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[Emerson]

figured I'd contribute my story. about 2 weeks ago my xbox bit the dust. ring of death and everything. i call microsoft and go through the troubleshooting steps and the lady determines that i need to get my console fixed. so they send me the box, i send it back, and they send me a replacement unit. lo and behold, this one does the exact same shit. so i call microsoft back and the dude tells me that its the power supply. apparently if the power supply light stays yellow when i power on the xbox, it means the power supply is busted. so now im waiting for them to mail me a replacement power supply

thanks microsoft!

Shit, I'd go buy a new one. Not worth the wait/hassle IMO.

Also, WickedLaharl, yes, you are correct.

 

[Surfheart]

Constant head may not cause much of a problem for it, but a fast cooldown should force the solder to crack sooner. Play as normal to heat up the console, then put it in a really cold area. I suppose you could use a fridge or freezer although the moisture probably isn't very good for it (and if it doesn't brick, you have to keep the console). A few minutes should do the trick. Do it a few times or after every session. If it doesn't fail from that, it probably won't. (who am I kidding, it will die eventually one way or another).

In general, game for shorter sessions. The heat>cool>heat>cool cycle and expansion/contraction of metal will cause it to fail sooner.

I'm starting to worry about you mate :lol

 

[AtomicShroom]

I called and they're asking for $160 CDN to fix the thing. No ****ing way.

I told the guy this wasn't going to happen and that I knew all these things were breaking down and I wouldn't settle for less than free fixing.

I also asked to talk to a supervisor and he said he was the current supervisor there (I called the French support, which could be possible), and that there was nothing he could do.

He also said he's leaving the case open and to call back in a few days to see if they could do something. And said thanks for calling and hung up.

MS, I am not happy.

 

[comrade]

what is the process for getting your points refunded so you can play downloaded content offline? i call them (again) once i get what i assume will be a refurb back and they deposit the points in a silver account. is that right?

Yes but it's a hassle. I'm going through that right now and Microsoft told me they'd call me back in 5-10 days. I'm on day 6 with no call.

 

[AtomicShroom]

They offered me 25% off the repair price.

Not good enough MS. Guess again.

 

[bdoughty]

Allow me to quote Freddie Mercury...

Another one bites the dust.

Tried everything but it continues to freeze. Lasted a whopping 5 months, still under warranty but I hate having to wait 20+ days so I will cave and pick up a core unit in the meantime.

 

[OverHeat]

They offered me 25% off the repair price.

Not good enough MS. Guess again.

Ask for Pedro ( he speak french and a supervisor) awesome guy, will do everything to help you out.

 

[Surfheart]

Allow me to quote Freddie Mercury...

Another one bites the dust.

Tried everything but it continues to freeze. Lasted a whopping 5 months, still under warranty but I hate having to wait 20+ days so I will cave and pick up a core unit in the meantime.

Wow, Microsoft has us by the balls.

 

[WickedLaharl]

Yes but it's a hassle. I'm going through that right now and Microsoft told me they'd call me back in 5-10 days. I'm on day 6 with no call.

everything about this ****ing process is a hassle. why can't i just call and have my goddamn points refunded?

guess i should ready a BBB complaint just in case.

 

[AtomicShroom]

Ask for Pedro ( he speak french and a supervisor) awesome guy, will do everything to help you out.

What time is he there? Day? Night?

I was surprised to find out the support is opened on a Sunday night at 10pm. Are they getting so many calls that it's open 24/7?

 

[OverHeat]

around 8 pm EST

 

[bdoughty]

Wow, Microsoft has us by the balls.

They have sports gamers by the balls. I have invested a good sum of money on games, accessories, etc on the 360. Even then the PS3 was a consideration, but after all the talk of all the football games running at lower fps, that idea was nipped in the bud.

Happening near the release of my two most anticipated games (NCAA 08/APF2K8) did no help.

 

[youta]

so I will cave and pick up a core unit in the meantime

I guess it's not that surprising that MS has finally managed to make people
accept the concept of a $300 disposable console. From the company's
perspective it must be an astounding triumph.

 

[Surfheart]

If the PS3 had the software lineup of the 360, I think it would be all over for Microsoft. Either that or they might be doing more to resolve the problems with their hardware.

It's a sad state of affairs Youta, although I'm not so sure owners of dead 360s out in the big wide world are as forgiving as us GAFers...

 

[AtomicShroom]

around 8 pm EST

Alright thanks! I'll keep calling a few times and if they don't cave in, I'll have no choice but to go for the X-clamp fix.

