To return or not to return...

[S.C.G]

... My Xbox 360, that is the question... I have had it since a couple weeks after it's launch (I pre-ordered but y'know how the launch was, inadequate numbers etc) and everything worked fine for a while, until the rumble feature on one of the controllers didnt work properly, so I ended up buying serveral reaplcement wireless controllers, which have all since been returned because none of them connected to my Xbox 360.

 

The guy at Game (where I got some of the replacement controllers from) said that it was probably a problem with the console and after contacting M$ with regard to the problem they seem to think that it's the wireless receiving mechanism inside the console, this was about a month or so ago that I contacted them and they offered to send me "the box" to put my 360 in to return it but I decided to put up with the problem and am currently mostly using a wired controller, not ideal but it works.

 

Since then over the past couple of weeks I have had a recoccuring problem with the disc drive sometimes not closing, however this has only happened after watching dvd's for some reason but it's happened randomly about 4 or 5 times now and is just another annoyance.

 

So my question (as stated before) is, should I return it? if so, (I'm kinda leaning towards returning it and hopefully getting a new one in return anyways) what kind of experiences have people had when returning their Xbox 360? and when M$ say they send you the box, do they just expect you to send the unboxed console? as I have heard some people have kept their Hard Drives and have been sent new sealed premium units so they keep their data and end up with an extra HDD.

 

If I did send it back I would be inclined to keep my HDD for all the trouble it's caused me (they don't cost M$ that much to make anyways) plus I don't want to have to burn an excess of 44 full length albums onto the HDD again or risk losing my gamertag and save data, but if I was to do this, should I tell them that on the phone? or just not mention it? if anyone has done something similar some feedback on how everything went would be great.

 

Anyways, any general feedback on the matter would be appreciated so that I can add up the pros and cons of if it's worth sending it back or not, I'm leaning towards sending it back because sods law if I keep it then something will go wrong when lots of decent titles are released for it, or just outside of the 1 year warranty or something, so yeah... feedback would be most welcome, thanks.

[The Peeps]

I don't have a 360 but it sounds like you should return yours or risk it blowing up next time or something :p

[Mr_Odwin]

rokhed00 has experience of returning a 360 and had similar questions, I believe.

[S.C.G]

rokhed00 has experience of returning a 360 and had similar questions, I believe.

 

Hmm I dk if he posts much in General Chat, might repost this in the 360 thread when things get back to normal after E3, anyways thanks for the feedback Odwin & NM, if anyone else also has any info that may be of use then please post, thanks.

[Caris]

Better be safe than sorry.

[S.C.G]

If I do return it though, whats peoples opinions on the HDD? should I keep it and send just the system? did anyone who has sent theirs back keep their HDD's? and do I have to send back all the leads, controller etc and put it back in it's original box also? as thats gonna be an annoyance if I have to.

[Charlie]

You know you have to do something to the controllers to make them connect to the 360? Not sure what it is though...

[rokhed00]

I did have problems with my 360, not the same as yours though, and returned it with HDD and had a brand new replacement withjin a week. I have heard of people returning them without the HDD and recieving an extra HDD and from the sound of it your problems aren't connected with the HDD so I'd say not to return it with the console. You might get a free HDD, you might not, but either way not sending the HDD with it shouldn't be a problem. I'd get on the phone to MS straight away and get them to send you out a box, returning it is a quick and simple process.

[S.C.G]

I did have problems with my 360, not the same as yours though, and returned it with HDD and had a brand new replacement withjin a week. I have heard of people returning them without the HDD and recieving an extra HDD and from the sound of it your problems aren't connected with the HDD so I'd say not to return it with the console. You might get a free HDD, you might not, but either way not sending the HDD with it shouldn't be a problem. I'd get on the phone to MS straight away and get them to send you out a box, returning it is a quick and simple process.

 

 

Thanks rokhed00 I think I am gonna return it soon, will phone them up today if the phonelines are open and if not, then Monday, however I do have a couple more questions, when you send the console back do you have to send everything back? (excluding the HDD of course I'm keeping that) i.e like the controller, headset, power brick (my power supply has always worked fine so I'd want to try and keep that in case the one they send me with a new console is faulty) also do I need to put it all in the original box with manuals etc and then put it in the box they send me?

