Microsoft sued over defective Xbox 360s

By Tim Surette, GameSpot.com on 07 December 2005

Tags: 360 | defective | faults | launch | sue | xbox | microsoft

While the Xbox 360 has had sell out launches in the US and Europe, much of the praise for the machine has been drowned out by those with defective Xbox 360s who have been very vocal about their problems and are in search of some answers from Microsoft.

One man has even gone so far as to take the software and hardware giant to court. Robert Byers, from Chicago, Illinois, says his Xbox 360 and its larger-than-usual power supply overheat and cause the system to shut down. Byers believes that Microsoft did not properly test their systems in a rush to get the console out before its competitors released their consoles. The suit is seeking unspecified damages, attorney expenses, and replacements or a recall of Xbox 360s.

Microsoft has stated that approximately three percent of Xbox 360s will encounter some form of technical problem, but adds that the number is lower than normal for retail electronics.

When asked about the suit, a Microsoft rep told GameSpot, "We are looking into this, but Microsoft doesn't comment on pending legal matters."

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SMP
20/11/2006 06:18 PM

I purchased a Premium Xbox 360 bundle at Walmart.com on May 28, 2006. I received my Premium XBOX 360 bundle on June 8, 2006. My XBOX 360 manufactured date is 4/28/2006 and the product I purchased is defective. I have only used the XBOX 360 a total of 20 times since purchasing it or a total of about 60 hours playing time. The problem began on November 16, 2006. The XBOX 360 when powered on only displays 3 flashing red lights and does not display a picture. I contacted a customer service representative at 1-800-4MY-XBOX, who stated the 3 flashing red lights indicates that there is a hardware failure and that because my 90-day warranty is over, I would have to pay $130 to have it repaired. He also stated very rudely “I should have purchased an extended warranty and I would not have to now pay for the repairs.” File your complaints here: http://www.callforaction.org/ http://www.bbb.org/ Your state Attonery General Your local on your side news team The more complaints made maybe Microsoft will do the right thing and fix all the defective XBOX 360's!

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JustMe
29/12/2006 08:05 AM

Microsoft has a great product, the xbox 360 Gaming Console. However, they have not perfected it yet. It is still suffering from a design flaw which makes many units crash and burn within the first 18 months of ownership. At $400.00 per console, and $60.00 per game, the amount of money invested quickly adds up to a large sum. Once you purchase the xbox 360, games and accessories, the only thing feasable to do when it crashes is have Microsoft fix it... this can be a nightmare as you may have to send yours in 2, 3, 4, 5 times or more before you actually get one that works. http://www.xbox360defective.com for substantiating reports that back the above comments up.

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Whitey1990
07/05/2007 05:43 PM

Yeah i had the same problem with my new 360 (only 3 weeks old) and i called up the customer service and after one hour of going around in circles they finally told me to send it in to them to fix the problem. After 1 week I had received the 360 again to find that nothing had changed, the problem still existed and it seemed like they had done nothing to it. I called customer service again to find out why it still hadnt been fixed and after 30mins of them askin the same questions i demanded to talk to their supervisor. After telling him and constantly spelling to him the name of all my games he said that i should send it off to get the problem fixed, i told them that this had already been done then he said it had to have been ALL 8 of my disks, all within 4 weeks old and he said that there wasnt anything they could do with it. Even though i explaned to him that it was still under warrenty and i no longer wanted to deal with this issue again i demanded to either get my full money back or get a new console, i did not wish to send my 360 back and forth every 3 weeks and he simple said that he could do either of these things for me. He spent another hour having me repeat the probelm and constantly takin the hard drive in and out of the 360 to the point where i told him about such bad service. So heres the message TO ALL PEOPLE WHO WISH TO BUY A XBOX 360, DO NOT! THEY HAVE SO MANY TECHNICAL PROBLEMS ITS UNBELIVBLE, AND THE SERVICE IS HORRIBLE, THEY DONT BELIEVE ABOUT WARRENTY AND MONEY BACK THEY'RE JUST CHEAP SKATES. I never had any of these problems with my orginal xbox and i cant believe how bad this one is.

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GOL14T Xx
04/07/2007 12:48 AM

i think its terrible i went through hell trying to fix my 3 red lights. after i sent it in via UPS 2 weeks later i got an e-mail saying that they had just recieved it and a week later again this morning i got another e-mail saying that they have fixed it and its now on they way which might take 2-5 days so hopefully i would get it back this week. believe me its a headache trying to fix ur xbox 360 bcuz u ring, ring and ring. microsoft knows their problem which i why they are now offering to fix it for free.

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Disappointed xbox customer
16/08/2007 05:52 AM

Had my 360 for a year before it experienced lockup-freeze problem followed by 3 red lights issue. MS replaced it then the replacement unit experienced same issue 30 days later. Currently waiting to receive 2nd replacement unit.

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overlord
22/08/2007 11:05 PM

My 5 mth old 360 hard drive failed, when I purchased it , retailler told me it had 12mth warranty & for any warranty issues , contact MS direct . I contacted MS with my problem they told me thd HDD had only a 3mth warranty . I rang NSW Fair trading & ACCC. They told me that the retailler must handle the warranty claim & the shop had misled me saying the pack ahd 12 mth warranty when it hadnt. I told shop & MS that I was getting govt agencies involved , and suddenly the shop offered me a full refund! I am mow getting a PS3. To all Aussie 360 owners who have probems under warranty , check with your state govt & and ACCC for you stautory rights

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Care for your things, people.
14/11/2007 04:17 AM

The loudest people are people that have something to complain about. As for myself, I have been using my 360 for 2-years now without a problem. Don't base your buying decision on a handful of bad spellers with a temper.

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docpillage
12/05/2008 03:40 PM

I own a HALO XBOX 360. Ihave the HDMI plug showing this is the new improved machine that won't throw the red lights of doom. THERE IS NO FIX FOR THIS GAME! Gates is off to save the world while his company steals from its customers. Not much to do but boycott Microsoft and Gates.

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