 

[FirstInHell]

I guess it's not that surprising that MS has finally managed to make people
accept the concept of a $300 disposable console. From the company's
perspective it must be an astounding triumph.

Welcome to the club.

 

[PepsimanVsJoe]

Welp this damn thing is dead. Oh well I guess I can survive a month without 360 gaming.

 

[Triz]

My replacement is working but I have gotten a couple Dirty disc errors and a few wierd grafix glitches. My last one had none of these issues. Should I call MS and complain again or is this normal for most refurbs?

 

[WickedLaharl]

Welp this damn thing is dead. Oh well I guess I can survive a month without 360 gaming.

you might snap like i have

My replacement is working but I have gotten a couple Dirty disc errors and a few wierd grafix glitches. My last one had none of these issues. Should I call MS and complain again or is this normal for most refurbs?

better call and get that coffin in route

 

[Speevy]

I actually don't think disc read errors have much to do with the GPU, and I think there are probably far fewer 360s that won't read discs than there are ones that won't turn on period.

 

[Karma Kramer]

Interesting Poll on Gamespot.com

http://www.gamespot.com/

"Has your Xbox 360 failed? "

Nope.(40%)16,766
Yeah, but I got it replaced for free.(14%)6,122
Yes. And I had to pay to get it fixed.(5%)2,340
Yes! Twice!(5%) 2,181
@#$% YES!! More than twice!!!!! (6%) 2,878
Pfft! You think I would actually buy an Xbox 360? (27%)11,309

 

[{Mike}]

Interesting Poll on Gamespot.com

http://www.gamespot.com/

"Has your Xbox 360 failed? "

Nope.(40%)16,766
Yeah, but I got it replaced for free.(14%)6,122
Yes. And I had to pay to get it fixed.(5%)2,340
Yes! Twice!(5%) 2,181
@#$% YES!! More than twice!!!!! (6%) 2,878
Pfft! You think I would actually buy an Xbox 360? (27%)11,309

Obviously sponsored by Microsoft

 

[Rorschach]

Interesting Poll on Gamespot.com

http://www.gamespot.com/

"Has your Xbox 360 failed? "

Nope.(40%)16,766
Yeah, but I got it replaced for free.(14%)6,122
Yes. And I had to pay to get it fixed.(5%)2,340
Yes! Twice!(5%) 2,181
@#$% YES!! More than twice!!!!! (6%) 2,878
Pfft! You think I would actually buy an Xbox 360? (27%)11,309

Going by the numbers on the front page when I clicked it:

13 532 out of 30 313 = 45% failure rate?

Not that these informal polls really amount to anything.

Obviously sponsored by Microsoft

Don't think something sponsored by MS would have so many failing.

 

[DSN2K]

right so Ive just been sent some UPS return label by email, do I need to ring UPS to collect or do they just turn up with the box and what not in a few days.

 

[DenogginizerOS]

My second Premium died last week. I will be without until I get my gift card back from Best Buy for the replacement.

 

[RedNumberFive]

Returned my first failed unit to Game Crazy over the weekend, and got a new, much quieter unit. Now I have to go through the PITA process of getting my MS points refunded to a silver account so my girlfriend can play Uno. Huzzah!

 

[DenogginizerOS]

Returned my first failed unit to Game Crazy over the weekend, and got a new, much quieter unit. Now I have to go through the PITA process of getting my MS points refunded to a silver account so my girlfriend can play Uno. Huzzah!

Actually, you can log on to your account, and then have her sign in as well. She can then start UNO without you and play on your Gold account. I think.

 

[RedNumberFive]

Actually, you can log on to your account, and then have her sign in as well. She can then start UNO without you and play on your Gold account. I think.

Thanks! I'll definetly have to give that a try next time she's over. Still, it's a shame that it is such a pain to recover and use content I PAID FOR. I wish MS would loosen up their DRM a bit to something similar to Sony's model.

 

[DenogginizerOS]

Thanks! I'll definetly have to give that a try next time she's over. Still, it's a shame that it is such a pain to recover and use content I PAID FOR. I wish MS would loosen up their DRM a bit to something similar to Sony's model.

Agreed.

