Okay So I thought people should know this story because I think it is important to know how a company you support helps it's customers.



On March 1st I noticed that one of the grips on the back of my Elite controller was starting to peel up. So I contacted support about the issue. I was told at this time that my controller came with a 90 day warranty and that that warranty had expired. At this time I am also told that it sounds like my issue is "normal wear and tear". I was directed to ether go to a Microsoft store or look for a after market part online.



The next day I took a look online for a replacement and found nothing that I felt was on par with what was on the controller to begin with. I contacted support again for a recommendation. I was then told that in fact my controller was covered and would be replaced. I simply needed to wait for a email from Microsoft.



I didn't get a email so I contacted support again that same day. I was told that it takes 24 to 48 hours to get the email. So I wait.



Three days later March 5th I still had not gotten a email from anyone so I contact support again. Was told it takes 24 to 48 hours with a max of 72 hours... So not 24 to 48 hours 24 to 72 hours. Anyway the agent I talked to on that day wound up telling me something was going on that was going to require him to contact the hardware department himself and that he would continue to update me via email on the status of my repair. He gives me a few "still working on it" emails until March 9th. When I finally got a service order email.



That email only contains shipping instructions for shipping a Xbox One console and no shipping label. I contact support again. After going over everything and being put directly in contact with a supervisor. I am told that the shipping label is sent in another email and you guessed it that email takes 24 to 48 hours to send. So I wait.



March 11th 10 days after first contact with support I have still yet to get my shipping label. I contact support again. I am told by this agent that in fact Microsoft policy is that any accessory needing a repair or replacement the shipping cost is shouldered by the customer. Having been told just days earlier by a supervisor that the shipping label was coming I was understandably very upset. At this point I felt chat support had reached its limits and I did not feel like arguing my point via text chat so I get my case number and call.



I am then forced to walk the agent on the phone through every step starting from the beginning of the month. He checks his notes along the way. When I am done he makes a call over to the hardware guys who confirm that they in fact do not send shipping labels for controllers. This is when I loose it. I tell the guy that pay for the shipping or not pay for it I no longer care. What I care about now is that I have the Microsoft support team on record lying to me. I tell him that I demand that his supervisor pull up the support chat log from the 9th read the end of it then explain to me why a agent and there supervisor lied to me and with that explanation better come a reason why I should continue to buy Microsoft products in the future. I was on hold for a long time after that. When the guy gets back to me he tells me I was right. I was told a shipping label would be given to me. He and his supervisor where going to get on the line with the hardware people and get me a shipping label. He was kind enough to understand my frustrations where not with him but with the issue and stayed on the phone with me until I got the email.



While I have still yet to see the end of this issue. I thought it would be important for other costumers to know. I find that the entire experience from the start was very unprofessional and I experienced behavior that I would consider unacceptable from a small local company let alone a company as big as Microsoft. I would like to remind anyone reading this that I am talking about the most expensive controller product that Microsoft offers, that I owned it for less then a year, and that Microsoft considers this to be normal wear and tear. These are things you should keep in mind when thinking about buying one. You should know that Microsoft finds it is okay for your 150 US dollar controller to break down from wear and tear after less then a year and thinks you should pay to ship it to them to have it fixed. I love this controller but I don't know on what planet this is considered to be acceptable service.