zestydee
12-20-2007, 06:20 PM
The following is a copy of an email I've sent to Harmonix, EA, and the BBB (No responses from HMX or EA yet after 2 days). I thought it'd be fun to compare war stories of the EA customer service. Think you got what it takes to challenge me?
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Hello, my name is David Kilroy, and i would like to relay to you my Rock Band experience.
I purchased rock band on its release day, though due to holiday preparations I didn't get to open it until nov 25 (thanksgiving) . Now one of the main reasons i made this purchase so early was that I wanted the game to play with my younger cousins, nieces, and nephews during thanksgiving and Christmas, and I told them all I got rock band and they were all very excited too see uncle Dave this Thanksgiving. So I start emptying the box and assembling the drums and such as the younger ones start piling down and watching in anticipation.
The first thing I notice wrong is that I was only sent one drum stick...odd, but i happen to have a pair of real drum sticks, problem solved! Then when plugging everything in i can't seem to get my guitar hero 3 guitar to work for the game. Hmm, the box says it works with most guitar peripherals, and since the guitar hero 3 is the ONLY other peripheral available for the ps3, I assumed it would work. Oh well, i guess only 3 of us can play at a time.
So we make our characters and a band and such, and we start our first song...and we suck. And we seemed even worse in the next 2 songs. On my turn on the drums i see a reason why, the red drum pad only registers about 50% of the hits, and to add insult to injury the bass pedal came apart on me (the linch pin holding the pedal to its base came out, I put it back in place but it kept slipping out in play). Well drums are out, 2 player game now. My turn on guitar comes up, and guess what, the down strum (right handed) only registers about 75% of the hits. I now own a 1 player singing game...I didn't realize I bought a $170 karaoke machine. I then got to see the disappointed faces of all my younger relatives, boy don't I feel like a piece of crap.
"Oh well". I said. "At least we'll all be able to play together on Christmas" (foreshadowing!!)
Next day, nov 26, i call ea and make an rma for my guitar and drum kit. I was told on the phone that I would get my pad, pedal, and sticks all in one box. 1st to arrive was my guitar replacement, a little over a week later, not bad! Problem though....I seem to be failing all of my songs due to a double strum effect...
Ring ring 45 minutes listening to elevator music on hold, ok hi my replacement guitar is even more broken then the last one. Did I get an apology? No I get questioned by a man as to what I did to break this guitar? I'm the one who should be mad, don't you test this crap before you ship it!!!! Blah blah we'll ship you another guitar.
My 3rd guitar arrives a little over a week later, and you know what? Works great!! Although there is still a problem, they've delivered 2 guitars to me but I haven't seen any drum stuff yet? Ring ring la di da more elevator music on hold hello? Oh it seems those drums were never shipped, let me send you to someone in the express department, back on hold la di da, Ok i get a new RMA for my drum stuff. Can I have a tracking number for these items? Oh we can't tell you that over the phone, but we'll email you all the information within 10 minutes.
I never did get that email.
I received my drum pads and sticks on Dec 18. Where's my pedal...I'll have to make another call, but first let me check these pads. Oh look at this, they sent me the XBOX 360 drum pads, not the PS3 ones I specifically asked for...
RING FRIGGIN RING WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE!!! It's been 28 days and counting and I still haven't been able to play drums. Okay calm down, they'll express me another drum pad. And you know what, I don't have to send them back the XBOX drum set!!!
Wait is that some sort of gift? What am I going to do with a drum set i can't use? Build a fort out of it along with all the other plastic guitar hero guitars i have that don't work on rock band? Yeah no thanks, send me a prepaid shipping box for this crap, throw out your own garbage.
Next day (Dec 19, today as I'm writing this) I notice I have no tracking or reference number for my incoming drum pads, and my tracking number for the pedal still says it has yet to leave your warehouse.
Ring ring, I relay my problems, and once again get put on hold for 10 minutes to the escalated department, though when the phone picks up it's the same man as before. He then tells me they never made an RMA for my drum pads yesterday, and the bass pedal rma from a week ago must not have processed right. He then makes 2 new RMAs for these items, and gives me the reference and tracking numbers over the phone. Odd, I thought, I've been told countless times over these weeks that they can't give that info over the phone, and they've said they'd just email me. This man informs me that they can't make outside emails, so basically the people who said they'd email me my tracking numbers for all of my RMAs have been lying to me. Fantastic.
So it's another 5-7 business days of wait, which means I realistically won't have drums here by Christmas. Which means I get to see those disappointed faces not once, but twice.
EA has never offered me any free game or coupon other people are reporting getting, not that I particularly plan on playing an EA game any time in the future after this debacle. I'd much rather return this crap, but it doesn't seem possible.
