Christmas 2007 we got an XBOX 360 for the Kiddo's father. That is his one stress relief... his video games. He even quit smoking until he let the ex move in... no amount of video games could counteract the stress he was under once she moved in.

Christmas 2008 we got him a new game to play in the XBox. The 28th he tried to play it and got a red light with an E74 message. He called and did all the trouble shooting he was told to do. They said he would have to send it in and for a mere ninety dollars they would repair it.

He doesn't have that kind of money. He's GOT to get tires and brakes on his car and get it inspected and registered this month. The one thing he likes doing was ... gone. He took the face off..only the face to see if perhaps dust was a problem and that was a mistake but I didn't know this until much later.

I called and got a very nice lady who had me on hold forever so she could talk to his supervisor regarding a warranty that expired on Christmas day... perhaps they'd fix it free. Bingo!!! My ears still ring from the music I got to listen to for an hour but they'd fix it free.

She then explained to me the packing instructions and the box cannot have been opened or they will send it back and not fix it.... EVEN if we pay to have it fixed. Excuse me??? If you pay for a service why can't they fix it? But I did not yet think it was a problem until my son walked in. I told him about this free part and he was excited. His face fell right off and landed on the floor when I said he cannot have opened the box.

He had, and a sticker came off. She said to send it in anyway. The worst that would happen is that they'd send it back and not repair it. At all.

So, he runs home and gets his original box thinking it would be better to ship it in that box inside another box. I wanted him to go to the post office but since we had plans he wanted to try UPS first. Here is where the surprise in all this came in.

At the UPS store before I could finish explaining that the numbers had to be on four sides of the box she and doesn't she want to know those numbers she knew where to find it on the shipping paper. It would be... FREE!! Talk about luck!! It was still twelve bucks to buy the shipping material because they have a box SPECIFICALLY made for shipping the XBOX's back in for repairs.

My son and I just looked at each other for a moment before he asked her, "You really have a box made for this?" It was here she explained that they ship out about five a day for repairs. You would think Microsoft would put out a product better than that and if is later found to have flaws that they would recall it or something. Had I not called he'd have paid ninety bucks to have it fixed or not have a game. My son plays it but he also works and takes care of his daughter. He doesn't play it hours and hours on end like.. oh.. maybe I would if I had it.

There are kids out there that have saved for a supposedly good quality machine and they can't afford to have it break. My son MIGHT be leant a game from a friend of his that finally gave up and replaced his with another machine.. Playstation maybe? He's sent his XBox in three or four times for repairs. He has it back but doesn't use it so he might let my son use it till his comes back.

I just hate to see something youngsters... anyone for that matter... pay for something you expect to be of good quality only to find out it's not. Then again, there was a reason I quit using Microsoft prodocts for my primary machines.

On another note.. he thinks his landlord might have a lawyer lined up for him. His landlord has, of course, seen what has gone on. It's FINALLY starting to look far more promising for my son. In April his daughter will have lived with him for a year even if the mother lived there for five or six months, she still collected child support and paid no rent or food. My son did. So far, she's been moved out two or two and a half months with him having his daughter. She still hasn't gotten busted. If my son did half the stuff she did he'd have been busted twenty times over.. I don't get it. The mother is currently homeless. Yep.. it's looking up for him and mostly for the Kiddo!!