14 DAY TRIAL // Sometimes, calling customer support to report a faulty machine, controller, game etc. will result in you, the gamer, getting treated like garbage, being promised a full refund, or a new item in the shortest time possible. That "shortest time possible" can either mean a week or three months, depending on the company whose shoulder you cry on, but as it turns out, the team behind Rock Band really takes customers seriously.
Check this out: Evil Avatar member Ravijn is a Rock Band fan. He has experienced some guitar malfunctioning, thus sent it back for a replacement. Upon his long waiting for the new guitar to arrive, the Rock Band team has sent him the following e-mail. Have a look:
"Greetings Rocker,
Congratulations on your purchase of Rock Band! After reviewing our records, we see that your recent request for a replacement guitar has been subject to an unacceptably long delay due to a late shipment from our manufacturer. By the time you receive this, your replacement guitar should be on its way to you. However, the Rock Band team is committed to providing a world-class customer experience and we do not believe we have met this commitment in connection with your request. As a token of our appreciation for your patience and understanding, we will be offering you a FREE EA game. Details will follow shortly. We are sorry if your first experience with Rock Band has not met your expectations. We hope our gift will show you how committed we are to your satisfaction.
Thank you,
The Rock Band Team"
Is this the way to treat a fan or what? Leave the free EA game aside (it's probably the likes of Command & Conquer Saga anyway), but the way they've approached the issue is just incredibly satisfactory. More than that, given that Rock Band and its peripherals are up to par so far, it shouldn't be too hard to throw in a free title every now and then for customers experiencing malfunction with either the game or the controllers.
But why do you think not all companies do this? Take Microsoft for example. They're hot shots within the industry yet don't award Halo 3 copies to Xbox 360 owners experiencing the red ring of death. Why is that? Because the red ring of death has been one of the most widespread issues ever with this console, so you can imagine how many free games it would have involved.
Anyway, it's good to hear that such practice is still carried out among major game developers and publishers.