I’m seriously considering shutting this blog down. Not because I’m tired of it, but I’ve decided to start a new one that’s hosted on my own server. I will more than likely cross-post to this one, but who knows. There will probably be more content on the new one, though.

If you’d like to head to the new destination (as I sarcastically realize this is a powerhouse and must-read blog anyhow…), check it out below, and update your bookmarks accordingly.

http://blog.brockp.com

I’ve still got a lot of customizing to do to it, but I hope you stop by and enjoy!

As you’ll notice on the Blogroll to your right, there’s quite a few people listed. I just want you to know they are listed in alphabetical order, not “favoritism.” Just thought you should know if you got curious.

I’ve basically decided to ditch LiveJournal and Blogger for my original content. This is now my official blog. Yeah, everyone and their mother has one. However, I hope you’ll drop by from time-to-time.

I’ll update when I can. I sometimes lose a day here and there, but I won’t completely abandon it. Cheers!

We’re finally home after a long weekend at Mom’s place. We went down there to deliver some computer items to make her “technology life” a little better. By the way, thanks for letting us use your truck, Brian!

While there, we also got into and cleaned out her storage shed. I’ve had stuff in there since middle school, and it was time to finally clean it out. We freed up half the space in there, and we made room for a gun cabinet my grandfather made. It will be making its way to our house in the future.

One of the best treasures we found was an original Nintendo system, and it still works. I love my 360, but it was awesome to sit down last night and play Super Mario Bros. Yes, it will be hooked up to my TV here along with the 360. You’ve got to have some nostalgia in your life.

We also visited with my grandmother today. She is 90-years-old, and not doing well at all. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to stay long, but I hope we can see her again soon. She’s the last grandparent between Amy and I, and it’s not looking good.

It was a pretty eventful weekend to say the least. We’re all tired, so I’ll close for now. Sorry for the sporadic updates. Sometimes life just feels like a routine.

The title of this post is simple: “Why I love Microsoft (or, Customer service gets it right).”

My cherished Xbox 360 died a couple of days after Christmas. I took it to my in-laws so we could play, then the “Ring of Light” flashed a bright red. I was prepared to break out the shovels and bury it six feet under.

Alas, it would not come to that. I called customer service because I read Microsoft extended the warranty for the machines built in 2005. They’ve had a high rate of failure, and the date on the back of mine said “December 2005.”

The service rep was extremely nice, and I explained the symptoms. He then stepped me through a process that would eventually make me proud to be a Microsoft customer. He told me they would repair it at no cost to me. Sweet!

He told me to look for a box in the mail. A few days later, a box showed up with instructions. I was to place my beloved “time waster” in this box, apply the seal, slap on the pre-printed shipping label and send it to them.

This past Thursday, another box came to the house. I open it, and there she is! My 360 was home! Or… was she? She looked a tad different. My 360 was shipped to them without a faceplate. There was a brand new one staring back at me.

Curious.

I immediately flipped it around and didn’t recognize the serial number. I looked at the manufacturing date: July 2006. My jaw dropped.

How could this be? My 360 died, and instead of charging me $150 like everyone else to repair it, they sent me a box (free shipping), told me they’d fix it (for free) and did, in my mind, the unthinkable.

They didn’t repair my 360. They sent me a brand spanking new one for nothing… Not one cent. Customer support… Microsoft… treating the customer with the highest respect?

Yep. I’ve never heard of such a corporation going to these lengths. They usually want some money to take care of problems.

So, I sit here with my new 360 (a lot quieter than the old one, too), and I couldn’t be happier with Microsoft. Unlike a lot of people, I’ve always liked MS products. Now, I can say customer support actually thought of the customer.

Kudos to you, Microsoft.