Is This Legal?!?!

[Graybeard]

Is it even legal for a company to do this? It's not like it is just a few of us having problems it is just about Everyone. They HAD TO KNOW this was going on if they REALLY did do extensive testing. Which brings me to the question is it legal to sell faulty equipment like this when there is NO DOUBT they had to know about these issues.

I have had the game 3 days and my guitar and mic are already not working.......

[JDillard]

Is it even legal for a company to do this? It's not like it is just a few of us having problems it is just about Everyone. They HAD TO KNOW this was going on if they REALLY did do extensive testing. Which brings me to the question is it legal to sell faulty equipment like this when there is NO DOUBT they had to know about these issues.

I have had the game 3 days and my guitar and mic are already not working.......

How would they know? They tested the games using GH controlers while they made it I'm sure. Then during the tour they used prototypes or just GH guitars. They wouldn't know that one manufacturer was producing ****ty guitars unless they went to each place and tested one guitar out of so many just to see that they were good. And it took those people now having problems a couple of hours until they knew. Yes, some were apparent right out, but most took playing time to know. So, HMX would had to of tested each piece of equipment for a few hours to decide if it was faulty. Now do you know how long this would have taken?

[Graybeard]

How would they know? They tested the games using GH controlers while they made it I'm sure. Then during the tour they used prototypes or just GH guitars. They wouldn't know that one manufacturer was producing ****ty guitars unless they went to each place and tested one guitar out of so many just to see that they were good. And it took those people now having problems a couple of hours until they knew. Yes, some were apparent right out, but most took playing time to know. So, HMX would had to of tested each piece of equipment for a few hours to decide if it was faulty. Now do you know how long this would have taken?


Bro are you kidding me? They stated they did "EXTENSIVE" testing ( meaning ALOT ) Tons of people got to play, they even had a tour where people were playing ALL the instruments. I dont know where you got the GH controller thing but EVERYWHERE I have read where they got to test the game people have been using the strat. Plus its not JUST the guitar its the Mic ( Mine is broke as I stated already ) and Drums ( alot of people having trouble with them ) are you saying they tested it with donkey konga bongos? Look i know you want to stand up for them and the Game itself is Great but the game is used with the instruments not just by itself so it just doesnt seem legal they can do this if there really was Extensive testing, and if there wasnt they were lying about it and that doesnt seem legal either.

[blgage]

It's legal because they'll replace it for free. support.ea.com/rockband

[cromartie90000]

Everyone's equipment is going out or breaking after a couple of hours of use.

I'm sure they didn't personally inspect and test EVERY controller for SEVERAL hours one-by-one.

[PinkFloyd]

How would they know? They tested the games using GH controlers while they made it I'm sure. Then during the tour they used prototypes or just GH guitars. They wouldn't know that one manufacturer was producing ****ty guitars unless they went to each place and tested one guitar out of so many just to see that they were good. And it took those people now having problems a couple of hours until they knew. Yes, some were apparent right out, but most took playing time to know. So, HMX would had to of tested each piece of equipment for a few hours to decide if it was faulty. Now do you know how long this would have taken?

5 minutes: Plug in GH-controller through Pelican-adapter, check if it works, plug in GH2-controller, check if it works, get word out that PS3-RB doesn't work with PS2 controllers. How hard would that have been? They even had over a frigging year to test it!

[Graybeard]

It's legal because they'll replace it for free. support.ea.com/rockband

Well thats what I thought as well but they put 120.00 holding fee then charge you 15.00 for shipping and handling. WTF is that THEY should pay the Shipping and handling and it should NOT be that much of a holding fee. No doubt the 120.00 gets taken off AFTER they get thier faulty piece of trash back but that has yet to be seen becuase I havent even recieved the New Guitar and need to send my Mic out Still Ugh.. If I get Charged 120.00 after I send thier faulty trash back I will pissed to say to the least but as I stated that has yet to be seen but its not like they arent messing up enough as it is....

[mmorgan184]

All your stuff gets replaced for free. I don't see what the problem is.

[melman101]

Knock on wood, but I've been fine so far. We've been playing on medium, but we are decently far. Everything, so far so good :-)

[Graybeard]

Everyone's equipment is going out or breaking after a couple of hours of use.

I'm sure they didn't personally inspect and test EVERY controller for SEVERAL hours one-by-one.

Thats just the thing you just proved my point if EVERYONES equipment is going to break they KNEW the stuff was faulty becuase they probably had the SAME issues as us. A few hours of playtime ( Scorehero tested it for like 8 hours not to mention GI, EGM,PSM, amongst others ) and they were prolly switching through guitars as well so why did they give these to us? Why not push it back to ensure that we had working ones?

[mmorgan184]

Thats just the thing you just proved my point if EVERYONES equipment is going to break they KNEW the stuff was faulty becuase they probably had the SAME issues as us. A few hours of playtime ( Scorehero tested it for like 8 hours not to mention GI, EGM,PSM, amongst others ) and they were prolly switching through guitars as well so why did they give these to us? Why not push it back to ensure that we had working ones?

Harmonix is not at fault here. EA is because they were in charge of Manufacturing and Distribution as far as I know. Don't be so ignorant.

[Graybeard]

Knock on wood, but I've been fine so far. We've been playing on medium, but we are decently far. Everything, so far so good :-)

No I have to spend 30 extra dollars on shipping and handling for the Guitar and Now my Mic Wohoo on top of the money I spent on this game I get to throw more away totally doesnt seem legal.

[mmorgan184]

No I have to spend 30 extra dollars on shipping and handling for the Guitar and Now my Mic Wohoo on top of the money I spent on this game I get to throw more away totally doesnt seem legal.

I'm getting my replacements for free. I don't know why you have to pay $30.

[mrloofer]

The equipment would have gone through extensive tests prior to mass production, as is the standard with most product production runs. Then QA would be done at random at the product line, but who knows at what level QA was done. It's likely that corners were cut in the production line to meet demand for release date.

[Graybeard]

Harmonix is not at fault here. EA is because they were in charge of Manufacturing and Distribution as far as I know. Don't be so ignorant.

I get screwed becuase of thier faulty things and I am ignorant Screw You! I never said whos fault it was I just stated this doesnt seem legal you ass.

[mmorgan184]

I get screwed becuase of thier faulty things and I am ignorant Screw You! I never said whos fault it was I just stated this doesnt seem legal you ass.

This is mainly a Harmonix run website. So I assumed you were trying to blame Harmonix for these faults. Sorry for assuming that since you were posting on a Harmonix message board you weren't complaining about Harmonix.

[Graybeard]

I'm getting my replacements for free. I don't know why you have to pay $30.

Even you will have to pay the Shipping if you didnt use a credit card you have to pay 8.00 if you did you have to pay 15.00 it is dumb.

[cromartie90000]

Thats just the thing you just proved my point if EVERYONES equipment is going to break they KNEW the stuff was faulty becuase they probably had the SAME issues as us. A few hours of playtime ( Scorehero tested it for like 8 hours not to mention GI, EGM,PSM, amongst others ) and they were prolly switching through guitars as well so why did they give these to us? Why not push it back to ensure that we had working ones?

No man I was trying to explain that since it takes a few hours to break it's probably a durability thing, mine broke and I was strumming down with a little force you know? But strumming UP works.
So the controller takes a few hours to wear out. If you're checking these controllers are you REALLY going to take the time to stand around checking ONE controller for 4+ hours?
I should think not!

I know that when Game Informer mag got their test equipment the drums didn't work.
What I'm saying is, whoever or whatever was in charge of the Quality Control/Assurance on these controllers is probably looking real bad right now, and is probably in some hot water.

It's not like they purposely sold us faulty equipment out of malice you know?

[mmorgan184]

Even you will have to pay the Shipping if you didnt use a credit card you have to pay 8.00 if you did you have to pay 15.00 it is dumb.

They send you a box with the new item in it. Inside the box is a return label to reuse the box to send it back to EA. Since EA provides the return label for the item, I don't see how you have to pay for shipping. Unless I am missing something here, EA is footing the bill for everything.

[NattyLight]

Is it even legal for a company to do this?

Harmonix did nothing illegal. If you think otherwise, cite Massachusetts or Federal codes to back up your argument. You could also find supreme court cases to back up your claim.

[cromartie90000]

They send you a box with the new item in it. Inside the box is a return label to reuse the box to send it back to EA. Since EA provides the return label for the item, I don't see how you have to pay for shipping. Unless I am missing something here, EA is footing the bill for everything.

Unless you don't send it back or unless you ship it yourself... Man this guy is hopeless man!

[Graybeard]

Obviously you guys missed the part on the warranty at the end if you read it it said there will be a shipping fee 15.00 for express and 8.00 for non express.

[skyehill]

Is it even legal for a company to do this? It's not like it is just a few of us having problems it is just about Everyone. They HAD TO KNOW this was going on if they REALLY did do extensive testing. Which brings me to the question is it legal to sell faulty equipment like this when there is NO DOUBT they had to know about these issues.

I have had the game 3 days and my guitar and mic are already not working.......

