Owner of seven failed Xbox 360s speaks out

Some corporate sins are unforgivable. Like turning your back on your most loyal customers to the point that they feel like giving up on you.

Rob and Mindy Cassingham wanted to prove they were the most loyal Xbox 360 fans. I met them at Zero Hour, the event in which Microsoft debuted the Xbox 360 in November 2005 to 3,000 of its most enthusiastic fans. The Cassinghams drove halfway across the country from Moab, Utah, where they operated a video game center. They showed up at the event, at an aircraft hangar in the Mojave Desert, with license plates hanging around their necks that read ''Xbox.''

''I was clearly a fan boy,'' said Rob Cassingham, 42.

These days, Cassingham.....

[wolfgang]

All four he got at launch "croaked on him", well that is what warrantys are for. Anyway I'm gonna approve this story, we can learn something from it. :)

[Juevani]

u dont buy stuff to give back and take new once 4 times in the mounth u stupid f1ck.. and he aint the only one, what a sh1tty producte..

[wolfgang]

Are you saying if my PS3 stop working I sould avoid Sony stuff ? I have a warranty you moron so Sony will exchange it for new one, one that work.

I heard you were born with a defective penis ? To bad there is no waranty on moron. Anytime you feel the need to reply go on dude, I know you are like full of bubbles.

[eques judicii]

juevani, you need to calm down... this shouldn't be that kind of forum... what happened to this guy is sad, but to insult another news4gamer user is just downright pathetic... we all know you don't like 360, but cursing is inappropriate.

[MissAubrey]

I F1cking hate you.

[DJ]

In an e-mail, he wrote, ``A new 360 was all I really wanted in the first place, but after two failed attempts dealing with Microsoft's overseas call centers, I am very annoyed that it took an e-mail directly to P. Moore to get results -- assuming that they do, in fact, ship me a new 360.''

He added, ``How do I feel it is turning out? Frankly, I'm conflicted. I am just so gun-shy about the reliability issue. One part of me wishes, when my 360 arrives(?), to immediately sell it and all of my 360-related schwag and put the money into a gaming PC. Another part of me wants to keep the 360 (and absolutely get the extended warranty) and I don't want to turn my back on my LIVE arcade titles I've purchased. I still feel like a chump.''

=[ That's such a sad story. Warranty or not, this should NEVER happen to anyone.

[ER1X]

Hilarious that 4 people disagree with you that this kind of thing shouldn't happen to people. LOL.

[DJ]

They should start reading my posts first. =P

[nix]

i think it's high time that guy gets a life... or better still there's something called PS3. he he he q:

[Silverwolf]

I went thru two fo them, then I just gave up. The first time I was disappointed but after a while I just told myself "sh!t happens". But the second time was the straw that broke the camels back. F@ck that!

[WacksOnWacksOff]

I don't agree with everything that you say, DJ, but this definitely should not happen to ANYbody. Microsoft should go above and beyond the call of duty and fix this situation with this guy. The good PR would MORE than make up for whatever it would cost. Luckily, my launch 360 has held up so far << knocks on wood >>...

[Shadow Flare]

W,why have 10 people disagreed with DJ's comments? You think faulty 360's SHOULD happen to people?

Im gonna come straight out and say this but whoever disagreed with DJ's comments, i hope you were joking cos if not, you have a mental problem. Gone loopy in the think-tank. Peter Moore's little fly puppet b1tch. How can anyone with a sane mind disagree that loads of faulty systems shouldn't happen to people? Uh...aha! You guys aren't nutcases! You're just holding severe grudges cos you got dooped into buying such an unreliably crap system. The ironic thing is that the ps3 was always called the grill, but its the 360 which overheats to in turn provide breakfast for its beloved owner. Whoever disagreed with DJ are still complete idiots though

[Hayabusa 117]

I agree with DJ's comment but I disagree with yours. I hold no gruge for buying a 360 which, by the way, has not crapped out on me since launch...and neither has the one my brother got last november. DJ's right, warranties are a good safety net, but who wants to give microsoft your hard drive and loose all your saved games? It's also ridiculous to have 11 people disagree with DJ's comment, just because he's DJ.

[KIdKool]

That pic is F'ing funny. The 360 is a joke and they know it. what a bunch of dumbasses

[eques judicii]

i feel bad for this guy... unfortunately i've never had the displeasure of a failed 360... in fact i just sold my first one to a friend and replaced my console (for one with a new disk drive)... so now two people are enjoying consoles. From my days working at EB games I noticed that certain people seemed to have a rash of bad luck with 360s while other people never experience a problem.

this guys deserves to be helped out by microsoft... but i guess some people just have bad luck.

[XboxDavey]

live and learn

[Boink]

I work for a large company, and I understand that sometimes customer do fall through cracks in procedures and stuff like that. But at some point, someone in customer service should have seen the amount of exchanges on this account and forwarded it off or escalated it to make sure that everything was solved once and for all.

[HuntingYou]

WOW...UNBLIEVABLE!!!

[Halonator]

When I first read it, it took a moment to sink it. If this poor boy went through all this then and still was fond of MS, then he deserves all of our respect.
I would have the mind to slap ol gates boy after the 3rd time.