 

Just wondered as obviously the three things I want to avoid sending back are the HDD, the power brick and of course the ltd ed mini media remote, also to anyone else who has returned in recent months / returned in recent weeks or days, what would you say my chances are of getting a new console sent to me? given that the problem is internal and probably not fixable I hope they will send me a new one, I figured I should do what I think it was Owen did and get them to agree to a replacement on the phone and attach a note to it saying "new unit required as stated on phone" or something, anyways thanks for your help rokhed00 and anyone else who has commented on my situation, any additional feedback appreciated.

[Owen]

Thanks rokhed00 I think I am gonna return it soon, will phone them up today if the phonelines are open and if not, then Monday, however I do have a couple more questions, when you send the console back do you have to send everything back? (excluding the HDD of course I'm keeping that) i.e like the controller, headset, power brick (my power supply has always worked fine so I'd want to try and keep that in case the one they send me with a new console is faulty) also do I need to put it all in the original box with manuals etc and then put it in the box they send me?

 

Just wondered as obviously the three things I want to avoid sending back are the HDD, the power brick and of course the ltd ed mini media remote, also to anyone else who has returned in recent months / returned in recent weeks or days, what would you say my chances are of getting a new console sent to me? given that the problem is internal and probably not fixable I hope they will send me a new one, I figured I should do what I think it was Owen did and get them to agree to a replacement on the phone and attach a note to it saying "new unit required as stated on phone" or something, anyways thanks for your help rokhed00 and anyone else who has commented on my situation, any additional feedback appreciated.

 

Hello! Yep i did write a letter and put it in, i didn't want a refurbished one, so i just wrote that we agreed a brand new Xbox360 and hard-drive on the phone (which we did).

 

I've had my second one now since March i think...it froze once yesterday during Oblivion but i'm 95% sure that was the game.

 

Oh and a bit of advice DEFINATELY buy a memory card and start saving on that! I had to return my hard-drive because they said that could of been the problem and i lost loads of data and achievements etc..

 

Overall a fantastic service. You shouldn't have any problems! :wink:

 

Oh and you don't need to send back the HD leads etc.. and remote. Actually i was advised by DHL not to because they get knicked.

[S.C.G]

Hello! Yep i did write a letter and put it in, i didn't want a refurbished one, so i just wrote that we agreed a brand new Xbox360 and hard-drive on the phone (which we did).

 

I've had my second one now since March i think...it froze once yesterday during Oblivion but i'm 95% sure that was the game.

 

Oh and a bit of advice DEFINATELY buy a memory card and start saving on that! I had to return my hard-drive because they said that could of been the problem and i lost loads of data and achievements etc..

 

Overall a fantastic service. You shouldn't have any problems! :wink:

 

Oh and you don't need to send back the HD leads etc.. and remote. Actually i was advised by DHL not to because they get knicked.

 

 

Thanks Owen, thats answered most of my questions I do have a few more however, some may seem a bit obvious but if you could answer them I would be greatfull, firstly I remember when initially getting a 360 and setting up a gamertag, part of the process was registering the serial number but if I have a new one, then doesnt that mean that my gamertag which I have registered on my current console wont work because it'd be under a different serial or something? another more straightforward question, postage, how did you post yours? howd you pack it etc and when posting did you have to pay anything (I know it's supposed to be free but y'know) I assume that I at least need a certificate of posting in case it gets lost in the post or something.

 

Anyways, if you could answer these questions (or anyone else who has had similar experiences) it would be appreciated, thanks again.

 

 

Edit : also do you know the number I need to call? I wrote it down the last time I called it but now can't find it, thanks.

[demonmike04]

0800 587 1102

 

Should be that number according the the wesbite.,

[rokhed00]

Thanks Owen, thats answered most of my questions I do have a few more however, some may seem a bit obvious but if you could answer them I would be greatfull, firstly I remember when initially getting a 360 and setting up a gamertag, part of the process was registering the serial number but if I have a new one, then doesnt that mean that my gamertag which I have registered on my current console wont work because it'd be under a different serial or something? another more straightforward question, postage, how did you post yours? howd you pack it etc and when posting did you have to pay anything (I know it's supposed to be free but y'know) I assume that I at least need a certificate of posting in case it gets lost in the post or something.

 

Anyways, if you could answer these questions (or anyone else who has had similar experiences) it would be appreciated, thanks again.

 

 

Edit : also do you know the number I need to call? I wrote it down the last time I called it but now can't find it, thanks.