I guarantee you that they knew. They heard all the Best Buy broken guitar issues. Guitars were breaking left and right on their tour as well. And then EA comes out and says you better pre-order or you might not get one...why did they do that? They did it because they knew they had to hold a ton of product back to use as replacements for all the broken equipment they knew was about to be coming back to stores...so they stuck that little note in the box telling people to not return their games, but instead to contact EA directly. Harmonix made a fine game, but their hardware is a complete and total joke. This will make them look extremely bad to a lot of people, which is a shame considering how good their games have been in the past. But they chose to screw us instead of delaying and fixing their problems.

[cromartie90000]

Obviously you guys missed the part on the warranty at the end if you read it it said there will be a shipping fee 15.00 for express and 8.00 for non express.

When I went to the website and sent it back it said there WON'T be any fees unless you DON'T return the guitar...

[webduelist]

No man I was trying to explain that since it takes a few hours to break it's probably a durability thing, mine broke and I was strumming down with a little force you know? But strumming UP works.
So the controller takes a few hours to wear out. If you're checking these controllers are you REALLY going to take the time to stand around checking ONE controller for 4+ hours?
I should think not!

I know that when Game Informer mag got their test equipment the drums didn't work.
What I'm saying is, whoever or whatever was in charge of the Quality Control/Assurance on these controllers is probably looking real bad right now, and is probably in some hot water.

It's not like they purposely sold us faulty equipment out of malice you know?


I think they did send out faulty equipment just to make a dead line, but I guess we wont know untill someone gets there replacement.

[skyehill]

This is mainly a Harmonix run website. So I assumed you were trying to blame Harmonix for these faults. Sorry for assuming that since you were posting on a Harmonix message board you weren't complaining about Harmonix.


It's a Harmonix game, you moron. If they're going to take credit for its successes, they damn better well own up to the mistakes as well.

[mmorgan184]

Obviously you guys missed the part on the warranty at the end if you read it it said there will be a shipping fee 15.00 for express and 8.00 for non express.

I read the warranty on the pink sheet, and the warranty in the instruction booklet. The instruction booklet says this exactly, "If the Peripheral is found to be defective within 60 days from the date of the original purchase, Electronic Arts will replace the Peripheral free of charge."

I don't see anything about a charge being applied. The website never said anything either. The only mention I saw was a pending fee of $120 if you do not return the broken peripheral within 28 days.

[Graybeard]

When I went to the website and sent it back it said there WON'T be any fees unless you DON'T return the guitar...

Thats for the 120.00 charge bro.... MAN people learn to read sheesh!!! the 120.00 will be taken off your card once the equipment is returned yes but ther IS a shipping fee. I read all the stuff becuase its not my mom or anything paying for this its me. On the last page of the warranty after the page about the 120.00 they tell you about the shipping fee.

[mmorgan184]

It's a Harmonix game, you moron. If they're going to take credit for its successes, they damn better well own up to the mistakes as well.

Harmonix made the game. The game works great. Harmonix should be happy about that.

EA was in charge of the peripherals. The peripherals seem to be faulty on the whole. Harmonix doesn't deserve to get blamed for this.

[skyehill]

Harmonix made the game. The game works great. Harmonix should be happy about that.

EA was in charge of the peripherals. The peripherals seem to be faulty on the whole. Harmonix doesn't deserve to get blamed for this.


You're clueless. EA is the distributer. This is Harmonix's disaster. And they conveniently disappear from their own website when issues arise. This isn't the Harmonix I fell in love with back in the Frequency days.

[Graybeard]

You're clueless. EA is the distributer. This is Harmonix's disaster. And they conveniently disappear from their own website when issues arise. This isn't the Harmonix I fell in love with back in the Frequency days.

No Kidding.....

[mmorgan184]

You're clueless. EA is the distributer. This is Harmonix's disaster. And they conveniently disappear from their own website when issues arise. This isn't the Harmonix I fell in love with back in the Frequency days.

As far as I knew EA was in charge of distributing and the peripherals, if this isn't the case, then my mistake.

Though I don't see how they have conveniently disappeared over a Holiday Weekend when I'm sure the employees of the company have taken a well deserved break.

[NattyLight]

Ignore Graybeard. He is a troll.

Replacement is free.

There is nothing illegal going on.

[Graybeard]

A Troll becuase my game I spent 200.00 on is disaster at the moment becuase of Faulty equipment that could have been avoided? EAT A BOWL OF D!CK.......

Of course this is coming from someone who drinks Natty Light, you cheap bastard.....

[jq715861]

A Troll becuase my game I spent 200.00 on is disaster at the moment becuase of Faulty equipment that could have been avoided? EAT A BOWL OF D!CK.......

Of course this is coming from someone who drinks Natty Light, you cheap bastard.....

No, trolls certainly don't talk like that. You showed us.

[Graybeard]

I am not going on a bunch of threads talking sh!t I am on MY OWN THREAD and if you come in here and call me a troll you have NO IDEA what one is..... I am tired of people on here talking trash to ME becuase the game is faulted and I actaully talk about it. Yes the Graphics are great I like the gameplay but How do they expect me to play with no working periphials? Oh play with the GH ones I own LOL what a joke No wonder the GH community is bigger and better people are nicer and actually help you out I have posted topics on the Tech forum here with NO HELP this is plain pathetic.........

[jq715861]

I am not going on a bunch of threads talking sh!t I am on MY OWN THREAD and if you come in here and call me a troll you have NO IDEA what one is..... I am tired of people on here talking trash to ME becuase the game is faulted and I actaully talk about it. Yes the Graphics are great I like the gameplay but How do they expect me to play with no working periphials? Oh play with the GH ones I own LOL what a joke No wonder the GH community is bigger and better people are nicer and actually help you out I have posted topics on the Tech forum here with NO HELP this is plain pathetic.........

Hahaha. Oh man, thats priceless. What help do you want? Return your peripheral free of charge, end of story. You are the only one who thinks there is a charge when there clearly isn't. You shouldn't need help being walked through the process. There are numerous threads about this topic and a new thread doesn't need to be created every time someone has a faulty peripheral.

[skyehill]

I am not going on a bunch of threads talking sh!t I am on MY OWN THREAD and if you come in here and call me a troll you have NO IDEA what one is..... I am tired of people on here talking trash to ME becuase the game is faulted and I actaully talk about it. Yes the Graphics are great I like the gameplay but How do they expect me to play with no working periphials? Oh play with the GH ones I own LOL what a joke No wonder the GH community is bigger and better people are nicer and actually help you out I have posted topics on the Tech forum here with NO HELP this is plain pathetic.........

What you're witnessing is Harmonix apologists. They're every bit as worthless and moronic as trolls. Neither gets anything accomplished or resolved.

[kgthdc2468]

Well, now we know why individual guitars won't be available until 2008...

[Bakkster]

Thats for the 120.00 charge bro.... MAN people learn to read sheesh!!! the 120.00 will be taken off your card once the equipment is returned yes but ther IS a shipping fee. I read all the stuff becuase its not my mom or anything paying for this its me. On the last page of the warranty after the page about the 120.00 they tell you about the shipping fee.

Can we get a quote of that text, please? Until then, this is all FUD


You're clueless. EA is the distributer. This is Harmonix's disaster. And they conveniently disappear from their own website when issues arise. This isn't the Harmonix I fell in love with back in the Frequency days.

Or they were busy fixing stuff over the week, some working even on Thanksgiving, and now it's the weekend and they're taking a rest. Don't you think the HMX people deserve to play a little Mass Effect on their days off?


Hahaha. Oh man, thats priceless. What help do you want? Return your peripheral free of charge, end of story. You are the only one who thinks there is a charge when there clearly isn't. You shouldn't need help being walked through the process. There are numerous threads about this topic and a new thread doesn't need to be created every time someone has a faulty peripheral.

If I do find a charge, I will just dispute it with my credit card company, show them the 'free of charge' line occurring twice, and not pay the money.

[Graybeard]

WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?!?! My topic is about the legallity of them selling us faulty equipment when they OBVIOUSLY knew about it. And when did I defend harmonix? I am pissed they would do this. OMG Kid are you just trying to be a *****?

[jq715861]

What you're witnessing is Harmonix apologists. They're every bit as worthless and moronic as trolls. Neither gets anything accomplished or resolved.

Buddy, I'm just disgusted as you at the failure rate of these guitars, and obviously they knew that a good number of them were going to fail in a matter of hours. But at least they are taking care of it. How long does it take to get a 360 back after gets shipped in? 4-6 weeks? It's a few days.

[Graybeard]

No I am not going to go back and get the qoute in fear they may mess up my original order on the guitar and mic you should just learn to read all print in the first place. Also NO I dont believe they deserve a break to play ANYTHING becuase yes they finished the game but they Half Assed equipment to play it on. Sounds like they were busy playing to many games to begin with maybe if they buckled down and REALLY did Extensively test this stuff we wouldnt be having these problems.