[Covenant]

I'm on my 3rd 360...in four and a half months. Granted, the first one was defective out of the box (bad HD), so I didn't lose anything. I had purchased a replacement plan at BB, and it was just a matter of a simple exchange. My next system lasted four months, and died (red ring of death) about two weeks ago. Another exchange, and they let me keep my old HD. Now, I loved my Xbox (now 4+ years old and still working). I love my 360, and I think that Microsoft has done many, many things well this generation. But their quality control and customer service stinks. I'm a gamer, first and foremost, and have been since Atari 2600. I'm not knocking MS unnecessarily, as some do. I'm glad they extended their warranty to a full year, which was a great first step. The second? Improved quality control.

[BIadestarX]

Though Sony fanboys would like to use this article to prove that microsoft is evil and Sony is the nicest most reliable hardware manufaturer this only proves one thing. If you buy a console (any console) and you don't buy an extended guarantee you are an idiot. The xbox 360 warrantee is like $50 bucks. Specially when you are an early adopter. If you don't want to pay $50 bucks wait at least 2-3 years until all hardware issues are fixed. Didnt you know that the PS2 sold today it's a lot more reliable than the launched day one?

[HuntingYou]

^^^^I have never bought EX warrenty on any other console. everyone knows its a rip off unless it a sh!tty product.
What was the last time you heard consumer experts say you should get an extended warrenty.
You sound like a typical fanboy tring to put a spin on it.

[Rocky Balboa]

Hunting you : there is no need for an extended guarantee as Microsoft give you 1 year guarantee with the 360 as oppose to 90 day with fony.

[HuntingYou]

them doing that was a step in the right direction, but they did not do it right away until it became a big issue.
but still a step is a step

[BIadestarX]

Call me wherever you want to call me but, when I had to put my PS1 upside down because the disk didn't read or when I had to buy 2 PS2 because the DVD drive died I learned extented warranty was a smart thing to do. So, last december I purchased my xbox 360 and added the extended warranty (No problem with my Xbox 360 so far) so if something happends to it; I will not have to pay a single dime. The month after I purchased a 3K HD TV and added extended warranty. I wouldnt put extended warranty on a printer or something I will probably replace, but always do with new technology or expensive. "unless it a sh!tty product." How would you know with a just released product? Only an idiot believes that hardware is perfect and can never fail.

[WhEeLz]

sorry rocky, but "Sony's" ps3 is a year warrenty out the box. So please get the name right. Its not that hard to spell a four lettered word.

[KIdKool]

u r a dipsh!t bladestar

[weekapaugh]

....bwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah

[Halonator]

What is this MART boy all about

[HuntingYou]

does it not seem like MS missed the two most improtant points...a quality product and go customer reltionships.
from what you say ^^ it seems like MS pissed on your head and told you it was raining.
or you prefer sold you a brick and gave you the middle finger too......all while taking your money.
I think they should be telling the truth about what been going on with the 360. if u have something called the ring of death associated with your product you can't be doing too many things right.. And that other guy is right, it was a rished job...the other companies are not having these problems.

[Rocky Balboa]

Weekapaugh, TheMART is too busy spreading the news about mercenaries 2 coming to the 360 to read your post.

[weekapaugh]

hahaha......sad but prolly true.

[Rocky Balboa]

Hunting you : Like those exploding batterys from sony ? Yeah sure, nobody except miscrosoft, naive fanboy

[HuntingYou]

no questions asked...none of this MS bullsh!t run-around

EDIT: and i am out of bubbles. keep fighting the good fight. im out

[Rocky Balboa]

"yea...they were all replaced for free, no warrenty
no questions asked"

WRONG ! They got sued over and over until they WERE FORCED to recall them.

[WhEeLz]

But do you think sony will give them another exploding battery? lol

[nicodemus]

This guy is either really unlucky, or has no idea how to take care of his xbox. My 360 is from launch, and it's still going strong. Haven't had any problems.

[marionz]

i bet alot of people just dont know how to look after their console, if its kept in a confined space it may overheat if its in a dusty dirty hous thats bad too, im glad mine isnt a launch console! when will people learn to sit back and wait for the problems to be fixed! if you get a console on day one your an egg, practically asking for problems and that goes for ALL consoles, my 360 is going strong and hasnt had any problems, and i actually look after it unlike some people that cart them from friends house to friends house and play like ten hours a day with it behind glass! people learn!

[Bathyj]

I'm really happy for you that you've had no problems with your Xb but I'm sick of people sticking their heads in the sand and pretending this isn't a real problem. Its pretty obvious the failure rate is way higher than it should be. Anyone who's had a broken machine must have been mistreating them right? Well all I did with mine launch night was drive it home from the shop. The only thing it ever did was confirm that the 3 red lights at least worked. Personally I fing it a little disturbing that a console breaks so often it has a "I'm broken" light on it.

I know failure is a chance on launch consoles but no one could have seen this coming. I still have my SNES, my launch PSOne, my launch N64, my launch PS2, my launch XB1 and my launch GC. Apparently by the time a consoles launched I've waited long enough and dont want to wait anymore. Thats just me. I know a lot of peopl has troubles with Playstations and I freely admit that. I dont pretend its lies, its just never happened to me. Hopefully in 28 days when I get a PS3 I'll have no problem and be able to get the extended warrantly but my local EB is actually nervous about giving extended warraties now and may not offer them, thanks to so many X360's coming back. Dont hate me Dude, I'm just relaying facts and I still love my 360, I just get nervous when it makes a funny sound.

