Frayed wires in Play-charge kit, Controllers, Wired headset...all accessories breaking

I am writing this post in hopes to spread awareness of how Xbox is designing their equipment.

My experience with Microsoft, and their Xbox one accessories is as follows:

Since the launch of Xbox One, I have owned a total of: 5 wireless controllers, 2 play and charge kits, and 3 wired headsets. Now, let’s be clear, I don’t own all of these things just for fun…I’m not a collector of xbox accessories…I don’t plan to sell
them on ebay at a later date for a profit..

I have had NO CHOICE but to purchase these things in order to USE MY XBOX.

That last part is key. Because really, what is an Xbox One without its accessories? It’s nothing but an oversized, bulky, and honestly fairly ugly paper weight.



I Suppose I could have used the clumsy voice commands to navigate through the menus, but only to watch Netflix…not play a game, or communicate with my friends (through xbox live which I am also paying a monthly subscription for).



I was able to get 2 of my 5 controllers for free from Microsoft as replacements for the 2 “bad” controllers they sold me on day one. Both controllers had broken left analog sticks after just a couple of weeks of use. One of these new controllers is also
beginning to fail, this time the A button is getting stuck and being “pressed” more times than I intend it to…so I reckon I will be onto my 6th controller soon…but that’s neither here nor there.



The reason I had to buy the 5th controller was that it took Microsoft nearly HALF A YEAR (after countless hours of phone calls and email chains) to send me replacements for the 2 “bad” controllers I was sold at launch…



So for about 2 Months (Feb-March), I had no controller…again, I had NO CHOICE but to pay for a 3rd controller (while waiting for replacements) when I’m only ever using 1 at a time. My choices were A) Don’t use your xbox. Or B) Pay for another
controller.



Since launch I’ve seen tens if not hundreds of threads on the forums discussing the same issues I’ve seen with my controllers….these threads never see any attention from an Xbox admin, they never see any responses. Xbox/Microsoft denies that there is ANY
problem with their controllers. At this point in time, most of the threads are now locked or deleted (by xbox/Microsoft) so we are no longer able to openly discuss these issues…like they don’t exist..

I thought the forums were an open place for discussion, and not Nazi Germany, but I guess I was wrong.



The controllers are bad enough, but really that’s just the beginning.

As stated above, I am onto my 2nd play and charge kit. Let me start this by saying: Xbox, do you really hate your customers so much as to not have the charge kit built into your already overpriced system? Even PS3 had it….like come on guys…get
serious.

Anyway, the issue with the play and charge kit is simple…it doesn’t charge. The wires in the cord frayed almost IMMEDIATELY after I took the kit out of its box. At first the cord would still charge the controller, but I couldn’t be playing while it charged….so
how can it be called a “PLAY and charge kit”? It would charge only if the cord was bent in a certain direction and the controller had to be perfectly still, any slight movement would disconnect the frayed wires and so, the controller would disconnect.



It got to a point where even if I left the controller on the ground, plugged in to the cord, propped up so the wires and everything was in the appropriate position, the vibration of footsteps in the room (i kid you not) would cause enough movement to disconnect
the charging cord. So basically, I have to keep a constant eye on my controller while its charging or it will likely become disconnected very quickly and not charge at all. I do not think this was the intention of the play and charge kit….certainly not how
it is marketed. 1st cord was tossed, now onto my second.

My second play and charge cord has already begun displaying the same issues as the first. It is clear that the wires are frayed and have a hard time staying connected unless carefully placed in the appropriate orientation. It is a chore EVERYTIME I want
to charge my controller.



And of course, who could forget the wired headset!?! I am now onto my 3rd wired headset in under a year.

These things are probably the worst of them all. Within the first month after launch, I began to notice that my microphone would cut in and out. I first thought it was a connection issue, but it turned out (similar to the charge kit) it was just another
case of frayed wires. If I wiggled the cord around and held it in place, the fray wires would connect and I could be heard…but that was the only way…I had to hold the wire (where the cord meets the controller adaptor) in the proper orientation to get a connection.
It got worse and worse over the next couple weeks until it was simply un-usable.

At that point in time, I was in the process of having my replacement controllers shipped, and was luckily able to piggyback a wired headset replacement with the controllers.

Unfortunately, since then, my replacement headset has failed in the exact same way as the first. The microphone began to cut in and out, I noticed if I moved my arms (while holding the controller) the mic would continuously connect and disconnect. Again,
it became useless…



So now, here I am again, forced to buy another accessory to simply USE MY XBOX.



Let me make it clear again that I did not abuse these accessories…my controllers/headsets rest safely on top of my xbox when not in use, I do not pull or bend the cords (especially around the controller adaptor, as I know how HORRIBLE OF A DESIGN that is).
Every time I plug the headset into my controller you’d think I was handling a butterfly. I am SO careful, yet they continue to break.



Keep in mind, these are my own experiences…many of my personal friends with the Xbox One have had identical issues (especially with regards to the controllers and headsets).



So now, as I have gone through 5 controllers, 2 play and charge kits, and 3 wired headsets in less than a year… I ask xbox this. Do you expect your customers to keep spending 300$ a year to maintain their accessories? Simply to use their console?



What is it going to take for Xbox/Microsoft to sell me a functioning piece of equipment?



I click “Get a Replacement” on your website, thinking “Oh, that’s nice, they know there is an issue and are sending replacements!”



But this link only leads customers to a checkout page where they can BUY ANOTHER…which is NOT the same as getting a “replacement”. Very tricky wording there Xbox…very coy.

So…what is it going to take?

Do I need to go through the escalation process every time an accessory breaks? I don’t have enough time in the day to spend 2 hours on the phone with your terrible call centers. What would you have me do Xbox? Please advise, I would love some advice here.

Any lawyers out there? I've seen a few posts about a lawsuit but it seems they are yet to anger the wrong person.

Xbox...i want to contiune to support you as i have for the past 10+ years...but you are making it extremely difficult to do so. Why are you selling your customers junk?

:)

 

When Will We See More Accessories?

Probably during year 1 of the Xbox One's life-span. Currently the only confirmed Microsoft accessories are the standard chat headset, play-and-charge kit, and Xbox One controllers.

 

Xbox One

I was just looking through all the accessories for Xbox One, and realised, why is there no Wired Controller? Wireless controllers SUCK. They eat through batteries too quickly, and play and charge kits are pretty useless too. They just burn out all the time.
Please make a wired controller!!!

 

This thread was moved and locked 100 times...

thanks for trying to hide this from the public guy...you should be ashamed of yourselves...this is a public forum.

but apparently you can lock any thread that tells some truths about the quality of your products.