UPDATE: For those who have Best Buy replacement plans, be sure to inquire about the store's policy on exchanges within the first year of coverage. And when you inquire, make sure it is the store manager and not an assistant manager with a bug up his ass. I got burned by my Best Buy last week because I was told that I had to send the system I bought in December to the Product Replacement Center rather than exchange it in the store. Now, I will have Gift Card mailed to me some time in the next 1-3 weeks. They say it takes about 10-15 business days from the time they receive the claim to get your replacement card. So:

1. Expect at least 2-4 weeks between the time you send the system in to the time you get a replacement gift card.

2. Not all stores have the same "exchange it in the store" policy.

3. And even the stores that do in-store exchanges have dickheads who decide to make up their own set of rules.

The good news is that the store manager told me he will "work something out" with me when I eventually get my card. I'll let you know in 2-4 weeks.

 

[Flock]

mine died, i wasn't even that shocked i guess i was expecting it, sad really. I actually bought it off a dude at microsoft so he can replace it, and once he does im just going to sell the new one on ebay, keep the money and wait till microsoft fixes this, (65nm?).

Oh, and if they don't i'll either look into the x-clamp or get a ps3 at price drop.

Right now i can survive, sure its going to be really lame not playing bioshock and blue dragon at release but i'll live. I've got a massive ps2 backlog to play through that could easily hold me for 6 months.

Years from now when the 360 reaches retro status i can see gamers looking back on the 360 and wondering why we put up with that shit, reminiscing on this whole issue as one the most retarded things to happen in the industry.

Own up microsoft and fix this or im pretty sure you see about 0 early adopters on your 720's.:lol

 

[MikeB]

Researched article on XBox 360 failures amongst retailers:
http://www.dailytech.com/article.aspx?newsid=7892

So 33% failure rate currently at EB Games, but in what timeframe exactly? 6 months or 1 year? As the console has been available longer than that I think it's not strange we see higher figures in polls.

We had 35 Xbox 360s at launch I know more than half of them broke within the first six months (red lights or making circles under the game discs). Two of them were dead on arrival.

So that's at least more than 57% failure rate in 6 months for launch units for them, so it would be interesting to know how many were still alive after just 1 year.

Needless to say that's an extra-oridnary high figure!

One often overlooked factor when considering a console purchase is reliability, an area that is becoming apparent where the Xbox 360 falls short.

Most other console systems have a failure rate of less than one percent, including the PlayStation 3

 

[Emerson]

Well my system arrived three hours ago. It's indeed a refurb, and I haven't been able to tell if it's got a second heatsink. It does run quieter and cooler than my old one, significantly. After 3 hours of Darkness it was only mildly warm.

Hope it stays this way.

 

[Malleymal]

Alright... since mine is dead and this post is sooo large, what do i need to do to start this process, I dont have a best buy warranty or anything, ust bought it from Circuit city back in the beginning... let me know what I need to do.. thanks

 

[Matrix]

Well my system arrived three hours ago. It's indeed a refurb, and I haven't been able to tell if it's got a second heatsink. It does run quieter and cooler than my old one, significantly. After 3 hours of Darkness it was only mildly warm.

Hope it stays this way.

Did your serial number change on the service website before you got it ? My serial number is still the same so I figure im getting my old one back *hoping they put a 2nd heatsink in*

Malley...

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/907534

http://www.xbox.com/en-US/support/contact/

Call them up and get your coffin

 

[Rorschach]

Alright... since mine is dead and this post is sooo large, what do i need to do to start this process, I dont have a best buy warranty or anything, ust bought it from Circuit city back in the beginning... let me know what I need to do.. thanks

Is it red ringed? Just call 1-800-4my-xbox. There will be an automated system that will guide you through to a live person. Red rings is its own category, so they'll know what you have. They'll take down your info (make sure to have your serial number handy) and then ask you some questions like "did you try resetting it before calling :B" Then, after they have gone through the inane troubleshooting, they'll tell you they're gonna ship you out a coffin and they'll give you a reference number. After that, all you need to do is wait.

Oh, before you call, though..make sure it's not the power supply. Make sure it turns green.

 

[MetalleR]

Ok, just my 2 cents.

My launch Xbox stopped working about 1 month ago. Freezing screens, 3 red leds and such things. Sent it to the Xbox service, got it back in about 20 working days. A "replacement one", said the received.

Tried it for 20 f***ing minutes, it stopped working again. Now, if I call the assistance, it says that they "are experiencing some difficulties" (i.e.: the factory that quit repairing systems, saying it was a lost battle) and so the repairing times are about 25 working days.

Guys, I love the console but really the hardware is made of sh*t.

 

[llTll]

Ok, just my 2 cents.

