Microsoft ends Xbox 360 RROD "coffin" program, still paying for shipping
By Nilay Patel 
posted June 9th 2009 2:32PM
posted June 9th 2009 2:32PM
posted June 9th 2009 2:32PM
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Thats strange. When a few of my friends and I went down the shore for Memorial Day one of my friends brought his 360 with him and it RROD'd. By the time we got back home to the city, Microsoft had already delivered his box.
I don't understand why he would've gotten one a few weeks ago and you wouldn't have gotten one a few months ago.
mine just crashed... launch system too... no warranty
you have to be one of the last people left with a launch system. Launch systems are guaranteed to fail.
Mine launch system just died last week, no warranty... Sucks.
For being such loyal customers, you two should go buy another one. Give M$ more money. They certainly deserve it, right?
RMA'd my 360 twice since launch day. First time, they told me to pack it myself. Second time, I got a coffin. Both repairs were completed and back to me in less than a week. At least when I didn't have to wait for the coffin, it saved me a day or two.
In that same time, I've had to exchange three motherboards (EVGA / ASUS / EVGA), a video card (EVGA), a hard drive (Western Digital), and a cell phone (HTC) for manufacturing defects.
For a geek, C'est la vie.
"Both repairs were completed and back to me in less than a week." I'm sure you meant that you got a replacement refurbished xbox within the week.
I find it unlikely that they received, unpackaged, diagnosed, fixed, tested, repackaged, and shipped the exact same xbox back to you.
It's possible, just unlikely.
Just sent mine back for the 2nd time today. I have a launch console, but never got the RRoD. I had some random error the first time (they assured me it wasn't the RRoD problem and made me pay $100) and now it just decided not to recognize discs anymore (another $100).
I feel stupid for giving them so much of my money, but I really do love the console I just wish they could MAKE IT WORK RELIABLY.
Why wouldnt you just buy a brand new unit?
You sent it back TWO TIMES in one day? :S
I bought the arcade unit for $169 at a Dell sale, $20 for a hard drive w/ a 3 month live subscription that sold for over $20 on ebay, amazingly enough. I have the Jasper chipset with the Falcon graphics card. You could have done what I did, minus the hard drive, and sold the controller if you didn't need it, and come out well ahead.
Meh. In Canada, MS didnt send coffins anyway. We had to supply our own boxes. And we liked it!
Lucky for me, after my first RROD they reimbursed me when they extended the RROD warranty. Also luckily, my 2nd RROD was also covered.
That's cause us canadians are tough
In Amish country, our XBox 360s never crap out on us. Then again, we just have a wooden box marked X with the degrees ticked off on the sides. Still beats canada.
Great, so instead of actually fixing the flaws with the console, they instead give you a greater burden of needing to find your own box.
NATAL will bring RROD to the masses. Instead of a red ring show and cryptic error number, a realistic, virtual 12 year old gamer, will scream the n-word over and over, give you the finger and tell you to go fuck your mommy, you pussy.
My launch console RROD'd back in October and they told me to send it back in my own box, which wasn't a big deal. I already thought they stopped sending out these coffins for awhile now but I guess that wasn't the case.
It says a lot for MS that they can continue to produce a product that everyone knows is defective, decide the solution is just to keep doing repairs and yet STILL have a demand for the units. They must get together and laugh sometimes in Redmond.
Over here in the UK, we already had to pack it ourselves, although postage to & from Germany was already paid.
Anyway, I was worried MS were ending the extended RRoD warranty.. my heart skipped a beat!
Yes, I'm sure they're laughing about the billions of dollars this has cost them. Sure is hilarious, especially to the investors.
I'm on my 2nd xbox and after my launch unit crapped out after a year (RROD), I've had 0 issues with this unit, its been perfect since and continues to run perfect everyday. It really is just luck of the draw I guess.
I just had this happen two weeks ago. I had to find a box that would hold my Xbox. I found a box that my wife bought candles in. I sent the Xbox with two candles as packaging protection. I wonder what the tech thought of that?
By the way I got my Xbox back Monday. RROD last night again (Third time) I stand it on edge and have plenty of airflow. Is there something else I can do?
I thought you weren't supposed to stand it up anymore? That blocks one of the main vents
@ crashcarstar
And if you put it on it's side, it blocks the side vent. I've got mine carefully and precisely balanced at a 45 degree angle, to maximise airflow to the bottom and side.
well really, 20-30 % failure rate its not that much so there are going to be 70-80 % having problem with new console unless people dont just take care of their xbox...
good
Has been this way for a year now
lol, poor, unreliable XBOX
350 RULES... I mean look at the cool red light!!
LOL
I just keep the original box.
my 360 red ringed about 6 months ago and i didnt get any "coffin" to ship it back in. I packaged it myself and had to print a shipping label for it. i also received my replacement xbox a few days later so im not complaining as much as i am surprised that there was a coffin to begin with.
