Happy ending to MS's wipe-down of guy's custom 360

[Blotus]

Original story
http://hawtymcbloggy.com/2008/02/28/ano ... microsoft/

Bungie swag ahoy
http://hawtymcbloggy.com/2008/03/07/bun ... wed-gamer/

[Eric]

Nice. :0

[Tessian]

It sounds outrageous, but then again you find out the cleaning is a part of the process and honestly how far do you expect them to go out of their way for one damned console? They have to churn how many of those things out a day?

It woulda been nice that they did, but I'm not surprised they couldn't. Very nice on Bungie's part though.

[Kupek]

He didn't know cleaning was a part of the process. But the guy telling the story (the one whose blog it is, not the person who it happened to) is a bit melodramatic. Basically, it comes down to "Microsoft hurt my feelings," which, yeah, not good, but I got bigger concerns. Good job on Bungie's part, though, even though that has to be partly why they did it.

[Flip]

I, honestly, would have shipped the thing, never expecting the case to come back in original form. Does this guy have no idea how a big corp works? Customer service in India will tell you, "Yeah, sure, no problem." But you really think he has any contact with the service repair department? The guy who gets the package, does he give a shit about a written note when 80 more 360's need to be unpackaged and sent off? That note went in the trash in two seconds before it ever got to service.

He should have shipped the thing without the case... well, i guess that would have voided everything, but he could have swapped cases with a friend and sent it off with the friends case, unless there was a warranty sticker of some kind on a crease.

Even still, what do you expect from a large corp. Waa waa, my case. Douchebag, dont have a case of a fragile piece of technology customed. Its like having your car autographed and whining that it got washed off in a standard cleaning from a massive recall.

[kali o.]

You ' he got what he should have' guys are tards. Some jackoff making minimum wage at the repair depot simply cleaned it outta spite - because frankly any fucking idiot stupid enough to not realize that case shouldn't be cleaned likely doesn't have sufficient brain power to make it into the workplace.

So hogwash.

And besides, just cause MS outsources their CS department doesn't excuse them for misinformation, failed promises or breaks in the chains. Good on Bungie for making it right, MS should too (by firing that turd that cleaned the thing).

[SineSwiper]

I agree with Kali. I also think it's humorous that you guys think that a kid should know better than to trust a big corporation.

[Zeus]

I completely agree with Kali and Sine on this one. If you have enough brainpower to find a door to get out of the house in the morning than you have the cognitive ability to realize that something like that is not meant to be washed off during a "normal cleaning process". This was permanent marker for cryin' out loud, there's SERIOUS effort to wash it off. That's a corporate, bullshit "cover our asses by not actually being able to blame any single visible person" excuse. I see shit like this constantly at work (and work feverishly to expose the person who's fault it really is so I don't have to fucking deal with it or suffer 'cause of it again; you can tell how well loved I am at work but it's a dog-eat-dog world out there and I ain't wearing Milk Bone underwear).

But unlike Kupek I don't honestly believe that Bungie did it for good PR. I'd call it more goodwill as they do appear to be gamers and understand what losing something like that would really mean to one. I'll give them the benefit of the doubt here that they just didn't want someone who had received something unique and special from them (and one who obviously knew one or two of them) to get fucked by some vindictive dipshit.

And I do disagree with Flip, there's NO reason for him to expect that someone would go through the serious effort to wash it clean. They actually say "you'll get our original console back", you have to 'cause of the serial number. Sure he was a bit naive in thinking the CSRs would actually have any contact with the service guys and that the service guys would even care about what the CSRs say anyways, but it doesn't discount the fact that it took a guy some very serious effort with a heavy-duty cleaner to clean that shit off. There's NO WAY that was a mistake, impossible, too much time and probably a special cleaning product required. AND he actually had a note in the box saying "please be careful" so there was actually two fucksticks in the service department who were vindictive.

[Tessian]

I dunno Zeus, I think an automated power-washer on the re-assembly line could easily take off that marker without the need for malicious intervention by a minimum wage jackoff.

[Zeus]

I dunno Zeus, I think an automated power-washer on the re-assembly line could easily take off that marker without the need for malicious intervention by a minimum wage jackoff.

Automated washer in a service repair department for a $300+ piece of electronics? I severely doubt it

[SineSwiper]

I also think that MS wasn't all out to get this kid, either. The higher ups who contacted him were in that same "WTF" shock as the rest of us. You can't exactly micromanage a company down to a finite level like that, but at the same time, it's just bad business and bad PR to promise one thing and get shafted by them breaking their promise.

