Microsoft: Incompetence, fobbed off, frustrated misled REPEATEDLY

[«THÖMÅS®©™»]

Hello, I am not sure if this is the correct board to post in, please feel free to move this thread if this is the case.

 

Hello CAG, I am a new member here! Please bare with me as I try to explain my issue:

 

I have been a Microsoft customer for almost 12 years and now they seem to be stone walling me with an issue in relation to Halo 2 for PC.

 

I first contacted them on 7th April and I have reported my issue to them almost on a daily basis since then and I have not got a very good service. I have been repeatedly fobbed off, lied to, and only ended up extremely frustrated at the end of each contact. Only saying I have to wait a number of days despite being given dates that have been and gone including 13th, 14th and 15th April for a solution. And yet, here I am, still waiting for an answer.

 

The problem is simple.

 

I have Halo 2, it requires an activation key to be used. I have entered that activation key and it activates successfully when you activate it online over the internet. When I try and play the game, I get the following screen:

 

The game I have is completely original, bought from a store around 7 years ago and I have had no trouble with it till now. I have contacted Microsoft repeatedly about this (I have chat logs to prove it) and on each occasion, I have had false promises of this and that.

 

I have the original game and here is the picture as proof:

 

I don't know what else Microsoft need to provide me a solution to this problem. I omitted the key from this post in order to prevent it being misused by other people, but I forwarded the original and unedited image to Microsoft's customer support in it's entirety including the key. And 8 days after bringing it to thier attention, I am still being fobbed off and lied to with false promises that have never materialised. I have now been told to wait till the 18th and that would equal 11 days after first bringing the problem to thier attention. Even though I was promised a reply and a solution on the 13th, 14th, and today yet I am still waiting and now being told to wait till the 18th. This is AFTER I was promised a solution on the other said 3 days, and nothing came. Is Microsoft support this bad?

 

I have had enough of the diabolical treatment I have received the the lies I have been told for 8 days as of today. Is Microsoft THAT incompetent and ignorant?

 

I am at the end of my tether and extremely frustrated, what can I do about this to force the issue and get a solution as promised repeatedly on 3 different days that I was promised a solution?

 

Thanks in advance.

Edited April 15, 2014 by «THÖMÅS®©™»
Images don't work?

[renegadeimp]

What response did they give you? Also, if you are only playing single player, you can get a no-cd crack. perfectly legal to use as you own the original game.

[«THÖMÅS®©™»]

I stated thier response above in my original post.

[renegadeimp]

Woops. Sorry i skimmed over it.

 

Can i ask if you've made an official complaint and escalated it out of the char reps hands into a senior managers view?

[«THÖMÅS®©™»]

Yup, same old excuses, wait x number of days and done that already with no results.

[renegadeimp]

The time to get a formal complaint in. Skip the phone.

[«THÖMÅS®©™»]

The trouble is that when I do, I get fobbed off even with that. Does anyone have any ideas for that?

[renegadeimp]

How do you mean you get fobbed off when you send a formal complaint?

[«THÖMÅS®©™»]

They lie about sending the issue to the "Advocacy Department", I am now even suspicious that it is non-existent to be honest.

 

April 7th: Report the issue to Microsoft, they "escalate" it to the "Advocacy Department".

April 13th: I go online to thier support to ask them what the delay is and they tell me that it was never escalated to the "Advocacy department". I'm promised a solution on April 13th, and have evidence to show this.

April 14th: Still no solution, I go online and am promised a solution on April 14th.

April 15th: Still no solution, I go online and am promised a solution on April 15th.

April 16th at 01:18am: I am online again, and for around the 11th time, they promise me a solution that never materialised. And as of writing this post, I am still waiting.

 

During these times, I have been given various "get out free" excuses, including "backlogs", "delays", "you issue is complex" (when it is a product key issue and nothing more, it's not rocket science to resolve this problem), and I feel as though I am being deliberately fobbed off, and lied to because they would rather completely ignore the problem rather than fix it!

 

I have so many chat logs that have been emailed and I have proof that I have been promised so many times a solution on so many different dates, that I have lost count.

 

This is incompetence at it's best since I ever had a laptop or an XBOX 360. I don't know what they want from me, I really don't. I am seriously considering legal action as they are making me ill through the stress they are causing by ignoring the problem, stalling, and fobbing me off rather than simply either re-enable my current product key, or give me a new one. How is this "complex"? This is probably the worst excuse in internet history!

 

If anybody is prepared to take this on, I will be happy to forward the emails of the chat logs to see them, if so, please PM me your email address so I can send them to you.

Edited April 16, 2014 by «THÖMÅS®©™»
Added a sentence.

[renegadeimp]

I think you really need to get a full written complaint in.

 

Im unsure who the regulator would be to solve disputes in this type of problem. Perhaps others will know.

[Ganymede]

They lie about sending the issue to the "Advocacy Department", I am now even suspicious that it is non-existent to be honest.

 

April 7th: Report the issue to Microsoft, they "escalate" it to the "Advocacy Department".

April 13th: I go online to thier support to ask them what the delay is and they tell me that it was never escalated to the "Advocacy department". I'm promised a solution on April 13th, and have evidence to show this.

April 14th: Still no solution, I go online and am promised a solution on April 14th.

