I worked for Xbox Customer Support from 2008 to 2012. AMA :)

PS4 > Xbox One, before anyone asks about it.

Thats some brand loyalty right there..

Brand loyalty? I call that faggotry, you're free to think bro.

Welcome, and before the recent Xbox one hate reaches you. Thanks for doing the AMA. Which location do you work at? And for the future crotch monkies, just because he works for microsoft, doesn't mean he has xbox one tattoo'ed on his ass.

We provided support for US and Canada based customers, and our location was a northern Mexican city. :)

Chihuahua?

Monterrey

Off topic but was there much cartel violence that you saw in Monterrey?

Not that much, the only shitty thing I personally saw was a gunfight outside my favorite rock bar :(

They closed it for almost 2 years, RIP Original Cafe Iguanas.

I use to work for an electronics component distributor that had contracts with celestica and juniper. we went to their warehouses in de monterrey once and they were building and repairing xbox 360s there.

Wow really? Monterrey Mexico? Repair Centers were located in Reynosa, Mexico which is a border city to McAllen, Texas. I think there was another one in Guadalajara, the name of the repair centers is Javil.

you sure it isnt "Jabil" ? that was another company we dealt with. Jabil Circuit is a large CM.

but ya celestica de Monterrey.

celestica and flextronics all have factories down there. and they both built 360s at one point

Jabil! Yes, that's the one. I know Celestica, didn't know they did Xbox support too. Good to know!

San Diego?

Dude, San Diego is in California, that's US not Mexico XD. Monterrey.

Since you were around with CoD, how many actual reports of "hackers" did you get?

A lot, but we didn't actually do anything as customer support but making the affected person feel better. We were not the enforcement team.

Can you reveal why you quit/got fired/transferred?

Place was a shit hole after Microsoft took the English campaign from the center, and gave us Spanish only. Latin American customers are not as rude as American, but they were very cheap and so was the salary. Working as an accountant after I finished college now, boring job but its better.

How did the customers effect your salary; did you work on commission?

They affected the productivity bonus. We get paid per day, on a monthly based salary. We received a monthly 10% or 15% extra (depends on your seniority) on our CSAT results. CSAT is Customer Satisfaction, and that's determined by the online surveys you received after making a call. If we received any evaluation below a 3 (out of 9), and we were found at fault of the customer's dissatisfaction, we pretty much lost the monthly bonus.

This is why I like to actually fill out those surveys at the end of calls. Most people that do are angry dissatisfied customers, but I attempt to balance it because I know what it's like to work dead-end jobs just to get by.

That's real positive karma right there.

What's the weirdest call you've had? I'm sure there had to be at least one!

Mom sent her son's PSP in the repair box and wanted it back. We thought it was a prank call at first, but since there was actually an open repair ticket we escalated the issue to the repair center.

They sent the freaking pictures of the broken PSP, which the mom was going to ship to Sony, inside the Xbox coffin. We were speechless. (laughing hysterically)

Also a lot of calls from penises inside the xbox disc tray, fuck you 4chan.

LOL at the 4chan prank calls.

We transferred some of those calls to 911 since they were having a medical emergency and that was policy, safety first. ;)

Most of them panicked and hang up after hearing the 911 operator, lol.

I know you indicate PS4 > XBox One. My son has used xbox since they came out but I'm concerned with all the negativity concerning the xbox one - do you think it is better to ditch Microsoft and go with Sony?

It really depends on what you're planning to do with the console. Most of the games come out to both systems, but if your son likes to game Xbox exclusives he is going to have a hard time on the PS4.

Think about your rights too, you can no longer trade games with friends or website like eBay or craigslist with the Xbox One. Used games will be impossible get in stores if the publishers don't feel like making it an available option for their game. If you plan to use the console for Netflix or other video streaming service, you will have to pay Xbox Live, even if you don't plan to game online. And the breaking point for me, was the "phone home" every 24 hours, since I don't live in a country with a reliable internet connection most of the time.

My city had major thunderstorms this week and I had no internet for almost 2 days.

