Customer Loses Xbox 360 Artwork During Repair [Slashdot]

[DP ServBot]

An anonymous reader writes "The Consumerist is reporting that one unlucky individual had to send his Xbox 360 in for repairs. The catch is he had spent a great deal of time getting signatures and artwork on the outside of the console from notable members of the gaming industry. He specifically asked and even sent a letter along with his console requesting that the outside of the case be returned intact. When he got it back it was once again, plain white. Assuming that this is a genuine claim, regardless of the circumstances surrounding the missing/cleaned case Microsoft should at least apologize to the guy."Read more of this story (http://games.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/03/01/0044222&from=rss) at Slashdot.
http://rss.slashdot.org/~a/Slashdot/slashdotGames?i=GRtLjB</img> (http://rss.slashdot.org/~a/Slashdot/slashdotGames?a=GRtLjB)
http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdotGames/~4/243722983

More... (http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdotGames/~3/243722983/article.pl)

[Steve_the_tiger]

That sucks *_*

[omnedon]

not surprising in the least. If the art was that important, he should NEVER have sent it.

[Damaramu]

In case you're wondering:

Here's the 360 before sending it in-
http://img145.imageshack.us/img145/1653/360bottombigvq9.th.jpg (http://img145.imageshack.us/my.php?image=360bottombigvq9.jpg)
http://img184.imageshack.us/img184/240/360topbigot0.th.jpg (http://img184.imageshack.us/my.php?image=360topbigot0.jpg)

Here's the same 360, afterwards (notice the remnants of the markers, look hard):
http://img138.imageshack.us/img138/3278/theycleanedthecasebigsm1.th.jpg (http://img138.imageshack.us/my.php?image=theycleanedthecasebigsm1.jpg)


Personally...I would have never sent it in, knowing that something like that COULD happen. I would've just bought a new one.

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

I guess Microsoft tech support determined that the signatures were the cause of his RROD?

[TonyTheTiger]

Two things:

1) Sending it in was probably a bad idea. Would have been better off trying to get a cheapy but working 360 somewhere and swapping the cases yourself. Cost you more but still...

2) I smell a rat. I wonder how long it'll be before someone tries to sell this thing for a load of cash.

Edit: Nevermind #2. Looks like they did actually just wash off the writing.

[norkusa]

I bet it was the "three shitsty" signature/comment that got everything erased.

[Slate]

I saw this on CAG, Personally if it was my 360 I would have never sent it in.

[walrusmonger]

yup. of course it's messed up that they washed the case off before sending it out, but he shouldn't have sent it in. all it takes is a few workers who've had a bad day, and that letter asking for the special request turns into a permission slip to screw around with him.

[jcalder8]

not surprising in the least. If the art was that important, he should NEVER have sent it.
My thoughts exactly

[roushimsx]

After reading multiple threads about this, it sounds like he pretty much had it coming and that the support person was more interested in saying, "yes we can!", closing a ticket, and keeping their quota up than anything else. I mean, seriously...if the signed xbox was worth that much to you, why would you send it off in the first place?

The systems are apparently repaired down in Mexico, so it's doubtful that the person cracking open the box could even read his letter...even if he could, why would he bother reading the whole damn thing just to find out that the guy wanted the same system back? One of the first steps when it gets down to the ol' sweatshop for refurbishment is to be completely scrubbed/washed clean of stickers and markings and I'm sure the factory worker was more interested in keeping their low paying job and keeping their portion of the assembly line running smooth rather than stop to run everything through a translator and supervisor.

Typical case of big company + foreign outsourced repair + overly naive customer.

[rbudrick]

Cheap shameless plug, but next time someone needs a 360 fixed, call me. My company, blueraven.com specializes in repairs for 360s using extraordinarily expensive equipment designed specifically for fixing 360s. It's $139. We repair hundreds of them each month and we give a 6 month warranty and you get YOUR OWN unit back.

If anybody wants my number, PM me.

-Rob

[s1lence]

Should have never sent it in, its his own fault. If it was that important to him he should have looked for other sources OR purchased another 360.

[diskoboy]

*sniff*

I smell a lawsuit.

[NE146]

Seeing how all it takes is a paper clip to snap the case off a 360, I'da just swapped it out with another then sent that in :P

[Sothy]

he was a halo player

*wank wank*

[Jorpho]

I notice the pic still has some of those plugged ventilation holes. Didn't Microsoft ever fix that problem?


Cheap shameless plug, but next time someone needs a 360 fixed, call me. My company, blueraven.com specializes in repairs for 360s using extraordinarily expensive equipment designed specifically for fixing 360s. It's $139. We repair hundreds of them each month and we give a 6 month warranty and you get YOUR OWN unit back.

Really? But isn't Microsoft in the habit of suddenly attaching new heatsinks and such these days? I'd have thought repair work would have consisted mainly of replacing overheated parts, anyway. So what's the nature of this "extraordinarily expensive equipment"? I am curious.


Seeing how all it takes is a paper clip to snap the case off a 360

That's also news to me. How very contrary to Nintendo's impenetrable defenses.

