-          2000 - You call their customer support. “Wait a second – did you actually install an application after installing our sound card? We don’t support this configuration. <hang>” (and that guy will likely get promoted for solving most support calls in record time).

-          2001 – You call their customer support. Nobody answers because the company is out of business due to the .com fallout.

-          2002 – You call their customer support. But you get someone with a think non-English accent which keeps asking you about completely unrelated stuff.

-          2003 – You finally figure out that if you put your problem on the newsgroups you will get help.

-          2004 - You complain about the problem in your blog, and you eventually get suggestions in comments section.

-          2005 - You complain about the problem in your blog, get instant notoriety, and wait for someone from that company to reply in the comments section :-)

-          2006 – You post a video on YouTube with your problem, get instant notoriety, and wait for someone from that company to reply in the comments section.

 

An example in the last category: Here is a guy describing his problem with the Xbox 360 wireless headset.

 

http://www.joystiq.com/2006/12/09/todays-hottest-game-video-360-headset-woes/

 

Today's most-watched YouTube game video shows a gamer who is unable to connect his original Xbox 360 controller and Wireless Headset together on channel one. The demonstration implies that this is a widespread issue with no fix yet from Microsoft, although we haven't had any issues.

The gamer shows the process of activating the headset and having a conflict with his original controller. He then repeats the steps with a new, extra controller and has no problem.

It's like the I-Team without having to sit through the rest of the made-up local news. See the video after the break.

 

I don't know the solution to his problem, but I notified the XBox team anyway...  I hope that they will respond!

 

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P.S. By the way, for any problems, please call the Microsoft support - they provide an excellent service, (as they always did), won't hang on you :-), and if it is our problem, the call is free.]