[shotty]

Just wait until you hear about John and Sarah tommorow, well they went through 49 consoles...haha.. honestly what are the odds. My launch xbox 360 is still here with me and its working fine, and guess what even my launch xbox 1 is running even to this date. Im sure microsoft had a batch of bad launch consoles, which usually end up in the hands of early adopters, which are the same people that spend their time on forums and complain while they can be enjoying their consoles and the games they bought for them. just some food for thought.

[Dusk]

Oh except maybe......Sony.

http://www.ps2settlement.co...

http://video-games.elliottb...

http://www.eurogamer.net/ar...

http://forevergeek.com/news...

www.gamespot.com/news/6139482 .html

www.game-addicts.com/20051115 /sony-settles-playstation-2-cl a ss-action-lawsuit.html

[BoneMagnus]

I almost feel guilty that my launch 360 still works great (knock on wood).

I can't imagine the frustration of going through all of that...yeah, the poor guy deserves something - a free game, extra HD, a bunch of MS points...

A customer with a complaint is an opportunity to earn a customer for life if it is handled well. It is true about large companies and a few customers falling through the cracks. I've never had a cell company other than Cingular and have never had a problem. My friend had an experience in which he was convinced they were evil incarnate.

[Halonator]

MS should give the products you are describing, but I think a Free lifetime LIVE membership is in order

[Hooper User]

To Juevani

Do you even speak English ?

[zantetsuken]

Only 7? There's people on the Xbox forums with 15 and proof. We had a long thread going on which # console you were on, but they kept nuking them :| These people have the paperwork and RMA documents to prove it.

[Havince]

Had it since release, the 1st time i load it up from stand still get a FULL RED LIGHT, turn it off and on again and it works.....HOWEVER....

Within the first 15 mins of being online it will freeze up WITHOUT FAIL !!!!!!!!!! just the once. UNLESS IM PLAYING A PLAYER MATCH then it doesn't do it at all

This predicament happens everyday guys its no coincidence

[KIdKool]

what? figuring out why i ever wasted 400 on this POS

[FeralPhoenix]

Damm, I feel real bad for this guy, especially since he was such a dedicated xbox fan....I hope M$ will take care of him. The thing is that you always have to put situations like this in perspective.

First of all lets be clear, the 2005 launch systems definitely had a high rate of failure, whether M$ says it was with in the industry standards or not....the bottom line is alot of them had issue's, maybe it was the QC process or whatever, but from what I've heard they have made changes so hopefully it shouldn't be nearly as bad. I will state for the record that Iam surprised that Sony has had so few defective consoles as far as we know, considering that they are no stranger to defective products in the past, but the fact that PS3 hasn't really seen alot of complaints in this department is definitely something I congratulate them on.

Now the second thing is you have to look at the big picture, which is that every time a company begins manufacturing a sophisticated product such as a game console there's a RISK of higher failure rate than normal if you overlook something in the assembly process. If you automatically say that M$ doesn't make quality products because of the issue with launch systems than you would also have to APPLY THAT TO THE PS2 for its early drive problems,(read #15 Dusk links) also apply it to Sony's defective PC batteries, and almost every other electronic's hardware company that's had high failure rate issue's....so does that mean Sony makes terrible hardware....HELL NO, I've have owned so many Sony products for years and never had a problem with them, but sometimes a company makes mistakes and all you can do is try to fix them, and take care of the customers the best you can, but of course you are going to have those *relatively few customers that get the worst end of the stick....its call bad luck, and this guy has every right to be pissed at M$, I would be too, but do you honestly think there's NOT a few customers out there with a "horror story" about defective PS2's? and bad customer service from a Sony rep? -Yep, you bet there is, but hey it seemed that Sony fixed the problem, and guess what the PS2 didn't end up too bad, huh?

Now finally I do think in some cases if it becomes a trend from one single company that continues to have multiple products that are defective, then its legitimate to label that company as having poor/bad quality, but from most of the reports I've seen almost all of them seem to relate to the early launch systems. The original Xbox didn't have a problem so obviously they do know how to make good reliable hardware. Will there be more defective system's here and there?, -yeah that will always happen with any electronics product but as long as M$ has fixed their early problems I expect them to be fine.

[gogators]

but the three I have now, haven't had a problem in over a year. 360 has just too many very good games, but still not very good. 2 where replaced and one was fixed, no problems since they have been fixed or replaced.

[FirstknighT]

Wow this guy had some serious bad luck. I've had my 360 from day 1 and I haven't had any problems. Same with all the people I play with on xbox live. If people believe that the 360 is the only product that breaks is sadly mistaken. Everybody has a sad story about a product. I remember when I bought my Sony 34inch XBR...Sony sent a technician almost every month to fix the problem. I wanted to give up but I knew that this tv was the best on the market and I was just unlucky enough to get a lemon. After about an year I finally got it fixed. Always buy the extra warranty. A lil bit extra for the warranty gives you piece of mind.

[Bathyj]

Man I thought I was unlucky. This guy must be ropeable. I'm on my 3rd as well with the first not even working out of the box on launch day. I've been lucky and never had to actually deal with M$. My extended warranty with EB has gotten me a new machine each time so no refubishment which is great but makes me surprised that I'm on my 3rd machine.

My problem now is because EB got so many XB's returned they might not offer the extended warranty on PS3. I really dont think thats fair but I understand their nervousness Once bitten, twice shy, but I dont see how they can blame Sony for M$'s hardware problems, especially when PS3 has aparently been operating fine.