[Graybeard]

Hahaha. Oh man, thats priceless. What help do you want? Return your peripheral free of charge, end of story. You are the only one who thinks there is a charge when there clearly isn't. You shouldn't need help being walked through the process. There are numerous threads about this topic and a new thread doesn't need to be created every time someone has a faulty peripheral.

Are you illiterate the topic is about legality...

[Strutter]

I'm pretty bummed that my guitar failed only a few hours in too. I also don't like the holding fee that's occurring with my debit card right now either. That's bull.

If there is a shipping fee tacked on too, I'll wanna blow my top. Paying almost $200 for something and then having this happen is just utter nonsense.

[jmiscavish]

It's probably more illegal that they sold a bunch of standalone ps3 game discs knowing full well those people could not play the game at all.

[Graybeard]

It's probably more illegal that they sold a bunch of standalong ps3 game discs knowing full well those people could not play the game at all.


There is just something going on here I dont like ( just seems Fishy ) I do hope when Monday comes around there will be someone from the company talking about these issues but if not I will be pretty pissed. I cant believe GH guitars wont work with PS3 RB, I have a 360 and GH controllers work fine but then again it is SAD AS ALL HELL that I have to use the GH controller instead of the RB one that I am suppose to be using, plus I cant even use my mic ( WHAT FUN IS THAT? ) and hope to GOD my drums stay good.

[logicalnoise]

internet people = the most paranoid people ever. Jeez people there's about 6000 member on this forum. not everybody has had problems. All my instruments work finer and I've had three consectutive 8 hour parties with RB. The vocal minority will always assume they are the majority and the ones who are the victims. EA is replacing all faulty equipment for free. Has anyone been refused yet? NO please realize that 2-3% failure rate is NORMAL!

[Graybeard]

internet people = the most paranoid people ever. Jeez people there's about 6000 member on this forum. not everybody has had problems. All my instruments work finer and I've had three consectutive 8 hour parties with RB. The vocal minority will always assume they are the majority and the ones who are the victims. EA is replacing all faulty equipment for free. Has anyone been refused yet? NO please realize that 2-3% failure rate is NORMAL!

I believe you are about one of the only people with NO problems. I am VERY carefull with all my gaming hardware call me paranoid yes but with some of the GH Les Pauls going out I took GREAT care of mine no problem with that. Then I got this game worked GREAT the first day prolly 8 to 10 hours then all HELL broke loose. As I would LOVE to agree with you I just think there are FAR more that are having problems than people who arent.

[Bakkster]

No I am not going to go back and get the qoute in fear they may mess up my original order on the guitar and mic you should just learn to read all print in the first place. Also NO I dont believe they deserve a break to play ANYTHING becuase yes they finished the game but they Half Assed equipment to play it on. Sounds like they were busy playing to many games to begin with maybe if they buckled down and REALLY did Extensively test this stuff we wouldnt be having these problems.

I guess that's the difference between us. I've been trying to help people figure out their problems since release day and playing my game. My guitar went out the other day, so I said "well, **** happens" and requested my free replacement guitar.

You came onto the forums to complain and are expecting to get screwed, which just makes you start complaining about things that haven't happened yet, and likely never will.

[jq715861]

I believe you are about one of the only people with NO problems. I am VERY carefull with all my gaming hardware call me paranoid yes but with some of the GH Les Pauls going out I took GREAT care of mine no problem with that. Then I got this game worked GREAT the first day prolly 8 to 10 hours then all HELL broke loose. As I would LOVE to agree with you I just think there are FAR more that are having problems than people who arent.

But you have to realize this board has been up since May, and I've been here since July. (I deleted my profile because it was a glitch on the boards.) But all the regulars aren't here on the boards because they are off playing the game. I have only seen one or two names I recognized that have said they're instruments were faulty. Mine has worked fine and all the people on my PS3 buddy list has worked fine as well.

All the people that have reported problems have under 30 or so posts because they only created accounts to complain and to see if they could get help. I know everyone's bundle isn't perfect but the problem isn't as widespread as these boards make it seem. It's just that this forum is only getting activity with complaints and thats what makes it seem so bad.

I hope everyone's problems get resolved quickly and without problems and everyone can enjoy this game to it's full capacity because it certainly is the best rhythm game ever created.

[Graybeard]

I guess that's the difference between us. I've been trying to help people figure out their problems since release day and playing my game. My guitar went out the other day, so I said "well, **** happens" and requested my free replacement guitar.

You came onto the forums to complain and are expecting to get screwed, which just makes you start complaining about things that haven't happened yet, and likely never will.

Havent Happened Yet?? My Guitar is broken ( been awaiting my new one for 2 days ) and my Mic is broken ( WTF is THAT?!?! ). The only thing thats not broken that came in the box is the Game disc and the Drums *Knock on Wood*

[brokentoothpic]

Legality. Here's to the point of your topic.


There's nothing 'illegal' about selling a product that, according to the manufacturer's standards, was correct at time of shipping. If you feel the consumer has been deceived, then you're talking about DTPA, or the Deceptive Trade Practices Act.


You would have to prove, to a jury, that the issuing company had FULL AND REASONABLE KNOWLEDGE that this would happen on the extent that it did. Example: if your guitar broke after 4 hours of play, you would have to show that they actually TESTED guitars to the 4 hour mark, and an 'unreasonable' amount of them broke during testing, yet they shipped without warning anyway.


'Reasonable' and 'Unreasonable' are defined by the judge during jury instructions, and thats always a flip of the coin how conservative or liberal those instructions will be.


Is it illegal? Probably not. Besides, you'd have an extremely hard time proving it.

And before anyone else goes ranting on (as in other threads) about 'starting a class action', I advise you check the Federal Codes on exactly WHAT is required to start a class action, because there's no way you're getting one past a judge without a motion for summary judgement canning it, and then the possibility of HMX/EA filing a counter-suit for frivolous litigation practices.

Now, I'm NOT trolling, just trying to answer the gentleman's question in a truthful manner. Reserve your flames for the kiddies using leet speek.

[Graybeard]

But you have to realize this board has been up since May, and I've been here since July. (I deleted my profile because it was a glitch on the boards.) But all the regulars aren't here on the boards because they are off playing the game. I have only seen one or two names I recognized that have said they're instruments were faulty. Mine has worked fine and all the people on my PS3 buddy list has worked fine as well.

All the people that have reported problems have under 30 or so posts because they only created accounts to complain and to see if they could get help. I know everyone's bundle isn't perfect but the problem isn't as widespread as these boards make it seem. It's just that this forum is only getting activity with complaints and thats what makes it seem so bad.

I hope everyone's problems get resolved quickly and without problems and everyone can enjoy this game to it's full capacity because it certainly is the best rhythm game ever created.


I totally agree that it is the Best Rythym Game bro you can see from my other posts that I said already the game itself is AMAZING but thats the problem its not by itself it comes with Faulty equipment and though I HOPE none of your equipment starts to mess up I wouldnt doubt that it will it sucks to know you have to be really carefull with this stuff when paying this much (I should be able to ROCK IT OUT ).

[logicalnoise]

that was a great addition brokentoothpic. and again graybeard it's very apparent that teh huge influx of complaints is still just the vocal minority. It happened with Guitar hero 3 and is now happening with Rock band. EVeryone acknowledges how annoying it is and Harmonix has stated they want anything that's gone wrong resolved. EA isn't shunting blame and Not a single person has cried about getting refused for RMA. The problems are being dealt with. Launching a game like this was bound to have complications. This board was only a few hundred strong for the weeks going up to launch. Very few of the vets have been posting since the game launch. I've been playing at night hence me posting now.

[rockbandforever]

I believe you are about one of the only people with NO problems. I am VERY carefull with all my gaming hardware call me paranoid yes but with some of the GH Les Pauls going out I took GREAT care of mine no problem with that. Then I got this game worked GREAT the first day prolly 8 to 10 hours then all HELL broke loose. As I would LOVE to agree with you I just think there are FAR more that are having problems than people who arent.

i have had no problems:eek:

[Graybeard]

Legality. Here's to the point of your topic.


There's nothing 'illegal' about selling a product that, according to the manufacturer's standards, was correct at time of shipping. If you feel the consumer has been deceived, then you're talking about DTPA, or the Deceptive Trade Practices Act.


You would have to prove, to a jury, that the issuing company had FULL AND REASONABLE KNOWLEDGE that this would happen on the extent that it did. Example: if your guitar broke after 4 hours of play, you would have to show that they actually TESTED guitars to the 4 hour mark, and an 'unreasonable' amount of them broke during testing, yet they shipped without warning anyway.


'Reasonable' and 'Unreasonable' are defined by the judge during jury instructions, and thats always a flip of the coin how conservative or liberal those instructions will be.


Is it illegal? Probably not. Besides, you'd have an extremely hard time proving it.

And before anyone else goes ranting on (as in other threads) about 'starting a class action', I advise you check the Federal Codes on exactly WHAT is required to start a class action, because there's no way you're getting one past a judge without a motion for summary judgement canning it, and then the possibility of HMX/EA filing a counter-suit for frivolous litigation practices.

