Nicole Hoffman
United States of America#2Author of original report
Wed, November 17, 2010
Soon after I submitted this report, I wrote directly to several of the Vice Presidents of Target and included this report with my letter. Within days, I was contacted personally by the Vice President of Stores and received an apology. Soon after that, a representative from Microsoft called and offered to compensate us for our time and trouble with a replacement Xbox Live! card, as well as a free 12-month subscription to Xbox Live! and a copy of a brand new Xbox game (about $100 worth of stuff in addition to the original Xbox Live! card). I received the items about a week later. Considering all of the time and aggrevation involved in getting a response, I believe receiving the additional items was warranted and fair.
The point of my making such a fuss was not to get free stuff but rather to fight an injustice. It would have been easier to just buy the items I eventually got than it was to engage in a letter writing campaign, but that wasn't the point. My son told me that he has at least two friends who also bought non-functioning cards, and they never got their money back. Someone had to speak out for the powerless, and mama bear was fighting mad. I had no idea if anything I did would get a response (I never did anything like this before), but it worked, at least for us. My son is happy with the outcome. I can only hope that Target and Microsoft will take the steps necessary to ensure that their customers will not be cheated out of their money in the future.
My report may have been melodramatic, but it got their attention!
Chris
Altoona,#3Consumer Comment
Wed, November 17, 2010
"In short, Target and Microsoft worked together to steal my child's birthday money." Yes, each companies CEO's got together and discussed how to increase their bottom line by stealing from children on their birthday. Good thing you stumbled upon this and exposed them.
Could you possibly be more dramatic?