If you read my post Xbox 360 Red Ring of Death, you know my Xbox has recently died. I got motivated today and called Xbox support to start the process of returning my Xbox for repairs. Here is a quick guide outlining the steps I took to get my Xbox repaired.
Step 1: Call Microsoft Xbox support at 1-800-4MY-XBOX (1-800-469-9269)
Step 2: Get a support specialist on the line. Go through their basic troubleshooting steps to determine your Xbox is indeed broke.
Step 3: Microsoft will send a pre-paid UPS box for your Xbox to be shipped in. Make sure you write your reference number on the side of your Xbox before sending it off.
Step 4: Remove all attachments from your Xbox including your hard drive and face plate.
Step 5: Send your Xbox to Microsoft in the UPS package and wait for a refurb to arrive.
The support tech said the normal turn around time is 4-6 weeks. I have a feeling that wait time is going to increase dramatically when Halo 3 launches in September.
It’s too bad we have to do this, but at least Microsoft has stepped up to the plate to cover these repairs.
Related posts:
- Xbox 360: Sent for repairs
- Xbox 360: Coming home to daddy
- Xbox 360 repaired and returned
- Xbox 360 Red Ring of Death
- How To: Download Podcasts with iTunes and Sync with a Zune
Easier method:
1) Buy new xbox360 from local store
2) Remove new xbox from package, replace with broken xbox
3) Return for refund.
All expensive electronics are flagged by serial numbers, which they scan when you purchase to make sure you don’t do that. There is a hole in the box allowing them to scan the serial number on each Xbox sold.
i just called up the xbox support call (took about half an hour to finish the call, also making me think about the myth of all support comes from india or somewhere) and i’ll be receiving the box to send off in about a few days (hoping they didn’t confuse my street address name, Xenia, for something else). I got the service ID number but where do i put it? do i just tape a piece of paper with the number on it?
also, do i just walk to the post office and give it to them to send?
could use some help.
Yes you need to write your service ID number on a piece of paper and tape it to the side of your Xbox and then mail it out to Microsoft in the packaging they send you.
thanks
i juss called today and they are going to send a box for me but the guy told me to write the number down and take it to UPS….how did you do it?
Yeah, Not capable of sending xbox 360 for a swap after the 90 day period..Unless you find someone stupid enough to take it…The stores do not get credit for the xbox if the serial numbers do not match the box with the xbox 360 itself..So the store person that took it would probably be at fault..But I did get a newer time frame..3 to 4 weeks total turn around time..Better than the 4-6 weeks like stated before..Sent mine off today..
it has to be the red ring of death to have it as a 3 year warrenty. i just sent in my 360 today, so i’ll be waitin for about 2 weeks for it to come back fixed *since now-a-days they actually try to fix them instead of sending in another one* along with a month of xbox live for free.
i forgot to put the refrence number with my xbox and i already gave it to ups. whats going to happen to my box without that number??
I’m sure they track all systems via your serial number, but it might take a little longer while they try and track down your Xbox.
My 360 just got the ring of death, i have all the details and such, do i just hand it to the post office?
Did you receive your box with instructions from Xbox yet? Once you have that your all ready to ship it out!
They dont send boxes over in england.
Anyway to the post office?
And thanks for the fast response (Y).
You gonna reply?
*looks for a box*
sorry bro it’s not tech support, I reply when I have time and try to help out.
Call Microsoft support for England, I’m assuming they have a special number for overseas systems. Start here:
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=xbox+support+UK
A friend of mine just gave me his older 360 because its showing the RROD. I know he bought it quite a while ago and I don’t know where, but I’m sure he didn’t buy any warranty. I’m going to call the number you posted, but I’m not optimistic.
All I wanted to do was play DiRT.
As long as it was bought less than 3 years ago, which the 360 hasn’t been out that long so your good, it will be covered. Just call them up and give them the serial number and they’ll take care of the rest.
When I called there was no verification about me, but I did have to register my 360 with them over the phone.