Now, I'm NOT trolling, just trying to answer the gentleman's question in a truthful manner. Reserve your flames for the kiddies using leet speek.

Thanks bro that is the best answer I have come across in this whole forum. You are very right about it being hard to prove that all other equipment is faulty, but I dont think its is totally unrealistic ( seeing as alot of companies EGM etc ) played it having problems as well, but after getting a good answer like that I will probably go look into the DTPA.

[Bakkster]

Havent Happened Yet?? My Guitar is broken ( been awaiting my new one for 2 days ) and my Mic is broken ( WTF is THAT?!?! ). The only thing thats not broken that came in the box is the Game disc and the Drums *Knock on Wood*

Yeah, it sucks, but you don't see me moaning and complaining about it. I might be mistaken that you were one of the people complaining about their replacement guitar (which they haven't gotten yet) being broken as well. If this is not you, then I apologize.

Regardless, that's what a warranty is for: fixing broken things. I just don't know of many other places where people complain about getting a replacement product sent to them 2-day air before they send their current one back.

[Graybeard]

that was a great addition brokentoothpic. and again graybeard it's very apparent that teh huge influx of complaints is still just the vocal minority. It happened with Guitar hero 3 and is now happening with Rock band. EVeryone acknowledges how annoying it is and Harmonix has stated they want anything that's gone wrong resolved. EA isn't shunting blame and Not a single person has cried about getting refused for RMA. The problems are being dealt with. Launching a game like this was bound to have complications. This board was only a few hundred strong for the weeks going up to launch. Very few of the vets have been posting since the game launch. I've been playing at night hence me posting now.

As I agree it happened with GH I have to say it is NOTHING on a scale of this magnitude man. I am a Vet of the GH forum and we had a good amount of complaints but NOTHING like what is on this forum, and thats sad becuase I would back Harmonix over Red Octane is a heartbeat BUT I may start to change my mind on that if they dont speak up soon.

[Jixzer]

My only complaint to this whole thread is that "everybody" is having problems. That sir, is not true. My instruments are working fine and I've been playing constantly on the Strat and the Drums since release.

But do I think that they knew there were going to be problems...yes. That's what the big pink piece of paper was for. However, they do seem to be very supportive when replacing equipment.

[brokentoothpic]

Good luck, Gray. I litigate mainly in the DTPA field (on the defense side), and I can tell you that it is RARELY a win for the consumer. Especially when there is an offer of replacement such as they are doing now.


The other difficulty you'll run into is damages. Without turning this into the first year of law school, there are 4 elements to negligence on behalf of the company:

1. Duty owed to the other party
2. Duty Breached to the other party
3. Proximate cause of the loss
4. Actual Damages


If you say the actual damages are loss of entertainment, I don't think there's a court in this land that will float that past a motion for summary judgement (even in Cali, hehe).

You must have ALL FOUR ELEMENTS in order to get past that block, without exception.

Furthermore, lets say the proximate cause of loss is.....too much lead in the Chinese plastic that they used to make the peripherals. Well, now the suit is sunk before it could leave the dock, because the wrong party was named in the suit.

Another thing: I've never seen a DTPA charge filed on a small claims incident (as this would be, as it is well under the standard $3500 marker for a higher court...and it goes PER OCCURRENCE/EVENT, not total combined of all involved), and again with the warranty offer in effect, I think there's very little you could do.

Anyway, I'm getting off my soapbox now. I talk about this stuff all week long at work, want to enjoy my weekend a bit :)

[Graybeard]

Yeah, it sucks, but you don't see me moaning and complaining about it. I might be mistaken that you were one of the people complaining about their replacement guitar (which they haven't gotten yet) being broken as well. If this is not you, then I apologize.

Regardless, that's what a warranty is for: fixing broken things. I just don't know of many other places where people complain about getting a replacement product sent to them 2-day air before they send their current one back.

No I never did complain about the Guitar replacement in fact I think they were AWESOME about it ( even though its been 2 days and no replacement I understand its holiday time ) the only thing I will be upset with if there is a shipping fee. Which if there is , is what made me bring this topic about becuase they should pay ALL fees on faulty returned products.

[Bakkster]

No I never did complain about the Guitar replacement in fact I think they were AWESOME about it ( even though its been 2 days and no replacement I understand its holiday time ) the only thing I will be upset with if there is a shipping fee.

My apologies. If there is a shipping charge, just dispute it with your credit card company, citing the 'free of charge' bit. Nice and easy.

[Graybeard]

My apologies. If there is a shipping charge, just dispute it with your credit card company, citing the 'free of charge' bit. Nice and easy.


True and I HOPE it is that easy lol.....

[Bakkster]

True and I HOPE it is that easy lol.....

Exactly, nothing has happened yet, so there's no use fussing right now.

[admanimal]

True and I HOPE it is that easy lol.....

It is that easy. Credit card companies will allow you to dispute something with virtually no questions asked.

Can we clarify what exactly you are having replaced and exactly what the pending charges on your card are? I believe you said that you are getting a guitar and mic replaced and the charge is $120? That would be the correct amount.

Here are the exact terms of the Express replacement service:

http://www.macsandcheese.com/images/warranty.jpg

[espher]

I give this thread a four out of five for unnecessary dramatics.

[Graybeard]

It is that easy. Credit card companies will allow you to dispute something with virtually no questions asked.

Can we clarify what exactly you are having replaced and exactly what the pending charges on your card are? I believe you said that you are getting a guitar and mic replaced and the charge is $120? That would be the correct amount.

See thats not what I am really pissed about.... I really didnt mind My guitar broke ( It happens with guitars ) and then My Mic broke ( I was like REALLY its hard to break a mic I know I am a lead singer ) I am pissed if there is going to be a fee and its not just me another thread has people HOPING they dont accidentally charge that 100.00. I am pretty positive they said something about a 8.00 and 15.00 fee ( not both, one for non express one for express ) but we will see in a couple of days when I get mine ( And I wont have to say told ya so if there is as I am sure people will be ranting ). Also cant believe they would/COULD even let ALL this faulty equipment out becuase there is no doubt in my mind THEY KNEW stuff was faulty ( which if they did know seems illegal for them to do ) otherwise why even put the pink slip in the box? Why Not say it before instead of saying buy em up there will be no copies after preorders ( which was BULL )

[Graybeard]

It is that easy. Credit card companies will allow you to dispute something with virtually no questions asked.

Can we clarify what exactly you are having replaced and exactly what the pending charges on your card are? I believe you said that you are getting a guitar and mic replaced and the charge is $120? That would be the correct amount.

Here are the exact terms of the Express replacement service:

http://www.macsandcheese.com/images/warranty.jpg

Adman its the last page after that one after you fill out everything it says something about the fee.

[espher]

My guess is the pink slip is there because of the limited availability of copies going to stores. If they expected there may be some problems (as is normal with new hardware, but I doubt it was expected on this level) they would want to tell people to handle it via the warranty channels because there isn't any sort of in-store warranty setup.

Just a guess.

[admanimal]

Adman its the last page after that one after you fill out everything it says something about the fee.

Oh, well unless my other guitar breaks I won't be getting to that page. They can't change the terms and say you have to pay after you have already signed up though. So if they did, I would call them to double check what is actually happening.

[Graybeard]

admanimal I just tried to go look at it but I am at work and this Blocked Websense crap pops up instead I will go back and Look at that later though and post the info.

Edit: Thats why I said I wasnt going to go back and check earlier I didnt want to mess up my order for my stuff...

[Hockey07]

I haven't read the entire thread, but just to make a point about how can they sell faulty hardware, I will say one name:

XBOX 360.

Doesn't anybody remember when the XBOX 360 came out? The failure rate seemed much higher than normal for electronics, but does that mean Microsoft didn't test the 360? Does that mean they shouldn't have released the console?

Seeing as how a majority of you own a 360 and aren't complaining, I doubt you feel that way. Plus these instrument problems aren't as widespread as you may think. They seemed so widespread when the 360 came out, but that's just because people who had problems went on forums and posted about them (surprise surprise).

[Hanover]

There are a little over 13,000 members registered on this site...and over a MILLION boxes of Rock Band Bundle that were shipped out. Throw in three peripherals into a box...and that ups the failure rate.

What you are seeing here is a concentration of people having problems. If you didnt have the internet, you wouldnt even know this. Unfortunately the internet provides this way for the 8,000 people spread across the country to all show up in one place..and now it looks HUGE. 8,000 out of a million? Nah, not that bad.

Now lets say all 13,000 people here all had problems (which is unlikely due to the polls showing that many people arent experience problems)....even if Harmonix only sold 800,000 copies, thats still 787,000 people that are perfectly happy.

The problem here is that everyone having problems all over the states/world are coming here and it seems like EVERYONE is having problems. Well, they aren't. They're just all in your face.

If 987,000 people are happy with their product, then Harmonix isnt doing such a bad job.

[espher]

The overheating + RRoD problems are problems that came after extended periods of use, akin to what's going on here for some people (knock on wood), so I don't think they would have necessarily been aware of it.