Hopefully it will work out or I might have to go to a different shop that does offer one.

[TheMART]

I got my own first 360 that got f*cked up not by itself but by someone that got the powersystem in the housing I was staying @ holiday to f*ck up.

ANd still MS replaced it without questions.

Now try that with Sony. See @ the PS2 problems and no replacements. See if you buy any parts not from Sony you loose the warranty on PS3... Even HDMI cables

Now come again

[PureGamer]

sony replaced my PS2 without question when mine went to the virtual graveyard

[The BS Police]

He sure does have have lots of bad luck, and I think he should get a free stuff rom Microsoft due to this.

I ony had one probem with my launch day console, and that was an emulation glitch on my HDD that would cause Halo 1 and 2 to freeze constantly, after getting a free replacement I never had a problem since.

[f1r3waII K1LL3r]

Maybe he doesn't know how to take care of his 360 however I have had mine since launch and it is perfect so what can I say.

[Captain Tuttle]

There was definitely a problem with the early consoles, no doubt about it. Microsoft's biggest mistake was sending out refurbished replacement consoles...the ones that were flawed in the first place. Of course, these failed. That why people have gone through 2 or 3 and this is only owning one console, not 4. Mine was built in Feb of 06 and it died in October. That's a lousy performance...no movies were played on it and I didn't really play that much. Since my warranty ran out (which MS has since extended) I just traded in my Xbox1 and a bunch of games and got a brand new core. Slapped the hard-drive in and I was good to go. Screw that refurbished crap.

[power of 360]

there was somwhere i read that you can make the light go red by unpluging the cable that runs to your tv or somthin

[Captain Tuttle]

The light pattern will be different. The one shown is the general hardware failure signal.

[gogators]

I don't knkow about two red lights, and three is full system failure.

[THAMMER1]

It is sad to hear this is going down. But all you have to do is keep up with your warranty. And the Indian advisors are not that hard to understand. I had a problem with a bad charge and play kit that was bricking my joysticks and M$ replaced 2 joysticks and the Charge and play kit and the person I spoke to was Indian his name was Nitin Bote. I did not even have to ask I just explained the issues and he took are of it.

The people that are having problems with the Phone reps. are probably acting like total tools and disrespecting the people they talk too.

[gogators]

Most of the reps have come in contact with have been very nice and helpful. I you are confrontational from the start they will act like any other human being, which still isn't the right thing to do. If your having a problem, that's terrible. Just don't take it out on the person that will be able to fix the problem.

[powervr]

holy nonsense...

I have an statistic degree.

if ...if the defective rate of a normal xbox 360 was like 30%, let suppose that...

to have 7 in a row defective consoles the probability is something like...
30/100*30/100*...*30/100= 30^7/100^7
that is sometihng like...
0,0002187

that is something like 2 in 10000 xbox users...
but we now that the failure rate is even lower...

if it was something like 10% defective rate...
we will get 0,0000001 of probability of this happening.
so it's 1 in 10 million...
he must be the only one!
:D

so ... he is lying?
or...
he is a very unluck xbox user...
or...
he does not keep is xbox well...(lack of ventilation...etc...etc...)

sorry about my english...
;)

[blackmagic]

Hmmm... this many failures for one individual seems improbable without some other factors.

Does he live in an area that has a lot of industry or construction? These types of loads on the local electrical grid cause power spikes and voltage drops...

Does he live in a home that is very dusty or owns one or more pets? This could cause the heatsinks to clog up resulting in poor cooling.

Other factors that could be affecting him: high humidity, young children, restricted shelf space, etc... a combination of one or more of these and other factors may be working against him.

[techie]

It's not all about warranty guys and bein able to get a replacement for free. It's meant to be something a consumer shouldnt have to deal with. He is losing gaming, and it's hassle. It doesn't matter how many replacements you can get...it's a failure that is frustrating.

[Halonator]

It is not abot just getting the problem solved, but have such a problem a number of time.

[Funky Town_TX]

My lauch console has been fine. I'm usually the one that gets bad products.

[Balance]

i feel bad for him but if i were MS i would start to get skeptical. he must be doing something or putting his 360s somewhere that they over heat or catch some kind of static discharge or his dog keeps peeing on it or something... i agree with the statistics, this sounds a little funny and i think there is more to the story. I think MS will hook him up though.

launch console, no problems at all. but i keep mine well ventilated (not behind a glass door or anything) and the power brick well ventilated and off the carpet.

[kewlkat007]

after a year,no problems yet...but to go through 7, well thats sucks meng.."not every Product is created equal." He should of just gotten a PS3 after his 4th..jeez louise.

Anyhow, we all know the more of the product thats out in circulation ,the more isolated, worst case news we will see coming out everywhere.

Nothing new I've heard worst PS2 customer service stories.

[Blackmoses]

but, It's rather odd and comforting all at the same time, how you guys rally around your console of choice. You try to understand and to a point try to justify the reasons behind all of the problems that may be experienced.

It seems to me though, that if this were a PS3 article, this same understanding and temperament would not be justly reciprocated.
Basically all hell would have broken loose with that type of article.
As I said before "I'm not trying to stir the pot", just wondering why do many of you 360 fans feel the need to belittle Sony, especially when Microsoft has had the same type of problems (if not worse, the subject of this article for example) as they have. Where's the sense of understanding then? It's beyond me as to why it's like this, I have not been able to recall a time when this was ever an issue until recently, with this whole "Console War" bit.