As a company, you have to at least make steps to correct it. I hope they made a good donation, like give him a signed XBox with whoever developers they can find in their studios. Even if Bungie beat them to the punch, it would still look bad at MS not doing something similar.

[Tessian]

I dunno Zeus, I think an automated power-washer on the re-assembly line could easily take off that marker without the need for malicious intervention by a minimum wage jackoff.

Automated washer in a service repair department for a $300+ piece of electronics? I severely doubt it

Maybe not automated, but I also highly doubt this was someone going out of their way to be a dick. At best they just didn't care when they saw it and put it through the same cycle as everything else, but I think it's kind of a leap to assume a worker sat down and spent an extra 20 minutes taking off the market just because.

My point is that if anything this was due to laziness and neglect, not maliciousness.

[Zeus]

I dunno Zeus, I think an automated power-washer on the re-assembly line could easily take off that marker without the need for malicious intervention by a minimum wage jackoff.

Automated washer in a service repair department for a $300+ piece of electronics? I severely doubt it

Maybe not automated, but I also highly doubt this was someone going out of their way to be a dick. At best they just didn't care when they saw it and put it through the same cycle as everything else, but I think it's kind of a leap to assume a worker sat down and spent an extra 20 minutes taking off the market just because.

My point is that if anything this was due to laziness and neglect, not maliciousness.

I would normally believe that it was laziness or neglect.....IF it wasn't so fucking hard to get that shit off. Try it sometime with a heavy-duty cleaner, taking off a permanent marker that has set into a plastic like the 360s, particularly one that takes up the entire side of the system. That's what makes it much more than an "accident", the sheer effort someone had to put forth to scrub it.

In order for it to just have been put the "the same process" you're assuming that process accounts for things like permanent magic marker. Not only do I severely doubt that, if you think of it logically there's ZERO reason for the company to have the capacity or even desire to do that. So let's say they do have a "standard cleaning process" (which I fucking doubt; this is a console, not a car we're talking about here). What would they be set up to take off? Dirt, dust, some coke stains, maybe dried up cum for post-Halo 3 or Gears 2 releases? Nothing even remotely close to permanent magic marker. We're taking about sheer cost-benefit analysis for the companies and it just ain't worth it.

It has to be something else and I say it's some schlup who doesn't care about his job and/or is pissed off at M$ (geez, there's no reason to think that such a saint-like company would have disgruntled employees.....) and did something very vindictive to a poor guy who had his console break down on him. Sorry, man, that's a far more believable hypothesis than "they just cleaned it like they do everything else". That's pure company PR bullshit considering the sheer effort it would have taken to clean it.

Sine, I completely agree that you cannot in any reasonable way micro-manage like that. But it's the company-wide culture that, to me, would lead to something like this. And like I alluded to above, considering how M$ and even my company (Siemens) treat their employees, I think it's more likely that not you got some disgruntled fuck who did it out of spite.

And let's make one thing very clear here: it was Bungie that made up for it, not M$. Remember, they're an independent studio now. They always acted like it even when they were owned by M$ but it's not like word came down from head office on this one.

[Flip]

I dunno Zeus, I think an automated power-washer on the re-assembly line could easily take off that marker without the need for malicious intervention by a minimum wage jackoff.

Absolutely. We're talking MS here... it is cost beneficial to buy a washer machine (or rent one or contract a cleaning company to do it). I seriously doubt thay have guys with rags wiping these things down.

[Kupek]

Yeah, so, just to clarify, I have no problems with the guy who this happened to. Something happened to him, it sucked, he told people about it. It was the tone in the guy's blog that bothered me. It reminded me of the "you should feel outraged" attitude I see on cable news shows when they yammer on about shit that doesn't matter.

And Zeus, I didn't say Bungie did it all for PR. But someone in HR must have realized it would make them look good.

[SineSwiper]

And Zeus, I didn't say Bungie did it all for PR. But someone in HR must have realized it would make them look good.

Well, of course, but I think it was probably the artist who wrote that artwork that started it.

[Tessian]

I would normally believe that it was laziness or neglect.....IF it wasn't so fucking hard to get that shit off. Try it sometime with a heavy-duty cleaner, taking off a permanent marker that has set into a plastic like the 360s, particularly one that takes up the entire side of the system. That's what makes it much more than an "accident", the sheer effort someone had to put forth to scrub it.

As Flip said, I seriously doubt they have a team of workers at a table with Windex and rags. And as expensive as a power washer would be, we are talking about a process that is in place to repair every single Xbox built before May '07. With that many systems in mind, it would be a LOT cheaper for them in the long run to fork out for some pressure washer than pay a bunch of guys $12/hr to scrub plastic for the next few years.