[admanimal]

What you are seeing here is a concentration of people having problems. If you didnt have the internet, you wouldnt even know this. Unfortunately the internet provides this way for the 8,000 people spread across the country to all show up in one place..and now it looks HUGE. 8,000 out of a million? Nah, not that bad.


This is true. I visit another very popular forum where they discuss the game, and although people have had problems there too, the majority of the discussions are about the game itself. And the people who did have bad hardware just say yep I requested a new one and don't try to make a federal case about it.

[Graybeard]

I haven't read the entire thread, but just to make a point about how can they sell faulty hardware, I will say one name:

XBOX 360.

Doesn't anybody remember when the XBOX 360 came out? The failure rate seemed much higher than normal for electronics, but does that mean Microsoft didn't test the 360? Does that mean they shouldn't have released the console?

Seeing as how a majority of you own a 360 and aren't complaining, I doubt you feel that way. Plus these instrument problems aren't as widespread as you may think. They seemed so widespread when the 360 came out, but that's just because people who had problems went on forums and posted about them (surprise surprise).

At least if that happens with 360's (never happened to mine but I know people who it has ) you FOR SURE dont have to pay ANYTHING and there is NO hold of 120.00 which is just outlandish..

[mmorgan184]

At least if that happens with 360's (never happened to mine but I know people who it has ) you FOR SURE dont have to pay ANYTHING and there is NO hold of 120.00 which is just outlandish..

That's because they receive your XBox first instead of sending you a new one before receiving a faulty one. If they offered the same service as EA offers for Rock Band they would have a $400 pending transaction probably.

[espher]

At least if that happens with 360's (never happened to mine but I know people who it has ) you FOR SURE dont have to pay ANYTHING and there is NO hold of 120.00 which is just outlandish..

That's because you ship the hardware to them first.

EA is giving you the replacement hardware before you even send the defective hardware in an attempt to reduce your downtime. That's why there's a credit card hold.

You can bet your ass that if Microsoft was sending you a replacement Xbox 360 before you sent your defective one in there'd be a credit card hold.

[Graybeard]

yes but 120.00?!?! that isnt even how much a extra controller would cost you.at most I could see them doing a 60-80 hold 80 AT MAX....

[mmorgan184]

yes but 120.00?!?! that isnt even how much a extra controller would cost you.at most I could see them doing a 60-80 hold 80 AT MAX....

Which is more incentive for you to send your controller back to them instead of trying to get an extra one before they are sold seperately.

[espher]

yes but 120.00?!?! that isnt even how much a extra controller would cost you.at most I could see them doing a 60-80 hold 80 AT MAX....

They're really giving you an incentive to send it back, probably to avoid people with good equipment trying to cheat the system to get a second guitar. :p

It's like when I used to rent an SNES from Blockbuster for a weekend and they'd put down a $300 deposit.

Edit: Dammit, stop ninjaing me.

[admanimal]

yes but 120.00?!?! that isnt even how much a extra controller would cost you.at most I could see them doing a 60-80 hold 80 AT MAX....

They probably just want to make sure that people don't abuse the service. If you were so worried about the amount of the pending charge, you should have used the other option.

[Bjorn]

This thread is long so after the first couple pages I skimmed through, but here's something I haven't seen mentioned: They aren't shipping the replaicments! Has anyone who got a faulty guitar and used the warranty website actually recieved the replaicment guitar? I bought Rock Band at 12:01am on Nov 20, and the guitar was broken out of the box, so I immeadiately went to their warranty website and reqested a new guitar. It is now five days later and I still haven't recieved anything despite the fact that they say it's two-day air shipping. Why is two day shipping taking five days? I asked their tech support, but still haven't gotten a reply. And no where on the site or the warranty does it mention anything about a shipping fee. In fact it says they pay the shipping costs, so they had better not try to charge me for ANYTHING! This is rediculous! Where's my guitar!

[Bakkster]

yes but 120.00?!?! that isnt even how much a extra controller would cost you.at most I could see them doing a 60-80 hold 80 AT MAX....

Yes, but if it was only $80 everyone and their brother would abuse the system to get a second controller shipped to them 2-day air.

[Julio_No_Mas]

This thread is long so after the first couple pages I skimmed through, but here's something I haven't seen mentioned: They aren't shipping the replaicments! Has anyone who got a faulty guitar and used the warranty website actually recieved the replaicment guitar? I bought Rock Band at 12:01am on Nov 20, and the guitar was broken out of the box, so I immeadiately went to their warranty website and reqested a new guitar. It is now five days later and I still haven't recieved anything despite the fact that they say it's two-day air shipping. Why is two day shipping taking five days? I asked their tech support, but still haven't gotten a reply. And no where on the site or the warranty does it mention anything about a shipping fee. In fact it says they pay the shipping costs, so they had better not try to charge me for ANYTHING! This is rediculous! Where's my guitar!
WTF. That really is crazy. If my guitar or drumkit is broken and I recieve that type of treatment, a *****fest is coming.

[Micker]

Greybeard,

THERE IS NO SHIPPING FEE!!! They send you the guitar with a PREPAID label inside the box to return your guitar back to them. You won't have to pay anything. If you don't have a CC(who doesn't have a CC or bankcard), then you can get a prepaid box sent to you and you put it in the box to ship back for free.

I agree that instruments weren't tested very well, at least the version that they shipped. My drums didn't work out of the box, my friends guitar died after one song, I have bad lag with the mic and the PS3 etc..

[admanimal]

This thread is long so after the first couple pages I skimmed through, but here's something I haven't seen mentioned: They aren't shipping the replaicments! Has anyone who got a faulty guitar and used the warranty website actually recieved the replaicment guitar? I bought Rock Band at 12:01am on Nov 20, and the guitar was broken out of the box, so I immeadiately went to their warranty website and reqested a new guitar. It is now five days later and I still haven't recieved anything despite the fact that they say it's two-day air shipping. Why is two day shipping taking five days? I asked their tech support, but still haven't gotten a reply. And no where on the site or the warranty does it mention anything about a shipping fee. In fact it says they pay the shipping costs, so they had better not try to charge me for ANYTHING! This is rediculous! Where's my guitar!

There are about 5 threads about this in the tech support forum, but I'll give you the answer anyway. UPS has been on vacation since Wednesday, and I think it is not entirely unreasonable to give EA a couple days to get their stuff in order before being ready to send out replacements. If they don't start shipping on Monday, then perhaps we should start looking for answers. People need to chill out and think about things before going on tirades.

[mmorgan184]

This thread is long so after the first couple pages I skimmed through, but here's something I haven't seen mentioned: They aren't shipping the replaicments! Has anyone who got a faulty guitar and used the warranty website actually recieved the replaicment guitar? I bought Rock Band at 12:01am on Nov 20, and the guitar was broken out of the box, so I immeadiately went to their warranty website and reqested a new guitar. It is now five days later and I still haven't recieved anything despite the fact that they say it's two-day air shipping. Why is two day shipping taking five days? I asked their tech support, but still haven't gotten a reply. And no where on the site or the warranty does it mention anything about a shipping fee. In fact it says they pay the shipping costs, so they had better not try to charge me for ANYTHING! This is rediculous! Where's my guitar!

UPS has been closed since Wednesday because of the Holiday. That's why. Shipping with UPS will commence tomorrow.

[espher]

There are about 5 threads about this in the tech support forum, but I'll give you the answer anyway. UPS has been on vacation since Wednesday, and I think it is not entirely unreasonable to give EA a couple days to get their stuff in order before being ready to send out replacements. If they don't start shipping on Monday, then perhaps we should start looking for answers.

This.

It's a U.S. holiday week/weekend. Businesses are closed.

[brokentoothpic]

This thread is long so after the first couple pages I skimmed through, but here's something I haven't seen mentioned: They aren't shipping the replaicments! Has anyone who got a faulty guitar and used the warranty website actually recieved the replaicment guitar? I bought Rock Band at 12:01am on Nov 20, and the guitar was broken out of the box, so I immeadiately went to their warranty website and reqested a new guitar. It is now five days later and I still haven't recieved anything despite the fact that they say it's two-day air shipping. Why is two day shipping taking five days? I asked their tech support, but still haven't gotten a reply. And no where on the site or the warranty does it mention anything about a shipping fee. In fact it says they pay the shipping costs, so they had better not try to charge me for ANYTHING! This is rediculous! Where's my guitar!

Your 'replaicment' is probably sitting next to your dictionary.

Again, as others have done before, I will invoke the Thanksgiving holiday for shipping and processing delays...I don't care if its Harmonix, Electronic Arts, or Santa Claus, Black Friday weekend is hell on every shipping service there is.

[Graybeard]

They probably just want to make sure that people don't abuse the service. If you were so worried about the amount of the pending charge, you should have used the other option.


Yeah and how long do you think THAT would take...... NO THANK YOU.. I just think its bull they do this especially so close to Christmas , you know it might not bother you to much but some people could actually use 40 extra bucks or so especially around Christmas....

