Two Dead Xbox 360 Batteries!

Into every life a little product failure must fall. I've had extraordinary luck with more consumer electronics products in recent years, but my time just ran out. In the past couple of days, I've noticed that one of my wireless controllers wasn't working. Assuming it was dead, I connected it to the cable from the Play 'n' Charge kit, and while I could use the controller, the red light indicating that the battery was charging would not come on. I let it sit for a couple of days, occasionally trying other things (swapped the battery for one in the working controller, and eventually traced the problem to the battery itself.

When I called Microsoft, I spoke to a gal whom I assume was in India, because she had an accent that I couldn't understand, and she sounded like she was mostly reading from a script. I had brought the battery with me to work, but apparently forgot to bring the serial number from my Xbox, which is a rookie mistake (I used to have to deal with that all the time when working support). No sweat, went home after work and called back. Then it all went downhill.

I got another Indian, this time a gentleman who was far less familiar with his script and how to talk around it than the first gal. After thoroughly describing the problem for him (and realizing immediately that I'd just wasted five minutes), I gave him all of my information so that he could register my Xbox 360, something I thought I'd already done. This involved giving him my name, address, and phone number. Then he was ready to try and help me with my problem. I capitulated, letting him walk me through his troubleshooting script (after being put on hold twice while he "consulted his resources", code for "I have no idea what I'm doing because I haven't been taught how to truly troubleshoot yet"). Finally, he recognized that the battery was defective, having reached the end of his flow chart ... er, troubleshooting. He said he'd be happy to arrange for a replacement, if I would just provide my name, address, and telephone number. AGAIN?

I proceeded to give him my details again, if only because I knew complaining about it would prolong the agony. He said that I'd need to send back the original battery, to which I replied, "Not a problem, it's not doing me any good anyway." He laughed, indicating that he was capable of going off-script when it strikes his fancy. I hung up and proceeded to play some Texas Hold 'Em. I set aside the bad battery, and played for a bit. The flashing Ring of Light on the controller tells me in a delightful coincidence that I need to charge my battery, so I hook up the Play 'n' Charge cable. I got bored, put in some Ninety-Nine Nights (I'm determined to get all those achievement points), and noticed that it wouldn't let me press the Start button to play with a newly unlocked character. Actually, I can't seem to hit the Start button at all. In fact, now the red light on the Play 'n' Charge cable is no longer lit. Oh crap, not again!

It now occurs to me that I have one of several possible problems:

1. A defective controller.
2. A defective Play 'n' Charge cable.
3. Defective front USB ports.

The problem also appears to be fairly severe as it's capable of killing batteries, which could end up an expensive proposition. I don't want to have my Xbox replaced as I've heard horror stories of people having to repurchase all of their Xbox Live Arcade games. The problem also seems to be intermittent, as the controller and "good" battery are currently hooked up and charging normally, but who knows how long this might last.

Has anyone else had problems with their batteries or Xbox Support?

Technorati tags: Microsoft, Xbox 360, Support