Xbox 360 "Repair Guide"? Beware the Ides (and Scams) of March
"Stop!!" cries the intro, "Let me save you money before you send that 'broken' Xbox 360 back to Microsoft." Fix your Xbox "by yourself in 30 minutes!!"
Now wait for it...
"100% Guaranteed!"
"56 Day Money back guarantee."
...and my favorite:
"The best method to fix your Xbox 360 in than [sic] 30 minutes."
Not a joke, or at least I don't think it is (we've still slightly less than two weeks 'til April 1st, but who knows). All I do know is that Easy3RedLightsFix.com, which purports to offer a guide that lets you "permanently" fix an Xbox 360 with the so-called "red ring of death" issue, contains all the cadences and cliches of the dreaded "money-grubbing scam artist," with real winners like:
Don't worry anymore, we have got the solution for you now here and it only takes 30 mintues [sic] to do.
Microsoft would take weeks to repair your Xbox, you don't have to wait all that while you can repair it using the same methods they will use.
I'm going to teach you what to do exactly what to do [sic] so that your Xbox will never crash again, no matter what game you will ever play you will never face the three lights error again.
And then the guarantees (why only "56" and not "60" days?), the warning that existing freely available internet methods are bunkum (which, granted, they are), the random testimonials ("thanks, you saved my xbox," and "awesome guide, i didn't think it was such a [sic] easy repair"), the "100% satisfaction guaranteed" logo, and of course, the whole "$49 $39 $35 $29.99" schtick that makes me want to scream "cheat!" at sites like this, as well as the TV every time I see an add for junk like "Head On" or "cutting knives that never lose their edge" or anything spawned of the euphemistic travesty of a neologism "infomercial."
According to a former Microsoft tech, once your 360 starts to experience the "red ring of death" issue this guide purports to let you auto-repair, it's probably a sign that you're too late, i.e. the internal components have passed the point of homebrew heatsink therapy.
Here's what a Microsoft insider told 8BitJoystick back in January:
RROD is caused by anything that fails in the "digital backbone" on the mother board. Also known as a core digital error. CPU, GPU, memory, etc. Bad parts, incompatible parts (timing problems) bad manufacturing process (like solder joints), misapplied heat sinks or thermal interface material, missing parts, broken parts, parts of the wrong value, missed test coverage.
Microsoft's repair policy for ailing Xbox 360s is as generous as they come. What's more, the company doesn't take weeks to repair most Xbox 360s, they take days. You won't spend $140 repairing your Xbox 360 because Microsoft extended the warranty last year to effectively cover everyone who has the error -- technically, you'll spend nada, and only be out the time you can't play games.
Note the one point that's conspicuously absent from this "repair guide" site's FAQ:
Does it void my warranty?
And the answer is, if it involves monkeying around inside your Xbox 360: certifiably.
Given Microsoft's 100% standup, 100% free send-in repair policy, why would you do anything else?
Replay
Agree? Disagree? Have your say below in comments, visit Wake the Happy Words for expanded dialogue, or pelt me with emails here
PC World's Marketplace
PC World's Free Whitepapers
tech news tech blogs community & forums laptop prices software reviews downloads
yeah, just try telling that to all the sony fanboys that use the RROD as an excuse to call the 360 a s**tty system.
my ps3 has a blue light of life.
The RROD mostly lives in the imagination of PS3 owners today. Oh yeah it's still out there for some older 360's, but the redesigned chipset has greatly reduced if not eliminated the problem. Microsoft's generous 3 year warranty covers the rest. I would stay away from anyone telling me they know how to easily fix the problem since it could be any number of issues.
WOW! You sound like you had a bad day that day!
Listen buddy, these are certifiable businesses that offer exactly what they are promoting.
They are not forcing anything down your throat, they are just simply offering you a solution, you don't have to buy it if you don't want to.
If you want to know why there isn't a 60 day refund policy, then maybe you should ask their payment processor which happens to be a 30 million a year online digital product supplier (www.clickbank.com) it's their policy not the repair guide owners.
If your having a problem fixing your own Xbox 360, then ask for help. Don't bash someone's business just because your having a bad day.
www.xboxrepairreviews.com
No looks like you've had the bad day, it's about time somebody wrote about you scam artists.
1. RROF is a general error code that could be the result of any a number of components, it's not possible for for a guide to teach people with no assembly skilsl to fix all the possible scenarios.
2. Microsofts 3 year warranty will repair it completely free and the turn around is quite prompt.
3. Messing with the innards of your console WILL void your warranty.
4. If you've mod chipped your console to play copied games or cheat online go ahead and get scammed, you probably deserve it.
Why oh why oh why would ANYONE PAY for a service with no guarantees instead of sending their box back to the manufacturer for repair. I don't get it???? If you had a new car still under warranty would you let "bubba the internet mechanic" fix your car or would you take it back to the dealer and have a certified mechanic fix the problem? Why would you send it to someone who can not prove their skills, other than "i can show you how"...ohhh...yes, that's convincing. And t to the response about the warranty being 56 days...hey if the payment processing company is the one setting the liabilities on warranties for YOUR work then there is an issue there. Isn't this YOUR company...if you cant back up your own work then that in itself is a huge RED flag. Using the payment center as an excuse...that's laughable. Stop attempting to rip people off...and for you poor saps that believe the "internet xbox gods"...then the old saying a fool and his money.....
And yes, you are an ass hole!