would be the point? I took all the necessary steps to ensure that nothing about my internet connection was hindering what I was trying to do. I'm not an idiot with a computer, and they made every point to treat me like one.
I tell the rep I'll try again the next day. fast forward to about an hour ago. I'm sitting at my friends house, and big surprise - the link still does not work. I call xbox support because I didn't know what else to do.. the original rep I spoke to was SO hell-bent on me downloading this .zip file myself, and here I was, trying to do it, instead of having to wait 30 days for the disc to come to me.. and it just would not work. the lady I spoke to this time was so unbelievably rude. she was scoffing in my ear the entire time, and she wasn't even paying attention to what I was saying. I clearly explained what was happening, and somehow, out of me saying "there's a problem with your website" she tells me to send in my 360 for repairs. I explain to her that, once again, there is nothing wrong with my 360.. it's the fucking website! she then has the nerve to scoff again, and tell me in a snide, snarky way - "well then, if it's not working for you, why don't you just wait for the disc to come in the mail?"
at this point I've had enough.. so I ask to speak to a manager. she sighs & says "yeah, ok" and transfers me to ANOTHER RANDOM AGENT - NOT A MANAGER. I then wait and speak to the hardware department, am put on hold for over 10 minutes, only to be told that I just need to wait and that there is nothing they can do. they can't even just email me the little .zip file.
maybe it's not a big deal but I can't believe how unprofessional, rude, and downright fucking HORRIBLE Xbox's customer support is. I can wait 30 days for the disc - sure I don't WANT to wait, but I guess I fucking will. the point is that you should NOT try to make an option a priority to your customers and then when it doesn't work, you blame them, get an attitude, and tell them to "just wait" in the most nasty tone imaginable. besides the fact that this 'update' should be included in the fucking Xbox 360, to have it be THIS damn hard to just obtain a stupid little .zip file is so aggravating. I'm done fucking with them.. I guess I'll just "HAVE to wait".
ps: I forgot to add that the copy I bought of The Sims 2 is used, and I have a 30 day warranty on it. by the time I get my update disc - if there is anything wrong with the copy of Sims 2 I bought, I'm fucked. it will be past the 30 day warranty to return it.