I just called the number, gave them the serial on my console and explained the situation to them. They didn’t seem to care, so the box is on its way.
I FORGOT TO PUT THE REFERNCE NUMBER ON MY XBOX AND I ALREADY SHIPPED IT OUT! and i didnt write down the serial number >.<.. Anyone have an idea of what i could do?
You’ll probably be fine, but to be safe you could call Xbox support and tell them what happened. The serial number is on your Xbox already so they can probably just use that to match it up.
it is now 1AM where I’m at and i just got the red ring repeatedly after playing halo3. I’m so frustrated that now i have to wait for the turn around. Just wondering if anyone actually has the time it took for turn around totally, because my roommate sent his 3 weeks ago i believe. So upsetting that i have to wait even more time to play halo >_<
My total turn around was about 2 weeks, but with Halo 3 just released I’m sure they are packed full with 360′s now, so that will probably increase to around a month.
like bacon said, i also forgot my reference number while sending it to ups. It’s not my fault though, i had to talk to his spanish lady named marlin at the support hotline, she didn’t say anything about putting a return address, she did give me a refernce number but she never said anything about putting it in, and she said all the steps would be on the paper with the box. I really hope i get my xbox soon.
i sent my 360 back 8 days ago but before that i sent it somewere else to b fixed cos microsoft said my warrenty had run out.this was before they extended the warrenty.do you think they will fix it now that the seals have been broken or will they say iv tammpered with it?
I don’t think Microsoft will care. If they do ask just tell them about the warranty issue and I’m sure they will fix it.
thanks maan
just thought id let you know that i got my xbox back and they did’nt fix it cos of tampering.its cost me over £500 all in all for my xbox and i think its a disgrace………..
I just called and should b recieving my (box) in 3-5 days …i gave them them my name instead of the house owners but gave them the right address will they know where 2 send the box?…and after i send it how long will it take for the repaired xbox 2 return??????
hi brad, quick question purchased a new 360 after old one had the 3 ring death dance, but the wireless controller from my old 360 wont work with the new one, and they both came with wireless controllers is there a trick to getting it to work with the new360.
Make sure you resync your controllers with your new Xbox. Click the sync button on the front of your console and then click the sync button on your controller to resync them together.
I just got the dreaded RROD after one year of owning the system (bought in 2006). I am going to call MS tech support to start the process for shipping it off for repair. Are they going to care that I tossed out the original receipt? I have everything else though.
No they will not care. They only want your serial number from the back of your Xbox 360.
So I sent my XBox in for repairs… They sent it back to me with a letter saying that it had been tampered with. When I took my XBox out of the box the XBox had a crack running up the back of it and pieces of plastic fell out into my hand. I assumed this had happened in shipping so I called the XBox repair center and explained what had happened and they flat out refused to fix it. I talked to the manager of the repair center and he refused to repair it as well saying only that “the decision had already been made and they will not fix it” so I called customer support and after two hours on the phone with several people customer support said “there is nothing they could do once the decision had been made by the repair center.
I have had to deal with bad customer service before but this was horrible. I was only able to use my XBox for about 3 months before I got the red ring, then it sat for about 3 months before I sent it in. This is disgusting what a shoddy product M$ released then tried half heartedly to patch. It never made sense to me why anyone would stand up for what MicroSoft does, like it is a great feat of brilliance that they would extend their warranty on such a deplorable mistake on their part in the first place.
At his point I am just going to pass the word around the internet to let people know to save their money and just get a Wii or even pay a little more and get a PS3 neither of which have any issues.
My Xbox 360 was returned also saying it had been tampered with. I didn’t recieve anything from them saying they had extended the warranty so I read on the net where some folks said the processor was overheating. So I took it to my computor friend and he opened it up(suspected out of warranty)and showed me where all the jell had melted and run out from under the processor onto the mother board. He just put new silicone jell under the processor and closed it back up. Then only two red lights instead of three. When I did find out about them extending the warranty, I sent it off only to be returned half packed with a letter saying the warranty was void. They know they had a major problem. We ought to be able to file a class action suit.
