Microsoft announces 3 year warranty for issues involving 3 red lights (Red Ring of Death).
http://www.xbox.com/en-US/support/petermooreletter.htm
Other issues it sounds like will still be only covered under the standard one year warranty.
Microsoft announces 3 year warranty for issues involving 3 red lights (Red Ring of Death).
http://www.xbox.com/en-US/support/petermooreletter.htm
Other issues it sounds like will still be only covered under the standard one year warranty.
Even I, the world's biggest MiCrOsOFT HaTerZ, am impressed.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. In doing so, Microsoft stands behind its products and takes responsibility to ensure that every Xbox 360 console owner continues to have a fantastic gaming experience.
(Mr. "Things Break" can't be too happy about it, though!)
Wow, nice move. As an owner of a still functioning launch console (knock on wood) I actually feel some relief over this news.
For instance, for all 360s shipped from this day forward, the red LEDs will be removed from the ring.To address this issue, and as part of our ongoing work, we have already made certain improvements to the console.
PS3 $200 price drop in 3....2......1.!
So they're admitting that it's unfixable? Essentially, that's what they're saying. It can't be fixed so we'll cover the cost of you mailing in your console over and over again.
Thank god I haven't sent in my dead launch system. They wanted $140 to fix the RROD, so I just borrowed a spare from work. Woohoo!
Whatever they are really saying, it's a damn good step by them, imho.
I didn't think anyone could put such a negative spin on that, but hey, congrats!Originally Posted by EpicBoy
Yay for Microsoft. Retroactive reimbursement FTW. Don't own a 360 yet, but this could score big points with the "wait and see" category of perspective purchasers.
So does that 3-year dealie reset each time you send the thing in?
You could also see it as a stall while they wait to get the 65nm process out and the replace everyone's box with the new one.
Three years from launch sounds like a timetable for that sort of thing.
Not unfixable, but that there are a lot of consoles already out in the field that have a good chance of failing.
Edit: And it's too bad they don't say what the exact problems they've found are. I'm curious just from a technical standpoint.
If it's not Mac related, Mr. EpicBoy is quite cranky.
A three-year warranty is pretty much unheard of, so this is as close to an admission of guilt as we're probably ever going to get.
Sure would be nice to have them explain why they had to do this and what the specific issue is, but either way this is a very good thing.
I might even buy some more stuff from Xbox Live in the future knowing I can at least send this unit in to be fixed without paying $140.
I wonder how it works on repaired systems? Do you get 3 years from the repair date or 3 years from purchase?
This is as good as we're going to get, I think:
EDIT: Also, Moore's letter admits the changes being made to the existing design to prevent this.
Not really. I mean, I think it's great that they're stepping up and taking care of their customers on this but it DOES mean they've decided that it's easier/cheaper to keep replacing consoles than it is to actually fix the problem.If it's not Mac related, Mr. EpicBoy is quite cranky.
I think this buys them time to get to the 45-nm refresh which will definitely finally run cool. So, EpicBoy, it doesn't mean they won't eventually finally fix the problem. It just means they're admitting it may take them a long time to nail it. But it's a total given that if they can fix the problem, they will, because Microsoft Loves Profit and Extended Warranties Hate Profit therefore Microsoft Hates Extended Warranties.
The only thing Microsoft hates more than extended warranties is class action lawsuits, which is why they've executed this preemptive strike.
Seriously, that fucking rocks. I'll be calling them up tomorrow to make damn sure this applies to me. (They still have my box in the shop, which is fine because hopefully they're fixing it PROPERLY.)
Also:
What are the chances they were considering this when they set the price for the XBox Elite?
Wow, MSFT is taking a $1.05 to $1.15 billion charge against their second quarter earnings to account for this.
Seriously. Nice. MS is doing a lot of good work this generation.
Dunno, but here's a prediction: if Sony doesn't drop the PS3 price at all this year or enough (at least $100) MS won't drop the 360 price this year either.
Eh? If you read the link it says they're addressing problems. It's probably a design issue that can't be shored up without fundamental changes in the console design, and at that point it is cheaper to wait for that redesign until the 65nm chips are available too and just guarantee customers that if they purchase now they'll be cared for. Retooling a production line isn't precisely cheap.
Yeah, I was sure MS would drop the price this generation, but after a $1+ billion charge against earnings, I'm no longer so sure. I'd expect them to make absolutely dead fucking positive they've fixed the fundamental RROD design flaw before they drop the price and increase their ship volume even more. Otherwise they're just deepening the warranty hole they've dug themselves into.
So, maybe they'll drop this year in time for Halo 3, but only if the 65nm redesign is ready AND rock solid reliable.
Edit: I meant "drop the price this YEAR", not "this generation". Duh, sorry.
Last edited by RepoMan; 07-05-2007 at 04:16 PM.
This is an excellent move by MS, but I sorta have to agree with EpicBoy. I'm really glad I'm covered for any repairs I might need, but that's not really the problem. The problem is that I need to get repairs in the first place. I really hope they're seriously looking into just why all these damn things are failing so much.
Still, good on them.
Color me surprised and impressed. I guess this is almost as good (ok maybe better) as getting a straight answer. I guess they are putting their money where their mouth isn't?
You mean 65-nm refresh. 45nm would really be something!
It's pretty hard to spin this as anything other than an impressive customer service move. I think they have found a way to keep them from red-ringing so often, but there are so many in homes now and so many in stores that don't incorporate those changes - consoles that may well red-ring nine months from now or whatever, that they want to blanket cover all those problems.
My guess is that the heat-causing-motherboard-flexing issue is the most frequent cause. It's true that the RR errors can come from a variety of factors, but I'm willing to bet that the vast majority of them stem from one particular core issue.
I'm particularly impressed with the whole open letter from Peter Moore bit. Other companies, if they did something like this at all, would issue a press release and maybe an exec would comment on it in some future interview. Even in today's "all the game companies are blogging" world, the most direct mia culpa we'd be likely to get is from a lower-level exec or official PR person or something.
To have the Corporate VP come out there with a letter that has his name on it and say, quite literally, "frankly, we've not been doing a good enough job" impresses me. I mean, you and I know they are aware of their unacceptable performance with 360 reliability. Heads have probably rolled over it. It's this public admission in a direct letter from a real higher-up that I like. Not as much as I would like it if the 360 didn't have the high failure rate to begin with, but still...
(of course, I'm still on my first-shipment launch console that has never done anything more than freeze up on me a few times playing Oblivion)
Ok, that's not the "we'll give you a new crash proof model for free in exchange of your current console and a free blowjob" I was expecting but it is quite nice. I can breathe when I turn on my 360 now. I mean, if the warranty extension also concerns Europe...
More likely the opposite. I think they'd be hesitant to instate such an open-ended and potentially costly program unless they were relatively sure that they have the problem licked, at least going forward. Supporting a three-year warranty on a console as failure-prone as the 360 would go from being "costly" to being "a black hole for money" if the 360 install base were to double or triple over the next year.
I'm not disagreeing with that. But how realistic would have full recall have been not even regarding the Live issues? Plus a full redesign of the console. That's batshit insane unless your product eats little babies.
This seems a good compromise to me.
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