What We Have Is A Failure To Communicate . . . .

That is a line from a Paul Newman/George Kennedy movie spoken by Strother Martin, the actor portraying the prison warden.  It was a truism them and it is a truism now.  "What we have is a failure to communicate."

Today I tried to get into Microsoft X Box to set up Solitaire.  It finally locked me out, too many attempts were made to get in.

First it asks you for your Email address or a phone number.  I tried the phone number and it never heard of that number before.  Seems it wants a numeral 1 in front of the area code to indicate "country."  Of course it did not say anything about a "1" or a country code when asking for the phone number.  It just assumes you know that.  And of course, that is not a normal practice in the USA.  Even with the corrected phone number it did not work as it did not recognize the phone number.

So finally got by that hurtle by going to my Email address.  First I tried the MS Email password and it never heard of that either. Clearly under the Email address is box for a password.    So I put in my Email password.  Noooo - that is not the password they wanted.  They wanted an X Box password.  The box just says "Password."  Finally figured that out.  Second hurtle gotten over.  All their instructions are as clear as mud or really, no instructions, just assumptions you know what is going on.

Next hurtle is secure digital code they want installed.  It is a series of characters, letters and numbers printed out in a jumble.  They are at different angles, some filled in, etc. as a test to make sure you can read them.  After about seven times, I figured out I was using the wrong password and none of the security letters would work as the password was wrong.  Again they did not bother to explain that all had to be just what they wanted, when they wanted them and of course how they wanted them and you had to figure that out by osmosis.

Finally, got all of that straight and then I get a message, that I have tried too many times and was locked out.  No solution provided regarding the lockout.  Is the lockout good for a hour, day, week or month?  Obviously that is just too much work for Microsoft,

This is a product of people that write the code to operate our computers.  Yet, they live in a never never land of idiocy.  Thanks Microsoft. 

Well, I guess I do not need to get into X Box and Microsoft loses a shot at getting a few dollars for an App.  If they are going to be that dumb shit about things, they deserve to not get any sales.  Probably never heard of the old adage "that the customer is always right."