Took the 360 plunge

[p2xgamers]

Re: Took the 360 plunge

You will have a great time with the 360. Great games and a lot of fun. If you are going online with it . Tell me if you downloaded the new fall update and if it is giving you an my 3rd 360 this week and want to know if it is safe to download this yet. a lot of people have been saying it is causing freezing and breaking systems. Thanks.

Yeah I'd like to know the same, the fixed update should be fine but if yours was brand new or just got it back (with no spring update applied) then it caused the issue. Though after that I still wonder if anyone knows whether or not changes are made to the HD after an update.

[funky_chicken]

Re: Took the 360 plunge

Make sure you get some kind of warranty while you're on the dark side!

Got a 2 year warranty from Circuit City were I bought the system.

[Fu Man Ching]

Re: Took the 360 plunge

Got a 2 year warranty from Circuit City were I bought the system.

Did they tell you if you get one replacement and then have to buy another warranty. I just used my warranty and I'm waiting for a gift card from them. They told me when I bought it I could get it replaced at the store. Thats not true. Then they said it was unlimited and good for two years which I will find out if they were BSing about that too. What did they tell you?

[funky_chicken]

Re: Took the 360 plunge

Did they tell you if you get one replacement and then have to buy another warranty. I just used my warranty and I'm waiting for a gift card from them. They told me when I bought it I could get it replaced at the store. Thats not true. Then they said it was unlimited and good for two years which I will find out if they were BSing about that too. What did they tell you?

I was told if it breaks call a toll free number and they will issue me a gift card for the price of a replacement.

[Fu Man Ching]

Re: Took the 360 plunge

I was told if it breaks call a toll free number and they will issue me a gift card for the price of a replacement.

They didn't tell me that. But that is what I had to do. I think it will suck if they don't carry over the warranty over to the next system I buy though. That is what I am wondering. This will be my third system. The first one went in two weeks and was easily replaced because it was within 30 days and they did it at the store.

Anyone have a warranty thorugh them and know how that works. I think if you buy a two year warranty it should be for two years and not limited to one system.

[Rodster]

Re: Took the 360 plunge

Anyone have a warranty thorugh them and know how that works. I think if you buy a two year warranty it should be for two years and not limited to one system.

I think it's similar to the BB warranty, once you get a new system you'll need to buy another "warranty voucher". That's the way they should be referred to.

[Fu Man Ching]

Re: Took the 360 plunge

I think it's similar to the BB warranty, once you get a new system you'll need to buy another "warranty voucher". That's the way they should be referred to.

It is crazy how they say nothing about that on their website or on th ereciept. The go who sold me it said it was unlimited but I have a feeling it was like you said it is. He is also the same asshat who told me I could return it at the store at anytime for a new one. Is there any place that offers an extened unlimited warranty that you can take it back to the store for a new one? I know cocstco does but there is not one near me.

[Rodster]

Re: Took the 360 plunge

It is crazy how they say nothing about that on their website or on th ereciept. The go who sold me it said it was unlimited but I have a feeling it was like you said it is. He is also the same asshat who told me I could return it at the store at anytime for a new one. Is there any place that offers an extened unlimited warranty that you can take it back to the store for a new one? I know cocstco does but there is not one near me.

Like you said Costco is your only choice. Too bad there isn't one close by for me either.

[Fu Man Ching]

Re: Took the 360 plunge

Like you said Costco is your only choice. Too bad there isn't one close by for me either.

Yeah your right. Thanks. for answering. I am going to try and get the manager to hear me out since one of their employees told me wrong and there was nothing given to me to tell me otherwise. I could of still got Microsft to replce this in the 90 day period and saved this replacement for later. That is some crap that they can't give you unlimited replacement for the period. I guess people would abuse it but other places like costco can do it.

Does Microsoft offer unlimited replacement with their warranty?

[NEW_ORLEANS]

Re: Took the 360 plunge

I got my 360 last friday and i took a chance the same day and downloaded the update and it was fine.

[rudyjuly2]

Re: Took the 360 plunge

You should always get a warranty with any electronic equipment, period.

No way. Its pure profit for them. Its been discussed in another thread but they make 80% pure profit off of electronics warranties and prey on people's insecurities.

http://www.delawareonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061008/BUSINESS/610080310/1003

Another article (now archived I think)
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/01/te...ts&oref=slogin

Here is the article in print form:




The Word on Warranties: Don’t Bother

IT may be tempting to buy extended warranties with all those high-tech gadgets on your holiday list, but the experts say they are almost always a waste of money.

The experts have done the math, taking into account the odds that a product will break, as well as the price of a warranty versus the cost of repair or replacement. In almost every instance, these warranties represent pure profit for the seller and pure loss for the buyer, they say.

“Extended warranties are basically overpriced insurance products,” said Andrew Housser, a co-creator and chief executive of Bills.com, a personal finance site. “At times it makes sense to buy insurance. It’s a good idea to buy home, car, life insurance. But those are priced in a very efficient marketplace.”

Because the insurance market is competitive and policies can be easily compared, insurance companies generally post profits in the 15 percent range, while electronics retailers generate margins as high as 80 percent on warranties, Mr. Housser said. That is a sign that the products they sell rarely break down during the warranty periods, making warranties a great deal for the seller but a bad deal for the buyer.

