Post by TTR Dr Payne on Jul 6, 2007 16:20:37 GMT -4
www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3160812
Microsoft Admits Hardware Issue, Extends 360 Warranty
Includes retroactive reimbursement for previous machines.
By Patrick Klepek, 07/05/2007
Microsoft announced today they are extending all Xbox 360 warranties to three years, a policy that not only applies to new consoles but retroactively, as well. If you've had to pay for Microsoft to repair the red ring issue in the past, they will pay you back. At 2:30 p.m. PST, Microsoft will hold a teleconference to announce this.
"As a result of what Microsoft views as an unacceptable number of repairs to Xbox 360 consoles, the company conducted extensive investigations into potential sources of general hardware failures," said the company in a statement. "Having identified a number of factors which can cause general hardware failures indicated by three red flashing lights on the console, Microsoft has made improvements to the console and is enhancing its Xbox 360 warranty policy for existing and new customers."
This comes just after 1UP's own story about a man who's gone through 12 different machines since purchasing an Xbox 360 near launch, reports overseas of companies refusing to repair the hardware because the load is so overwhelming and responses from the Forza Motorsport 2 team about users experiencing hardware failures while trying to play that game.
"The majority of Xbox 360 owners are having a great experience with their console and have from day one. But, this problem has caused frustration for some of our customers and for that, we sincerely apologize," said Robbie Bach, president of Microsoft's Entertainment & Devices Division. "We value our community tremendously and look at this as an investment in our customer base. We look forward to great things to come."
Microsoft says they'll be taking a "$1.05 billion to $1.15 billion pre-tax charge to earnings for the quarter ended June 30, 2007 for anticipated costs under its current and enhanced Xbox 360 policies."
Ouch.
www.xbox.com/en-ca/support/petermooreletter.htm
Open Letter From Peter Moore
To our Xbox Community:
You’ve spoken, and we’ve heard you. Good service and a good customer experience are areas of the business that we care deeply about. And frankly, we’ve not been doing a good enough job.
Some of you have expressed frustration with the customer experiences you have had with Xbox 360; frustration with having to return your console for service after receiving the general hardware error message on the console.
The majority of customers who own Xbox 360 consoles have had a terrific experience from their first day, and continue to, day in and day out. But when anyone questions the reliability of our product, or our commitment to our customers, it’s something I take very seriously.
We have been following this issue closely, and with on-going testing have identified several factors that can cause a general hardware failure indicated by three flashing red lights on the console. To address this issue, and as part of our ongoing work, we have already made certain improvements to the console.
We are also implementing some important policy changes intended to keep you in the game, worry-free.
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.
If we have let any of you down in the experience you have had with your Xbox 360, we sincerely apologize. We are taking responsibility and are making these changes to ensure that every Xbox 360 owner continues to have a great experience.
This will take a few days to roll out globally, and I appreciate your continued patience as we launch this program. I’ve posted an FAQ that should address some additional questions, and we’ll update it over the next few days.
I want to thank you, on behalf of all us at Microsoft, for your loyalty.
Expanded Xbox 360 Warranty Coverage FAQ
Q: What are you rolling out that is new?
A: While we maintain our one-year console warranty (two years in some countries), Microsoft is extending the terms of its Xbox 360 warranty to three years for certain general hardware failures which are indicated by three flashing red lights on the console. This will apply to new and existing customers and we will retroactively pay back the out-of-warranty repair costs paid by customers for console problems indicated by the three flashing red lights.
Q: How does this warranty differ from your existing warranty?
A: Currently, any Xbox 360 is covered by a one year manufacturer’s warranty (two years in some parts of the world). If the console is out of warranty, there is a charge to have it repaired. It then comes with an additional one year repair warranty. With these changes, there is effectively a three year warranty with no charge for repair for general hardware failures indicated by the three flashing red lights error code which displays on the console.
Q: Is this effective worldwide?
A: Yes, these policies are global. The new policies are now being instituted in our customer service centers around the world, which may take a few days to fully implement.
Q: When does the policy change go into effect?
A: These new policies are now being instituted in our customer service centers around the world, which may take a few days to fully implement. They will apply to new and existing customers. For the latest information, customers should visit Xbox.com.
Q: Is there any health or safety issue at play here?
A: This is in no way related to any sort of product safety issue.
Q: Do I get a refund?
A: Yes, we will reimburse any customer who was out of warranty and paid for repairs due issues indicated by the three flashing red lights error message. Customer should expect to receive a check in 10-12 weeks.
Q: How does this affect my extended warranty bought from my retailer?
A: You’re still covered under your existing warranty for issues outside the scope of this specific three-year warranty.
Q: Have you identified a root cause that can lead to failure?
A: There is not a single issue that we can point to as being a problem. We test the product extensively, including accelerated life testing, but the nature of the console itself is very complex, as it’s a consumer electronic product that contains more than 1,700 different components and 500 million transistors.
There are a variety of scenarios that can cause a general hardware failure. Only the indicator (the three flashing red lights) is always the same.
Q: Who do I contact with further questions?
A: Please contact your local Xbox Customer Service (1-800-4-MY-XBOX in the US and Canada).
Remember, this 3 year warranty is only for the 3 red lights of death issue, any other failure and your only covered by the previous 1 year warranty. So your extended 3 year warranty from Wal-Mart or where ever is still in effect during the same 3 years as this warranty because that warranty covers you for everything, this only covers you for the 3 red lights of death.