I’ve sent my off to be repaired even though it had been tampered with because it was out of warranty then in it again after. I’m expecting it to come back in 6 weeks not repaired and then I’ll go buy another xbox 360. I just want to try and play a damn game and never want to talk to the Pakistani or Indian people from xbox support again. I’m so pissed off that I’ll have to spent 500$ again. Do you think they should repair my xbox because I had opened it out of warranty out of desperation then sent it when it was back in warranty.
Can anyone tell me the format of the reference number Microsoft provides for returns?
Me and a bunch of guys at work are playing a prank on a fellow employee and Microsoft shipped him 2 return boxes in error.
One box has been returned to Microsoft containing a 360 for repairs, the other contains books for a wicked practical joke.
Please let me know, I just need a bunch of made up numbers in the format the number is given.
Thanks!
do al xboxes come with a warranty because of the RROD plauge? because im thinking of buying a xbox 360 off of ebay for cheap and so i wanna know if i buy it and it comes and gets the rrod in a week or something can i send it to be fixed by just giving them the serial number on the box?
yeah you can. I bought mines off of ebay and i called customer support about 7 months later on customer support since i got rrod and they asked my serial number. I explained about how i bought it from ebay, etc. and i luckily didnt even hav to buy the warranty because the last owner had bought the warranty. if you’re lucky u might just get the warranty for free like i did.
Just had the same problem as you. Ring of death – sent back for repair two weeks later ring off death again sent back for repair then it is returned saying it has been tampered with – which is absolute rubbish. DONT BUY XBOX 360 !!
I sent my non-HDMI 360 back to microsoft on 12/6 (they received it on the 12/10). Today, 12/20, I received a brand new console, manufactured 11/23/2007 with a different serial number (and HDMI), plus a 1 month gold membership live extension card.
Sorry you guys are having such problems…
Yeah, I gotta get around to doing this. Been too busy with everything. I believe now that all 360′s are doomed from the start and think I should just pick up a $400 PS3. I was dissapointed, to say the least, but still not surprised. XBOX has a better game selection than PS3, but it’s obvious that Sony wins the hardware battle and you get what you pay for when you buy Sony. I’m now surprised that I ever defected from Sony after all of the PS2′s I fixed, when I bought that XBOX. The Xbox is just addicting. It just has those features that you can’t let go of. (Not to mention Halo 3)
I’ve basically screwed consoles ever since my ‘Box had a period a month ago. Bought a 2000 dollar pc and now I play Crysis, which is what FPS should have been in the first place. Check my blog though, and you’ll see I’m having a slew of problems too.
Peace.
i need to send off my exbox for repair, ive had it 2years and it just got the ring of death, i have origanl box but not the receipt, do i need that to have it repaired
@bryan –
nope, you don’t need your receipt. if your console wasn’t registered (like mine wasn’t), they’ll do it over the phone. just call the 800 number and you’re off. they’ll send you a box (via UPS)–just make sure you don’t destroy the box they send you, because your xbox is going in it.
my xbox had just shown the rrod so i tried following your steps, i live in stevenage [ a few miles form London ] but the number did not work on my phone, so asking around i got this number
08005871102
this worked on my phone and although it was another Indian lady like always, she was very helpful and even talked to me about mt halo 3 addiction while i waited for her to put forward my request :)
for any-one that lives near london try phoning
[ 08005851102 ] she also told me that should visit my address to collect the x-box in 4-5 days, so i was amazed when they arrived at my house this morning , after i phoned last night , she also told me that the waiting time was 2-3 weeks but the collector of my 360 said he would probably see me in about a week :)
if you have any questions please contact
pk-j@hotmail.co.uk
oh yeah , and there was no questions asked about if i was the first owner or if i had the receipt or anything like that , which is a relief as i don’t have the receipt nor am i the first owner xD
Here is how I fixed mine.
