British repair service revokes 360 support
While complaints mount up all over the internet about Microsoft taking ages to repair Xbox 360s emitting the dreaded Ring of Death, the next-gen console hardware’s reputation for reliability is further jeopardized by commercial repair centers canceling their support for Xbox 360 repairs.
British company Micromart (NE) Ltd., who have been “providing a comprehensive repair service to Games Consoles for over 10 years”, are currently showing a notice on their corporate homepage stating that they will no longer take on Xbox 360 repairs if the problem involves the well known three red lights:
Micromart has now withdrawn from offering a Repair Service for the dreaded 3 Red Lights fault. This problem is endemic on the XBox 360 console and the volume has made this repair non-viable. Other repairs to the XBox 360 are still being supported.
While it may seem nice at first that they still do other repairs, the three red lights supposedly indicate any hardware failure according to Microsoft themselves, so it’s pretty safe to say they’ve withdrawn all support for repairing Xbox 360s.
Recent investigations by small publications have shown similar results, and there have always been isolated excesses of people having had seven or recently even eleven consoles break down on them, but official repair centers employed by retailers throughout the United Kingdom revoking their services for Xbox 360 repairs should be a really strong signal towards Microsoft that something is most certainly wrong out there. It makes one wonder whether the new heatsinks currently being installed in many dead 360s are going to be helping enough to alleviate the problems.
We’re curious whether Microsoft can still ignore signals of this scope, but for the time being the last we heard on the subject are still Peter Moore’s famous words:
“I can’t comment on failure rates, because it’s just not something - it’s a moving target. What this consumer should worry about is the way that we’ve treated him. Y’know, things break, and if we’ve treated him well and fixed his problem, that’s something that we’re focused on right now.”
Care to revise that a bit based on recent events Peter?
While my launch console SOUNDS like a jet is taking off from my ilvign room, it has (thus far) worked fine.
However, it seems the noise is getting louder and louder so I think its on the clock. But I’m in Canada, so I’m not too worried ’bout the repair.
Sucks for the UK tho.
Peter Moore and Larry Hyrb have taken one too many pages out of the iraqi misinformation ministers book.
It’s a mess, and they know it, and its going to take more situations like this, and probably some lawsuits to wake microsoft the hell up about their shoddy hardware.
They need a redesign, and that smaller chip cant get here fast enough for them.
They will sidestep the issue until the new chips arrive; and then deny for the life of the system there was ever a serious issue. Its a win-win!
GO MICROSOFT, GO
just tried turning my 360 on its side yesterday, for ventilation during the summer, and my disc tray will not open while its in that position
… and it sounds like a train braking when it slows the discs down
ha i know how to fix 360s so i bought 5 on ebay and fixed em and sold for 200 each
I’ve had my XBOX 360 for eight months now. I have a one-year warranty and I had always planned on brining in the device to swap it for a new one when the one-year period had elapsed.
Now I am not so sure; although it has crashed on me a couple of times, I’d hate to replace my seemingly “working” console for one that will plague me with repeated problems.
What would/will you do?
i had the same idea but it seems that the refurbished one you will get back will be even worse so just hang on to what u got its been a smart move on my part, o5 console 6 months outta warranty still truckin like the day i bought it
My boyfriend is on I think his 4th console. One was a three red lighter, one had technical faults, and the other two I can’t quite remember. His latest one had a few disc reading problems, but he smashed it around a little to fix that
Works fine now eh Taben? 
I’m on my second, mine too sounded like a jet taking off so i sent it back just before it ran out of warranty. My new one works fine.
VERY recently a close friend’s xbox did a 3 red lighter on him (daniel drago), and he simply bought a new console. So much for fixing the one that’s broken…
Another friend very recently had this problem and hasnt heard from the repair centre for about a month..
We’re all in the UK. Sucks to be us.
i’m still waiting for mine to be repaired. I sent it in at the beginning of June, and got an email last friday that they just received it. I hope i get it back soon so i can get back to current gen gaming, as i’m currently playing my original xbox
probably help to point out that when you contact Microsoft to repair your console in the UK, that it ends up in Germany for repair, not the UK.
The 360 has become a laughing stock for the numbers people have to have replaced. It simply has to be addressed by Microsoft directly, as appose to dodging the bullets.