It's unfortunate that anyone would ever have to go through what this poor guy had to go through. Regardless of which console, we all have spent some pretty hard cold cash on our rigs. You would think as a consumers who buys all of these things, the company would take care of us a little better should anything go haywire.

[techie]

Too true.

[THAMMER1]

When a 360 owner says the PS2 had problems that means they are committing a SIN right.

Many 360 owners who also on PS2's have had issues that Sony would not fix or replace. So they had to just go buy a new PS2. This issue has been mistaken for a TIT for TAT thing because die-hard Sony fans are always on the defense.

Just look at how many 360 who have admitted to having issues in this thread alone. Please stop trying to point fingers at 360 owners as if we are all anti Sony and PS3 because it is not true.

[Xi]

It wouldn't be the same, because the sony fanbois would use the.
It's only been 2 months excuse.
So it's Xbots turn to use the, Give the ps3 a couple more months.

[Sphinx]

But this does suck for this unlucky guy.

[OutLaw]

I'm on my second system starting this week.

[scriptkiddie]

quote: "i think it's high time that guy gets a life... or better still there's something called PS3. he he he q:"

But he wan't to play games not watch movies, so his only choise is a wii or 360. he he he

[Logan]

I realised something, the reason why the xbox is called the 360, is because it continues to take the same route going around a circle over and over again until it gets dizzy and dies, let me demostraight

games for the xbox:

world war II game, world war II game,

world war II game, world war II game,

Iraq war game, Iraq war game,

Iraq war game, Iraq war game.

the 360 continues on with the sequals to the same type of war games. Eventually you cant think straight anymore because you keep pressing the dang trigger button, then your 360 blows up, and your house is on fire, then your life is ruined. O_O!

[scriptkiddie]

Kind of like the PS3...

FF1, FF2, FF3, FF4, FF5, FF6, FF7, FF8, FF9, FF11, FF12, FF13....FF1,000,000,000,000,00 0,000

[WarEagle13]

im not familiar with a "video game center" but i imagine its something like an internet coffee shop? these machines probably stay on 16-20 hrs a day with wear and tear coming from multiple users. a week in this place is probably like a month or more in your home. ive had mine since launch and have never seen a red light. sucks for this guy but is some of this to be expected? ive had better luck out of my 360 than many others ive owned. my tray occasionally sticks but nothing major. i give it a b+. i had more problems with my dreamcast, saturn, ps2, ps1, snes, nes, sega master system. the only indestructable systems ive owned were genesis, n64, and xbox1.

[MikeGdaGod]

i feel sorry for the guy, but i think the warranty would have helped. i get warranties on every expensive electronic i buy. i know alot of people say its unnecessary but its worth having piece of mind to me. i know that if anything happens i can just take it back to the store and get a new one. i don't have to wait to mail it out and wait for a new one.

I'm on my third 360 but it never bothered me because i have the warranty and i've never been much of a 360 fan. i got it just because it was the only "next-gen" system out at the time. i just hope the one i have now doesn't fail after the warranties run out.

[kewlkat007]

PS3 fans making it seem like this is the worst documented case ever regarding a console and its customer service. I mean I do feel sorry for the guy. If that was me I would of waited till better batches come out or something or atleast a second generation model. My xbox360 works without a hitch.

Umm maybe manufactures should send all their manufactured "CONSOLES" for testing at this kids house or something. Maybe it's his environment.

[KIdKool]

the 360 is the worse POS. ofcourse MS wount release any numbers. they probably have to wait for 50 mil to sell before they tell evry one that the first couple of mil were just bricks, because we were too busy taking you dumbasses money, and u were to blinf to realize it.

[Black Republican]

THAT WOULD SUCK AND ALMOST HARD TO BELIEVE
that this guys has tried 7 TIMES with xbox 360 and still keeps trying OMG
i bought xbox360 the first day, 5 months in, red rings of death, sent it to be repaired came back still broken...
had to get it swicthed for another one, and that was very sh*tty experience I was very dissapointed
well my point is, how can you go through it 7 times????? hell if that ever happened to me I would just get a ps3...

i personally do not feed bad/sad for this guy, maybe im cruel hearted but it hink he is stupid (7 times, how long does it take to get the point)
and on another note, a console messin up 7 times, i doubt its just the console...
im sure a lot of us have been gaming for years and how often does a console break/mess up on us??? my first time ever was a 360, very dissapointing, 1month without an xbox 360 lol, oh the tears
ahahah jp

[kingboy]

Cheaper doesn`t always mean a better product.You get what you pay for..i`m out peace!

[Contra26]

Yeah.... I agree...
that's Why X-Box live is better than PSN..
I agree.....
But then again... 360 is a good bargain... good buy for a good product.
Wooooo hooooo!!

[OC_MurphysLaw]

I personally have had great luck with my launch day machine. However I did buy and extended warranty....and will look to extend that another year to be safe. I know MS had some major issues with the manufacturing...it happened...I think they have been pretty good about replacing things out on a whole. That said what I really do see as the major lesson learned hear is ...get an extended warranty from your retailer. Reading the article it seems like the guy didn't get a service contract from his retailer...which would have made the return a very simple thing.

