MS Further Extends Warranty on "Red Ring" 360s

[Jarred]

An Open Letter from Peter Moore (http://www.xbox.com/en-US/support/petermooreletter.htm)

We have been following this issue closely, and with on-going testing have identified several factors that can cause a general hardware failure indicated by three flashing red lights on the console. To address this issue, and as part of our ongoing work, we have already made certain improvements to the console.

We are also implementing some important policy changes intended to keep you in the game, worry-free.

As of today, all Xbox 360 consoles are covered by an enhanced warranty program to address specifically the general hardware failures indicated by the three flashing red lights on the console. This applies to new and previously-sold consoles. While we will still have a general one year console warranty (two years in some countries), we are announcing today a three-year warranty that covers any console that displays a three flashing red lights error message. If a customer has an issue indicated by the three flashing red lights, Microsoft will repair the console free of charge—including shipping—for three years from the console’s purchase date. We will also retroactively reimburse any of you who paid for repairs related to problems indicated by this error message in the past.

[Lego]

AKA "Please don't sue us"

[Ender]

Not good enough, when they build a 360 that doesn't break I may pick up another, but not a moment sooner.

[GHardin]

This made my day. I was going to use my check this week on getting an Elite model after seeing some floating around at Best Buys, but now I may as well wait until I get a comfortable amount of money for that. :)

[Jarred]

AKA "Please don't sue us"
Don't think it matters, it's still going to cost them (puts pinky in mouth) 1 Billion Dollars (http://blog.wired.com/games/2007/07/microsoft-set-t.html)!

"[Microsoft via conference call has] said that this is going to represent a $1.05 to $1.15 billion cost-of-sold-goods charge on their Q4 fiscal earnings."

[DustoMan]

Not good enough, when they build a 360 that doesn't break I may pick up another, but not a moment sooner.

So... what did you do with your first one?

[Chacranajxy]

Eh, they still send out refurbs that are pretty much guaranteed to break sooner than your original 360 did so... not much a victory here. Maybe if they said they were going to make the system more reliable I'd care but... they're not. They're acknowledging that they're selling a piece of shit, but they're also saying that they're not planning to stop anytime soon.

[Funkatron]

Eh, they still send out refurbs that are pretty much guaranteed to break sooner than your original 360 did so... not much a victory here. Maybe if they said they were going to make the system more reliable I'd care but... they're not. They're acknowledging that they're selling a piece of shit, but they're also saying that they're not planning to stop anytime soon.


Actually they are: new refurbs have bigger heat sinks, which may sold the red ring problem. no one knows yet, though

[Magus427]

All this does is give me even more of a reason to wait to get one.

-Magus

[Chuplayer]

Maybe if they said they were going to make the system more reliable

They did say they discovered some system flaws or something like that in the "open letter."

[indigo0086]

Not good enough, when they build a 360 that doesn't break I may pick up another, but not a moment sooner.

The newer 360s and those that will be repaired when and if you send it in do not have the problems.

We have been following this issue closely, and with on-going testing have identified several factors that can cause a general hardware failure indicated by three flashing red lights on the console. To address this issue, and as part of our ongoing work, we have already made certain improvements to the console.

[lostnomad84]

Eh, they still send out refurbs that are pretty much guaranteed to break sooner than your original 360 did so... not much a victory here. Maybe if they said they were going to make the system more reliable I'd care but... they're not. They're acknowledging that they're selling a piece of shit, but they're also saying that they're not planning to stop
anytime soon.

Actually they are: new refurbs have bigger heat sinks, which may sold the red ring problem. no one knows yet, though

Not only that, but someone else on the internet thinks some of the problems could be caused by the GPU. The GPU is located under the DVD-Drive and has no ventilation or heatsink on it. So when you add the heat of the DVD-Drive on the GPU, it can make it go out.

If the 360's start to remain fixed through the addition of heat sinks, then I guess the scenario I just mentioned is inaccurate. However, if the heat sinks don't solve the issue, then Microsoft has created possibly the most flawed and popular product it has ever released since Windows.

[Lego]

Wasn't there a big rumor going around that the consoles coming out this Fall would have better chips, be cheaper, and be all around better then their first generation counterparts?

[Ender]

So... what did you do with your first one?


I traded it in to EB. It had two of the three major problems, disk read errors and scratching games, and I wasn't going to sit around and wait for the ring of death to show up.

[Ender]

Don't think it matters, it's still going to cost them (puts pinky in mouth) 1 Billion Dollars (http://blog.wired.com/games/2007/07/microsoft-set-t.html)!

"[Microsoft via conference call has] said that this is going to represent a $1.05 to $1.15 billion cost-of-sold-goods charge on their Q4 fiscal earnings."

So Microsoft claims 10 million consoles sold, with a maximum failure rate of 5%, or 500,000 bad units. The cost to repair these was a billion dollars, which works out to a repair cost of $2,000 per unit. Draw your own conclusions.

[GHardin]

Eh, they still send out refurbs that are pretty much guaranteed to break sooner than your original 360 did so... not much a victory here.
This was the only reason I really refused to pay up for a "repair"; getting a refurb that is bound to break down is just not very sound to me. But since it's not costing me a dime, it'll do until I scrounge the money for an elite model, which is bound to fail as well.... :sd:

[indigo0086]

but someone else on the internet thinks

answered your own questions