MSFT Makes Good

No one in the ever expanding world of technology likes to applaud Microsoft. But with the still rock stable XP OS on my desktop, the awesomeness of Bing.com (And surging market share), and my recent xBox 360 experience, Dan Driffill gives MSFT a nice…slow…clap…clap…clap.

Over the summer, my xBox 360 began getting very loud when in use, this is a common problem due to poor cooling in the console, leading to the dreaded ‘Red Ring of Death’. The hardware is so bad, some reports put the xBox 360′s failure rate over 50%. Astonishingly high for such a mainstream product. But the platform is great for developers, generating superior games, and has a greater online interface and activity.

So I simply stopped using the gaming console because I didn’t want to have to deal with customer support and the aggravation of getting the system fixed. I even thought of just buying another one. Finally I got the determination to just take care of it already, as it was serving as no more than a paper weight, and went online to figure out the process. To my surprise, actually my astonishment, the whole warranty claim system was automated online; the support’s site knew my device’s problem, told me where to ship the device, gave me a prepaid shipping label, and all for free.

They didn’t provide any packaging, but luckily I still had my box from my MacBook Pro laptop, shhh! So I shipped the console and was surprised that in just 10 days the system was returned in perfect working condition. I don’t know if they ‘fixed’ my device or sent me a diferent refurbished model, but who cares?

I thought the simplicity of the process and efficiency of their logistics deserved praise. So one point to Ballmer and the rest at Microhoo. Keep it up.