 

Console serial number doesn't matter, Xbox Live accounts can be transferred to any Xbox or 360 by using the 'recover account' function. If the account on your hard drive doewsn't work on the new console, just transfer your game saves on to a memory card, delete the profile and recover your gamertag and transfer the saves back to the HDD.

[S.C.G]

ah cool thanks again, I'm gonna get on the phone to M$ tomorow and hopefully get the ball rolling I hope they agree to replace it with a new one, still not sure if I should mention that I'm keeping the HDD or not... hmm we shall see I guess. < (message posted yesterday)

 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

I'm going to phone M$ later today, still not sure whether to mention that I'm keeping the HDD or just keep quiet about it, did anyone else return theirs without the HDD? if so what did you do? Also, Owen when you said I dont have to send any of the leads etc, does that include the original box, power brick and wireless controller?

[Owen]

ah cool thanks again, I'm gonna get on the phone to M$ tomorow and hopefully get the ball rolling I hope they agree to replace it with a new one, still not sure if I should mention that I'm keeping the HDD or not... hmm we shall see I guess.

 

 

I'm going to phone M$ later today, still not sure whether to mention that I'm keeping the HDD or just keep quiet about it, did anyone else return theirs without the HDD? if so what did you do? Also, Owen when you said I dont have to send any of the leads etc, does that include the original box, power brick and wireless controller?

 

I didn't send the wireless controller, original box or power brick back.

 

Just the hard-drive and Xbox 360. Although your problem is obviously different to mine as it's not freezing, so double-check!

 

Oh and i've had the opposite problem, my 360's disc tray hasn't opened on numoureous occasions! Which ain't right.

 

Although it's only been like, 3 times over 4 months so i can't complain really. :awesome:

[S.C.G]

called M$, got through and theyve taken my name and number and they say "we will call you back as soon as possible" that was like half an hour or so ago *sigh* looks like I've got to play an endless waiting game before I can even get anywhere.

 

[update]

 

argh! this sucks, they've kept me waiting for over 2 hours now, gonna phone them back, dam M$ wasting even more of my time.

 

[up-update]

 

argggghhhhhhhh! this sucks even more, after calling back after them wasting more of my time, I got through to someone who told me the same thing, I said "yeah I've already heard this earlier from some other guy" and he was like "were really busy etc etc" and I was like "erm ok, so this is the bit where I out the phone down right?" *puts phone down*

 

Then later on, finally at like 8.30 PM!!! someone calls me back, and so I start explaning that the problem had been narrowed down to a faulty wireless receiving mechanism inside the console then he asked me if it was registered, I said yes and then he asks me for the serial, so I say, thats the number under the USB flap right? he says yes, I say is it ok if I go and get the number? he said yes and said he would wait, so I rush upstairs, jot down the number and am back in less than a minute...

 

I pick up the phone and all I can hear is a silent tone (not a hang up tone but a noise canceling tone, sounded like he had muted something, so I said hello? etc for about 5 mins, no reply, so then I wait a minute, no one phones back... great now theyve obviously hung up on me, so I phone again and didnt get anywhere, and they kept me waiting for an additional half an hour on hold at which point I just said fukk this into the phone and hung up.

 

arrrgghhhhh! dam M$... tomorow I'm gonna phone them up again, get through and make them agree to a new console replacement becuase this is unacceptable, all this bloddy hassle for this one overrated console which I just want to work properly to play the few bloody decent games that are on it! arrgh! ffs M$ you suck...

 

*sigh* I can't wait until the day I can buy a Wii with all the games that I truly want and have yet another reliable console from a company who I trust and respect, Nintendo Wii salute you! Micro$oft you suck!

[Charlie]

If you keep your harddrive and they send you a new one... Can I have one of them please?

[S.C.G]

Ok, after days of anguish cause by the Xbox customer service helpline, I finally got through to them and have set the ball rolling, bad news is that I have to send the console and the HDD, so all that music will have to be re-ripped

 

Anyways, Owen, would you say that you writing a letter might have increased your chance of getting a new one sent to you? if so what did you put, did you type or hand-write it and did you address it to anyone, presumably you stuck it to the console also? as the guy on the phone, when I enquired about the possibilty of keeping the HDD he said that I had to send it because they (the service centre) would most likely be sending me a brand new machine, so obviously I want to do all that I can now to get a brand new machine if possible.

