The Big Box Project: are you serious?!
If you have ever been frustrated with the Microsoft Customer Support Team after having rung them up and discovered that they no longer send you out a box for your broken 360, you would have tutted, cursed, and then headed to a supermarket for a container of some sort. Unless of course you are of the scheming kind, and decided to exploit a Microsoft policy. The policy in question is that the box you send is returned to you as well, with MS paying for the return shipping. What do you do? Get the biggest box you can find.
But not a giant cardboard box that once contained a TV, or even cardboard at all. No, how about a forty foot shipping container instead. Which is exactly what one guy is saving up to do, and with your help you can make it possible. The website says that he needs approximately $2000 just for the container, which is without delivery. You can donate to the cause through his website using Paypal, and he has so far raised $725.60.
ME: So what you are telling me is that Microsoft owns zero cardboard.
T2: I said we have no cardboard to ship to you.
ME: Well what cardboard are you going to send it back to me in?
T2: We will ship back your unit in the same box that you ship it to us in.
ME: Really. So no matter what box I send to you, you will return it to me in that very box.. because from what you just told me you have ZERO cardboard in which you could send it back to me in other than my box?
T2: Policy states that we ship it back to you in the box you send to us.
ME: So no matter what, whatever box I send I get back because I’m paying for that box so I must own it, right?
T2: That is correct sir
Those fateful words will likely be regretted if this turns out not to be a scam for some money, which you would hope it isn’t. However, we at ICGamers.com are not responsible for what happens to your money, so if you donate and nothing happens, don’t expect to hold us responsible for your loss. I hope he gets enough money, because it would truly be a great sight to see the faces at the MS repair center when that baby rolls up one morning!
Say what you will about the idea. Some of you probably think it is indeed a scam, and no-one can blame you for that. However, I don’t think a scam like this would be a good idea, when the much funnier option is to actually send them the container. I hope it takes off, but that doesn’t mean I’m donating!
Thanks smileydave for submitting.
Well, my box wasn’t returned, I got some purpose cut cardboard box for the 360 in return.
Same here. In fact I returned it in my original 360 box, and it came back to me in a specially designed but unbranded cardboard box.
I’ll definitely chuck $50 his way because I’m very, very curious how this turns out
As dumb as this is i’ll examine it a little.
So…this shipping container…how’s it going to be shipped? By boat I’m guessing…and then how is it going to be delivered to microsoft? By truck I would assume. The shipping by boat and delivery by truck are going to cost a good amount of money I would guess…big-time waste of other people’s money. I guess if you are dumb enough to donate money then you shouldn’t have it in the first place.
Not to mention if you think microsoft will send that container back you’re a complete moron. If they even accept the container, which I doubt they will. No chance they send it back to him in anything other than a cardboard box. Honestly they will probably refuse it outright and dude’s 360 will never make it to the factory.
The only fun that anyone would have out of this would be the guy as he collected people’s money, thinking “Hey, this might work”, before it ultimately fails.
Wow. Ever heard of fun?
Seriously, if you click all the links on the site, he admits that getting the container there will cost more, and admits that it is going to be a difficult process. But I for one would like to see this happen, regardless of the result.
Lighten up
I don’t think a clever person would just try to scam people out of their money by posing this idea. There is more money to be made of this idea if he actually sees it through. I would really like to see him get enough donations to follow through with it, and make a video documentary of the whole thing. He could easily sell that video to make a profit. Just like the “Smash my _____” guys
Wait a minute, they send you a box and pay for everything. So what is the problem. Why go through all this when they are taking care of their customers.
You missed the point. He says they won’t send him a box this time, that they’ve changed their policy such that you have to provide your own box and pay for shipping to them — they only pay for return shipping and use the same box.
I wonder if he sues when they refuse to use the same box to send it back…
Personally I have a contract printed by them that states that they will send me a box. So if my 360 fails they might “think” their not sending me a box, but if they try to pull that one I will read it off to them word for word. But anyway my guess is MS has already seen this and is changing it’s policy as we speak to prevent stuff like this from happening.
It’s great to have things in writing. Also, at the end of the terms and conditions it tells you “This Service Contract gives you specific legal rights…” so if they don’t then you can pretty much sue the heck out of them. So I’m set if they try to screw me out of a box.
OMG THAT WOULD BE SO FUCKING FUNNY TO SEE A UPS TRUCK ROLL UP TO YOUR HOUSE AND HAVE YOU SIGN FOR THAT
they sent my 3rd back in a diffrent box and the last one mt 4th the delivery driver brought the ms box with him and the sticker.
In Europe they do have precut boxes, I’ve got 4 similar ones at home
omg that’ll really piss microsoft off!
love to support this
This idea will never work out. I see the humor behind it yes, but the problem is he’s really serious about doing this and is collecting donations. Unlikely he ever gets to that $2000 mark he needs so the money people donate will be heading to his pocket.
The reality is MS will not accept this container and then the container will need to be sent back to this guys house. I’d love to see the neighbors reactions to a huge shipping container sittin on this guys driveway.
It’s funny but its not practical or something that will even work. He was very rude to the customer service rep, he should simply try to call back and be nicer to the person he speaks to and its likely he’ll get that shipping box free.
If you want to be funny, get a refridgerator box and ship it off, a container is a little over the top and not going to work.
Damn that would be funny.
On one hand, I think this is so funny and I will be making a donation soon. On the other hand, MS will fuck this kid over and not accept the box. I’m VERY interested in how this will turn out so I’ll be making a donation to this guy.
dude u freakin rock!!!!!!!! thats exactly wat those bastards deserve i waited 3 weeks for the box, as in no xbox action and it still didn’t arrive and when i called they said they lost it that was so frustrating, and this is to pg4 if they decline the box they made him pay for the shipping he had to send over there and if they do send it back u could sue them, hell yea!!!!!!!!!!
@ PGR4
it’s unlikely he will get a shipping box from the CS dept. I had a broken HDD in warranty WITH a service agreement. They refused to send me a box back in October of 2006. They said shipping was on my dime. I was seriously pissed, but I didn’t give up. I called back as an experiment nearly 20 times to see if my experience would vary from person to person. Some of them were rude and said they would do nothing, others said they would ship out a box that they had no intentions of shiping, only to have me call back, talk to a supervisor who told me that the person I spoke to was wrong.
They will not do it. Trust me. My case is documented over at xbox.com in their hardware issues forum.
It won’t happen. Its a scam.