He loves his xbox and is a long time subscriber to xbox live but I'm uneasy about the very points you bring up. Thanks for the reply.

I love my Xbox 360 too, I have almost 6 years with it and with my gold subscription, and it's sad to let go an awesome franchise because of a bad direction taken by the company. If I wanted that kind of policies, I would be playing more on Steam than Xbox. I like console gaming because of the sharing with my friends, that I game with since I was 10 years old. We still swap old N64 and PS2 games!!!

I'm gonna keep my 360 and use a PS4 for the next generation this time, hopefully you can talk this with your kid and make the best choice that adapts to both of you. :)

I'd like to point out a feature called family sharing..it allows you to share your games with up to 10 people. They don't have to be blood related.

They don't have to be blood related.

Yeah, wait until the start asking for proof that he's a relative in order to access the content.

When will you guys fix Gavin Free's account?

GAVINO LOST HIS ACCOUNT!? WTF!!!!!

Big Rooster Teeth fan right here.

did you get any perks like free games or tickets to events?

Free consoles and Xbox Live subscriptions every once in a while. Not to all the employees of course, more like prizes for good performance or raffles.

Leave your questions, will come back tomorrow.

What do I do about Xbox that red rings only when a hard drive is inserted. Without a hard drive, it works but can't update (which seems to be mandatory) because it has no internal memory.

I just went out and bought a new one by I would like to fix the old one for my son.

Edit: Thanks for the suggestions. I'm going to start with using the flash drive tomorrow and go from there.

Have you tried turning it on and off without any accessories?

Nah just messing with you, to be honest I don't know. We were only trained to redirect the customer to the support channels, either a repair order or a replacement order for the console or accesories. I would suggest to look in iFixit for RROD.

http://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Installing+Xbox+360+Red+Ring+of+Death+Fix+Kit/3550/1

I successfully repaired my 6 year old Xbox Elite with a little thermal grease, new thermal pads and a lot of cleaning. :)

What is the saddest sob story someone ever told you on a call?

His son was killed at war and the account was not canceled, now it was on collections under the father's credit card and he was sobbing on the phone. He even provided the legal documents and everything... :(

[deleted]

It was not my call, I was helping a newbie agent at the time, a girl. She was crying too and we had to escalate the issue to waive the fees, and stop the collection calls. The account was not in Microsoft anymore, but they could still do something about it.

What angry troll inside the Xbox 360 scratches the games when we aren't looking?

"The console does scratch discs when you move it while it's spinning"

That's the official response, but remember mechanical components are never perfect and some times things to not align.

My little brother got banned because his bio said Hail Satan. Isn't that religious discrimination?

Yes, but to be honest your brother kind of deserve it because he is trolling the community.

Haha, thought it was worth the try.

Thanks for the suggestion. I'll check it out.

Anytime! Hope it helps, since you will need that console alive with the new "one" coming out :(

Heya, i have 4 questions. pls answer all pls

I heard from sources(a guy named robert that worked at a microsoft call center) that said 90% of the employees at the call centers are college kids that smoke all day(he was also one). Is that true?

Robert said people that work at call centers have the power to give people microsoft points in 600 points increments, is that true?

And IF you know anything about it, can you explain how the hell the ban system works? You never hear anything about the "enforcement"(scamming) team, nobody knows them apparently.

What are some of the best and creative prank calls you have heard? Robert said his favorite was kids saying their dick is stuck in the disc tray and he would reply with "in the instruction manual it says not to insert small object in the disc tray"

1) Yes, like most call centers in the world, your agent most of the time is a college student/dropout/GED dude/highschool/what ever, you rarely see "adults" working in call centers, specially when they are outsourced.

2) Robert is partially correct. The software Microsoft gives the call centers, in this case Arvato, cannot generate codes, so agents cant give you free Microsoft points or DLC that way. If we need to generate code we had to escalate the problem to Microsoft directly. What we could do is give refunds for Microsoft points for purchase, and boy was that abused in the call center. Think about it... college kids that probably have an Xbox with that kind of power. Not very smart move.