Sooner or later, they will see a hit in the pockets.
I don’t think so. Sales numbers have floated through months of bad pr about systems failing; and on top of that, word of mouth seems to have little effect. Besides, they probably have 6 more months to go before the new batch of chips hits the scene and it will all be gravy by then. Furthermore, all systems have a one year warranty. Nobody cares if it bites the dust at this point. The small amount of launch units left that will fail with no warranty will have no sales impact, except when the poor bastards have to go buy a new system!
1st time: three red lights
2nd time: disc read error (all games)
3rd time: three red lights
4th time: still nothing, but I hold my breath.
I send an official letter to Microsoft and the Consumentenbond (NL, they help people in this sort of situations). By law, Microsoft can’t send refurbs. By good habit, they have to return full money or a new product instead of refurbs, when the problem resists.
I hope they listen in a while, cause more and more people are stepping up, instead of buying a new console or getting it repaired the xth time…
Would PS3 be any better by hardware?
I’m on 4th Xbox and have posted my problems on the forum. My cuurnt 360 sits on a laptop cooling base and is surrounded by cooling blocks (similar to those you find in fancy sandwich bags. Anyway as stated this box when it goes will be repaired by M$ and then traded in for a PS3. I have a friend who works in Trading Standards and this is being looked at by them under the Electrical Goods Consumers Act. Early days though. For those who say xbox360 to PS3 get stuffed then my reply is when M$ issue a solid machine which they will do then I will go buy one.
im on my 5th.
every 1 i know has had the 3 red lights.
this is a desighn problem and sonthing should be done.
Nothing will be done by microsoft until their pockets start to feel a bit lighter or another way would be for Sony to start chirping them about it, that could work as the would have to launch a huge counter offensive.
i have had a few now, but my latest problem is constant disc read errors. so annoying.
steven ratty thats a good comment. Sony & Nintendo using the 3 rings of death as a marketing tactic. As for Peter Moore’s hes in the wrong job he should be a politician with those comments. “What this consumer should worry about is the way that we’ve treated him”. How does that work in marketing. If you had a consistant failure of any other product ie a television would you buy from that company again I thing not.
Just shipped mine off today. To bloody Prague! They say it will take 25 days, and charged me ÂŁ85. I think it would be fair to say I’ve just been robbed.
Shipping mine tomorrow - again ÂŁ85. I was quoted 20-25 days. This is will be my third console in 1 4 months.
Steve Perry remember Peter Moores caring words “What this consumer should worry about is the way that we’ve treated him”. If my 32″ Samsung LCD had died (and that gives off some heat)everytime my xbox did then Samsung would not treat its customers this way. Remember product recalls. No wonder M$ are installing extra heat sinks on new repairs. Dodgy dodgy. M$ is worse than a cockney market stall vendor.Even Companies in China has a recall procedure and that worldwide recall, reference the recent BBC News reports. M$ get you f***ing act together and also get rid of Peter Moore who quite frankley is a dodgy dealer
P.S Peter Moore when it comes to light how M$ have stuck their head in the sand and told to refund all customers for repairs and believe me it will happen,remember the European Union ruling M$ I’m $ure you do, then I want a grandstand seat (as long as its not built by M$) to see you wet yourself Mr Moore or is that Arthur Dailey.
Sorry for the previous rants guys just getting this post as big as all the other posts relating to this problem on every forum, blog, webpage,website and best of all M$ own forums. Whatr was taht other comment M$ “we always listen to comments on our forums” I bet its like listening to your wife Mr M$, in one ear, out the other
wow you all got pawnd hard…. my lauch system is still humming away…
that would suck
My launch system was humming away until this weekend… so don’t get too cocky too soon. I’ve been dodging bullets, but they finally caught up to me. 1 console since launch is a rarity. I’m debating waiting till they start putting those new chips in rather than buy into the same problems again.
My second one died on me last month, I was ready to buy a ps3, but did the xclamp removal and it has been working for over a month now. If it breaks down again it’s bye 360, hello ps3. I just don’t like products that break when you only look at them.
I’ve been contemplating the same thing… going with a PS3… I just don’t know if I could live with myself once Mass Effect shipped… I know at that point I’d regret it.
No problems here.