Here in New Zealand they never had the coffins so you had to find your own way to package anyway.
What I did find of concern is they provided you with a Freepost number to pay for the postage. The thing is Freepost only provides cover up to NZ$250, well less than the cost of the 360.
They do provide an address for sending it by courier so you can have it insured for more, though you would have to pay for it.
Wow, I had to send in my Xbox in four times. Only once did MS pay for shipping. The other times I did it all myself. Shipping the Xbox isn't cheap.
Wow. I literally just sent mine in a few weeks ago. I guess I got lucky.
i never really minded using my own box.
IN FACT MS made me use my own box in November to fix the rings. as long as they pay shipping is it really a big deal??
i just used a box from the college recycling center (nice it's right next door) and i paid usps a buck to bubble wrap it
they even emailed me a pdf of the rma, so i didn't have to wait much at all maybe 4 days till new one came (sent me a brand new one, which was nice)
http://reallifecomics.com/archive/090528.html this
that is all.
Its Microsoft fault, its only right they handle the problem. Down with bill!
That seems to be their policy aswell, yet so different.
Microsoft Australia required me to package mine over 6 months ago...
They tried to get my friend to buy his own box about a month ago. I told him to ask to speak to a supervisor because it's microsoft's fault. If we let companies get away with things, no matter how small they may seem, it will encourage them to continue these actions against the consumer. Trust me it starts with little things then it grows to something more serious.
mudder F! My 360 Elite (manufactured in oct/2007) just took a dump today. E 74 accompanied by a single red light. Oh well i packed it really good and dropped it off at UPS. Maybe now i can finally by a game for my $400 bluray player. Statistically every person i know who owns a 360 has either had the E 74 code or RROD. If your 360 hasnt died yet, dont worry it will. What pissed me off is that i've been such a 360 fanboy even though i have a ps3 and a wii. I've done nothing but praise MS and their games and even defended the XBL tax.
Sony and Nintendo just scored a few points in my book today. MY ps3 is making a weird noise though when i put in a disc... damn i better check that out soon.
hmm i wonder why they decided to do this though if it dosen't really save them money
My little brother has one that was made in Nov. 2007, will MS still fix it? It's RRoD.
I was one of the boneheads that waited in line all night in Dallas when they came out and I was 48/50. I have used mine almost daily since I bought it and have never had a single problem with it, although now that I have said that I have probably doomed it to die within a week.
Step 1 call Microsoft and get a label.
Step 2 go to a mall and ask any of the 50-150 stores in said mall for a box.
Step 3 spend about $5 for tape and packing bubble.
Unless you live in Notonthemap,WI this shouldn't be an issue.
I'm guessing people would say they got RROD just to get a free box...
I had 2 xbox 360s since launch with no RROD or problems and i play daily. Only reason I upgraded was to go from the 20gb to the elite (bigged hd and hdmi). Most of the people i know that had rrod got if after they let their xbox 360s site for a few days or weeks unused then when they started it up the ring of fire surprised them.
Didn't they bill that as being a 'green' move by not wasting energy and paper sending around cardboard which you can pick up free at any local supermarket and such?
Because they could so nicely have sold it as that and have scored some points that way.
You Xbox 360 people sound like drug junkies when talking about how long your system has been sober for so and so years. Very sad, but the most sad part is that this problem being so massive still continues to be funded by you all.
I had the error 74 happen to me and requested a shipping label, and although I had to pay for the packing, the shipping was free. The best of it was, when I arrived at the UPS store, the guy already knew what packing was needed and took care of it right away. He obviously dealt with a lot of these returns.
Oh rats...my 360 just got the dreaded RROD this past weekend. You try telling my 2 year old she can't watch Blue's Clues on Netflix...this stinks. I bought mine in May of 2007 (manufactured July 06) and I used it about 300 hours total before it died. I got a free box from USPS and turned it inside out...it's nearly a perfect fit but I still opted to wrap the box in bubble wrap and stuff some newspaper on the sides to keep it from moving around.
I don't get it.
They require us to send our own packaging so that we don't have to wait to send it off?
Yet they still have to send a prepaid label anyway..?
Couldn't they just e-mail it to us and we print it off then stick it to our box?