April 15th: Still no solution, I go online and am promised a solution on April 15th.

April 16th at 01:18am: I am online again, and for around the 11th time, they promise me a solution that never materialised. And as of writing this post, I am still waiting.

 

During these times, I have been given various "get out free" excuses, including "backlogs", "delays", "you issue is complex" (when it is a product key issue and nothing more, it's not rocket science to resolve this problem), and I feel as though I am being deliberately fobbed off, and lied to because they would rather completely ignore the problem rather than fix it!

 

I have so many chat logs that have been emailed and I have proof that I have been promised so many times a solution on so many different dates, that I have lost count.

 

This is incompetence at it's best since I ever had a laptop or an XBOX 360. I don't know what they want from me, I really don't. I am seriously considering legal action as they are making me ill through the stress they are causing by ignoring the problem, stalling, and fobbing me off rather than simply either re-enable my current product key, or give me a new one. How is this "complex"? This is probably the worst excuse in internet history!

 

If anybody is prepared to take this on, I will be happy to forward the emails of the chat logs to see them, if so, please PM me your email address so I can send them to you.

 

 

 

It's only a computer game at the end of the day, don't let the stress make you ill.

[renegadeimp]

I think its more to do with the fact that they have basically blocked him from using a product he has paid for gany. Think how many others could be affected.

[steampowered]

This is quite a common issue. Have you tried the fix in http://support.microsoft.com/kb/960480?

 

Are you using your original windows live account? From memory there is a limited number of times you are permitted to reinstall/reactivate the product. It is designed to prevent piracy.

 

I'd try phoning them rather than trying to do it online. Anyway, Halo 2 is now an extremely old game I can't imagine it is more than a tenner. If I recall correctly they have also re-released it to help deal with compatibility problems which arise when using a newer version of windows. I think we were in the XP age when Halo 2 was released, so you may have problems if using Vista/W7/W8.

[renegadeimp]

Personally, i would just use a no-cd crack. IIRC halo 2 doesnt have any DRM so a no cd executable is perfectly legitimate to use providing you own the account. Of course, it wont connect to windows live, so no multiplayer, but the game is still perfectly playable.

[«THÖMÅS®©™»]

Are you using your original windows live account? From memory there is a limited number of times you are permitted to reinstall/reactivate the product. It is designed to prevent piracy.

 

I'd try phoning them rather than trying to do it online. Anyway, Halo 2 is now an extremely old game I can't imagine it is more than a tenner. If I recall correctly they have also re-released it to help deal with compatibility problems which arise when using a newer version of windows. I think we were in the XP age when Halo 2 was released, so you may have problems if using Vista/W7/W8.

 

I know this, but I own both the original game and CD key, the proof is above. Halo 2 was designed for Windows Vista, but WILL run on Windows 7, I have been running it on Windows 7 for ages. No trouble at all till I had a system crash (HDD failed) and had to buy a new system disc and re-install Halo 2 as a result. Then this mess started and I cannot believe how arrogant and stubborn Microsoft are being about it. It's not as though I am trying to rob them of billions of pounds is it. Why should I pay for a new game when it was not my fault that my HDD failed, why should I buy a new game when Microsoft have the solution but refuse point blank to provide it.

 

In my view, talking to Microsoft is like playing chess with a pigeon, the pigeon will knock your king over, then strut its stuff then fly off. In short, I am saying that no matter how many times I demand a solution, they will fob me off, take the liberty, and wind me up more and more. And I swear they are doing it on purpose so that they have an excuse to either end the chat, or hang up the phone on me. That is very bad business practice, and they know it. I have explained the problem so many times that I have lost count, and they wind me up by asking me what the problem is. When they know what it is when I give them the service request numbers that I have. I honestly don't know what I have to do to get through to thier thick skulls. It's like talking to a zombie. You never get anywhere with a zombie.

 

I have had one Windows Live account, and I upgraded it to Gold on October 27th 2013. And still, I get treated like this. It is diabolical!

 

I accept the "prevention of piracy" thing. However, I am the owner of the game and product key within, and have been for YEARS. Yet I am still fobbed off, ignored, and mocked.

 

I swear that they get some kind of satisfaction out of making me ill. If they did not, I would not have started this thread, but rather playing Halo 2 instead.

 

I have also tried to phone them, repeatedly, same old stuff, same old fobbing off, same old excuses.

[steampowered]

Yes, I've had a frustrating experience with Microsoft in the past as well.

[«THÖMÅS®©™»]

Then you know how I feel.

 

Who likes my avatar?

Edited April 16, 2014 by «THÖMÅS®©™»

[maroondevo52]

 

Who likes my avatar?

 

Usernames no bad either

[«THÖMÅS®©™»]

Not sure I follow, can you guess where it is from and who?

[renegadeimp]

Thor from Stargate SG1

[«THÖMÅS®©™»]

Nope. It is in fact the Asgard Scientist on the "Odyssey" named "Kvasir"

[renegadeimp]

They all look the same to me since theyre clones

[«THÖMÅS®©™»]

They ALL have slightly different characteristics.

[«THÖMÅS®©™»]

My avatar is NOT "Thor". It is "Kvasir".

[maroondevo52]

Are you two on the same planet as me