So a couple days back I wrote about how my Xbox had just died and Microsoft wanted an absurd amount of cash to fix the thing. So I figured I'd open it up just for grins to see what would come of it and a few hours later I once again had a work Xbox. No parts had to be replaced and I'm not exactly skilled in repair so I wouldn't say that it took any precision to fix. In short, I now have a working Xbox once more and I didn't have to pay a single thing for it.
That got me to thinking, why did Microsoft feel the need to charge me such an exorbitant rate? I'm sure I'm not the first person to call in with this problem, and I'm just as sure that there's someone out there that got suckered into paying. It just seems to me that once they saw this problem could be easily rectified wouldn't they be more inclined to inform their consumers that they can do the work with little effort on their part? I guess deep down I wonder if they have a hidden agenda to double their profits by giving the Xbox a short life span. I've heard stories from people who claim they've never had a problem with their old Xbox 360 system and others who buy a new one and it breaks in the first week and shortly again after that.
Are we really to believe that such a large company with their foot in almost every corner of the electronic industry can't manage to produce a system that functions without the need of constant repair and maintenance? I for one don't buy it and I intend to encourage people to take their broken 360's to a third party instead of dealing with Microsoft anymore.
Awesome. What was wrong and what was the fix?
ReplyDeleteThe eye that reads the discs didn't return to the starting position so when I turned on the console it would spin up and move, but it wouldn't be able to read anything. The fix? Take my hand, force it back into place.
ReplyDeleteProblem solved. 150 bucks saved.
Glad you fixed it!
ReplyDeleteI had the exact same problem, sent it off to microsoft and they charged me £17.
ReplyDeleteSuckering people in to paying for easy fixes like that is probably how microsoft became so rich.
ReplyDeleteNine times out of ten it is easier, and cheaper to go with a third party. They usually charge little for labor, but you are usually stuck buying the parts yourself. I have worked on many game consoles in my time, and the 360 is the one that I get the most frequently.
ReplyDeleteAnd I still don't have my own Xbox >_<
ReplyDelete