 

Also, another question, to Owen or to anyone who had to back up their files to a memory unit, I bought a memory unti a while ago incase something like this happened, I havent used it yet but I noticed that there is a format option in the 360 menu, do I need to format the already blank but unused memory card before I use it? or shouldnt I do that / don't need to do that and can just save straight onto it? also to backup my save files, when I move my gamertag to the memory unit, does that automatically copy across all my save files too? or do I need to copy those as well seperately?

 

If anyone could answer these questions for me as soon as possible it'd be greatly appreciated, as I just want to get it all sorted quickly, still got to sort of the business of finding a box (they dont supply you with the box anymore just a DHL label that you print off yourself) I also have to contact DHL I think, so yeah anyways, any help / advice is appreciated.

[Owen]

Ok, after days of anguish cause by the Xbox customer service helpline, I finally got through to them and have set the ball rolling, bad news is that I have to send the console and the HDD, so all that music will have to be re-ripped

 

Anyways, Owen, would you say that you writing a letter might have increased your chance of getting a new one sent to you? if so what did you put, did you type or hand-write it and did you address it to anyone, presumably you stuck it to the console also? as the guy on the phone, when I enquired about the possibilty of keeping the HDD he said that I had to send it because they (the service centre) would most likely be sending me a brand new machine, so obviously I want to do all that I can now to get a brand new machine if possible.

 

Also, another question, to Owen or to anyone who had to back up their files to a memory unit, I bought a memory unti a while ago incase something like this happened, I havent used it yet but I noticed that there is a format option in the 360 menu, do I need to format the already blank but unused memory card before I use it? or shouldnt I do that / don't need to do that and can just save straight onto it? also to backup my save files, when I move my gamertag to the memory unit, does that automatically copy across all my save files too? or do I need to copy those as well seperately?

 

If anyone could answer these questions for me as soon as possible it'd be greatly appreciated, as I just want to get it all sorted quickly, still got to sort of the business of finding a box (they dont supply you with the box anymore just a DHL label that you print off yourself) I also have to contact DHL I think, so yeah anyways, any help / advice is appreciated.

 

It was hand-writing, and i just put 'New Xbox 360 and Hard-Drive required as agreed on phone...then yours sincerely and your name'.

 

Oh and i just put the memory card in (chose hard-drive as my storage device) and copied the games from the hard-drive to the memory card! Some games won't work though! Like PDZ. Not to sure about the Gamertag thing....

 

Shame i didn't do that before sending back the hard-drive and losing all my saves, although there could have been some sort of data corrupted in one of the saves, so perhaps it was for the best.

 

[S.C.G]

Am packing up my 360 now, tried to copy everything onto a card but it wont let me copy my PDZ or DOA4 files, wondering if I should send the hard drive with it now... I want them to send me a new one so I'm wondering if I should include it or not, anyone else sent theirs back without the HDD and got a new premium with an extra HDD sent to them in return?

 

I'm packing it up now so if anyone thinks I should keep it or not post now, within the next 5 mins, otherwise I'm just gonna pack it up with the HDD ready for UPS to pick it up tomorow and will just have to take the loss of all my progress for those 2 games, which I am pissed off about btw.

 

 

**Update**

 

 

I packed it all up last night / early morning without the HDD and I attached a note the same as Owen did which reads:

 

"New Xbox 360 and Hard Drive required as agreed on phone, yours sincerley"

 

hopefully they shouldn't question it and will send me a new premium with a hard drive or at the very least a new core, definately don't want a refurb, besides M$ should send me the extra drive with the premium for all the shit and hassle it has caused me, I just hope the repair centre don't phone me up asking where the HDD is, if they do I will just have to say "I sent it with the console, isn't it with the console now?" and they will probably just assume it was stolen in transit.

 

they havent picked it up yet, I still could put the Hard Drive in with the console, but I really don't want to as I don't see why I should have to start again on PDZ especially, just got another achievment for that online last night as well for 1000 team killcount kills. That alone will be an annoyance for me to get back, let alone everything for the whole game.

 

Anyways, UPS should be along soonish (they said between 9am and 6pm) so I'll most likely just send it as it is. Plus who's to say that even if I did put the detachable HDD in with it that it wouldn't get stolen anyway then that would be ultimately pointless. Meh, I hate M$ for putting me through all this shit unecessarilly. I can't wait for the Wii, at least I can buy that from a company that I trust.