[logicalnoise]

This thread is long so after the first couple pages I skimmed through, but here's something I haven't seen mentioned: They aren't shipping the replaicments! Has anyone who got a faulty guitar and used the warranty website actually recieved the replaicment guitar? I bought Rock Band at 12:01am on Nov 20, and the guitar was broken out of the box, so I immeadiately went to their warranty website and reqested a new guitar. It is now five days later and I still haven't recieved anything despite the fact that they say it's two-day air shipping. Why is two day shipping taking five days? I asked their tech support, but still haven't gotten a reply. And no where on the site or the warranty does it mention anything about a shipping fee. In fact it says they pay the shipping costs, so they had better not try to charge me for ANYTHING! This is rediculous! Where's my guitar!

dude it's the busiest shopping week of the year there literally millions of packages going express or 2nd day air. You'll probably get it monday.

[admanimal]

dude it's the busiest shopping week of the year there literally millions of packages going express or 2nd day air. You'll probably get it monday.

No, they haven't shipped yet. It will probably ship on Monday and he will get it Wednesday.

[bl4ckfl4g]

It's not like it is just a few of us having problems it is just about Everyone. ..

OH REALLY? Mine work.

[Bjorn]

Okay, I didn't know UPS was closed. It would have been nice if they would have mentioned that on the warranty page when you order it, but whatever. All the same, thanks for clarifying that. I'll be patient.

[Micker]

This thread is long so after the first couple pages I skimmed through, but here's something I haven't seen mentioned: They aren't shipping the replaicments! Has anyone who got a faulty guitar and used the warranty website actually recieved the replaicment guitar? I bought Rock Band at 12:01am on Nov 20, and the guitar was broken out of the box, so I immeadiately went to their warranty website and reqested a new guitar. It is now five days later and I still haven't recieved anything despite the fact that they say it's two-day air shipping. Why is two day shipping taking five days? I asked their tech support, but still haven't gotten a reply. And no where on the site or the warranty does it mention anything about a shipping fee. In fact it says they pay the shipping costs, so they had better not try to charge me for ANYTHING! This is rediculous! Where's my guitar!

They were closed from Thurs-Sun. Yes that is true, can you beieve that!!!! You release a game the week that you won't be there for 4 days???? None of the replacements went out and I would imagine that there is a HUGE amount of broken items that needs to be shipped. I hope they put aside a large amount of these items or there is going to be trouble. Again, why would you release a game and then take off 4 days right after it??? I can see thurs., but this should be mandatory overtime week for sure. People who work at McDonalds had to freaking work.

[mmorgan184]

Yeah and how long do you think THAT would take...... NO THANK YOU.. I just think its bull they do this especially so close to Christmas , you know it might not bother you to much but some people could actually use 40 extra bucks or so especially around Christmas....

Wow you are really thick. They haven't taken any money out of your account at all. The money will only be taken out after the 28 days has expired. Once the 28 days have expired then the money will be taken out. Your bank account only has a pending charge until then. Money will only be taken out if you do not return your faulty product. How can you even have a bank account and not understand how something as simple as this works?

[Graybeard]

OH REALLY? Mine work.

I hope yours breaks today sarcastic jack.....

[admanimal]

Wow you are really think. They haven't taken any money out of your account at all. The money will only be taken out after the 28 days has expired. Once the 28 days have expired then the money will be taken out. Your bank account only has a pending charge until then. Money will only be taken out if you do not return your faulty product. How can you even have a bank account and not understand how something as simple as this works?

Well I'm pretty sure we are talking about credit cards (unless the OP used a debit card), and in reality a pending charge is almost like being charged for real, because it does affect the amount of credit that is available to the account. The only difference is, should the pending charge still be there on the closing date of your account for the month, the amount is not added to your statement amount, so you don't have to pay it.

[Graybeard]

Wow you are really think. They haven't taken any money out of your account at all. The money will only be taken out after the 28 days has expired. Once the 28 days have expired then the money will be taken out. Your bank account only has a pending charge until then. Money will only be taken out if you do not return your faulty product. How can you even have a bank account and not understand how something as simple as this works?

DUDE its a hold you cant touch that money.... Say I wanted to buy a t.v. I have 900.00 in there and the t.v. is like 870.00 I couldnt get it becuase there is a hold of 120.00.

[bl4ckfl4g]

I hope yours breaks today sarcastic jack.....

You make it sound like everyone is having problems, when in reality I bet most people are not having these problems. Yet you say it is almost everyone.

[mmorgan184]

DUDE its a hold you cant touch that money.... Say I wanted to buy a t.v. I have 900.00 in there and the t.v. is like 870.00 I couldnt get it becuase there is a hold of 120.00.

Right, which means once they get your Guitar back on Friday after shipping occurs that money will be available to you. They haven't charged you for anything and will not charge you for anything. The whole process is free as long as you follow the guidelines they set forth.

[hangthedj]

All of these music sims have their share of problems. Remember the the fuss about the Guitar Hero II controller for 360? Wammy bar was loose/not responding, etc. Remember the problem with the Guitar Hero III controllers fro 360 and PS3? Oh, the loose neck was causing the signal to be interrupted and let's not forget the non-responsive fret buttons. It's a just a part of this industry.

Bottom line is, they are trying to push out these peripherals in mass quanities while not sacrificing too much quality nor jeopardizing profit. This is a business remember? I mean, for 160/170 bucks, what were you really expecting? People play these things just as hard as thousand dollar, hand made instruments! Of course they'll break and wear out. In an age of faulty platforms being shipped, is it much of a surprise the occasional bad guitar, mic or drum kit slip by? Furthermore, the guy above is 100% correct. Maybe you missed the return shipping label, but I know for a fact mine was there.

EA is doing a bang up job taking care of this. I really see very little room to complain.:p

[azcolor]

Don't you kids get pissed about anything? Graybeard is clearly right about most of the things he is saying. He's pissed that he spent hard earned money on a game that broke hours after he bought it. Is does not matter that they replace for free.... He was enjoying the game now he cannot play for days or even a week while he gets a replacement, is this fair? If we as consumers only make excuses and support these companies they will have no reason to put out a better product in the future. GROW SOME KNARDS! Let these people know you won't stand for substandard products and you will hold them accountable. IT IS THEIR FAULT! EA - HARMONIX jointly. They messed up, they had to know it was going to happen. GRAYBEARD - Thanks for not being a wuss, keep speaking your mind, thats what make America great and what sparks change. These people can learn from you.

[admanimal]

thats what make America great

Land of the free, home of the whining, litigious jerks.

[Graybeard]

Don't you kids get pissed about anything? Graybeard is clearly right about most of the things he is saying. He's pissed that he spent hard earned money on a game that broke hours after he bought it. Is does not matter that they replace for free.... He was enjoying the game now he cannot play for days or even a week while he gets a replacement, is this fair? If we as consumers only make excuses and support these companies they will have no reason to put out a better product in the future. GROW SOME KNARDS! Let these people know you won't stand for substandard products and you will hold them accountable. IT IS THEIR FAULT! EA - HARMONIX jointly. They messed up, they had to know it was going to happen. GRAYBEARD - Thanks for not being a wuss, keep speaking your mind, thats what make America great and what sparks change. These people can learn from you.


No Thanks to YOU for actually being/seeming Human...

[azcolor]

litigious?

Who said anything about a lawsuit? HA Maybe you did not know the definition? Complaining about bad business and not doing business with that company anymore is much more powerful.

[Graybeard]

Dude I dont gripe much at all ( in a generall aspect of life ) but when I wait, and wait for this game to come out ( In hopes of it being the next best thing ) then spend 200.00 ( tacked on the extra 2 year warranty becuase you never know ) when I could have got a New amp instead but figured hey why not get something for my fiance and I to have fun with together, then this crap happens makes me wish I had got that amp..... Which I will still be getting just will take a little longer since they have to hold 120.00 on my damn card....

[hangthedj]

You know, if video games get you this riled up and actually inconvenience your life, you may want to give them up.

There is enough stress in everyday life. I'd hate to see you embrace something that is so unhealthy for you.:D

haha

[admanimal]

litigious?

Who said anything about a lawsuit? HA Maybe you did not know the definition?

Or maybe the title of this thread is "Is this legal?" and the discussion began with the original poster wondering if a lawsuit was possible. Yeah, that could be why I said litigious.

[Graybeard]

You know, if video games get you this riled up and actually inconvenience your life, you may want to give them up.

There is enough stress in everyday life. I'd hate to see you embrace something that is so unhealthy for you.:D

haha

BULL I love games bro they are a STRESS RELIEVERS ( for the most part ). I LOVED COD4, LOVED GH3, LOVED Assasin's Creed, and would love this game if only it would love me back....

Dealing with broken periphials is nobody's cup of tea though.

[Graybeard]

Land of the free, home of the whining, litigious jerks.


No if anything bro it would be Land of the free, home of Mcdonald's and Fat people ( Sadly ) I cant stand it...

[admanimal]

No if anything bro it would be Land of the free, home of Mcdonald's and Fat people ( Sadly ) I cant stand it...

But it's France's fault for sending us their delicious fried potatoes!

