The Green Ring of Life - My experience with an Xbox 360

Read about GDN's experiences when its Xbox 360 went all red and angry. The Green Ring of Life article takes a wry look at Microsoft's response to this systemic design flaw, and judges it on the service it received when trying to bring the ol' Ecks Bawks back to life.
Is this your experience of Microsoft's extended warranty, too?

Perhaps we’re just so used to being ripped off, put down and ignored by the mega-corporations that when one of them suddenly and inexplicably demonstrates an apparently genuine sentiment of professional pride rather than corporate greed, it’s just too inconceivable for us to believe.

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198	New Xbox 360 experience could have web browser! (23) September 29, 2008
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161	New Xbox Experience sim out now! (5) September 29, 2008
197	New Xbox Experience Dated? (8) September 25, 2008
62	The Sugababes Introduce New Xbox Experience (5) November 19, 2008

Comments

0 thumbs!
Slumpy monkey | August 04, 2008

Yeah, Bill gate's is a good guy.
7 thumbs!
RabidChinaGirl | August 04, 2008

Good article, especially with the rise in 360 hate lately. It's what I've been saying all along! Bash the 360 and its problems all you want, but Microsoft (I don't think Bill Gates actually runs them anymore?) does something about it. When I sent mine in for a disc error, the woman on the phone was pretty concise about it... I mean, at least they document their errors so they know what to do. They sent a box (the coffin, as it were) with packaging foam and detailed instructions. Though you're supposed to remove the decals, I couldn't without ruining them, so I opted to leave them on and wrote a note asking them to please be very careful with it.

Around 10 days (like the article), it came back without a scratch. Decal's white, so if there was a mark on it, I'd have noticed.

Sure, it has flaws, but so does any machine. Before any Sony fans wanna jump in here, take note that if you ever get "error 80010514," your Sony phone rep may not know what that even means. As far as I know, they usually just give you a new one if you send a broken PS3 in instead of fixing it.

Microsoft figured out that people were getting mad, and they took care of it. And whenever anyone reacts to my telling them I have a 360 by making an RRoD joke... they get slapped in the face.

I still don't understand why there's a trend of these blogs documenting personal experiences though. And why they come in labeled as news
- 1 thumbs!
  tidus04 | August 04, 2008
  
  quote
  As far as I know, they usually just give you a new one if you send a broken PS3 in instead of fixing it.
  Thats what happened to mine on a disc reading error but tbh I liked the fact I got a new one...
  - 0 thumbs!
    Drogo Baggins | August 04, 2008
    
    But if you got a new one, wouldn't all your save files and installs be gone? I'd hate that.
    
    Ofcourse, I could probably make backups, but I'm too lazy for that, too.
    - 2 thumbs!
      RabidChinaGirl | August 04, 2008
      
      Actually you need to remove your HDD before you send it in, so your files don't go bye bye. A new one might have been nice but... I really like my decals.
- 1 thumbs!
  Slumpy monkey | August 05, 2008
  
  Yeah, The first psps were of Piss poor quality, I got my psp on release date and around 6 months later the disk tray started to stick out on the left thanks to the dumbass's at sony only putting a spring on one side. It also creeks when pressed, The left and right triggers are coming loose, The power switch and WLAN switch is also coming loose. And around 2 months of its life was just sitting in the case.
  
  Whereas my 360 has been fine since the day I got it, sturdy as a rock. So I dont get why people say "LOLZ PEOLPE R GUNA BUY PS3 CUZ SONYS PRODUCKS ARE MADE LIKE TANKS" well if I went by that theory I should never buy from sony again.
  
  Infact, My sony Ericsson phone has a very widespread problem with the keys cracking and part of the phone falling off.
  - 1 thumbs!
    RabidChinaGirl | August 05, 2008
    
    My dislike for Sony doesn't actually stem from the PS3 but the company's overall performance. Their cameras suffered from faulty LCD screens, their VAIO computers (though once worth as much as they cost) really went downhill within a few years so that a laptop's lifespan was only about 2 years of regular use... then it's just a downward spiral. Nevermind warranties or repairs. The same can be said about their mp3 players.
    
    They charge a lot, and that's fine but failing to meet the standards such prices should warrant... that just annoys the hell out of me as a consumer.
    - 0 thumbs!
      Slumpy monkey | August 05, 2008
      
      And my PS2 wont read old PS2 games or PS1 games.
0 thumbs!
Hobgob1in | August 06, 2008

It's not so much that Microsoft are better than Sony, or the other way around, really. I know a guy who's had three PS3's due to faults. Just as we discussed in this article, it's bad that Sony's console breaks down so easily, but it's reassuring to know they're still willing to make sure you (eventually) wind up with a healthy one - warranty or not.
Microsoft had absolutely no responsibility to fix my Xbox 360, but didn't blink an eye when it came to sorting it out at their expense. Perhaps it's the fact that this felt like something of a novelty these days - that I received good customer service - that's the real issue...