3) You can actually get an specific answer on why you were banned if you post on the Xbox forums in Xbox.com, Microsoft enforcement employees post there the offense and date of it if you ask for it without any problem. Bad part is that you cannot appeal the decision most of the time.

4) HAHAHAHAHA loved the "small object" answer. Yeah that was a common one, also when they were trying to sync Wiimotes or PS3 controllers with the console or they were placing the racist card thinkin we were in India (not very different from Mexico, but come on! I sound like Dr. Nick or Bumblebee Man, not like Apu)

I sound like Dr. Nick or Bumblebee Man

I need a picture of PS4 chasing Xbox One around with a comically giant needle.

HAHAHAHA. Dios no me quiere.

You said you can't appeal it most of the time. So do you know under what circumstances it could be appealed?

http://kotaku.com/5292634/msoft-gay-tony-ok-gay-gamer-tags-not-yet

Gay stuff and other controversial bans. Just wait until the first Xbox One bans start happening and people cannot access their purchase games anymore. Those are gonna be fun to read in the forums. :)

Have you ever taken a prank phone call to the next level?

One time I called Xbox Customer support and told them I was having sex with the disc tray and it closed. I told them my jizz had gone all inside the Xbox after I managed to get it out but the stuff had destroyed the Xbox. The support guy tried all sorts of things to get the fake Xbox working again, including getting a huge bag of rice and letting it soak. He said to get a hair dryer and try to dry it all up. Great dude.

Edit: Yes he was Mexican

There was once this guy who called in trying to report a Halo 3 user because he was cheating and asked me several times to look at his stats to check he was a hacker. He said his name was OGRE 1, and well since I was a halo fan at the time and knew about the pro players, I continued the joke.

I basically made him think I banned him and his whole team and that the report was being escalated to the MLG authorities, he said yeah whatever. After I got home I made a fake MLG account with the MLG controller gamerpic and messaged his Xbox Live account congratulating him on the report and telling he will be promoted to "pro player" and we will contact him soon to get him signed in to MLG, more details about his contracts coming later but most likely a "five figure check" was going to be his reward. I called him on Skype a couple of times and the dude was really really excited about the whole thing. He was a highschool teen so I guess he pretty much told all his friends and everything, I eventually told him it was a prank and that I was the Xbox Support agent, and he just said... "wow... just, wow" and hang up.

I read this username as Xbox_Support_Threeway.

I don't reddit well.

Oh god.... HAHAHAHAHAHAHA.

I used to do customer service for ATT. Did you experience people hating you for the policies of the company? Don't get at mad at me I didn't make the rules I just enforce them or else I lose my job. I would just credit them anyways

Yes dude, a lot. What I really hated was when people said over the phone "I'm switching to Steam/Nintendo/Sony!" Like if I fucking care, honestly. I told them that I actually gamed on all the systems and that is was a personal opinion, we didn't had to make any retention since we didn't provided a services like a phone company. This was customer support and we were trying to fix his issue, if he didn't liked the answer and there was anything we could do about it... well, it was up to him.

What's the easiest way to get credits/ms points on your account? I had one CS rep refuse to refund me 600 points because I bought a game that no one played multiplayer anymore- His/her response? Invite more people over to house to play that shitty game

I just moved on to then next rep and got it refunded

Bitch in a nice way, don't be an ass, and use the same techniques the agents use on you. Be emphatic to them about their shitty job and they will treat you better because they don't really give a fuck about the company they support, only about their salary and satisfaction surveys. Tell them you are gonna give them high CSAT surveys and they cooperate most of the time. Ask them for a supervisor to talk good about them, you can earn them an extra break or play time for a kudos call. We are humans too. :)

Saving

That's for my fellow call center mates in Arvato. :)

How can I get a new power cable for the oldest EU x360 console (That one with no HDMI). The cable needs 6 enteries

You can get them from support.

Why can't I change the email associated with my account? I've kept my account for over 5 years... Emails change.

Yes you can do it dude. Account settings, windows live id, change it. Enter the old email password and the new email and its password afterwards. You have to do this from the console.