[Anerythristic26]

It really blows me away that nobody really looks at the big picture. This Gentleman was using his XBOX 360's in a STOREFRONT SITUATION ! He was using them for Halo Tournaments and for business purposes. He was letting 14 and 15 year olds play his systems. Ask yourself how do most teenagers treat stuff that isn't thiers ?

He should have had Warranties as he was using them for business. I completley understand this sucks for this guy , but I would relate if I ever had a 360 break on me , if any of my friends had a 360 break on them and I knew more than a couple of people from all of Live that had broken 360s , I simply don't. I really feel that while this is happening it is not as widespread as the media would have us believe.

[JasonPC360PS3Wii]

Warranty war•ran•ty
n. pl. war•ran•ties
1. Official authorization, sanction, or warrant.

2. Justification or valid grounds for an act or a course of action.

3. Law

a. An assurance by the seller of property that the goods or property are as represented or will be as promised.

b. The insured's guarantee that the facts are as stated in reference to an insurance risk or that specified conditions will be fulfilled to keep the contract effective.

c. A covenant by which the seller of land binds himself or herself and his or her heirs to defend the security of the estate conveyed.

d. A judicial writ; a warrant.

(4. A guarantee given to the purchaser by a company stating that a product is reliable and free from known defects and that the seller will, without charge, repair or replace defective parts within a given time limit and under certain conditions.) <------- Yeah this thing

Duh I don’t ever buy electronics over $200 without this its just stupid and you deserve what you get. If any of you guys spent over $600 to get a PS3 without this Hahahahahahaha wow! That’s just dumb. Just because this guy has had a streak of horrible luck doesn’t mean the rest of us have. Funny out of 11 million consoles (probably 12 by now) only this one case, (please) find me some more like this (more than 2-3 cases with proof) and I’ll believe. Until then when MS says the failure rate is normal and stays within the standard then I guess I’ll just have to believe them sense I have seen no sign of recall (and people keep buying them)

[rmgst]

My launch console just died on my this past Tuesday, whatever, it happens. I'll get another one. Just like I did when I went through two launch PS2's.

PS. I'll get a PS3 if it ever becomes worthwhile, IE BluRay becomes the standard and when/if the CELL ever lives up to proclaimed power.

[Blackmoses]

I did say many not all. Get a grip!

[ChickeyCantor]

7?
then he might be doing something wrong?.......

[Contra26]

Mine has worked perfectly with out defects or any failures...

All it has been doing is keeping me happy.

If this guy went through 7 failures....
All I gotta say is..
"sucks to be you"

but... on the flipside.... just settle with the PS3
the keyword here is "Settle"

[TheXgamerLive]

BUT, for someone once again to lie, fabricate stories just to make the ps3 look better is wrong. this is total BS. He didn't have 7 consoles or 4 or 3 or 2 go bad and nothing happened to replace them easily. I bought two within the first 3 months, 1 at release and one in febuary of 2006. Zero, nothing has gone wrong with them. My nephew got the first one and I have the second console. He plays a heck of alot more than me and his is fine too. My friend rob, his console had the 3 red lights issue, he diagnosed it through XBOX.com and called them, they sent out a box(prepaid shipping)in 3 days, he sent it back and his new replacement w/a quiter drive was at his home in an additional 4 business days, no problems what so ever and his warranty is now upgradded an additional 1 yr. on the new unit. i kinda wish mine would go out so i could get the quiter drive like his is. BTW, his went out 11 months after purchase and the rest of our group at school (12 guys total and 1 teacher) no others have had any problems except the teacher, his occasionally freezes on two games.

I hate people who post stories that are plainly lies, tell the truth or shut the hell up!!

I hate stupid people, you know who you are. Well, maybe you don't know who you are, I mean after all you are stupid.

[power of Green]

7 360's ?, nonsense, if i was a Sony fan i would use this news to make myself feel better about the lack luster reach for the Sun console too!.

[Xi]

maybe he should stop using it is a door prop and keep it in good condition. I have never had an issue with any hardware from microsoft. However:
-My $100 sony headphones broke after 9 months
-My playstation 2 crapped out on me 3 times
-My Walkman wouldn't close after about 1.5 years of use (my mini disc was 6 months, just after the warranty finished)
-My sony dvd player was scratching discs
-and sony blew up my laptop.

[zonetrooper5]

Oh boooooooooooooooooooooo hooooooooooooo, why doesnt this guy go cry somewhere else where people actually care, i'm sorry but you must be doing something wrong after having 7 360's breaking on him. If this happened but it was with the PS3 then i still would not care.

[XerockX]

I'm on my second 360 now. The first one's graphics card melted down (assumably) it went into an 8-bit color mode for like a day, and then finally showed no picture at all. The games would load I could hear the sound. I tried new cables, no luck.Not that big of a deal really, as I always buy product replacement plans.I also have a ps3 and a wii.
Understandably after 6 cracked boxes this guy's pissed.
Whatever product you create and sell, sometimes sh1t like this will happen,even though in theory, it shouldn't.
I love my 3sHytty the most out of all of my next gen consoles-GAMES!!!
GOW-SF2 on xbla (even though I play online mame)-dead rising-oblivion.