[azcolor]

The game means nothing to me. Its the principle that I bought it for my kids and I to play. I was drumming, my nephew was playing guitar, my son was on bass and my daughter was singing. We were having a great time. My guitar went first, then the bass pedal broke. It ruined a great moment on Thanksgiving day. Our whole family was gathered watching and cheering us on. Its principle! This hardware was clearly not ready for distribution and I don't care if the president of the company drove me replacements himself tomorrow, it does not change the fact that this was and is a irresponsible release of a product. As Americans this is what we do, we inform others of bad products so that similar experiences do not happen to them. Have you ever read about a product online before buying it? Do you do research before spending your hard earned money? Have you ever NOT BOUGHT something because you read something about it? Then thank the whiners like us who feel it is right to inform others. Sorry I just can't go through life blindly following.

[hangthedj]

BULL I love games bro they are a STRESS RELIEVERS ( for the most part ). I LOVED COD4, LOVED GH3, LOVED Assasin's Creed, and would love this game if only it would love me back....

Dealing with broken periphials is nobody's cup of tea though.

Yeah, but it happens. Just switch instruments. Nothing to rant and rave over, you know? It it's not about being a wussy or an American like that other guy said. It's simply that you started a thread questioning the legality of something that has happened with every music game to date. Of course people are going to disagree and after bringing up the law in your topic, they will tend to believe you're just another sue friendly citizen of the United States.

But really, azcolor.. throwing insults into the mix? I fail to see how that helps this friendly debate.

[nate]

Luckily, I bought an extended service plan at wal-mart for 2 years for 17 bucks... Best move I ever made. I RMA'd my strat w/ EA and the customer service lady couldn't have been more helpful. She also decided to ship me a free USB hub because i have the new version of the ps3 that only has 2 front USB slots when I asked her why the 360 came with a hub but the ps3 didn't (i do know that the older/larger ps3s have enough accomodating slots).

[Hockey07]

Don't you kids get pissed about anything? Graybeard is clearly right about most of the things he is saying. He's pissed that he spent hard earned money on a game that broke hours after he bought it. Is does not matter that they replace for free.... He was enjoying the game now he cannot play for days or even a week while he gets a replacement, is this fair? If we as consumers only make excuses and support these companies they will have no reason to put out a better product in the future. GROW SOME KNARDS! Let these people know you won't stand for substandard products and you will hold them accountable. IT IS THEIR FAULT! EA - HARMONIX jointly. They messed up, they had to know it was going to happen. GRAYBEARD - Thanks for not being a wuss, keep speaking your mind, thats what make America great and what sparks change. These people can learn from you.

Whose fault was it that there was a federal holiday this week? (Okay, technically FDR but.. :p)

[Bakkster]

Luckily, I bought an extended service plan at wal-mart for 2 years for 17 bucks... Best move I ever made. I RMA'd my strat w/ EA and the customer service lady couldn't have been more helpful. She also decided to ship me a free USB hub because i have the new version of the ps3 that only has 2 front USB slots when I asked her why the 360 came with a hub but the ps3 didn't (i do know that the older/larger ps3s have enough accomodating slots).

And that's why I'm not complaining. EA is being pretty cool about the whole thing so far, free replacements, expedited shipping, and everything. If they weren't I would be pissed, but this is actually one of the better return plans I've seen.


Whose fault was it that there was a federal holiday this week? (Okay, technically FDR but.. :p)

If the game had been released this Tuesday, people would have complained about that instead :p

[Graybeard]

Actually I would have WELCOMED a push back if it were to mean I didnt get faulty equipment...

[azcolor]

Lawsuits are both good and bad. I never said we should sue. Grayhawk just asked about the legallity, I never read him say lets all get together for a class action lawsuit. Asking about the legallity is far from suing. There are a lot of sue friendly people out there, but I don't think thats what this is all about. It is about responsibility to your customer. To the people who pay you. When people do a bad job in this country is is our responsibility to let them know. Thats what makes them better or shuts them down, it's their choice.

[Bakkster]

Actually I would have WELCOMED a push back if it were to mean I didnt get faulty equipment...

But somebody else would have complained.

[azcolor]

People complaining that you did not release in order to release a better product or releasing a product that is going to break and cause you negative press and shipping nightmares? It boils down to knowing whats best for the consumer and in turn it will be best for your company almost every time.

[Hanover]

You act like nothing else ever breaks. Sorry, but consumer electronics ARE going to arrive defective from time to time...that is why there are return policies and customer service/return desks. You are not the only one in the world who's ever brought something home defective.

My father back in the late 70s got us an Atari 2600 for Christmas that didnt work...well, we had to return it the next day to the store to get a new one.

Same thing with my Commodore 64 on Christmas in '83...sorry, but defects happen more often than you realize and the only reason you're finding this out now is because everyone around the country can congregate on ONE WEB SITE...something that used to be impossible to do. So 8,000 people in one place seems like a lot of people when in reality, thats the nature of the business.


The game means nothing to me. Its the principle that I bought it for my kids and I to play. I was drumming, my nephew was playing guitar, my son was on bass and my daughter was singing. We were having a great time. My guitar went first, then the bass pedal broke. It ruined a great moment on Thanksgiving day. Our whole family was gathered watching and cheering us on. Its principle! This hardware was clearly not ready for distribution and I don't care if the president of the company drove me replacements himself tomorrow, it does not change the fact that this was and is a irresponsible release of a product. As Americans this is what we do, we inform others of bad products so that similar experiences do not happen to them. Have you ever read about a product online before buying it? Do you do research before spending your hard earned money? Have you ever NOT BOUGHT something because you read something about it? Then thank the whiners like us who feel it is right to inform others. Sorry I just can't go through life blindly following.

[azcolor]

Really? It's the nature of business?

When there is this many defects in the first week it's called bad business or RECALL. Look at any gamer site they are all screaming about this problem. I understand defects but this is crazy. Lets try to find another consumer electronics product of recent years that has had THIS MANY DEFECTS that has not either FAILED or been RECALLED. You site two electronic products made in the infant stages of computer electronics. I would hope out technology and testing procedures have evolved since then. It just plain boils down to bad business practices.

[azcolor]

Human beings, who are almost unique in having the ability to learn from the experience of others, are also remarkable for their apparent disinclination to do so.

Douglas Adams

[admanimal]

Really? It's the nature of business?

When there is this many defects in the first week it's called bad business or RECALL. Look at any gamer site they are all screaming about this problem. I understand defects but this is crazy. Lets try to find another consumer electronics product of recent years that has had THIS MANY DEFECTS that has not either FAILED or been RECALLED. You site two electronic products made in the infant stages of computer electronics. I would hope out technology and testing procedures have evolved since then. It just plain boils down to bad business practices.

A recall? You mean like replacing things for free, no questions asked? Sounds a lot to me like what they are already doing...(yes I know real recalls apply whether the things breaks or not).

[azcolor]

Unless you got some divine information the rest of us don't have the same old guitar is being shipped and the same problem persists. Read other threads and you will find this to be true. Any recall that I have seen in the past gets replaced with upgraded product.

[admanimal]

Unless you got some divine information the rest of us don't have the same old guitar is being shipped and the same problem persists. Read other threads and you will find this to be true. Any recall that I have seen in the past gets replaced with upgraded product.

Well, you must be the one with divine information who somehow knows that the replacement guitars being shipping are the same as the old ones. NO ONE has received one yet, so no one knows what they will be like.

[Hanover]

Yes it is....it's just you don't hear about them because they're not as high profile as Rock Band.

If you ship out a million of anything electronic, you are going to get bad eggs in the bunch. Consumer electronics are made up of thousands of parts and components. Sometimes one of those components is a dud...

Sometimes it has to do with bad shipping and handling...boxes get bumped and dropped.

Why on earth would they recall a product when a majority of them are working? This site has 13,000 users...even if all 13,000 of us had problems (which we dont) that mean 987,000 people aren't. Thats failure rate of barely over 1%! You think 1% is worth a recall? Are you serious?


Really? It's the nature of business?

When there is this many defects in the first week it's called bad business or RECALL. Look at any gamer site they are all screaming about this problem. I understand defects but this is crazy. Lets try to find another consumer electronics product of recent years that has had THIS MANY DEFECTS that has not either FAILED or been RECALLED. You site two electronic products made in the infant stages of computer electronics. I would hope out technology and testing procedures have evolved since then. It just plain boils down to bad business practices.

[Graybeard]

Yes it is....it's just you don't hear about them because they're not as high profile as Rock Band.

If you ship out a million of anything electronic, you are going to get bad eggs in the bunch. Consumer electronics are made up of thousands of parts and components. Sometimes one of those components is a dud...

Sometimes it has to do with bad shipping and handling...boxes get bumped and dropped.

Why on earth would they recall a product when a majority of them are working? This site has 13,000 users...even if all 13,000 of us had problems (which we dont) that mean 987,000 people aren't. Thats failure rate of barely over 1%! You think 1% is worth a recall? Are you serious?

I am pretty positive your numbers are WAY off so I bet its higher than 1% and I dont think there is a way right now for you to get a hold of a realistic number so stop with that already....

