Microsoft: No more prepaid "coffins" for RROD 360s

[Justin]

In part to appease an upset user base and in part to net them some good PR points, a while back Microsoft launched a policy that would provide owners of a dead Xbox 360s with a prepaid shipping box. It made getting a warranty repair quite trivial – make a call, get the box, send the box away – all at Microsoft's expense. It was a great boon to the numerous people who found their consoles prematurely dying, due to the well-documented and widely known hardware faults that earlier models of the 360 were plagued with.

Microsoft has decided to end that policy, however. At the end of last month, the company decided to axe the expense of sending these prepaid “cardboard coffins,” requiring customers to get their own packaging. Not a big deal considering Redmond will still pay for return shipping. Microsoft, on the other hand, will need to sort through whatever random packaging a customer comes up with.

One advantage to the prepaid coffins was that it ensured the Xbox was packaged properly – and wouldn't sustain further damage in transit. In any case, dropping the policy won't affect anybody's warranty, and minus the mere cost of getting your own packaging you will still get an in-warranty unit repaired for free.

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https://www.techspot.com/news/35025-microsoft-no-more-prepaid-coffins-for-rrod-360s.html

 

[camuss15]

I made several attempts to get an E-label online and it has failed every single time to bring me a page to print the label to put on my own box to send to them. I emailed Microsoft about the issue and was told to call them to have them send me a label in a "week or so" to put on my box. I never replied and do not plan on calling to get my broken Xbox 360 repaired.

 

[Guest]

" I never replied and do not plan on calling to get my broken Xbox 360 repaired."


So instead of being able to play games and enjoy your 360, you have a paperweight. Yeah that is sticking it to Microsoft.

 

[camuss15]

Well, I do not like to call people that whisper into the phone and can hardly speak English or suffer from mental retardation when it could be more easily settled online without any hassles. That is if the site doesn't bring up an error page 4 times in a week......

Right after I submitted that last comment, I went back to the support site and hurray, a "Print label" button finally appeared on the bottom of the repair status page where I had checked countless times before sending the email. I now have my xbox packed in a box in my car ready to be shipped and I never spoke to a single Indian woman over the phone!!!

And I would never have left the situation alone. I would have sent more emails until they got their problems worked out without it taking over a week to send me a label that I should have been able to print from their website in the first place.

 

[tengeta]

Um, no. The fact is that you have another option and simply refuse to use it. Microsoft's people are annoying, but you can hear them and actually end up with a U.S. representative a vast majority of the time. Your racism and inability to deal with other people are social issues YOU have, not Microsoft.

Any person willing to call won't suffer the issue you are going through, its that freakin simple.

 

[Jibberish18]

The person at Microsoft who was helping me with my brothers 2nd RROD told me I had to supply my own box. I was surprised and asked him if he was sure since the last time they provided me one. He said that the new policy was to have the customer use their own packing supplies. Not a big deal to me as I keep about 10 different sized boxes in the attic with all types of packing material just for these types of occasions. BUT it is a bit of an inconvenience even though it is no different from what any other company would ask you to do. I'm guessing maybe MS supplied you with boxes before because the problem was so widespread and they didn't mind eating it on shipping costs and boxes so they didn't piss off everyone who just spend hundreds of dollars on their new machine. But fast forward a few years and failures are getting better and economic times are hard and they're not "as nice" as before.

 

[raybay]

"... you can hear them..." (sometimes not) "and actually end up with a U.S. representative a vast majority of the time..."

NO, not a VAST Majority of the time... not in our experience.

 

[Wendig0]

Fix the problem that causes the rrod in the first place, before it was ships to stores that that will save tons of money. So far, I have gotten the red ring of death 3 times. The last time I shot my xbox360 with a .380 and sent it back to microsoft with a note telling them they can keep the piece of crap this time.

 

[Captain828]

Wendig0 said:
Fix the problem that causes the rrod in the first place, before it was ships to stores that that will save tons of money. So far, I have gotten the red ring of death 3 times. The last time I shot my xbox360 with a .380 and sent it back to microsoft with a note telling them they can keep the piece of crap this time.

LOL!

 

[yukka]

Wendig0 said:
Fix the problem that causes the rrod in the first place, before it was ships to stores that that will save tons of money. So far, I have gotten the red ring of death 3 times. The last time I shot my xbox360 with a .380 and sent it back to microsoft with a note telling them they can keep the piece of crap this time.

Would to see the look on the face of the guy who gets that refurbished model back

 

[Tekkaraiden]

I'd be curious if they ship it back in the customer supplied box.

 

[mattfrompa]

From what I have heard there has been a huge drop in complaints for those purchasing revisions of Jasper and later. This is coming from different gaming stores, and those on Xbox Live. I personally have an elite, never had a problem. The 360 should have been black from the start

 

[Supra]

I kept my last coffin so I'm prepped for the next time. My last repair was done in November and just last weekend had the RROD come on again after being left on overnight. I let it sit for a day and the next time it worked just fine....

 

[gobbybobby]

I got my console sent back in a different box, the box I sent was quite big and I filled it with newspaper to ''protect'' the console. (I deliver a free paper so I just sent them all off to console repair that week!) Doing it on the xbox support site is much easier that calling them, so many people prank call and video them doing it for youtube.

 

[Guest]

Whats racist about stating people can't speak English properly? Simple fact is companies are using cheaper labor to satisfy shareholders demand for more profits. The outcome is off shore locations are invariably used and one of the "benefits" of this decision is the amount of people who speak English with a strong local dialect, which,combined with poor Telecommunication lines and cultural differences, sometimes make talking, and especially explaining technical problems ,extremely frustrating and annoying. However you'd better get used to it as this is now the norm.

 

[Wendig0]

Would love to see the look on the face of the guy who gets that refurbished model back

lol. I'm sure the rep at Microsoft that opened the box was scratching his/her head for a while too.