Microsoft Xbox 360 Customer Support & Repairs

...was dubious of using the Microsoft service. There always appears to be a premium price paid for 'official' services. So I decided to read a few articles on the internet to see if there was anything that I could do to repair it myself.

Naturally, I found plenty of websites offering a similar (but unofficial) repair service but also several do-it-yourself articles. Well, it seemed a little too technical for me and I had also read that ...
...==Extended manufacturer's warranty==
When Microsoft released the Xbox 360 back in late 2005, it was plagued by failing machines. The faulty Xbox 360s came flooding back to Microsoft, along with the negative publicity. What I hadn't known was that Microsoft subsequently extended the manufacturer's warranty of all Xbox 360s from the standard one year to three years. This meant that any repair due to a general hardware failure (related to the ... more

A stroke of bad luck. It happened at the start of a weekend and my nephew had come over to visit. At 10 years old, he is already a seasoned gamer and, after some practice, I was planning to finally win at a console game against him. What I hadn't suspected was that, after two and a half years of occasional gaming, my Xbox 360 console decided to wave the white flag and surrender to the dreaded "Red Ring of Death".

Red Ring of Death?

It's a rather ominous term relating to the three red lights that flash on the front of an Xbox 360 when it appears to have a hardware problem. Also known as a general hardware failure, the console will no longer work until repaired or replaced. Although, it did occur to me that perhaps my Xbox 360 was embarrassed by my lack of gaming skills and 'playing dead' was a rather drastic way of avoiding shame.

Please come back to life

I went onto the Xbox website and found a troubleshooting guide (details at the end of the review) to determine if it was only a temporary or minor fault and whether I could resolve the problem myself. No such luck. This machine needed technical surgery. My next thought was how much this was going to cost me. Could I do it for free? Or maybe just cheaply?

Hmm... 'official' service

Having a relatively pessimistic view of repair services in general (I've been ripped off in the past), I was dubious of using the Microsoft service. There always appears to be a premium price paid for 'official' services. So I decided to read a few articles on the internet to see if there was anything that I could do to repair it myself.

Naturally, I found plenty of websites offering a similar (but unofficial) repair service but also several do-it-yourself articles. Well, it seemed a little too technical for me and I had also read that opening the console will invalidate any manufacturer's warranty. Although, at the time I was pretty sure my warranty had run out.

How much? Ouch!

I hadn't yet seen the process for Microsoft, so I reluctantly logged onto the official Xbox website. On the front page, I clicked on support link and then clicked on the repair service. As I continued I came to find that, without a warranty, it would cost just over £50 to have the console picked up, repaired and sent back to me. That is effectively a third of the cost of a new console. *Shudder*

Extended manufacturer's warranty

When Microsoft released the Xbox 360 back in late 2005, it was plagued by failing machines. The faulty Xbox 360s came flooding back to Microsoft, along with the negative publicity. What I hadn't known was that Microsoft subsequently extended the manufacturer's warranty of all Xbox 360s from the standard one year to three years. This meant that any repair due to a general hardware failure (related to the "Red Ring of Death") during that extended period would fall within the warranty and be free of charge.

Although, I wasn't fully aware that this was the case until I finally threw caution to the wind and registered my console for repair on the official Xbox website. The web pages confirmed that, because I was within the third year of my extended warranty, the repair service would be free. Cue my relief and closing of wallet (the poor moths could go back to darkness).

If you don't have regular access to the web or you prefer to speak to people on the phone, I understand that you can call Microsoft to order the repair. I've included the contact details at the end of this review. I believe they post you the details. Although, having read other people's experiences, I suspect that the call centre route may not be as easy as the online option that I took.

I received an email from Microsoft confirming the order for repair. As they have a contract with package delivery company UPS to courier the Xbox 360s to and from customers, the email included a link to a personalised shipping label with instructions and a corresponding receipt. I needed to print both the shipping label and the receipt. Fortunately, I have a printer available which is convenient. Although, if I hadn't, I could have asked a friend or headed down to my library to print out copies.

