Merrick again...

Okay, so, I have to vent a little here.

I apologize in advance if you think this the wrong forum in which to bring up such madness on AICN, or if it's immature for me to get bent out of shape about something that's so trivial in the macro sense. But, we do have a Games section...this is games related...and it pertains to a big event which went down on the gaming landscape this week.

When all is said and done, I'm simply wondering if anyone else out there is having the same problems. And, above all, I'm curious as to whether anyone out there has figured out a way to resolve the conundrum I'm about to describe.

I'm going to streamline a lot here...the minutiae of the full story would take hours to type and I'm not in the mood for it (and, most likely, you wouldn't want to read it anyway).

Before we go any further, if you don't know what the COD 4 Beta is...this article will have no meaning to you & you can move on. If you're still reading, I'll assume you know what I'm talking about and will shorthand appropriately.

So...here we go...this is my story of woe and despair.

I moved Heaven and Earth, even changing schedules around, to register for the CALL OF DUTY 4 Beta when it went opened on Monday. As you probably know, the CharlieOscarDelta site was jammed, or completely down, for much of the day, making entering the lottery impossible until it came back online (roughly midnight my time).

Miraculously, I was selected to receive a Token to download the COD 4 Beta. I receive an e-mail telling me so the next afternoon.

I sign onto XBOX Live, enter my Token code as instructed in the e-mail. The Beta download begins. The download seems to be healthy and in progress.

I step away from my 360 while it's downloading. Come back to discover the download has (apparently) finished.

I go to check the Games & Demos section of my 360 (where the e-mailed instructions said the Beta would be held). The Beta is not there.

I go to check the Downloads in Progress section of my 360. The Beta is not there.

I go to check the Download History section of my 360. The Beta is not there.

I try to re-enter my Token code & download again; I'm told the code is invalid (presumably because it was processed and invalidated during my first download).

I call Microsoft.

The first guy I talk to...for forty minutes (he was even calling me the wrong name at times)...knew nothing about COD 4 Betas; I had to explain to him what it was, how to get it, the whole shebang. I'm not sure he's ever actually been on XBOX Live.

After said 40 mins, he tells me his isn't the department I should be speaking to and he has to transfer me to the folks at XBOX Live.

Sigh.

This happens quickly...I immediately confirm that the folks at XBOX Live actually know what the CALL OF DUTY 4 Beta. They do.

I explain to them the details I just explained to you. The XBOX Live folks REALLY tried to help - they were thorough and professional. Alas, they could offer no resolution - referring me back to the "Contact Us" section of CharlieOscarDelta.com, where they said it may be feasible to have my Token code reset...or be issued a new one. I was told write them about my conundrum, and perhaps they could help.

I did so, and heard nothing back. This was days ago.

Okay...

So...

I "get" that one accesses the COD 4 Beta by random selection or "invitation" only...and that it's something which is, essentially, a privilege being given to me.

However, when companies such as these ask players / CUSTOMERS to jump through all kinds of hoops...then ask players / customers to be patient even longer (while easily anticipated technical glitches with the registration process are being worked)...don't those companies have some sort of obligation to make a screwed up situation right? At the end of the day, the players who are being given this free download will most likely be consumers of the final product.

In truth, this situation is nothing more than the cyber equivalent of a kid going to the vending machine & having it eat his last quarter. Irritating, but hardly the end of the world. It's not the problem that irks me as much as the effort it took to resolve it...the extreme amount of time required to get nowhere...and the silence that was my only reward for trying to engage a product.

It's irritating to be asked to invest in something (time, money, faith, etc.) and then not have a mechanism for follow-through if all doesn't go exactly as planned the first time. What'll happen if elements of the final game are glitchy upon release? I remember the CALL OF DUTY 2 online debacle vividly. Do you?

What I want to know is: has anyone else out there had difficulties like these with the COD 4 Beta? Does anyone out there have suggestions for how to resolve this dilemma?

Again, I realize we've all got far bigger issues than this to confront. I just thought this could be an interesting little insight into what happens when the gaming process, and a system, goes terribly wrong.