Indeed, Mr. Housser said, in many cases electronics retailers make almost no profit on the goods they sell; they make almost all of it on the sale of extended warranties. That may explain why salespeople put so much emphasis on warranties during their sales pitches, he and other experts say.
For years, Consumer Reports magazine has been telling its readers to stay away from extended warranties on most products, including cars, appliances and televisions, based on an analysis of repair records. Tod Marks, a senior editor, said the magazine’s surveys have found that warranties are an especially bad buy for items like computers, iPods, digital cameras and smartphones, mainly because prices for these products are always falling.
He calls a warranty on an item like this a “sucker’s bet.” “You’re betting that one, the product will break, and two, that it will break in the second or third year,” after a typical manufacturer’s warranty expires, Mr. Marks said. “And three, you’re betting that the cost of repair or replacement will exceed the cost of the warranty.”

For example, a recent Consumer Reports survey found that only about 10 percent of digital cameras broke during their first five years. For an extended warranty to be valuable, it would have to cost much less than 10 percent of the purchase price, since a camera with the same features will probably cost much less by the time you need a replacement. Yet a warranty on a digital camera usually costs 15 percent to 20 percent of the purchase price, Mr. Marks said.

The magazine’s surveys occasionally turn up examples of products that are better candidates for an extended warranty because of a high incidence of repairs. Early data on rear-projection television sets sold in 2005 and 2006 showed that 10 percent needed repairs (about three times the repair rate of picture tube and flat panel sets). Most repairs were bulb replacements, which cost about $400, including labor. So an extended warranty below that price might be worth it, Mr. Marks said.

But over all, extended warranties almost never pay for themselves. “If you’re someone who lies awake at night worrying, put that same money into a rainy-day repair fund,” Mr. Marks said. “Now you have the money to fix most problems. And if nothing breaks, go out to dinner and enjoy yourself.”
Risk aversion is a big reason why people keep buying warranties — totaling about $16 billion last year — despite the overwhelming evidence that they are a bad deal, said Amanda G. Nicholson, an assistant business professor at the Whitman School of Management at Syracuse University.
“They have become more prevalent as we are becoming less capable of fixing things ourselves,” Professor Nicholson said. “Most of us don’t know how any of this stuff works.”

So many people will pay just about any price for peace of mind, even when an item is so cheap it is practically disposable. Professor Nicholson recalled that a colleague spent $15 on a one-time-replacement warranty for a $35 portable CD player for her 14-year-old son, because he is known to break things. “You could drop it in the ocean and they would replace it, and guess what,” she said, “he dropped it in the ocean.”

Paradoxically, the people who are late in adopting new technology buy the bulk of the extended warranties, even though the products are less expensive and more reliable by the time they are buying, said Amar Cheema, a business professor at Washington University in St. Louis. He theorizes that these people are less comfortable with technology and thus more vulnerable to sales pitches for extended warranties.

“This is why you see them as an add-on cost that pops up after you have already made the commitment,” Professor Cheema said. “At the checkout, they say, ‘Hey, you just bought that for $900, pay just $150 for an extra two-year protection plan.’ ”

Buyers should be suspicious of these tactics, experts say, as well as offers to stretch out the price of a warranty over time, as part of a cellphone plan, for example. “From a budgeting perspective, $2 a month is nothing,” Professor Cheema said, “but if it’s $72 by the end of the period, it’s more than a new cellphone might cost.”

Mr. Housser of Bills.com says it is also worth noting that many retailers use third-party companies to honor extended warranties, and that can add red tape and time to a repair. “For them, any claim is a loss,” he said. Of course, there is always the possibility that an expensive gadget will break, and you will wish you had bought the warranty. But experts agree that over many years of buying many products, saying no to extended warranties will save you bundles of cash.<!-- / message -->

[Fu Man Ching]

Re: Took the 360 plunge

I see what your are saying rudy but I have never been insecure about getting a system like the 360. I have read to many stories. SO I said what the hell I'll get the warranty. Then I had one die on me in the frist two weeks. Just froze all the time. Took it back and the next one worked perfectley until I was playing NBA2k7 and the screen froze and went green. Then the redilghts came on and nothing sould fix it. It was within the 90 days so yeah I could of got it replaced for free. But that was only by days. If I didn't have the warranty and the thing died a week later than I have to pay $149 instead of $60.

I still think it is crap that the warranties are so much and a hassle. Microsoft needs to make more sturdy system too. I had a PS2 break but that was after 1-2.

[TheBadazz]

Re: Took the 360 plunge

I know I was the one who started this warranty stuff. I'm glad you got one. NOW......... PLAY THE CRAP OUT OF THIS SYSTEM!!! Worry about the other stuff later.

[rudyjuly2]

Re: Took the 360 plunge

I see what your are saying rudy but I have never been insecure about getting a system like the 360. I have read to many stories. SO I said what the hell I'll get the warranty.

The warranty does sound like a good idea for the 360, particularly launch 360s since there have been many problems reported.

Most reports discourage buying extended warranties on electronics since most electronics don't break after the initial warranty period or the warranty will usually be more than the repair anyways. With some electronics (like digital cameras), the warranty may even end up more than the cost of a new one a few years later. However, if you are reading reports of high numbers of problems (360), its simply using your head to buy the insurance. When you don't hear of problems and some salesman dupes you into buying something to make a good commission, that's when you are getting screwed which is what is generally going on.