View Full Version : Calling all XBox 360 owners. I'm very worried!!!!
My 12 year old DS wants one of these for xmas so I've been doing a bit of research. Sounds like a great console but after reading posts on the Play.com forums I am a bit worried about purchasing one.
A lot of users on there have been complaining about their 360s breaking down (some within days of purchasing) and having to send them off to Microsoft to have them repaired. Apparently there are 3 red lights, which when they all light up together means that your console has gone on the blink!!!!! :confused2 Some users have said that they have had to have theirs mended 3 or 4 times.
Has anyone else had this problem? It may be a brilliant machine but what's the use in getting one if it's going to spend a lot of its time back at the workshop? :(
Well, DH has been after one for ages and ours arrived today from Play. He thought that it was the early ones that there had been problems with. I'd perhaps hang fire before ordering one as I think the prices are fluctuating a lot. DH's was £199.99 the other day but it's up to £249.99 now on Play.
It's called the RROD "Red Ring Of Death" and yes, a lot of consoles have had this problem and it's caused by over-heating. However, you'll find that people like to complain when their £300 toy goes kapput ... the majority who's consoles have not broken down don't post about it!
I'd recommend a Wii myself but if your heart is set on a 360 then please make sure it's used in a well ventilated area and not stacked on top / under / next to other heat sources. It's also worth investing in an extra fan like these (http://www.amazon.com/tag/360%20fan) to keep the console cooler.
The cooler you keep any PC / console the longer they'll last.
We bought our son's console from Game and that died on him after a few months. Took the receipt and console back to Game and they exchanged for a new one and touch wood this one has been fine. I do recall reading in the paper a while ago that Microsoft are aware of the problem and have extended the exchange/warranty to 3 years instead of one, I did mean to keep the article but forgot!
mariechez
9 Oct 07, 06:59 AM
We bought our son's console from Game and that died on him after a few months. Took the receipt and console back to Game and they exchanged for a new one and touch wood this one has been fine. I do recall reading in the paper a while ago that Microsoft are aware of the problem and have extended the exchange/warranty to 3 years instead of one, I did mean to keep the article but forgot!
This is true so buy and dont worry. We have the fan and its fine.Not many items come with a 3 year warranty ;) ;) ;)
erniebert1
9 Oct 07, 08:08 AM
Its going to cost Microsoft over 1 billion dollars but however old your 360 is you will get a 3 year warranty, the last 2 years will only cover the red lights of death.
Had my 360 nearly a year and not had a single problem to date.
PS3 are expensive and overated.
Wii don't get me wrong are good family fun machines, but graphically & for gameplay they are miles away from the 360 and the list of new games arriving on the 360 soon look fantastic.
If you do buy one although it might cost slightly more you could get it from a retail shop rather than online as if you should get any problems you can walk in with your receipt and swap it straight away :-)
igoefamily
9 Oct 07, 08:13 AM
My son has a 360 he got it last xmas. It died a death in April and had to be returned to Microsoft. There service was excellant they sent a courier to the house to collect it and bring it back. He had a brand new console within 6 days and so far touch wood he has had no problems with the new one. He uses it every single day in life and really does rate it highly.
we have had ours since beg of yr and not had any problem
Little Monkey
9 Oct 07, 08:32 AM
I have been keeping an eye on posts re Xbox360 as this is what DS wants for xmas and we have agreed that we will give him money towards one....I understand from his friends who have these that providing you buy the extra ventalation kit to plug in - the machine seems to be ok....but I have been a little concerned about it breaking down.
BCKloon
9 Oct 07, 08:36 AM
My one is a launch model and is played with alot and never had any problems...
Dont leave it on a carpet and make sure you have an air gap around the console (ie dont place it on or under any other equipment)and you wont have any problems.
Kryten59
9 Oct 07, 09:10 AM
don't let it put you off purchasing one. Microsoft extended the warranty to three years and if it did go faulty it wouldn't cost you anything.
My replacement's been fine for months now...just make sure you keep it well ventelated...i.e. not in a tv cabinet if you can help it...to keep the heat down to a minimum and the air circulating.
Jaybeez
9 Oct 07, 09:18 AM
My brothers' XBox 360 is 18 months old & has just died from the 'Red Ring of Death'. It has never been on the carpet & is kept in a well ventilated area.
Have been in touch with Microsoft & they are fixing it, the collection was even arranged for a time that was convienient for him. Their customer service has been great, but I think that is ridiculous that Microsoft sold them with this fault.
I bought DH one last christmas and never had a problem with it
works great so I wouldn't hesitate in recommending anyone to
buy one :thumbs-up
summertime85
9 Oct 07, 09:43 AM
This is great advice, thanks. :thumbs-up We're thinking of buying our boys a 360 for Xmas as our original Xbox is on it's last legs. I'm pleased to hear Microsoft's customer service is good, it's probably worth taking the risk if they'll honour any problems.
Starfish86
9 Oct 07, 10:21 AM
My boyfriend has had his for a couple of years now, and there have been no problems :)
Helen uk
9 Oct 07, 10:48 AM
My ds has one thats away for repair for that problem at the moment.
When the driver came to pick it up he said they are collecting more 360s than anything else and some person on his round has had his back and forth 5 times.
Ds is hoping to get it back soon but ive also been told on another forum it can take up to 5months as they sometimes send them somewhere else.
