Red Ring Advice

[Raen]

Ok so my 360 red ringed. No big deal, I'm gonna send it back. Luckily it's inside the 3 years (by about 4 days based on the manufacture date stamped on the console) so I'm gonna send it back to them. Filled in the form, and waiting on the email. Now I know they no longer send out coffins (without hassling them which I can't really be bothered with. So any advice on how I should send the console to them? I think I still have the original packaging, so that seems like a good bet to me (obviously I'll wrap it in parcel paper if I do that, don't want some overly curious mail guy being a dick). Any other opinions?

[Gerbs]

I'm guessing at this point your average UPS driver can identify a MS 360 box by shape alone. Along the same lines they should know it's broken and not be tempted to take it, however when I sent mine in I bought a box @ the UPS depot that was a different shape. Only cost me around six dollars, and is way more reliable than a light parcel paper wrap.

[DoctorFinger]

They still send out coffin boxes. But now they give you the option of printing your own label and getting your own box so it can get to them, and back to you, sooner. The story about 'no more coffins' on Consumerist was bunk.

[Gerbs]

Originally Posted by DoctorFinger

They still send out coffin boxes. But now they give you the option of printing your own label and getting your own box so it can get to them, and back to you, sooner. The story about 'no more coffins' on Consumerist was bunk.

Do they offer the coffin or do you have to request? Last time I called I wasn't offered a box and was only offered the shipping label. My friend had a recent experience last week, of course we're in Canada so that could be the reason.

[Narradisall]

I kept the coffin box I got back from my first return 'just in case'.

They always say DO NOT return it in the original xbox360 box as you may not get that back, so if you kept it, don't use it. I have both boxes sitting around lol.

As others have said, get a UPS box or some other generic mail box, and personally I'd shove some bubble wrap in there as I imagine most sorting offices are like those sureal football trainer adverts with the mailmen kicking boxes through windows into the sorting trays.

[Philonious]

Originally Posted by Gerbs

Do they offer the coffin or do you have to request? Last time I called I wasn't offered a box and was only offered the shipping label. My friend had a recent experience last week, of course we're in Canada so that could be the reason.

I had to ship my 360 this past October and you have to request the box. Otherwise they just email you a shipping label because it is much faster and cheaper for them.

I'd recommend a generic box that isn't much bigger than the 360 itself and bubble wrap.

[GigaFuzz]

I don't know how things stand currently (as I haven't had any problems in a good long while now, thankfully) but when I had 'the troubles' they'd never send out boxes, you always had to provide your own (which I believe was different to the US procedure).

The first time I just bought a box from the Post Office and packed it with bubblewrap/paper. Thereafter I always kept the box they sent the replacement back in and used that for the inevitable next breakdown.

[DoctorFinger]

I just went through this a few weeks ago for a cousin's system. When you do it online, you can choose to either mail it yourself, or wait for the box. But the default option is mail it yourself, and I'm sure some people just don't know there's another option. But you can get a box sent to you.

[Raen]

Originally Posted by DoctorFinger

I just went through this a few weeks ago for a cousin's system. When you do it online, you can choose to either mail it yourself, or wait for the box. But the default option is mail it yourself, and I'm sure some people just don't know there's another option. But you can get a box sent to you.

Ah the UK system is through a different site (I actually tried going through the US site accidentally). I definetly did not get any option, it explicitly said that I get a label to print out and there was no option at any point for a coffin. I guess I'll have to go to the shop tomorrow then. Weirdly I'm still waiting for the e-mail with the label :S How does that take any time at all?

EDIT:

Originally Posted by GigaFuzz

I don't know how things stand currently (as I haven't had any problems in a good long while now, thankfully) but when I had 'the troubles' they'd never send out boxes, you always had to provide your own (which I believe was different to the US procedure).

The first time I just bought a box from the Post Office and packed it with bubblewrap/paper. Thereafter I always kept the box they sent the replacement back in and used that for the inevitable next breakdown.

This is exactly how it was. No offer of a box anywhere. I intend to go to the Post Office/WHSmiths and grab a box and some bubble wrap tomorrow.

On a second note I don't send anything (including the HDD) back right? Just the console itself?

[Kelegacy]

I was told I would have to supply my own box and print out my own label. I then told him I don't have a printer currently...so they sent the label and a box to me directly.