I just wanted to say thanks for making me the bad guy on the holidays twice now.
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Hello, my name is David Kilroy, and i would like to relay to you my Rock Band experience.
I purchased rock band on its release day, though due to holiday preparations I didn't get to open it until nov 25 (thanksgiving) . Now one of the main reasons i made this purchase so early was that I wanted the game to play with my younger cousins, nieces, and nephews during thanksgiving and Christmas, and I told them all I got rock band and they were all very excited too see uncle Dave this Thanksgiving. So I start emptying the box and assembling the drums and such as the younger ones start piling down and watching in anticipation.
The first thing I notice wrong is that I was only sent one drum stick...odd, but i happen to have a pair of real drum sticks, problem solved! Then when plugging everything in i can't seem to get my guitar hero 3 guitar to work for the game. Hmm, the box says it works with most guitar peripherals, and since the guitar hero 3 is the ONLY other peripheral available for the ps3, I assumed it would work. Oh well, i guess only 3 of us can play at a time.
So we make our characters and a band and such, and we start our first song...and we suck. And we seemed even worse in the next 2 songs. On my turn on the drums i see a reason why, the red drum pad only registers about 50% of the hits, and to add insult to injury the bass pedal came apart on me (the linch pin holding the pedal to its base came out, I put it back in place but it kept slipping out in play). Well drums are out, 2 player game now. My turn on guitar comes up, and guess what, the down strum (right handed) only registers about 75% of the hits. I now own a 1 player singing game...I didn't realize I bought a $170 karaoke machine. I then got to see the disappointed faces of all my younger relatives, boy don't I feel like a piece of crap.
"Oh well". I said. "At least we'll all be able to play together on Christmas" (foreshadowing!!)
Next day, nov 26, i call ea and make an rma for my guitar and drum kit. I was told on the phone that I would get my pad, pedal, and sticks all in one box. 1st to arrive was my guitar replacement, a little over a week later, not bad! Problem though....I seem to be failing all of my songs due to a double strum effect...
Ring ring 45 minutes listening to elevator music on hold, ok hi my replacement guitar is even more broken then the last one. Did I get an apology? No I get questioned by a man as to what I did to break this guitar? I'm the one who should be mad, don't you test this crap before you ship it!!!! Blah blah we'll ship you another guitar.
My 3rd guitar arrives a little over a week later, and you know what? Works great!! Although there is still a problem, they've delivered 2 guitars to me but I haven't seen any drum stuff yet? Ring ring la di da more elevator music on hold hello? Oh it seems those drums were never shipped, let me send you to someone in the express department, back on hold la di da, Ok i get a new RMA for my drum stuff. Can I have a tracking number for these items? Oh we can't tell you that over the phone, but we'll email you all the information within 10 minutes.
I never did get that email.
I received my drum pads and sticks on Dec 18. Where's my pedal...I'll have to make another call, but first let me check these pads. Oh look at this, they sent me the XBOX 360 drum pads, not the PS3 ones I specifically asked for...
RING FRIGGIN RING WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE!!! It's been 28 days and counting and I still haven't been able to play drums. Okay calm down, they'll express me another drum pad. And you know what, I don't have to send them back the XBOX drum set!!!
Wait is that some sort of gift? What am I going to do with a drum set i can't use? Build a fort out of it along with all the other plastic guitar hero guitars i have that don't work on rock band? Yeah no thanks, send me a prepaid shipping box for this crap, throw out your own garbage.
Next day (Dec 19, today as I'm writing this) I notice I have no tracking or reference number for my incoming drum pads, and my tracking number for the pedal still says it has yet to leave your warehouse.
Ring ring, I relay my problems, and once again get put on hold for 10 minutes to the escalated department, though when the phone picks up it's the same man as before. He then tells me they never made an RMA for my drum pads yesterday, and the bass pedal rma from a week ago must not have processed right. He then makes 2 new RMAs for these items, and gives me the reference and tracking numbers over the phone. Odd, I thought, I've been told countless times over these weeks that they can't give that info over the phone, and they've said they'd just email me. This man informs me that they can't make outside emails, so basically the people who said they'd email me my tracking numbers for all of my RMAs have been lying to me. Fantastic.
So it's another 5-7 business days of wait, which means I realistically won't have drums here by Christmas. Which means I get to see those disappointed faces not once, but twice.
EA has never offered me any free game or coupon other people are reporting getting, not that I particularly plan on playing an EA game any time in the future after this debacle. I'd much rather return this crap, but it doesn't seem possible.
I just wanted to say thanks for making me the bad guy on the holidays twice now.
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