Looks like even the Elite version of the Xbox 360 is not free from the red rings of death. When I left for vacation earlier this year my Xbox was in perfect working order and I just finished a good session on Live with some online friends of mine. Before leaving the house I unplugged the console, tucked it away comfortably in the corner, and didn’t touch it for a little over a month.
My vacation went well and I returned home looking forward to a couple games of Call of Duty 4 which I was itching to play for over a week already. I plugged it in, booted it up and the screen froze up on me. I thought it was a fluke. Again, I shut the console down waited about 30 seconds and boom, it happened a second time. Finally on my third attempt instead of freezing the three infamous red lights turned on and from that point on I knew it was done.
Honestly, I forked out the $450.00 for the Elite expecting this problem to be fixed already. Apparently the term “you get what you paid for” is not always true. I’ve only owned the box for a little over 11 months and calling the repair department at 1-800-4MY-XBOX is more of a chore than a service. The automated voice gives you a complete run around and it gets pretty difficult to speak to a service representative right away.
After about 10-15 minutes of answering questions I finally spoke to a representative and spent the next 10 minutes explaining my situation and providing information. The service rep had told me it would take 24 to 48 hours to process my repair and to ship my “coffin” used for servicing. At that point finally felt I was getting somewhere. After about 72 hours passed without any email or reply from microsoft I got a little anxious and decided to call their toll free number to get some updates on my repair status. Good thing I did.
My damn repair order was canceled. Who the heck canceled it? Its been more than a week and I still have no clue. I’ve tried to set a new repair order online but now I get errors and I haven’t been able to speak with a service representative to help me yet. Is Microsoft trying to avoid this repair? Seriously, I’m curious and furious all at once. Anyone experience anything similar?
Edit: I’ve found several red rings fixes but the Towel fix is supposedly temporary and I’ve got no skills whatsoever with tools. Theres a video to the left explaining one of fixes for the red rings.
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I’m still low-tech with a PS2! I have a couple games that I haven’t even played yet. I have too many hobbies. Glad I never took the plunge on a box. These days $450 is almost 2 weeks pay for me!
@Polaris671 – yeah it sucks. Worse because we live on guam without a service center. I found out my service order was canceled because they dont recognize Guam as a part of the United States. What a crock of s***. I have to send my box to my brother n law,then he can get it fixed. So I’m still paying for shipping!!! damn these guys.
I’ve been worried about this as well, and since I live in Vietnam, it’s a supreme risk, basically if it dies, I have to buy a new one. Places here don’t warranty 360s for that very reason.
@Michael – Its so full of crap. Their warranty means nothing if we can’t use it. They might as well not sell it outside the United States.
My brother experienced a problem with the three red rings recently. The Xbox 360 (Elite or not) seems to be more trouble that it’s worth if you ask me. We called Microsoft but we actually ended up being able to get it exchanged by the electronics store that we bought it from called Futureshop. I hope you get it sorted soon!
fragilehearts last blog post..I can’t help but play with him
I just experienced the same thing, minus the shipping ( I just got done talking 10 minutes ago). Good thing Microsoft is fixing it for free and giving out a free month of xbox live. Still it’s ridiculous on how the xbox tends to be fine for two to three years, and then dies on me.
@Connor – Lucky you live in the mainland US. I have to ship my box to my sister in Hawaii and have her get the coffin and mail it to Microsoft for free. I still pay for my personal shipping though. sucks.
@trench – Decided to get one. Ordered one from Amazon. An Arcade 360 with free Lego Batman for $200 shipped. But now, I have to wait until December to play it, and then later bring it back to Vietnam. That’s when the real fun starts (don’t die on me!!!!!!!!!!!)
Michaels last blog post..Vietnam’s Helmet Law and Why Fashion Still Kills
@Michael – yeah, $200 is a great deal. I might get another for myself!
i too own an elite i bought the fan witch costed like 20 bucks it hasnt broke down(yet) i did some research and theres a book out there with videos that tell u how to fix ur xbox google search 3 rings of death and it should be like the first 2 or 3 hope i helped
finally fixed my red rings problem. I used the RROD penny trick. Been great for about 5 months now.
It’s my son’s bday in the near future and I believe that this post has made my mind up regarding what I am going to buy him.
Its incredible now there is a excellent way to fix your RROD I just found out yesterday. Check my link posted. If it does not work try rrod-fix-pro dot com.
As for value, PS3 is the leader when you factor all the elements together. However, for features, Xbox 360 blows Sony away.
@fragileheart – Yeah, this is going to be pretty complicated. I might have to send my XBOX express to my brother n law in Vegas. He’ll send it to be repaired then send it back to me. Sucks, I still have to pay for shipping.