Just tell them you don't have access to a printer and are an invalid confined to your home so you don't have anything but cereal boxes. Make them send you one.

[xoanon]

Unless they explicitly said otherwise, all you send is the naked console. I was told anything else I sent would probably not come back.

[Badger]

Yeah, don't send anything apart from the console unless you feel like gifting the engineers. Mine died after a year of loyal service just after Christmas. I got the emailed label printed out and console boxed that same night, UPS picked it up the following morning. Took a week to get to our repair base in Frankfurt, spent a day there and arrived back home a week later with new motherboard and disk drive, all my HDD content automatically linked to the returned console.

I was very happy with the service, especially considering I sent it out on New Years Eve - they couldn't have been strapped for work over the holidays. Obfuscating the contents of the box by choosing weird shapes is kind of pointless though, as the UPS label is massive and says something like XBOX RETURNS CENTRE on it.

[Ancalagon]

You have a red ring? Stop eating so much spicy food then!

[Dorkandproudofit]

My 360 Red Ringed, but it turns back on. I haven't tried playing anything on it yet for fear of making the damage worse/permanent, but I don't know what to do.

Can someone help?

[Iron Past]

Originally Posted by Dorkandproudofit

My 360 Red Ringed, but it turns back on. I haven't tried playing anything on it yet for fear of making the damage worse/permanent, but I don't know what to do.

Can someone help?

Turn it on so the damage becomes worse/permanent so you can have it fixed.

I'd say a bigger box than the console, wrap up the console in bubble wrap and put it in a bed of packing peanuts. Shouldn't run you more than a few dollars (or Euros or whatever) all together.

[GigaFuzz]

Originally Posted by Dorkandproudofit

My 360 Red Ringed, but it turns back on. I haven't tried playing anything on it yet for fear of making the damage worse/permanent, but I don't know what to do.

Can someone help?

Keep using it as normal. If it happens again, send it back (unless it's out of warranty).

[Gitaroomaan]

Originally Posted by Iron Past

Turn it on so the damage becomes worse/permanent so you can have it fixed.

I'd say a bigger box than the console, wrap up the console in bubble wrap and put it in a bed of packing peanuts. Shouldn't run you more than a few dollars (or Euros or whatever) all together.

Bingo. I work for a UPS Store, any electronic item (even if broken) gets this treatment. If you want to cheap out, you can skip the bubble, but tightly packed peanuts should always be used, stops things from moving around (and trust me, you can be assured that your box will likely get beat up).

Also, you should never, ever use brown paper to cover a box (parcel wrapping), there is a great chance that it will get ripped off in the conveyor systems therefore losing your address and postage information. If you're going to use it, coat the entire thing in packing tape.

[xoanon]

Originally Posted by GigaFuzz

Keep using it as normal. If it happens again, send it back (unless it's out of warranty).

They can apparently tell if a console has ever red ringed at the test center. Mine did like yours, but when it became unusable it wasn't showing the red ring anymore it just wouldn't put out video. They told me not to worry and everything turned out fine.

[Bingley Joe]

Originally Posted by Gerbs

I'm guessing at this point your average UPS driver can identify a MS 360 box by shape alone.

This is definitely true -- when I dropped mine off at Purolator, the woman behind the counter took one look at the box and asked if it was a 360 without even looking at the label. This was relatively early days for the system, too LOL.

Originally Posted by Narradisall

They always say DO NOT return it in the original xbox360 box as you may not get that back, so if you kept it, don't use it.

Yeah, I wasn't offered a coffin (beginning to think this is a Hoser thing), so I was going to use my original packaging as well until they told me not to. I just looked around work for a suitably sized discard and then got the guys in shipping to wrap the console in enough bubble-wrap to keep it safe. Boxes are boxes, it's how you pack what's inside that counts.

TBH, shipping it to them is a piece of cake... the biggest problem I had was when they lost it on arrival and had no record of it in their system

My advice is to DEFINITELY ship with a method that has tracking and REQUIRES a signature on delivery.

[Raen]

Well my shipping label hadn't come, so I cancelled the repair, changed my e-mail, and resubmitted. I even changed my e-mail to my hotmail account, thinking that maybe using two MS systems might help. Been ten minutes and nothing yet. How can an auto-email system suck this much? I've written one before! It's not hard