Anyways, my total cost was just under $50.
You can find out more here;
==> http://fixmyxbox360.tumblr.com/
Cheer.
Za-GBot.
I’ve had my xbox since March ’07. I got the RROD on 1/10/08. I immediately went to Xbox.com and found their support site where you can register your xbox and it gives easy directions on what to do next before you request service. Just make sure that there are 3 red rings and the upper right quadrant is unlit. Then they ask you to turn off your xbox and turn it back on to see if you get the 3 red rings again. If you do, make sure there is an orange light on your power supply. If it isn’t it could indicate a different problem with your system. the 3 red rings indicate a hardware problem. After you have checked for the orange light then it indicates that you can send it in for repair. The 3year warranty only covers the 3 red rings so make sure you send it back before that time.
Then (on xbox’s support site), you request service for your xbox where you can tell them what problem you are experiencing. After submitting the request, you get a reference number. Microsoft will then send you a box along with packing material and instructions on how to pack it. They also include a prepaid shipping label (copy down the tracking number) that you will put on the outside of the box after you seal it up. Then, you can drop it off any any authorized UPS shipping center.
If all goes well, it should be about a 3-4 week process from the time you report the problem to the time you receive your xbox system back.
I just got the box yesterday (1/16/08) and I sent the package out today. I’m hoping to get it back in about 2 weeks.
By the way, you can track from xbox’s website if they received it and when they sent it back to you.
I’ll give you an update later when I have one.
Does anyone know why i’m getting this error when I try to register my RROD 360 for return (UK)
“We are unable to validate your customer information and proceed with your order at this time.”
I’ve tried it a few times but it won’t work. I’d originally registered it for return a few months ago but frankly was that fed up with the sorry tale I just put in it’s box and it sat there until Xmas was out of the way etc. This was when I had to source my own box and print the UPS label (which I’ve done). I packed it up yesterday, went to check the status and it said ‘no pending status’ obviously they had cancelled it due to time taken to return it.
So I set up a NEW request. And I note that it now states to return in within 20 days (never said this before) and it also says they will now ship the label and a box to you (like the US). Anyone else in the UK get a coffin sent out? or is that just the website that is wrong and we still need to find our own box etc?
thanks
Here’s an update:
I sent my xbox on 1/17/08 from northern California and they received it on 1/23/08. I went to the Xbox support site to double check the status. According to their website they were still waiting to receive my device. I called xbox today (1/24/08 around 10:30 am PST) and the guy said it can take up to 2 days to update the website but they could already be looking at it (yeah right).
I know that I’m being overly anxious but I would like to know if they received it. I WANT MY XBOX BACK! I’m just afraid of getting a bad one again and then I’ll have to go through this process again. I don’t want to be one of those that is on their 3rd or 4th system.
I’ll give you an update when I have one.
Package Progress
Location Date Local Time Description
MC ALLEN,
TX, US
01/23/2008 10:53 A.M. DELIVERY
01/23/2008 8:37 A.M. OUT FOR DELIVERY
01/23/2008 4:15 A.M. ARRIVAL SCAN
SAN ANTONIO,
TX, US 01/23/2008 12:20 A.M. DEPARTURE SCAN
SAN ANTONIO,
TX, US 01/22/2008 6:54 P.M. ARRIVAL SCAN
MESQUITE,TX, US 01/22/2008 2:07 P.M. DEPARTURE SCAN
01/22/2008 12:29 A.M. ARRIVAL SCAN
SAN PABLO,CA, US 01/18/2008 3:22 A.M. DEPARTURE SCAN
SAN PABLO,CA, US 01/17/2008 11:58 P.M. ARRIVAL SCAN
CERES,CA, US
01/17/2008 9:40 P.M. DEPARTURE SCAN
US
01/15/2008 9:31 A.M. BILLING INFORMATION RECEIVED
Finally, xbox changed the status today (1/25/08) of my xbox to:
“Device Received at Service Center”
Hopefully I’ll get back my xbox soon.