My launch Xbox stopped working about 1 month ago. Freezing screens, 3 red leds and such things. Sent it to the Xbox service, got it back in about 20 working days. A "replacement one", said the received.

Tried it for 20 f***ing minutes, it stopped working again. Now, if I call the assistance, it says that they "are experiencing some difficulties" (i.e.: the factory that quit repairing systems, saying it was a lost battle) and so the repairing times are about 25 working days.

Guys, I love the console but really the hardware is made of sh*t.

everytime i see this thread. i remember my 2 dead xbox 360. and just try to leave this thread calm as much as i can, wondering when sony will get thier shit together with the exclusive games and good price for the market so i can never look again at MS product.

but problem is, as a gamer, i enjoy playing games. and i like to have a console with healthy sales to insure good games coming in the future that i dont know of. so i am forced to look at the 360. but i aint buying another one till they fix it.

now the heat sink fix is good. it probably fixed the console. but i do have a question. if i go to a store. how do i know the conole has 2 heat sinks or not? i can let my friend in US import a system for me. but not till i know its 2 heat sink console, i am not going to come close to it.

 

[Triz]

My replacement is working but I have gotten a couple Dirty disc errors and a few wierd grafix glitches. My last one had none of these issues. Should I call MS and complain again or is this normal for most refurbs?

update: I called MS and escaleted up the chain. Another coffin on the way with a Free Wireless controller. Not happy at all about losing console 2 for another month.

 

[Fletcher]

I just received my new(?) 360 in the mail. It is much much quieter than my last two and it was asking me to set my 360 up when I first turned it on, something that it didn't ask me last time. I'm hoping they just sent me a new one with a new heatsink.

 

[Malleymal]

thanks matrix and rors......

questiion though,.. am I going to have to pay 140 to get this fixed??? I am on hold and giving hell to the guy on the phone.. but ultimately will i have to pay?

 

[Fletcher]

Probably.

 

[Matrix]

thanks matrix and rors......

questiion though,.. am I going to have to pay 140 to get this fixed??? I am on hold and giving hell to the guy on the phone.. but ultimately will i have to pay?

If you didnt buy a 2 year warranty with MS and its out of warranty,then sadly yes

I payed the $50 for the extended warranty when I bought my launch unit cause I didnt trust MS after having the original xbox die on me.

edit- just checked my ups tracking info,thanks to the 4th of July I wont get the system till Friday the 6th From June 8th to July 6th without a working console,awful.It does seem it took them 9 business days to fix my console.It's all the shipping and weekends that make this take sooooo long.

Atleast I know its on its way,just hope it works.

 

[Rorschach]

thanks matrix and rors......

questiion though,.. am I going to have to pay 140 to get this fixed??? I am on hold and giving hell to the guy on the phone.. but ultimately will i have to pay?

Sometimes you don't if you don't mention anything...my 1 year started the first time I filed a claim, but other people have had to pay. 140 is a steep price for something that's probably gonna break again. ><

 

[AVclub]

Found this on another board and it made me think of this thread:

 

[PepsimanVsJoe]

Found this on another board and it made me think of this thread

Sweet a Samurai Warriors 2 gamerpic.

 

[jedimike]

thanks matrix and rors......

questiion though,.. am I going to have to pay 140 to get this fixed??? I am on hold and giving hell to the guy on the phone.. but ultimately will i have to pay?

I don't know if this will catch you in time, but if they do make you pay you can "haggle" them down to 50% off repair fees.

 

[bdoughty]

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You know, maybe that image (and filename http://maint.ign.com/txb/txb_broken.jpg) at TXB was not such a good choice.

 

[Phthisis]

Here's an idea: instead of sending borked 360 units to the repair center when they fail, send them to the corporate HQ in Redmond. If you could get enough people to mail the 360s, they'd pile up; it would send a pretty clear message, and mainstream news outlets would be all over it. It'd be pretty tough not to respond when there are a couple million boxes stacking up in Todd Holmdahl or Peter Moore's office.

Microsoft Corporation
One Microsoft Way
Redmond, WA 98052-6399

 

[charlagame]

My Launch unit died last night. wont output video, only audio.
and to top it off they were having scheduled maintenence on thier end and couldn't process my claim. so no w i gotta call them back to get my coffin.
i thought i was a lucky one with a sturdy launch unit, guess not.

 

[ZombieSupaStar]

My second Premium died last week. I will be without until I get my gift card back from Best Buy for the replacement.

how does best buys warranty work on 360s now I heard they changed it?

like you no longer take it to the store but mail it in and they send back the credit?