Microsoft marketer mulls misinformation

by Christopher Grant { Nov 30th 2005 at 11:00PM }

Microsoft's John Porcaro is fed up with the rumors spreading around the internet regarding the 360, so he decided to make a post to end it. Here's the rumors:

Recall Rumors are 100% False; he wants you to let him know if any retailer tells you otherwise... so he can crack skulls!
Replenishment Units Are On The Ground; that means that they're on the way to retailers and from that point it's contingent upon them to get them from warehouses into stores into your house, etc.
Hardware Replacements in as Few as 5-7 Days; so if your 360 is overheating, get on the horn to 800-4MYXBOX and you'll be back to HD gaming goodness in a week or less. Mmmmmmmm.
We're Not Holding Back; he's saying there's no secret warehouse in China stocked to the brim, waiting until a week before xmas to unleash a torrent of 360s for Santa and Co.

So there you have it folks: there are no aliens in Roswell, nobody's breathing on the other end of the phone, and ther... wait. What's that? Is that a disclaimer at the top of his site? It reads: "Even though I work in marketing for Microsoft, not everything accurately reflects the views of my employer, my management, my co-workers, or is even true." That means what he just said could have all been lies!?

So it is possible there's a secret shipment of 360s stored beneath a volcano in the Pacific Ocean? I knew it!

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Don Wilson @ Nov 30th 2005 11:34PM

Damn you revolving door-like Microsoft Marketing Dept.

Ben @ Dec 1st 2005 12:44AM

What does Guns n Roses have to do with this article

C. Grant @ Nov 30th 2005 11:57PM

Lies... get it? Rumors/lies/truth, etc? All the while I thought I was being clever.

Saint 360 @ Dec 1st 2005 12:02AM

Bless M$'s little hearts (well, biologically they do right?)! That's why I am so easily amused by them. There answers are like a box of chocolates...

Anyways, back to my 360 gaming goodness! =)

Ben @ Dec 1st 2005 2:56PM

you should read the crazy shit on that cover though... i do get the lies thing. and that album featured a song with what could be considered bad taste...

Ben @ Dec 1st 2005 12:56AM

I did like the album and i am a fan of the band but that
song just proved how horrible axl rose realy was.

Ben @ Dec 1st 2005 1:00AM

What job does John Porcaro have with microsoft. Am i stupid but ive never heard of him before or at least i dont remember him. What would he gain from lying?

Brian @ Dec 1st 2005 1:03AM

Wow wanna not quadruple post, it gets kinda annoying. but really, its good to hear this stuff, cept the fact that it may be lies!

Brian @ Dec 1st 2005 1:04AM

Never mind, that was 5 an pentapost! ok well now i double posted *shame on self*

Big Ice D @ Dec 1st 2005 2:42AM

Totally off topic here...but the GNR song you refer to is One in a Million. And that song is one of their best. But you took it completely out of context. Axl is not a homophobe nor racicist.....it's a narraive story you dope. To teach all the biggots a lesson that THEY are one in a million. One love here my brothers don't spread mis-information ...be it it 360 or GNR related.

C. Grant @ Dec 1st 2005 7:23AM

Hey ben... he's in Marketing, for Microsoft, where he mulls things, like misinformation mainly. ;)

cap-n-crunch @ Dec 1st 2005 9:27AM

Ironicaly it had the song Patience on it too.

Christopher Coulter @ Dec 1st 2005 3:29PM

Recall Rumors are 100% False? Depends on how you define "recall". I heard from a surprisingly candid Gamestop Regional Mgr. that it seems their allocation was seriously cut until January. MFST told him that they had problems with a run, and won't be able to meet the regional quota set up before launch. So much for that weekly replenishment theory. He called it an internal recall or "adjustment"....not a recall after the units are out, rather that MFST found a number of quality issues with the Winstron machines and has taken those off the market (or retooled). I am getting this from Gamestop, so if it be off, knock heads there. But waltzing around town, sure seems like John is gonna hafta crack tons of skulls. Get out the baseball bat then.

Just why did Nelson and John SUDDENLY burst out against a "recall", when almost none of the major forums and blogs and gaming sites were even saying that? Glitches, problems, issues, wails, screams, curses -- yes....but recall conspiracy theories I didn't see hardly at all. I had to learn of the recall rumor from Best Buys. Suppress a rumor BEFORE it is a RUMOR, hereby turning it INTO a rumor? Amazing. I wrote it off just as Big Box employees being clueless. Clueless or not, they are all speaking the same script.

Hardware Replacements in as Few as 5-7 Days? So that then explains my friend being told approx. mid-Jan?

Replenishment Units Are On The Ground? Amazing then that none of retail outlets in a major Californian city are seemingly aware of that.

Richard @ Dec 1st 2005 5:48PM

I think something that would be interesting is if somebody who works at the headquarters of EB Games, Best Buy, Circuit City etc...could get us an update on if they have recieved their shipment and when they are sending them out to their stores.

EatingPie @ Dec 1st 2005 5:19PM

I got the lies thing but I had to think for a sec.

I'm glad to have misinfo cleared up by Microsoft. However, no retailer that I've called has ANY CLUE that Xbox 360s are coming... which makes me a bit leery.

"otally off topic here...but the GNR song you refer to is One in a Million. And that song is one of their best. But you took it completely out of context. Axl is not a homophobe nor racicist.....it's a narraive story you dope."

Oh no, not a homophobe or racist at all. No. Uhuh.

Well, except when he acts like he is -- ie all the time. And given that he wore a Charles Manson T-Shirt when I saw them once, and they covered one of his songs on the Spagetti album, I REALLY think it's quite hard to defend this bozo.

-Pie

Kevin @ Dec 2nd 2005 2:04PM

Yeah, I agree. The replenishment line from Microsoft is pure bullshit. I just called Sears, where I was 6th in line on launch day for an Xbox. The manager came out and told us their store was only getting 6 unit total, 4 premium, and 2 core. Later he came out and said the store didn't receive any of the units, and that they were held up for some reason. He gave us vouchers for the Xboxes whenever they come in, and we all left. I've called them back a few times to check, and was just told they won't have any until JANUARY. You'd think their buyers and/or Microsoft would be letting every retail store know that more are coming. I don't buy it at all.