[Zeus]

I would normally believe that it was laziness or neglect.....IF it wasn't so fucking hard to get that shit off. Try it sometime with a heavy-duty cleaner, taking off a permanent marker that has set into a plastic like the 360s, particularly one that takes up the entire side of the system. That's what makes it much more than an "accident", the sheer effort someone had to put forth to scrub it.

As Flip said, I seriously doubt they have a team of workers at a table with Windex and rags. And as expensive as a power washer would be, we are talking about a process that is in place to repair every single Xbox built before May '07. With that many systems in mind, it would be a LOT cheaper for them in the long run to fork out for some pressure washer than pay a bunch of guys $12/hr to scrub plastic for the next few years.

What I'm saying is there's no reason for them to go through the cleaning process at all, nothing more than a very basic wash-down, which that clearly wasn't

[Blotus]

As Flip said, I seriously doubt they have a team of workers at a table with Windex and rags. And as expensive as a power washer would be, we are talking about a process that is in place to repair every single Xbox built before May '07. With that many systems in mind, it would be a LOT cheaper for them in the long run to fork out for some pressure washer than pay a bunch of guys $12/hr to scrub plastic for the next few years.

It's Mexico, dude. That guy wasn't getting $12/hr.

[Eric]

It's Mexico, dude. That guy wasn't getting $12/hr.

Ohhhh hoho, it's funny cause they don't get paid lots of money in mexico, ohhhh hoho...ohhhh...

[SineSwiper]

Hmmm...funny. I should tell my essay this one.

[Blotus]

[RentCavalier]

It's good that Bungie takes care of their fans.

I just wish they'd start making better games.

[Tessian]

It's good that Bungie takes care of their fans.

I just wish they'd start making better games.

Comeon man... you can troll better than that. Frankly I'm disappointed.

[Chris]

It's good that Bungie takes care of their fans.

I just wish they'd start making better games.

Comeon man... you can troll better than that. Frankly I'm disappointed.

see now you're just going to inspire him to master brittish mannerisms so he can emulate his idol....

[RentCavalier]

Look, Halo 3 sucked. I love Halo 1 and 2, but you know, they're not the greatest FPS's ever fucking made, ok?

[Andrew, Killer Bee]

Yes, yes, puberty is rough, we know.

[Chris]

Look, Halo 3 sucked. I love Halo 1 and 2, but you know, they're not the greatest FPS's ever fucking made, ok?

well since you loved halo 2 I automatically begin questioning your taste.....and no....they are pretty generic fps's....which I say about all fps's that aren't Timesplitters....doesn't change the fact that the gme was fun as hell over the interwebs with a single player campaign that was far superior to halo 2

[Julius Seeker]

Perhaps I am lacking in sentiment, but I don't see the significance in this and therefore would question the integrity of the story. Is there evidence that the kid didn't scrub the drawings off after in order to get attention? It doesn't seem likely Microsoft, or its employees, would have done this. In addition, it seems like a fairly insignificant issue, and yet this has been made into a huge deal with very good planning and writing just begging for sympathy. If it took him by surprise, I would say he would be much more likely to say "shit" and then get on with his life. I don't know how likely it would be for Microsoft employees to do this after being instructed not to, as well as the kid this happened to to be one who would have such a reaction created.

[bovine]

I think we should make all threads into halo arguments.

[Zeus]

Perhaps I am lacking in sentiment, but I don't see the significance in this and therefore would question the integrity of the story. Is there evidence that the kid didn't scrub the drawings off after in order to get attention? It doesn't seem likely Microsoft, or its employees, would have done this. In addition, it seems like a fairly insignificant issue, and yet this has been made into a huge deal with very good planning and writing just begging for sympathy. If it took him by surprise, I would say he would be much more likely to say "shit" and then get on with his life. I don't know how likely it would be for Microsoft employees to do this after being instructed not to, as well as the kid this happened to to be one who would have such a reaction created.

His story was verified by the original site that ran the story though Xbox contacts. He specifically asked that he get the exact system back so he could keep his artwork, had the CSR actually put a note in his file, and even included a letter in the box just in case. It was unique and special to him, he just wanted it back. Not unreasonable IMO.

It's also worth to note that the story just kind of took off on its own. It started on a small site, hardly where you expect sympathy. And he never asked for anything, he was just telling people what happened to him.

[Julius Seeker]

I think we should make all threads into halo arguments.

Halo ate my children, I want nothing to do with it.