[CosmicMonkey]

Bungie to the rescue! (http://www.engadget.com/2008/03/07/gamers-erased-xbox-360-story-comes-to-a-happy-close/)

[Dreamcast]

What a bummer! Thats why you get a ps3, so it doesnt break.

[Slate]

Bungie to the rescue! (http://www.engadget.com/2008/03/07/gamers-erased-xbox-360-story-comes-to-a-happy-close/)

Wow, that was really nice of bungie. Like, Darn.

[smork]

Bungie to the rescue! (http://www.engadget.com/2008/03/07/gamers-erased-xbox-360-story-comes-to-a-happy-close/)

Damn! Well done, Bungie!

[Snapple]

Good stuff, Bungie.

For all the people saying he should've "never sent it in," it's easy for us to say. It's not our money. 360s don't grow on trees, and maybe he doesn't have that kind of green to waste on getting a new system over getting repairs.

[Sweater Fish Deluxe]

I might not have sent the system in for repairs myself, but only because I'd be afraid of it getting completely replaced like Nintendo usually does. I never would have expected someone to actually scrub off drawings and signatures. I mean, you'd have to be an immense moron to look at that system and not realize that the owner wants it that way and did it on purpose and that the drawings and signatures have a value of their own.


...word is bondage...

[roushimsx]

maybe he doesn't have that kind of green to waste on getting a new system over getting repairs.

The dude (26 years old, mind you) traveled all over, carrying his 360 to various conventions and such getting it signed. I don't think replacing it with a new one would have been any sort of financial burden on him.

[scooterb23]

I travel to conventions all the time for my various hobbies...I have to live on under $50 a week, and usually about that much in my bank account, most of the year to do so...don't assume too much.

Pretty cool of Bungie to hook the guy up like that.

[exit]

Like others have said, I personally wouldn't have sent something that special to me in for repairs, but I guess some people have to learn the hard way. It was also extremely cool that Bungie sent him all that stuff, it's nice to see hard working people go out of their way and help try to make things right.

[Poofta!]

not surprising in the least. If the art was that important, he should NEVER have sent it.

QFT

im sorry, the guy has shit for brains.


why would you send it a one of a kind item to a repair shot? is he retarded?



I travel to conventions all the time for my various hobbies...I have to live on under $50 a week, and usually about that much in my bank account, most of the year to do so...don't assume too much.


maybe you should get your priorities straight then?

[djbeatmongrel]

you know i am not a huge fan of microsoft or halo but i will say bungie has my total respect for what they did for the guy.

[scooterb23]

maybe you should get your priorities straight then?

My priorities are straight thank you very much.

[Ed Oscuro]

maybe you should get your priorities straight then?
Mr. Poofta's priorities consist of going onto video game forums and telling people how to live their lives. Without the sacrifice of his time, this important service to society would go un-rendered, his lessons un-learned. Today we salute you, Mr. Poofta.

[Poofta!]

Mr. Poofta's priorities consist of going onto video game forums and telling people how to live their lives. Without the sacrifice of his time, this important service to society would go un-rendered, his lessons un-learned. Today we salute you, Mr. Poofta.

im also available for birthdays, bachelor parties and bar/bat mitzvahs.


and yes, i guess im wrong, sorry, it didnt occur to me at first that your priorities really were being broke and traveling conventions, silly me.

[spoon]

im also available for birthdays, bachelor parties and bar/bat mitzvahs.


and yes, i guess im wrong, sorry, it didnt occur to me at first that your priorities really were being broke and traveling conventions, silly me.

Who would have guessed that your priorities were trolling message boards and filling them up with grammatically poor sentences?

[Carey85]

Conjunction Junction, What's Your Function?

[Poofta!]

Who would have guessed that your priorities were trolling message boards and filling them up with grammatically poor sentences?

my grammer is spot on fella, if its my style you have a problem with, then not much can be done regarding it. english is a vast and interesting language. if youve read any of my other posts, i never capitalize on message boards.

youre just pissy i called you out when you and the friend you vouched for scammed a bunch of people in Buying/Selling. nice guy you are.

[spoon]

my grammer is spot on fella, if its my style you have a problem with, then not much can be done regarding it. english is a vast and interesting language. if youve read any of my other posts, i never capitalize on message boards.

youre just pissy i called you out when you and the friend you vouched for scammed a bunch of people in Buying/Selling. nice guy you are.

Ok, lets get a few things straight here.

A. You have NO style. I've seen a hundred fucking trolls like you on various message boards. Balls haven't dropped yet and mom and dad only let you come out and play after your homework is done. I'd take the time and brush up on my grammar skills if I were you. Maybe they have a tutor in the eighth grade that has some free time?

B. I could give two fucks that you continue to try and drag my name through the mud. You popped your head out of your hole and into a thread, as you seem to have a knack of doing, and posted a very poorly written bait in my direction. As I have said before, check all of my feedback here, over at NESworld or E-bay. I've been around a tad bit longer than you have. I've never scammed a single person. I don't have the heart for it nor do I need the money.

