XBOX ONE Play and Charge Kit Manufacturing Issue

Good day,

This is a detailed post, but I want to put this out to the XBOX support community in the hopes that it helps as many people as possible.

Last Christmas, I was gifted an XBOX ONE X console (awesome spouse) with Jedi Fallen Order (awesome game) and it came with a wireless controller After blowing through twelve AA batteries by March, I purchased an XBOX ONE play and charge kit (battery pack
and cable) from the online Microsoft Store. There's a couple of things I need to post, both positive and negative for Microsoft and consumers to consider:

Ordering/Shipping experience:

• Ordering and paying was awesome
• The order got to my house within 48 hours shipped from the US (apparently) during the first couple weeks of COVID-19 border closures. THAT is an amazing turnaround!

User experience:

Pros:

• The play and charge kit on initial charge lasted a couple of weeks long playing a couple of hours every night
• When the cord is plugged in the controller is very quick and responsive
• If you manage to get the battery pack charged, the battery lasts quite a long time (caveat is below)

Cons:

• Recharging the kits is a complete and total disappointment because - it does not work as advertised
• It's a widely reported issue that the battery pack isn't recognized for charging when inserted and the cord is plugged in - sometimes the yellow cord light doesn't come on at all, so you can play with the cord plugged in, but you can't even charge the battery
• THE MOST DISAPPOINTING PART: this appears to be a design/manufacturing issue - either the battery pack sits too loose in the controller or the contacts don't fully line up properly - see this
  ridiculous fix I found on YouTube:
  • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SIQjzLqHrxM&t=208s
  • These are genuine Microsoft products and Microsoft should genuinely be ashamed!
• Using the ridiculous solution above, if you manage to get the yellow light on, the results are variable
  • I have left it plugged in overnight (console on standby) with the yellow light on the cord 'on' and battery charging animation activated on-screen for 8-10 hours and the charging cycle didn't complete - it should take take under 4 hours for a full charge
    and the yellow light on the cord should have turned white, but the light is still yellow and the on-screen battery charging animation is still running in the morning
  • I left it plugged in with the console turned on and it eventually charges, but takes well over 4 hours to charge
• COME ON MICROSOFT!!!

Customer Support experience:

• Reference#: 1498734985
• I spoke to two reps on two different calls and they were both extremely nice people - they legitimately deserve to be acknowledged with a pay raise
  • The first rep couldn't get a verification number to my email because her system essentially wouldn't let her - the system insisted that the email address provided was a Skype only account - it's been my Microsoft account well over 15 years now - I left
    the call with a positive person-to-person experience, no solution and a reference number
  • The second rep helped me produce a verification number through the Microsoft website on my end which was super helpful and she issued a refund with the return label on its way
    • For those who don't know, simply google 'support.microsoft.com verify me' sign in to produce a verification code and give it to the rep - just skip the whole verify through email process entirely

Online Store Policy experience:

• The rep can issue the refund/replacement product BUT, I either have to drive several hours to the only store in the Greater Toronto Area to the only physical Microsoft store to exchange or return the product, OR I have to do it by mail and a Microsoft warehouse
  employee has to receive/process it before I get a replacement sent out or a refund issued - this can take upwards of 15 business days
• COME ON MICROSOFT!!! You have a lot to learn from other retailers... I shouldn't have to wait for a refund or replacement product because the product is defective... you have my payment information on file
  • It's quite simple: you issue the refund or send the replacement product with a label right away, I receive it, immediately begin using the replacement product and send the defective product back to you right away. If the old product isn't returned and
    processed at your warehouse within 'x' number of days then you charge my payment method as if I purchased a second product from you.

Key Takeaways:

• CONSUMERS: Don't purchase a Microsoft XBOX ONE play and charge kit because the product is flawed at the design and manufacturing stage
  • See this YouTube video fix above
  • Instead, purchase a battery pack that clicks into the back of your controller or rechargeable AA batteries - apparently EB Games sells a decent charge pack that lasts longer
• MICROSOFT: Your flagship console of the time should ship with a plug and play cord included
• MICROSOFT: Address the design/manufacturing issues with the XBOX ONE play and charge kit
  • To be most clear: Don't sell me defective/faulty products, sincerely my future self
• MICROSOFT: Work on improving/streamlining your online store policies to benefit the consumer considering you have very few physical retail stores in Canada - despite the amazing delivery time, I will likely go with a different retailer next time because
  their online return policies (in my experience) are superior and I at least have the option to drive to a more physical store option if desired

:)