Getting the console ready for collection

I called UPS on the phone number provided in the email and arranged for my Xbox 360 to be collected. I was surprised to be told that they would pick it up later that very same day.

I boxed up the console and protected it with bubble wrap. Although, I am sure that newspaper or plastic bags would suffice. You only have to send back the main unit, so I removed the hard drive from the top of the console (it is easily removed by a clip). After sealing the box, I attached the shipping label to the outside. So that the shipping label doesn't get ripped, it's advised that you put it in a protective pouch. We didn't have any, so I took an A4 plastic wallet and folded it in half, put the label inside this makeshift pouch and taped it to the box so that it wouldn't fall off in transit.

When the UPS bloke arrived to pick up my faulty Xbox 360, he scanned the barcode on the shipping label and signed my receipt, confidently claiming that I could expect my console back within two weeks.

Tracking the delivery

The receipt has a tracking code that you can view on the UPS Website. This enables you to trace the delivery of the package to its destination. The Xbox 360 travels over to Frankfurt in Germany to be repaired or replaced.

Out of curiosity, I checked the UPS tracking code two days later and was pleased to read that my console had made it to Frankfurt. The following day, I received an email from Microsoft confirming that my Xbox 360 was on its way back to me and to allow up to 7 days for delivery. The email provided me with a new UPS tracking code and a reference for the repair so I could check it on the Xbox website too.

Welcome back! You were missed!

I finally received my Xbox 360 back a week later. The UPS delivery man said that he could imagine that my kids would be pleased. I couldn't bear to tell him that *cough* I am the kid.

I opened the delivered box to find my repaired Xbox 360, a letter, a one month free subscription to Xbox Live service and a one-page survey with a Freepost envelope.

The letter apologised for the fault and referred to a tick-box list of possible reasons for the fault. However, I was no wiser as to the fault because none of the boxes had been ticked! The one-month free subscription to Xbox Live was offered as a thank you for my continued custom. This was a nice gesture, although I do have reservations about the Xbox Live service, particularly considering that Playstation owners can use Sony's online service for free.

The survey referred to the Microsoft call centre. As I never used them in the process I couldn't comment. It also asked what I thought of the service, was it better than I expected, etc. I completed it and sent it back in the Freepost envelope.

I clipped the hard drive back into place on top of my console, plugged it in, switched it on and was pleased to find that my Xbox 360 worked again. I could tell from the serial number on the machine that it had been repaired and was not a replacement.

Conclusion

I must admit that I have discovered a mix of opinions on Microsoft's customer service. However, from my personal experience, the service was very good. It was efficient: the turnaround was less than two weeks for me. The service was better than I had expected. Although, I think it was an advantage that I didn't have to use the Microsoft call centre. Judging by others, I would suggest trying to use the service online like I did. Avoid the phone calls if you can (apart from the one for UPS collection, of course). I know this isn't always possible so best of luck if you can't.

Even though I was pleased about the extended warranty I feel that it wasn't made very clear that it had been extended. As far as I am aware, Microsoft never contacted customers to let them know about the extended warranty. I wonder how many customers assumed, like I did, that if the console is more than a year old you'd expect to have to pay for repair. Or pay for an extended warranty.

The main disappointment for me was that I had to use the service in the first place. I've owned a few consoles in my lifetime, most were used a lot more than my Xbox 360, but I have never needed them to be repaired before. Still, it was a minor inconvenience. Perhaps I've been lucky in the past. I just hope it doesn't happen again because my extended warranty runs out soon. I may not be so positive if I had to pay the £50 or so to get it repaired again.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to get some practice in before my nephew pops round...

Other details

Official website (UK): http://www.xbox.com/en-GB
Troubleshooting guide: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/907534
Assistance by phone (UK): 0800 587 1102 or +44 20 7365 9792 from a mobile phone.
Hearing Impaired (TTY device): 0800 587 1103.
Hours of operation: Mon-Fri, 09:00-22:00; Sat, 09:00-20:00; Sun, 09:00-17:00.

Thanks for reading.

© tumblewheel, 2008.
 

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