C. Great people like Scooterb don't need life lessons from a bridge dweller such as yourself. If anything, you could take a few pages out of Scooter's book. I guess I just don't understand why people feel the need to run their mouth about others that they don't know a single thing about. You seem to know that I am a scam artist and that Scooterb can't make ends meet. All I know about you is that you like to fish with minimal effort.

I'm done with this shit. I am not the only person that has called you out as a trolling asshat. You'll either get tired of it or get yourself banned.

I hope you got the response you were looking for. I'm all for squashing this shit and letting this thread take it's course. We don't see eye to eye, that's great.

[Tep]

*avoids above discussion*

So hey, he got something out of this after all. (http://hawtymcbloggy.com/2008/03/07/bungie-unscrews-previously-screwed-gamer/)

[PapaStu]

I'm all for squashing this shit and letting this thread take it's course. We don't see eye to eye, that's great.

I agree whole-heartily. Got more things to say to each other leave them out of here. Thats what PM's are for.

I thought it was mighty silly of him to send it in myself especially because he cherished those signatures so (most of them seemed to be voices of RvB characters and the like, from what I could recognize, not my personal thing, but we all love our own things), but Bungie really came through for him.

[Jorpho]

Maybe this has all been an ingeniously subtle viral marketing campaign for Bungie. ;)

[CosmicMonkey]

Following Bungie's very generous package, M$ finally decided to sort Nathaniel out too and sent him a 360 signed by Mr. Gates himself (http://www.engadget.com/2008/03/22/even-happier-ending-for-cleaned-xbox-360-owner-gates-signed-c/).

[Kevin H]

Following Bungie's very generous package, M$ finally decided to sort Nathaniel out too and sent him a 360 signed by Mr. Gates himself (http://www.engadget.com/2008/03/22/even-happier-ending-for-cleaned-xbox-360-owner-gates-signed-c/).

Yeah, saw this on engadget also. Now he has too fully autographed X-Box 360's. Now how long until the RROD? lol

[COUNT SMRIFNACK]

Yeah, saw this on engadget also. Now he has too fully autographed X-Box 360's. Now how long until the RROD? lol

No shit, I bet the one will Bill's sig. goes first!:devilish:

[ProgrammingAce]

This raises the question, what *should* you do if a rare/special/LE xbox 360 dies? Leave it sit on a shelf and take a loss on it? It's hard for a lot of people to take a $400+ loss, and that's not including the games and extras you bought.

I have a launch team 360 that RRoD'd on me once. Now it gets to sit on a shelf for the rest of it's life because i don't trust microsoft to send it in for repair. I have 3 360s, they're all either limited edition or one of a kind. Will i just have to buy 3 more when these die on me?

[Vinnysdad]

Following Bungie's very generous package, M$ finally decided to sort Nathaniel out too and sent him a 360 signed by Mr. Gates himself (http://www.engadget.com/2008/03/22/even-happier-ending-for-cleaned-xbox-360-owner-gates-signed-c/).


So he was rewarded twice for doing something stupid and not using common sense? Wow.

[roushimsx]

This raises the question, what *should* you do if a rare/special/LE xbox 360 dies?

I've always thought of rare / unique versions of popular consoles as being more for display than for daily use. You can get a plain, every day model once and then not have to worry about ever replacing it (because it's covered by warranty and you couldn't care less about getting the same generic 360 back as long as it worked).

[COUNT SMRIFNACK]

I guess as shitty as our 360's are, dependability wise, actually using one that is valuable to you or valuable in general is kinda like playing baseball with an autographed ball of value. Or maybe even putting a valuable collecting card on your bike's wheel to make that "roaring" noise.

[zektor]

That was completely stand-up of Bungie (whose fault it was not) and Microsoft. I absolutely commend them. I have a slightly renewed faith in the human race now. :)

Still, one must wonder if they would have went this mile had the information regarding this event not be submitted to the press. Oh well, can't think about that now I suppose, but at least they did the right thing regardless.

[Poofta!]

So he was rewarded twice for doing something stupid and not using common sense? Wow.

seriously. this pisses me off. why must our society play to the lowest common denominator? if youre stupid, your life will be difficult. if you lack common sense, your life will be short.

this is freaking ridiculous. whatever happened to the kid who eats too many marbles as a child doesnt grow up to have children of his own. we need to start thinning out the idiots. not protect them and encourage stupid behavior.

[carlcarlson]

seriously. this pisses me off. why must our society play to the lowest common denominator? if youre stupid, your life will be difficult. if you lack common sense, your life will be short.

this is freaking ridiculous. whatever happened to the kid who eats too many marbles as a child doesnt grow up to have children of his own. we need to start thinning out the idiots. not protect them and encourage stupid behavior.

It's true that it was dumb of the kid to send in his "precious" signed 360, but it does seem like MS went the extra mile to mess with it by washing it off. I can't think of a reason why that would be necessary. I'm not saying he deserves the stuff he is getting, the whole thing is just kind of weird.