Just a little personal perspective here. Over the past year, I had the opportunity to use all three console manufacturer's customer service programs. Wanted to let you all know how they faired. As far as I know, none of them knew I was a buyer at Sam's Club. Here are my perceptions. These may not be representative of anything, but they are interesting.

Let's start with Microsoft. Like many of you, I bought Halo 3 when it released. Like many folks that bought the upgraded edition, my disc was scratched. I printed the form on line and mailed the disc. No real need to do so as it worked fine, I just wanted to see what my Members would experience if they had the same issue. It was a positive experience. The new disc arrived quickly and came with a Microsoft service card. They exceeded my expectations. Nicely done.

Next up was Nintendo. I called their service number to order the silicone sleeves and upgraded Wii-mote straps. Nintendo's Customer Service folks are very efficient and polite! Once on the phone, they took my name and e-mail. They never asked for a serial number, proof of purchase only how many I needed. They e-mailed my tracking number and very quickly thereafter, I got both. Nintendo was extremely professional. Here too, my expectations were exceeded. The sleeves and straps are nice too.

Finally, Sony had their shot. My PS3 wet dead after game 6 of the Stanley Cup. Once the Penguins lost, I fired up the PS3 to play a little GTA IV. The PS3 flashed a red light and went dead. I called the 800 number and they were very professional. I explained that the disc was stuck in the machine and would not eject. I also explained that I did not want to break open the unit and copy the hard drive. "No worries" I was told. I recieved the "coffin box" very quickly. I sent the machine in and about $150.00 later (it was out of warranty) a NEW PS3 60G arrived along with my GTA IV disc. The $150 seems fair for all of the shipping and a new unit being dispatched. Sony turned this around VERY fast. I fired up the machine and my hard drive was NEW. All of my info was gone. I inputted my information and logged onto the PlayStation Network. To my plesant surprise, all of my friends came back. All of my free and paid downloads were available for me to re-download at no additional charge. My only issue is that my saved game progress (I WAS so very close to finishing GTA IV...) is gone. My expectations were not quite met, but overall a fast experience. To be fair, the printed note they sent with the coffin box indicated that hard drive contents would not be transferred. That caveat was not a part of the telephone conversation though and I did specifically request this in writing when I sent it back. Oh well, I am now hip deep in Metal Gear Solid 4 and enjoying this game.

Overall, the three did a nice job. In this day and age where we have many choices, they all have to perform at a high level. I think that they all stepped up nicely. Each had a different situation to resolve and overall, they did a fine job.  

Anyone else out there have a customer service experience with the three console manufacturers that you want to share?