If anybody cares, Here's an off-topic list of why I love my 360 the mostest,but still eagerly await loving my ps3
EROCKS xbox 360/ ps3 pro's and con's
some 360 pro's
1-xbox live!!!! Everybody has headsets!(which could be a negative)friendslist rules-messaging-xboxlive.com
2-I can bring up my music during ANY GAME,ANY TIME(which still pisses me off about my ps3!!!
3-hd vga cables for my monitor
4-controller is waayyy better than ps3 (try playing the motorstorm demo with the pressurized l2+r2 buttons and see how hard it is to keep that thing from sliding off your hand while you accelerate!!!)
5-My 360 play's just about every type of burned media.
ntsc+PAL-yes PAL-try it on an american ps3..
6-online content(there's way more stuff to download and keep you busy,without forking out more money.
7-360 reads more usb devices that I own
8-my xbox 360 is white

Some Bs3 pro's
1.Pop in a dvd data disc and copy media easier(mp3 files(as opposed to having to rip tracks from an audio cd)-photo-video)
2.Larger storage space(60 gig) I'm always selectively deleting demos to free up space on the 360
3.Rechargeable battery in every controller via usb
4.Can Screw around with my ps3 via psp as long as I don't mind updating the 1.5 firmware(roms ;))
5.WI_FI!!!Not a big deal to some,but If you don't get your internet bill paid, just mooch off the neighbor's unsecured connection!!
6.All my ps2 games are playable.
7.Web browser-don't ever get out of bed to "milk the gopher?!" just go to your favorite porn site without leaving the comfort of your bed,just to go sit at you computer chair(then you have to clean up the floor,etc.,just towel dry with your blanket)
8.my ps3 is black

Peace!

[Contra26]

But if you really look at your list...
X360 provides better gaming experience.

PS3 is just gizmo's and gadgets...which dont really connect

[GaMr-]

Funny thing was when I was buying my PS3 the "Sales associates" who was obviously a anti-Sony drone was trying his hardest to convince me on not buying. (I play stupid sometimes and act like I dont know what im talking about...its funny to watch how those guys get when they think they no more than you) anyways back on topic the gamestop associate told me PS3 has a 80% failure rate. People are turning them on and they are sparking and exploding and starting fires. ETC. ETC.... And im like ohhh really do they fail as much as the 360's. He was like no the 360's were perfect when they came out. I never heard a failed 360 case in my life. So then I go "You ever heard of the Ring of Death". He goes ohhh yea thats an internet rumor people made up to bash the 360. So then im like what about the CD warping. He goes another rumor. People where just leaving their systems on over night.

Long story short no hardware is perfect especially when its new. Microsoft really has no excuse for the consoles still to be dying. Its been out for quite a bit now. Im sure their has been failed PS3's. But no were near as much as that fanboy made it out to be. And probably not as many as failed 360's. I think the hardware was rushed. Not the technology but the assembly . I guess getting that 1 year jump on Sony was more important than customer feed back.

[rowdy 1]

I get the same thing at the local gamestop. These guys in there hyping up XBOX and dogging on PS then you look on there walls and all they have is PS stuff and games covering 70% of the store. They told me that the 360 2x more powerful and that the PS3 was burning discs. I know of 2 people that have taken back there 360's more than once, and are very upset that they purchased it. The product will perform better in time as we all know, but it does seem that this system is breaking down more than usual. My PS3 has been good to me so far it is very quiet, I like the photo gallery, and the online service is good too. It hasn't caught live yet, but it will get there. I will be going to gamestop today to buy Virtua Fighter, and I will here the same ol crap from those f@ggots about how this is better than that. But we know what's up on the real. Peace.

[Xi]

How at best buy they kept pushing me to hold out for a ps3 and get blu-ray, and how great blu-ray was, and how the ps3 is the true gaming experience, and how much better blu-ray movies are etc.

[Covenant]

I've personally experienced quite a bit of it at gamestores. When I go in to a gamestore, I tend to listen to the sales clerks and see what they're telling customers. I wrote a few of them down; here are my favorites:

"The PS3 has a 50% failure rate."

"The 360 has full backwards compatibility"

"Microsoft has recalled all 360s made before June 2006" (overheard at an EB store by an overtly pro-Sony clerk).

"The PS3 will only play 720p at best"

"The Cell processor is forty times more powerful than the processors in IBM's Deep Blue." (That one's my favorite)

"The PS3 is the worst-selling console in history"

"MGS4 will be released for the 360" (Could happen, but nothing definite yet)

Gotta love them fanboys.

[jerseynets04]

well im going on to system #3, my first broke, got a new system, then within 2 weeks got the rings of death.

[Contra26]

They are trying to help you not to buy the crappiest system which has a lot of dissappointments.
Yuck. PS3 owners must feel like loners.
ahhhwell....

I do agree with Virtua Fighter though.... though Tekken 3 on PS1 is still better

[Icryo]

I can't believe some of the ignorant people on this site. I am on my 5th xbox 360, so am i doing anything wrong? NO, I AM NOT! I keep it well-ventilated, only use it for games, and don't knock it around, also looking after the discs. Some people on here are so far up microsoft's @ss that they refuse to admit there is a problem with the launch units. This story is 100% believable guys! Pull that Microsoft wool over your eyes and you'll know that when you are sent a 'replacement' console they really mean 'refurbished'. Basically an old unit that had previously had problems, but was then patched up. THEY DON'T SEND NEW CONSOLES. THE XBOX SUPPORT AREN'T ALLOWED, IT'S MICROSOFT'S POLICY! Now i've just gotta wait for some ignorant dumb@ss to tell me to get over it and that it couldn't possibly be down to the godly Microsoft and that it must be my fault. It's best just to buy a new unit, it's the only way to escape the cycle of refurbishment doom. I'm sorry if this post comes across as too harsh and rude, but people, these horror stories are 'real' and just because you might have had a perfectly working unit since launch, the problem CANNOT BE DISMISSED!

