Everyday Gamer

Part I

Since GTA IV came out, it would seem like the perfect time to get lots of fun gaming in. After enjoying the game for week after purchasing, my Xbox 360 freezes up on me as I’m driving Niko around in a sweet ride I had just busted into. “What’s this? Dammit, that car took me a good minute to find. No problem I’ll just reset my Xbox. GASP!” After resetting the Xbox I get the obligatory sign that your Xbox is a goner - the three red rings.

After staring at it for several days now I have the unfortunate task of trying to get my 360 repaired by the company that built it (figuratively speaking). Now after reading horror stories and finding tips on dealing with Microsoft customer service… I’m finally ready to give it a try.

Honestly, my currently dead Xbox 360, date of birth: 6/25/06, is not my first - it’s actually the replacement Microsoft sent me for my launch unit, that received the RROD back in July 2007. At that time I had it easy though, having contacts within Microsoft helped with getting my first Xbox shipped out and back within about 10 days; a record in some people’s books. Since I didn’t go through usual means, I didn’t feel it necessary to comment or post publicly about my launch unit dying at that time. This time I can’t use those contacts to “cheat” and get a replacement quicker which is fine, however, this time I will document how easy or not it is to replace $400 worth of hardware. Yes, another RROD story, because honestly, there’s not enough and I should of wrote one the first time regardless of how the 360 got fixed. An interesting story I did come across was Speaker Ender’s of Achieve360points.com and his terrible experience on dealing with Microsoft customer service. I’m not trying to bash Microsoft’s customer service before even trying - it’s just “well known” that they have a few issues at the FIX-MY-XBOX hotline. As for the hardware itself, there’s a 630+ page thread in Xbox.com’s OWN forums of posts of people telling the tales (some good, bad, and plain weird) of their ongoing experiences of getting their Xbox 360’s fixed/replaced.

My main concern is not only about dealing with the customer service but dealing with what will come back to me. Most people expect when something breaks under warranty - you get a new version as a replacement. Yet I’ve read stories of Xbox 360 users getting older units back than what they’ve sent, or what is obviously a refurbished unit. If those units fixed the problem then great - but as you can see from my case and others (some going through more than 10 replaced units) it’s more of a hit or miss. If I can break my $500 iPhone and my $60 warranty automatically gets me a brand new one, wouldn’t you think the same would go for a $400 system where the manufacturer knows the root cause of the system breaking is BECAUSE of them? (And the Apples to Microsofts comparison will end there!) I’m aware some people may not take care of their systems, but I do take care of my consoles since I consider them investments and secondly I build gaming rigs as a hobby so I know a thing or two about keeping systems well ventilated. With that said, I do understand that hardware/computer components can and eventually do fail, but come on, this RROD problem is ridiculous. Also I’m sure most gamers treat their Xboxes with tender care anyway since they never know when it might kick the bucket.

So stay tuned, as I will begin the Xbox 360 repair process later today by following a these helpful tips laid out by The Consumerist. As I said earlier, I’ll document everything and post here to share - whether my experience is great or horrible. It has occurred to me now with the 360 you’re constantly rolling the dice and if I have to do it again in the future, it may not be when the next-gen Xbox/Microsoft console is released. It’s unfortunate since I LOVE the games I own on the 360 and very much enjoy the Xbox Live service and my gold subscription. This second RROD experience will for sure play a part in determining how much longer I will hold out hope (and money) for the 360 and any future Microsoft gaming hardware.

In closing, this is not a bash against Microsoft, just a consumer wanting their product fixed and in working order - and a writer willing to share the experience in hopes it may be of information to others. In the meantime, I guess I’ll have to boot up my PSX, PS2, N64, Sega Saturn and Dreamcast - all original launch units and still ticking. Sorry, couldn’t resist.

Side note - Speaker Ender of Achieve360points.com had his 6th Xbox die the same day as mine! Is it coincidence or an epidemic? Nah, just my paranoia…

[Related Article: Xbox 360 RROD Part II: Out of The Blue]
[Related Article: Xbox 360 RROD Part III: Green Means Go]