Did you ever duck with people when doing customer service? And do you ever have to do the "have you tried turning it off and on again?"

Not me, but several friends did on shitty customers. Or make them sing songs in order to get their repairs done or something like that.

I'm curious, did you not sign an NDA that covers your time with Microsoft? I only ask because I've worked for a similar company and my NDA is pretty much, 'don't talk about when you were here.'

Nah, I didn't sign anything with Microsoft. Just with Arvato and my contract expired looong time ago.

Besides, I'm in Mexico. Shady things happen with employeers here.

If I have the RROD on my XBox what is the best way to go about getting it repaired?

Best way, is abusing their 3 year extension on the problem and get it repaired by them for free.

Just wanted to say that I've had nothing but good experiences from Microsoft support, so thanks.

Things like this made my day when I used to work there. :)

How many calls did you get for kids asking you to ban someone?

At least two per week per team.

What's the angriest (You or the Caller) conversation you have had over support?

Oh boy... I have an mp3 (I requested for it) of one of my final calls about a very very very pissed old man because his Xbox RROD on MW3 launch or DLC launch, can't remember. I took the call as "a supervisor" and man, his screams literally gave me the chills and made me stuttered more than once. I had to end the call because he was cursing and screaming more than the fat angry ginger kid on youtube.

Hi, thanks for doing this AMA!

After 4 years, what made you leave the company?

Answered above :)

The pay and place sucked after a couple of years.

Hey there,

I think we all know that no company does in house support. How many different outsource centers did Xbox have?

I currently do technical support for a few gaming companies and one thing that we always tend to get is is Xbox employees always sending people back to use for issues with download dlcs from the store or when the game plays fine on a fresh profile. Was the rule over there if you don't have the answer spin the random company wheel and send them over there?

As far as I know, we were one of other three or four companys. Less than 1/4 was located in the US and most of them in Canada, Philippines and Mexico.

Have you ever got to deal with Minnesota Burns?

Hahahahaha nope.

Where was the Xbox customer support located that served Australia?

I'm not really sure, maybe in Philippines or Canada.

Are you glad you aren't working there this year, based on all the post about how rude people are being to xbox support after the xbox one announcement?

Not only that, if they really suffer bad sales number the support guys might lose their job because of low demand of calls.

Arvato?

ka-shing

Monterrey!

Haha, I know you then!

ORLY?

A huevo, mexicanos trabajando en Microsoft.

Hell yeah, mexicans working at Microsoft

We didn't worked at Microsoft, Microsoft was the client of the call center were I used to work. I'm not proud of my country or consider myselft a patriot so meh.

Knowing what you know about the XBox One, how bad of a support nightmare will this be for customers and the support people?

I don't know anything about Xbox One one, since I quit since... Feb of 2012 :)

No question, but in your proof, I like how you blacked out one person's face, but kept the rest.

The uncensored people left the company :)

So the company now consists of one lonely man with a blacked out face?

Yes, you can guess how one support is gonna be by now.

I guess they don't need more than one person for the few people that are going to be purchasing an Xbox One.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ihzp55Cuo7M

Hey OP, did your call center have an RRS team, or did it just go up to Tier 2 and XGE?

(I worked as Tier 3 RRS/XGE at a local call center from 2007 until 2009).

RRS Team, only 2 persons I think.

Is that guy on picture 2 on Reddit? o.o

Youtube, old version.

How has policy changed for helping users with forgotten emails, etc over time?

Has not changed that much, your email (we call it Windows Live ID) is pretty much your contact option. In case you are hacked or something an escalation can be made and Microsoft will contact you through other email after validating some info first.

What was the software used to handle tickets? Does CAP or CCF ring a bell?

Both, we started with CAP.

I called customer support one time because I was having trouble adding MSP with my credit card. The support agent couldn't get it working so he just added the MSP to my account for free. Are you allowed to do that and how does that work?

Yes, but only if we escalated with Microsoft first. He most likely gave you a refund of previous MS Points purchases to match the ammount.