You can imagine my rage this Wednesday when, after checking the UPS tracking status for my Xbox as it was returning from the repair facility, I found that they tried to make delivery at 11:40 that morning.

Who the heck is up and able to sign for a package at 11:30? Wait, let me rephrase that. Which Xbox gamer would be up and able to sign for a package at 11:30?

Well, disappointment aside, I made sure to set my alarm clock the next morning. I figured 9am would be a safe bet. So as I awoke Thursday morning the earliest I had in months, I sat patiently for that big brown truck to arrive. Thankfully, the wait wasn't long.


At around 10:35, I got a knock on the door. After exactly 2 weeks without my Xbox, I finally had it back. I was a bit shocked however, as it appeared they sent the machine back in the same box I sent it to them in. I guess plain white boxes are a big commodity for Microsoft. I wouldn't usually mind it, but, as you can see above, the box was not in the best shape. On the underside pictured, a gash nearly broke entirely through the cardboard.

Fortunately the machine was not damaged. Taking it from the box, the first thing I did was check the serial number on the back. If a repair was not possible, the MS support guys said they would send me a refurbished machine in its stead. Sure enough, I got a refurb.

According to the sticker on the back, it was manufactured back in December of 2006. So at least its a fairly new refurb unit.

The rest of the box's contents are picture below.


Along with the console, there were three sheets of paper. The first was a simple diagram showing how to re-sync my wireless accessories to the new machine. In the middle of the picture is a customer service survey. I reckon I'll get around to filling it out eventually. Finally, there was letter from Xbox Customer Service explaining why I got a refurbished console and trying to apologize for the inconvenience of having to send it in.

Interestingly, in the last line of the letter, it said that to try and make up for the hassle, they were including for me a free month of Xbox Live Gold service. Even more interestingly, as you can see below, no such card was included...


I could get angry and call up tech support and complain until I get my free month, but I figure you have to pick and choose your battles. So long as this refurb doesn't break, that's apology enough for me.

So, with that, the saga of Khyron's busted 360 comes to an end. It took exactly 2 weeks from the time I discovered it broke until I got the replacement. So far, I'd say I was pretty pleased with the service. When I finally get around to it, Xbox Customer Support can expect a generally positive survey card.

Now, I'm off to make up for lost gaming. Don't even try contacting me this weekend.