[UK] Launch 360 warrant policy


Recommended Posts

My Xbox 360, which I bought on the day of UK release, finally succumbed to the dreaded ?ring of death? very recently. Having seen the fuss Microsoft made over the free repair for 2005 manufactured consoles, I wasn?t too worried, but after 2 hours of dreadful customer support, the staff managed to convey that this policy was restricted to the US and as a UK resident, I would have to pay ?105 (fairly close to the full price) for a repair which would be free to a US resident.

I declined this offer, as I think it?s outrageous, particularly seeing as it could be a loose cable or something similar. For that money I might as well just buy a new console or a Wii. I?m really annoyed with MS, although I understand that the US originally received a 90 day warranty to begin with, it seems they took all the good press for the act, but failed to follow through for people buying exactly the same machine in a different region ? the failure rate is the same.

I have heard that the Sale of Goods Act in the UK means that I may be entitled to longer than 1 year of service, but I was wondering if any other UK residing Neowinians had experienced similar difficulties ? there seems to be a lack of information on the internet regarding the issue.

Are there any other avenues of action I can take before I think about replacing it with a non-MS console?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Sorry to say this but you?re pretty much out of luck.

In the UK the 360 is covered for 1 year by MS, since you bought the 360 at launch then that 1 year warranty has expired so your options are to either:

1. Pay up the ?105 for the repair - I agree with you on this, it?s not really worth bothering with, when my 360 died I received a refurbished unit back and that one died a few months later.

2. Purchase a new 360 which will come with another 1 year warranty (probably the best option if you want to stick with the 360).

3. Cut your losses, sell the games and get another console.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I phoned them up and they gave me a refurb in return.

I didn't have a receipt or even remember when I bought it. I'm sure it was more than a year. :s

edit : i think it was 11 months. as that was my first achievement. Soz.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Sorry to say this but you?re pretty much out of luck.

In the UK the 360 is covered for 1 year by MS, since you bought the 360 at launch then that 1 year warranty has expired so your options are to either:

1. Pay up the ?105 for the repair - I agree with you on this, it?s not really worth bothering with, when my 360 died I received a refurbished unit back and that one died a few months later.

2. Purchase a new 360 which will come with another 1 year warranty (probably the best option if you want to stick with the 360).

3. Cut your losses, sell the games and get another console.

That's what I was thinking, but as a last ditch resort I'm going to ask at John Lewis, who've always struck me as reasonable and I'm fairly sure their customer service is far better than Microsoft's.

I'm really opposed to paying any more into the Xbox brand with treatment like that, but if the John Lewis thing fails, I'll probably try and get a third party repair. I can't afford a new con:(le :(

Link to comment
Share on other sites

That's what I was thinking, but as a last ditch resort I'm going to ask at John Lewis, who've always struck me as reasonable and I'm fairly sure their customer service is far better than Microsoft's.

I'm really opposed to paying any more into the Xbox brand with treatment like that, but if the John Lewis thing fails, I'll probably try and get a third party repair. I can't afford a new console :(

It is worth a try, but I don't think that they will be able to help you out. If the console was less than a year old then they would probably exchange it for a new one (depends on the retailer - some retailers operate on a 28 day return policy). If you go there with the original receipt they will know the purchase was over a year ago and if you go there without the receipt then they are under no obligation to do anything as you have no proof of purchase.

I would give the store you bought it from a call, explain the situation and see what they say.

Good luck.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Umm, Just a thought, Couldn't you buy a new console? and then call microsoft and say that the new console you bought fudged up on you when you put in gears of war? cause apparently (this has happened to my friend already) Gears of war already messed up his console 3 times and those 3 times they replaced it. I know some people may say its fraud, but i think its the most logical thing to do. Also, when you get your refurbed console back, you can sell that one :)

Neztea

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Actually you're not totally out of luck. The sale of goods act states:

"Wherever goods are bought they must "conform to contract". This means they must be as described, fit for purpose and of satisfactory quality (i.e. not inherently faulty at the time of sale)."

"It is the seller, not the manufacturer, who is responsible if goods do not conform to contract."

"If goods do not conform to contract at the time of sale, purchasers can request their money back "within a reasonable time". (This is not defined and will depend on circumstances)"

Sale of Goods Act

One year and 2 months is not "satisfactory quality" from a ?280 console, therefore it is not fit for purpose ... It is at the shop's descretion but it might be worth mentioning the terms of the sale of goods act to the shop you bought it from.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Umm, Just a thought, Couldn't you buy a new console? and then call microsoft and say that the new console you bought fudged up on you when you put in gears of war? cause apparently (this has happened to my friend already) Gears of war already messed up his console 3 times and those 3 times they replaced it. I know some people may say its fraud, but i think its the most logical thing to do. Also, when you get your refurbed console back, you can sell that one :)

Neztea

Lol, good idea, but the manufacture date is printed on the back of the console and is linked to the serial number on the back. I'm not sure that this would be checked, but it seems like a lot of money spent on an idea which may not work. I feel that seeing as this is most likely a manufacturing fault (I'm getting error 0102, which is thought to be CPU/GPU overheating problems), it is something that the producer/retailer should deal with.

Actually you're not totally out of luck. The sale of goods act states:

"Wherever goods are bought they must "conform to contract". This means they must be as described, fit for purpose and of satisfactory quality (i.e. not inherently faulty at the time of sale)."

"It is the seller, not the manufacturer, who is responsible if goods do not conform to contract."

"If goods do not conform to contract at the time of sale, purchasers can request their money back "within a reasonable time". (This is not defined and will depend on circumstances)"

Sale of Goods Act

One year and 2 months is not "satisfactory quality" from a ?280 console, therefore it is not fit for purpose ... It is at the shop's descretion but it might be worth mentioning the terms of the sale of goods act to the shop you bought it from.

Thanks, I thought so and it's definitely worth quoting in a letter of complaint to Microsoft and the retailer.

Thanks to everyone for all their help and support, I was surprised at how little this UK issue is discussed on the internet.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

360's sure seem to die easily:( glad i dont have 1

What subtle trolling.

I wouldn't pay for the refurb myself, if mine dies I'm going to buy a core and just replace the premium parts from my dead one. If it dies that is.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

What subtle trolling.

I wouldn't pay for the refurb myself, if mine dies I'm going to buy a core and just replace the premium parts from my dead one. If it dies that is.

That's one solution, but it's still ?200 you should never have to part with. 1-2 years is a ridiculously short life span for a console. What about all those NES systems that still work? Bet we won't see many 360s in 10 years.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Though I don't doubt the 360's lifespan is shorter than some other consoles, I think the problem is people with broken 360's are just very vocal on the net and people end up reading anti-Microsoft tirades every other day on internet forums making the problem seem a lot worse than it is. I've bought tonnes of electrical stuff I've had to replace within the first year, my 360 isn't one of those things yet. The Nes and Snes had a lot less moving parts as well, a lot less to go wrong.

Saying that, the customer service seems poor, especially when comparing it to Nintendo's with the DS hinges and Wii straps, I don't really know what to recommend other than fork out for a core or a Wii.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Mine died last week - 6 months old - and HMV replaced it no questions asked. The guy in HMV told me that the 1st year was with the store, and the second was with MS (with regards to warrenty)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Friend of mine had a launch 360 and it died over Xmas, MS UK repaired/replaced it free of charge. They sent a prepaid box, and had it back to him in a matter of days, that's outside of the warranty.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This topic is now closed to further replies.
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.