[azcolor]

I never said RECALL. I have said BAD BUSINESS ALL ALONG! I'm sure the company is happy to have all you spin doctors in here. Especially you admanimal, you are in every active thread defending the honor of this game like you have a interest in it. If my game worked I would be playing it right now. I pissed thats why im posting. Why are you spending all your time in this thread and many, many, many others if all is well in your life. Go play your game and they will send you your holiday hours at the end of the week. You are doing your job well.

[Graybeard]

I never said RECALL. I have said BAD BUSINESS ALL ALONG! I'm sure the company is happy to have all you spin doctors in here. Especially you admanimal, you are in every active thread defending the honor of this game like you have a interest in it. If my game worked I would be playing it right now. I pissed thats why im posting. Why are you spending all your time in this thread and many, many, many others if all is well in your life. Go play your game and they will send you your holiday hours at the end of the week. You are doing your job well.


AHAHAH right on man you figure if their games were working fine they would be playing instead of sitting in here still.

[admanimal]

I am defending them because I am sick and tired of all of the negative overreactions. These forums used to be enjoyable to read and now they are a cesspool of the same complaints over and over again. People aren't even giving them a chance to send new, potentially working instruments before calling for EA and Harmonix's heads.

My own guitar wasn't working out of the box, so I filled out the online forms which EA was prepared with, and I should have a new guitar in a few days. If I have to keep repeating that process over and over again, then maybe I'll have more complaining to do. Fortunately I bought two bundles, so I have another working guitar anyway (which I have played through the entirety of the expert solo guitar tour with, without any issues).

[azcolor]

Why should they be given a chance to send something that should have been right in the first place? A overreaction is when its not broke yet and I am pissed because I think it will break. My stuff is broke, after 5 hours of play 2 instrument do not work. Im REACTING! Reacting to an experience that has happened. I am sharing this experience with MANY MANY others who are experiencing the same thing I am. If this was my company I would be thankful for people like me willing to voice negitive opinions, if we all just patted them on the back all the time like you seem to be doing, the will never be held accountable. I ask them to be better, strive to be the best they can by voicing my opinion. If we didn't we would be playing crappy games and using failing hardware all the time.

Human beings, who are almost unique in having the ability to learn from the experience of others, are also remarkable for their apparent disinclination to do so.

Douglas Adams


ITS UP TO THEM

[batsu336]

Is it even legal for a company to do this? It's not like it is just a few of us having problems it is just about Everyone. They HAD TO KNOW this was going on if they REALLY did do extensive testing. Which brings me to the question is it legal to sell faulty equipment like this when there is NO DOUBT they had to know about these issues.

I have had the game 3 days and my guitar and mic are already not working.......


*sigh*

1. As someone already stated, there is a replacement program for malfunctioning items, and a free 60 day replacement.

2. These items are mass-produced, so a certain % are going to not meet specifictions and glitch out. That is expected and accepted by companies all over the world.

3. This game went gold before release, which means there have been at least 100,000 units sold. A lot of posts on here scream about "all the failures" and "almost everyone" having failures. Yet if you look at the actual number of people posting with this problem, it is around 100 to (let's be generous) 200 different people, making multiple posts. It looks like a huge amount on this site, because people who have no issues are playing the game, not posting on the site. So... 200 out of 100,000 = .2% failure rate. Even if we increase that to 1,000 people, saying that maybe a lot of people did not even post, 1,000 out of 100,000 is 1% failure. That's pretty damn good, in all actuality. Like I said, only the people with problems are posting here, so the problem looks huge if you only look at this forum. PS3 has a 1% failure rate, and people keep bragging about that rate and how rock solid the unit is. God knows where the 360 failure rate actually is, and XBox is still going strong. Look at any forum for any game and you will see the same thing. A large proportion of people posting are the minority who have a malfunction ith the item. Happy customers usually do not even bother to post to the website, because everything is fine. People mostly post when they are upset and want to voice their anger.

So, in short, yes it's legal. Otherwise, someone would sue every time they bought something and it crapped out on them. Warranty lengths are usually based off legal decisions reached from prior legal issues before warranty standards were set. That's why most electronic games have 30-day warranties and/or return policies. RB probably doubled their warranty to 60 days knowing that there was more risk with the new equipment. Send in for your replacement and get on with your life.

[Angry_Pirate]

I didn't have any problems at all. HAHA! :D

[azcolor]

Anyone who is trying to do the math on this problem is just stupid. In science and math you rely on DATA may I ask where your raw data came from to produce your results?

Your a joke!

If you want a little true data - I am in North Phoenix, AZ. Out of the 14 people I know that own this game 8 people have problems.

Thats about 57% right.

At least thats REAL DATA you can chew on.

[soulslayer83]

Bro are you kidding me? They stated they did "EXTENSIVE" testing ( meaning ALOT ) Tons of people got to play, they even had a tour where people were playing ALL the instruments. I dont know where you got the GH controller thing but EVERYWHERE I have read where they got to test the game people have been using the strat. Plus its not JUST the guitar its the Mic ( Mine is broke as I stated already ) and Drums ( alot of people having trouble with them ) are you saying they tested it with donkey konga bongos? Look i know you want to stand up for them and the Game itself is Great but the game is used with the instruments not just by itself so it just doesnt seem legal they can do this if there really was Extensive testing, and if there wasnt they were lying about it and that doesnt seem legal either.

lol they did do extenive testing testing 100000 controlers for even only an hour each is 100000 hours over a whole year of testing if u dont belive me you do the math

they didnt say hey lets give all these people crapy controllers anyways and they are offering free replacement unless your controller is torn into like 50 pieces cause you did some
Dee-de-de thing with it

:mad: SO STFU AND STOP COMPLAINING

[jq715861]

Anyone who is trying to do the math on this problem is just stupid. In science and math you rely on DATA may I ask where your raw data came from to produce your results?

Your a joke!

If you want a little true data - I am in North Phoenix, AZ. Out of the 14 people I know that own this game 8 people have problems.

Thats about 57% right.

At least thats REAL DATA you can chew on.

Wow, good sample size. I know two people with a 360 and it's broke between them 7 times. So that would make the 360 have a failure rate of 350%?

Whether it's 2 or 14 you need a bigger pool of subjects.

[admanimal]

3. This game went gold before release, which means there have been at least 100,000 units sold.

Going "gold" in the software industry has nothing to do with sales. It is an indication that the product has been finalized and sent off for mass production. (I believe the gold part comes from the fact that the master disc was historically a gold colored CD-R).

[admanimal]

If you want a little true data - I am in North Phoenix, AZ. Out of the 14 people I know that own this game 8 people have problems.

Thats about 57% right.

At least thats REAL DATA you can chew on.

Except your data is equally invalid because it is not a representative sample of the entire population.

[azcolor]

That was my point. I know the sample was small but at least it was accurate. My point was that he was giving numbers based on made up information. He did not know the raw data going into the problem but still gave a solution.

HAHAHAHA

My point was that at least my data was reliable.

The end result of my solution was as useful as his NO USE AT ALL!

At least mine was accurate.

[azcolor]

You are actually starting to sound intelligent for the first time today. I am impressed you are evolving.

[admanimal]

You are actually starting to sound intelligent for the first time today. I am impressed you are evolving.

I decided to post only factual information rather than anything even slightly subjective. :p

[batsu336]

Going "gold" in the software industry has nothing to do with sales. It is an indication that the product has been finalized and sent off for mass production. (I believe the gold part comes from the fact that the master disc was historically a gold colored CD-R).

Wow....You are absolutely right. I never knew that it had a different meaning than when sales went gold in music. Live an learn.

But I still stand by my point that there is a very small, vocal minority complaining about the game, looking at the forum size compared to units sold. And the whole original thread point..yes, it's legal.

[Bakkster]

Why should they be given a chance to send something that should have been right in the first place?

Because that makes you emo with all the "poor me" ;)

Seriously though, if your replacement comes broken, you have every right to be pissed. When you buy 1st revision hardware, there is ALWAYS a good chance of a problem. At least EA's return program is pretty damn good. If you REALLY don't want a replacement, that's your own fault, EA and HMX want you to have working hardware, but you have to work with them.

Be like me: See your broken guitar, say "**** happens", and get a working replacement. You can complain on your second guitar.

[azcolor]

If it was the software I would agree. **** happens, bugs, patches etc. I live with it. This is not a small sample. Check google - go to other forums. This is a large HARDWARE problem that could have been prevented. The software is Great, everything about it I LOVE. Just wish I could play it.

[LeShrimp]

Anyone who is trying to do the math on this problem is just stupid. In science and math you rely on DATA may I ask where your raw data came from to produce your results?

Your a joke!

If you want a little true data - I am in North Phoenix, AZ. Out of the 14 people I know that own this game 8 people have problems.

Thats about 57% right.

At least thats REAL DATA you can chew on.

out of the one person I know that's purchased rock band (me) none of them have experienced any problems with any of the hardware.


Success rate 100%


REAL DATA YOU CAN CHEW ON WITH YOUR TEETHS