Microsoft Admits Hardware Issue, Extends 360 Warranty
Includes retroactive reimbursement for previous machines.
By Patrick Klepek, 07/05/2007
Microsoft announced today they are extending all Xbox 360 warranties to three years, a policy that not only applies to new consoles but retroactively, as well. If you've had to pay for Microsoft to repair the red ring issue in the past, they will pay you back. At 2:30 p.m. PST, Microsoft will hold a teleconference to announce this.
"As a result of what Microsoft views as an unacceptable number of repairs to Xbox 360 consoles, the company conducted extensive investigations into potential sources of general hardware failures," said the company in a statement. "Having identified a number of factors which can cause general hardware failures indicated by three red flashing lights on the console, Microsoft has made improvements to the console and is enhancing its Xbox 360 warranty policy for existing and new customers."
This comes just after 1UP's own story about a man who's gone through 12 different machines since purchasing an Xbox 360 near launch, reports overseas of companies refusing to repair the hardware because the load is so overwhelming and responses from the Forza Motorsport 2 team about users experiencing hardware failures while trying to play that game.
"The majority of Xbox 360 owners are having a great experience with their console and have from day one. But, this problem has caused frustration for some of our customers and for that, we sincerely apologize," said Robbie Bach, president of Microsoft's Entertainment & Devices Division. "We value our community tremendously and look at this as an investment in our customer base. We look forward to great things to come."
Microsoft says they'll be taking a "$1.05 billion to $1.15 billion pre-tax charge to earnings for the quarter ended June 30, 2007 for anticipated costs under its current and enhanced Xbox 360 policies."
Ouch.
www.xbox.com/en-ca/support/petermooreletter.htm
Open Letter From Peter Moore
To our Xbox Community:
You’ve spoken, and we’ve heard you. Good service and a good customer experience are areas of the business that we care deeply about. And frankly, we’ve not been doing a good enough job.
Some of you have expressed frustration with the customer experiences you have had with Xbox 360; frustration with having to return your console for service after receiving the general hardware error message on the console.
The majority of customers who own Xbox 360 consoles have had a terrific experience from their first day, and continue to, day in and day out. But when anyone questions the reliability of our product, or our commitment to our customers, it’s something I take very seriously.
We have been following this issue closely, and with on-going testing have identified several factors that can cause a general hardware failure indicated by three flashing red lights on the console. To address this issue, and as part of our ongoing work, we have already made certain improvements to the console.
We are also implementing some important policy changes intended to keep you in the game, worry-free.
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.
If we have let any of you down in the experience you have had with your Xbox 360, we sincerely apologize. We are taking responsibility and are making these changes to ensure that every Xbox 360 owner continues to have a great experience.
This will take a few days to roll out globally, and I appreciate your continued patience as we launch this program. I’ve posted an FAQ that should address some additional questions, and we’ll update it over the next few days.
I want to thank you, on behalf of all us at Microsoft, for your loyalty.
Expanded Xbox 360 Warranty Coverage FAQ
Q: What are you rolling out that is new?
A: While we maintain our one-year console warranty (two years in some countries), Microsoft is extending the terms of its Xbox 360 warranty to three years for certain general hardware failures which are indicated by three flashing red lights on the console. This will apply to new and existing customers and we will retroactively pay back the out-of-warranty repair costs paid by customers for console problems indicated by the three flashing red lights.
Q: How does this warranty differ from your existing warranty?
A: Currently, any Xbox 360 is covered by a one year manufacturer’s warranty (two years in some parts of the world). If the console is out of warranty, there is a charge to have it repaired. It then comes with an additional one year repair warranty. With these changes, there is effectively a three year warranty with no charge for repair for general hardware failures indicated by the three flashing red lights error code which displays on the console.
Q: Is this effective worldwide?
A: Yes, these policies are global. The new policies are now being instituted in our customer service centers around the world, which may take a few days to fully implement.
Q: When does the policy change go into effect?
A: These new policies are now being instituted in our customer service centers around the world, which may take a few days to fully implement. They will apply to new and existing customers. For the latest information, customers should visit Xbox.com.
Q: Is there any health or safety issue at play here?
A: This is in no way related to any sort of product safety issue.
Q: Do I get a refund?
A: Yes, we will reimburse any customer who was out of warranty and paid for repairs due issues indicated by the three flashing red lights error message. Customer should expect to receive a check in 10-12 weeks.
Q: How does this affect my extended warranty bought from my retailer?
A: You’re still covered under your existing warranty for issues outside the scope of this specific three-year warranty.
Q: Have you identified a root cause that can lead to failure?
A: There is not a single issue that we can point to as being a problem. We test the product extensively, including accelerated life testing, but the nature of the console itself is very complex, as it’s a consumer electronic product that contains more than 1,700 different components and 500 million transistors.
There are a variety of scenarios that can cause a general hardware failure. Only the indicator (the three flashing red lights) is always the same.
Q: Who do I contact with further questions?
A: Please contact your local Xbox Customer Service (1-800-4-MY-XBOX in the US and Canada).
Remember, this 3 year warranty is only for the 3 red lights of death issue, any other failure and your only covered by the previous 1 year warranty. So your extended 3 year warranty from Wal-Mart or where ever is still in effect during the same 3 years as this warranty because that warranty covers you for everything, this only covers you for the 3 red lights of death.
