I used to work at a local call center back in good Halo 3 and CoD: MW era, I worked for almost 4 years in the company. I participated in several launches like MW, MW2, GTA IV and NXE or the new xbox experience, which you might know as the Avatar's dashboard.

Our job was pretty simple to be honest, we basically made repair orders for RROD and other defects of components and consoles, and Xbox Live trouble shooting. I've heard a lot of stories and helped a lot of people over the year I worked for them, and honestly it makes me sad the direction they are taking at the moment.

I met some guys from Microsoft directly, but not any of the big ones since our call center was just one of many. I used to really love my job, until you find out is basically a dead end job and went back to a boring office.

pictures for proof: http://imgur.com/a/oq4MK

AMA :)

Comments: 315 • Responses: 60  • Date: 

Xbox_Support_thrwy529 karma

PS4 > Xbox One, before anyone asks about it.

omegaaf109 karma

Thats some brand loyalty right there..

Xbox_Support_thrwy32 karma

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

cougrocks61 karma

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.

Xbox_Support_thrwy50 karma

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

spacey3225 karma

Chihuahua?

Xbox_Support_thrwy39 karma

Monterrey

murbz14 karma

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

Xbox_Support_thrwy22 karma

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.

deadaim_4 karma

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.

Xbox_Support_thrwy7 karma

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.

deadaim_3 karma

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

Xbox_Support_thrwy5 karma

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

metalgearsolidguard20 karma

San Diego?

Xbox_Support_thrwy3 karma

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

xDARTYx51 karma

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

Xbox_Support_thrwy35 karma

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.

Toastedgold39 karma

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

Xbox_Support_thrwy83 karma

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.

Canbot11 karma

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

Xbox_Support_thrwy12 karma

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.

ichivictus8 karma

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.

Xbox_Support_thrwy6 karma

That's real positive karma right there.

MurphyRobocop28 karma

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

Xbox_Support_thrwy105 karma

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.

humanbonemeal43 karma

LOL at the 4chan prank calls.

Xbox_Support_thrwy86 karma

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.

spooz27 karma

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?

Xbox_Support_thrwy83 karma

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.

spooz30 karma

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.

Xbox_Support_thrwy53 karma

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. :)

Arealpanda2 karma

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.

Xbox_Support_thrwy1 karma

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.

irritated_Penguin24 karma

When will you guys fix Gavin Free's account?

Xbox_Support_thrwy36 karma

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

Big Rooster Teeth fan right here.

baldpig20 karma

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

Xbox_Support_thrwy17 karma

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.

Xbox_Support_thrwy20 karma

Leave your questions, will come back tomorrow.

geoffgrindd15 karma

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.

Xbox_Support_thrwy43 karma

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. :)

sublevelcaver13 karma

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

Xbox_Support_thrwy48 karma

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... :(

jordy24012 karma

[deleted]

Xbox_Support_thrwy29 karma

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.

WalkingEnigma12 karma

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

Xbox_Support_thrwy12 karma

"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.

BadMrFrosty11 karma

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

Xbox_Support_thrwy15 karma

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

geoffgrindd9 karma

Haha, thought it was worth the try.

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

Xbox_Support_thrwy12 karma

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

free_tobuscus8 karma

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"

Xbox_Support_thrwy22 karma

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)

NotTheLittleBoats2 karma

I sound like Dr. Nick or Bumblebee Man

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

Xbox_Support_thrwy2 karma

HAHAHAHA. Dios no me quiere.

free_tobuscus1 karma

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

Xbox_Support_thrwy3 karma

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. :)

Hamstertoast8 karma

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

Xbox_Support_thrwy27 karma

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.

limacharles5 karma

I read this username as Xbox_Support_Threeway.

I don't reddit well.

Xbox_Support_thrwy4 karma

Oh god.... HAHAHAHAHAHAHA.

Kokomo885 karma

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

Xbox_Support_thrwy9 karma

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.

Kokomo885 karma

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

Xbox_Support_thrwy8 karma

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. :)

Alecm33273 karma

Saving

Xbox_Support_thrwy3 karma

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

iukk4 karma

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

Xbox_Support_thrwy6 karma

You can get them from support.

maveryh3 karma

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

Xbox_Support_thrwy6 karma

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.

armytraining3 karma

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?"

Xbox_Support_thrwy5 karma

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.

joliette_le_paz3 karma

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.'

Xbox_Support_thrwy3 karma

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

Xbox_Support_thrwy8 karma

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

TheGursh2 karma

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

Xbox_Support_thrwy2 karma

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

orbd2 karma

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

Xbox_Support_thrwy2 karma

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

WhiteMamba12 karma

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

Xbox_Support_thrwy4 karma

At least two per week per team.

shivishivi19972 karma

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

Xbox_Support_thrwy4 karma

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.

RigginsIsGod2 karma

Hi, thanks for doing this AMA!

After 4 years, what made you leave the company?

Xbox_Support_thrwy7 karma

Answered above :)

The pay and place sucked after a couple of years.

Wasabicannon2 karma

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?

Xbox_Support_thrwy3 karma

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.

Wzup2 karma

Have you ever got to deal with Minnesota Burns?

Xbox_Support_thrwy5 karma

Hahahahaha nope.

CaptainWoods1 karma

Where was the Xbox customer support located that served Australia?

Xbox_Support_thrwy2 karma

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

TownIdiot251 karma

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?

Xbox_Support_thrwy2 karma

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

AashishK1 karma

Arvato?

Xbox_Support_thrwy4 karma

ka-shing

AashishK1 karma

Monterrey!

Haha, I know you then!

Xbox_Support_thrwy4 karma

ORLY?

paulfanderson1 karma

A huevo, mexicanos trabajando en Microsoft.

Hell yeah, mexicans working at Microsoft

Xbox_Support_thrwy2 karma

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.

leops19841 karma

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

Xbox_Support_thrwy9 karma

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

thewingedwheel1 karma

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

Xbox_Support_thrwy3 karma

The uncensored people left the company :)

thewingedwheel9 karma

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

Xbox_Support_thrwy5 karma

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

thewingedwheel5 karma

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

TheSaSQuatCh1 karma

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).

Xbox_Support_thrwy1 karma

RRS Team, only 2 persons I think.

Chicagobearsfan131 karma

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

Xbox_Support_thrwy1 karma

Youtube, old version.

RandomPerson2001 karma

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

Xbox_Support_thrwy2 karma

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.

RandomPerson2002 karma

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

Xbox_Support_thrwy2 karma

Both, we started with CAP.

Jakexzz1 karma

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?

Xbox_Support_thrwy2 karma

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.