MICROSOFT EXTENDS ALL XBOX 360 SYSTEM WARRANTIES TO 1 YEAR
Yesterday, Microsoft announced that they will be extending the manufacturer's warranty on all Xbox 360 consoles from the current 90 days to one year. This change does apply retroactively, and Microsoft has announced that they will be sending out refund checks to anyone who had to pay for an "out-of-warranty" repair of an Xbox 360 within their first year of ownership. Those checks should be arriving in 8 - 10 weeks, so don't spend the cash on last minute holiday shopping just yet. Take it away Microsoft;
"REDMOND, Wash. — Dec. 22, 2006 — In a move to benefit customers, Microsoft Corp. announced today that it will change the Xbox 360™ warranty from 90 days to one year from the date of purchase in the United States and Canada. Microsoft extended the warranty in these territories to be consistent with the standard one-year Xbox 360 warranty that is available throughout most of the world. The news is reason to celebrate this holiday season; it applies to both would-be purchasers and those who already have Xbox 360 and are still within their first year of ownership.
Effective today, the one-year warranty is now the standard for the Xbox 360 console. Customers who experience hardware issues with their Xbox 360 within one year of purchase can have their consoles repaired at no cost. Moreover, the new warranty policy is retroactive, so consumers who may have already paid for an out-of-warranty Xbox 360 repair within one year of purchase will be eligible for reimbursement of their console repair charges.
“Customer satisfaction is a central focus and priority for the Xbox 360 system,” said Jeff Bell, corporate vice president of Global Marketing for the Interactive Entertainment Business at Microsoft. “In addition to jaw-dropping features such as high-definition graphics, an amazing variety with a catalog of over 160 games, and social online and entertainment experiences on Xbox Live®, the Xbox 360 system now offers this extended warranty upgrade. It is truly the industry’s most compelling home entertainment offering.”
Customers who have already paid out-of-warranty repair charges within their first year of ownership can expect reimbursement checks for the amount of their console repair in approximately 10 weeks. Reimbursements will be automatically distributed, so customers need not contact Microsoft. Customers who have questions regarding this policy change or experience any hardware issues should visit http://www.xbox.com/en-US/support/contact where they can check their warranty status, find troubleshooting information for common issues and find Xbox support contact information." - Microsoft press release
As the release made no mention of how this will affect those who purchased the 2 year extended warranty directly through Microsoft, I contacted Xbox support and was told that the extension is also being made to the extended warranty program - so if you bought one, add 9 months to it's expiration date. A follow up call to the support line re-confirmed this fact and, after a bit of confusion, confirmed that Microsoft will be sending out updated extended warranty paperwork as well.
For more information, check out the full text of the press release here.
Posted by nylatenite
at 6:07 PM EST