[farside41]

I think everyone is missing one important piece of information "They put the machines in their gaming center and had a virtual monopoly on the Xbox 360 in their town of 5,000 people. They stood to make a lot of money renting the machines for the local kids to play."

They were renting these systems out to local kids... they would have taken MUCH more abuse than your average system sitting at home...

[candystop]

I'm on my second 360 and still love it to death! It's ashame this type of stuff happen's but it does and always will when it comes to electronics!

[HaKeRsCanRotINHEL]

and by the sounds its been making lately ( first one made the same noises before it past-on ) I'll soon be own my third.

Does anyone know if the new warranty covers replacement units too? First console was a launch console.

Maybe I should trade it in on a PS3 while it still works?

[Daytona]

first off, if you have went through and are on your second system, you'd already know if it's covered b/c my friend already went through his first unti and MS sent him a second new unit w/warranty info saying this new unit also has a 1 yr. warranty on it as well.

No questions about it, you didn't just not see that, it/s one of the few papers that comes w/a replacement.

Don't lie, we'll all think nothing less of you for keeping your pie hole shut.

[Zhoutai]

But that's just life. As a PS3 owner and Fan, I like the PS3 alot and like it better than the 360 but both have their problems. I'm sure the same thing will happen to the PS3 as well. My friend has a 360 which freezes up , and my PS3 froze once but I've had it for 3 days. It just goes to show that both have their problems. I know some1 who bought 3 gamecubes before buying one that actually worked. Its just a bad batch. It's certainly not Microsoft's fault, its the manufacturing process, things happen but you can always use the warranty, after all that's what its for.

[WhoAmI]

I have a small group of 6 friends that play regularly on live, 3 of us have had our consoles fail, and one of us is now on his third. I really like the 360 but have to admit that my confidence in MS hardware is shaken. We all had them replaced for free by the MS warranty but still a pain. I should also mention that two of us also had original xboxes that died.

[Hayabusa 117]

Well that's new on me. I brought 3 XBoxs and I didn't have single problem with any of them. Although my 360 is fine thus far, I do know a few friends online who have had faulty 360s. I definately think the 360's defect rate is higher than Microsoft say...

[achira]

some friends of mine had a xbox360, and they had all failure. i bet the defect rate is 50 percent or more. xbox360 = poorest quality, not my problem i have a ps3 and it workds without a problem.

[JasonPC360PS3Wii]

The only reasons these failures get so much attention is because of fanboys like us who b!tch and moan about every conceivable detail of our fanboy gaming lives. Non gaming news sources gave up on these articles last year because they only appeal to fanboys. Like it or not hardcore fans like us are a minority to the casual gamers. So we congregate to places like N4G where news like this seems more important than it really is. Now back to my biased fanboy opinions.

achira What? "some friends of mine had a xbox360, and they had all failure" All your friends had one xbox 360 and they all failed? sorry I’m not being a d!ck (yes I am) its just how it reads, "50 percent or more" they would be out of business. "xbox360 = poorest quality" but equals highest quality in games.

Daytona, I agree he would have known about the extended warranty if he owned one. I also agree with farside41 my 360 gets a hell of a lot of use up to 6hrs a day and sometimes I leave it on all night by mistake.

[kornbeaner]

FCK that, if by chance my PS3 (launch unit) broke down, i'd replace it, If it happen again i might do it one more time. But after that am buying a 360 or a wii or fck it just go straight PC gaming. 7 is to many of anything to be buying when it's such a huge investment.

[Bathyj]

The problem is its not just a console. It depends how much you've spent on it. When my 2nd broke I thought it wasn't going to be replaced. This would be the time to say, screw it, I'm not getting another one but I had 20 games for it. The game were worth 3 time more than the machine but you'd never get half of that back selling them. Plus alot of people have extra accessaries and XBL etc. Once you get to that point your kind of stuck with having to replace it unless you're willing to get rid of the whole lot.

[kornbeaner]

if it ever brokedown to a point where i just didn't want it, i don;t have to worry about anything extra other then extra controllers i bought. as for games i'd take the loss or give'em to friends and familiy. When the PS3 breaks it's over, when a 360 breaks there so much more stuff that true 360 fans have bought that you have to keep buying that machine just cause of the extras you paid for.

[FirstknighT]

???????

[CLX]

I have 3 launch systems! and none of them have or have had issues.
this dou(h bag must be hard on hardware there has to be more too this story. it has to be something he is doing to his 360's.

[ben hates you]

what about all those hundreds of defective ps3's sold in japan

[Whoooop]

Saving Private Ryan anyone???? Just like it.. Somebody above technical support should have taken care of that costumer personally..

When you have a costumer so loyal to give it a seventh try, (hell even a third try) somebody in a high seat needs to address this as quickly as possible with an apology or by making sure that kid receive a brand new working Xbox by the second time, cause even if is bad luck that should never EVER happen anywhere..

Not with gaming platforms, not with any equipment ever..

PARDON MY ENGLISH