Apart from that he loves his. :wavey:
Edited to say He got on launch date as we pre ordered so its under 2 yrs old.
wazzimama
9 Oct 07, 11:14 AM
we've had ours since they came out and have never had a problem. the prices are all over the place at the minute so i'd search for the best prices
Laydee_J
9 Oct 07, 11:16 AM
My oldest son got his on the launch date and we bought my youngest son his one last Christmas.
Never had any problems with either of them.
Griff_389
10 Oct 07, 02:00 PM
Don't forget though, the extended 3 year warranty is ONLY on the three red ring of death hardware error. Everything else is the standard one year.
The new ones have slightly different hardware and are supposed to run cooler so shouldn't have any problems.
Oh, don't buy these 3rd party addon fans either. They can have issues melting onto the back of the Xbox and then your warranty is truly worthless.
More info:
http://www.xbox.com/en-GB/support/petermooreletter.htm
ccarcher
10 Oct 07, 02:02 PM
You may well find prices are cut soon, especially have Sony have quite cleverly just dropped the price of the PS3 by introducing a newer smaller hard driver model, as well as cutting the price of the existing model
You may well find prices are cut soon, especially have Sony have quite cleverly just dropped the price of the PS3 by introducing a newer smaller hard driver model, as well as cutting the price of the existing modelThe may be a 360 price cut but the words "Sony" and "Cleverly" shouldn't co-exist in the same page, let alone sentence! The 'price cut' PS3 has a 40gb hard drive, reduced USB ports and they've removed ay way of you playing PS2 games. It's a turkey! if you're going to buy a PS3 it would still be better to go for the "full fat" 60gb version with emulation and full complement of ports ... in fact Virgin are offering some decent deals now on the 60gb version. Sony really don't have a clue when it comes to value and keeping their once loyal European fan base happy.
But ... the 360 might be cheaper before Christmas but not that much cheaper than it is now.
ccarcher
10 Oct 07, 02:25 PM
The may be a 360 price cut but the words "Sony" and "Cleverly" shouldn't co-exist in the same page, let alone sentence! The 'price cut' PS3 has a 40gb hard drive, reduced USB ports and they've removed ay way of you playing PS2 games. It's a turkey! if you're going to buy a PS3 it would still be better to go for the "full fat" 60gb version with emulation and full complement of ports ... in fact Virgin are offering some decent deals now on the 60gb version. Sony really don't have a clue when it comes to value and keeping their once loyal European fan base happy.
But ... the 360 might be cheaper before Christmas but not that much cheaper than it is now.
Who really ever goes back and plays their older generation game when theres a new model available ??
Sony may well equal rip off, adb yes the cut price PS3 is a dumbed down version but still ps3 with blue ray
and as the original is also cheaper its a now a very good buy
and if you go for an xbox with all the extras to make it an almost identical PS3 spec then the price is even more favourable
always makes me laugh how people go on about xbox360 being so much cheaper than a PS3 but when you compare like for like theres not much in it
Matt Charlton
10 Oct 07, 03:01 PM
I bought mine in April 06, it died earlier this year, sent it back and had a new model sent to me within 7 days.
There have been quite a lot of problems but MS have held their hands up and said yeah we know, sorry, heres a replacement. The newer revisions are much better than the older models so problems are found and fixed as they go.
I have all three consoles (360, wii, ps3), the 360 is the best out of the three for me, I'd get rid of the PS3 if I didn't have a couple of Blu Ray films.
This is such a coincedence to see this post today. Last night my sons 360 broke down with the red ring of lights. I bought it for him Nov 30th last year from Blockbusters. I was going to take it back there today but i see that some people have sent theirs back to the manufactor , so what would be the best way for me to do this ?? help
Matt Charlton
10 Oct 07, 03:18 PM
Blockbusters might not take it back because its been over a few months.
Give the branch a ring and ask them if they will swap it - otherwise they will just send it to MS on your behalf and it takes longer.
Theres a phone number you ring and arrange courier collection of your 360.
Who really ever goes back and plays their older generation game when theres a new model available ??I've got two words for you. "Guitar" and "Hero".
Nuff said.
ccarcher
10 Oct 07, 03:55 PM
I've got two words for you. "Guitar" and "Hero".
Nuff said.
Each to their own :zzz:
burkie
10 Oct 07, 04:14 PM
My DS bought her DS one in May and it had the 'ring of death' last week. She contacted Game and because she still had the receipt they exchanged it for her no problem, if she hadn't got the receipt it would have had to go back to MS. Unfortunately, the new one broke within a couple of days (I think she said it was the power pack), Game exchanged it again, then the next one broke, all in the space of a week. She now has a credit note until she decides what to do.
Sharon
Enteralterego
10 Oct 07, 04:21 PM
My 12 year old DS wants one of these for xmas so I've been doing a bit of research. Sounds like a great console but after reading posts on the Play.com forums I am a bit worried about purchasing one.
A lot of users on there have been complaining about their 360s breaking down (some within days of purchasing) and having to send them off to Microsoft to have them repaired. Apparently there are 3 red lights, which when they all light up together means that your console has gone on the blink!!!!! :confused2 Some users have said that they have had to have theirs mended 3 or 4 times.
Has anyone else had this problem? It may be a brilliant machine but what's the use in getting one if it's going to spend a lot of its time back at the workshop? :(
Ive had mine just abotu a year now and no 3 red lights of doom, But two people here at work experienced them and also a few other lads I know to, Microsoft do seem to replace them within a month if the prob does crop up and rumour is now they just send you a new console out
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