Manufacturer Warranties and Protection Plans

[Roger_Moore]

TLdon'twanttoR: I have a 2 yr PRP from 9/07 on my Xbox 360 that is now acting stupid and broken can I walk into a local BB and get a new one?

Hello,

After perusing Google I stumbled across this forum. Since actual Best Buy employees and members from the corporate team seems to respond to messages I thought this a good place to check.

I purchased my Xbox 360 Halo Edition (special green color job, 20 GB HDD) in  the middle of September in 2007 and also a 2 year PRP. At the time I was an employee of Best Buy. During my time as an employee a number of Xbox 360's purchased by customers with the PRP came into the store with a variety of problems ranging from RRODs to random lockups to bad optical drives. In every case the units were immediately swapped with another one from the store or, if their model was discontinued, they were offered to exchange it for a newer one or pay the difference for a more expensive model.

In my case my Xbox 360 has been randomly losing audio, overheating, and locking up on an annoyingly regular basis. I have not been presented with the RROD but don't feel very inclined to try for it.

Reading over the forums it looks like the PRP on Xbox 360 and other consoles has changed to a Gadgets & Gizmos plan. To prevent any confusion, I would again point out that my PRP was purchased in 9/07, well before the contract terms were changed and clearly labeled as a Product Replacement Plan.

My question is this: can I take my Xbox 360 Halo Edition into a local store and receive immediate compensation or replacement of my unit? My concern is that I may be met with skepticism, misinformation (associates claiming I have a G&G plan when I do not), or given a runaround (told to call the support number, etc). I would like to be able to go into my local Best Buy with the peace of mind that I will, like the customers I helped years ago, be able to receive immediate compensation or replacement to fulfill my contract.

The second part of the question: my unit was purchased at 399.32 (with a 67 cent employee discount, quite a steal ), but despite being a special edition only had a 20 GB HDD. The Pro now stands 100 dollars cheapter at 299.99 with a hard drive three times the size, and the Elite is the same price with six times the size! With my original purchase price being so high and the Halo Edition being discontinued, would I be able to swap out for a more recent (and easily arguably better) model? If so, would I receive compensation in case I opted for a cheaper model?

Lastly, what of my data? I know it's possible to transfer data from one Xbox 360 to another, but from what I understand both units have to be on, working, and a special kit has to be used. I like that the original data is erased in the process but I wonder if the store will help me with that; I'm concerned that if a replacement is offered I will not have the opportunity to transfer my data and wipe my old system.

TLDR: I have a 2 yr PRP from 9/07 on my Xbox 360 that is now acting stupid and broken can I walk into a local BB and get a new one?

Hope you can help. Thanks, everyone.

[devise]

Well good luck to you.

My console has been randomly freezing over the past year and I took it in to use my warranty and they basically laughed in my face. They hooked my console up and because they didnt see it freeze they wouldnt do anything about it.

I've been messaging and emailing everyone here on the Best Buy website,.... no one will even respond to me anymore. The frustration of wasting $80 on a PRP plan and not being able to use it is insane. I was told when I bought it back in 2007 by the young lady If ANYTHING happens at all from the controller to the console, we will give you a giftcard for the full amount so you can replace your unit.

Im sick to my stomach writing this because last night I decided to play a game for the first time in awhile.... 2 hours in my console locked up once again.

I havent even got into the disrespect and lack of care from the Best Buy employees. Everything in my console box was in pristine condition cosmetically.... they trashed everything in wrappers I had them in and my console came back in the box with a huge white smudge on the top. Just a complete joke.

[Adamtech Emerging Expert]

First off, the receipt should say PRP not G&G which will avoid confusing when going to exchange. You should be able to exchange it for comparable technology meaning an item similar to what you had, not based on the price. Unfortunatly, when the exchange is done, no additional monies are refunded to the customer. The item is simply exchange for like or comparable technology.

[Elizabeth-BBY Community Supervisor]

Hi Roger_Moore,

I've asked Aaron, one of our Geek Squad Community Connectors, to review and respond to your post.  You should hear from him shortly.

Thanks for posting!

[Roger_Moore]

devise brings up a good point that I may not have stressed in my first post. As noted, my issues are notably sporadic - unfortunately I cannot reproduce my problems on cue. However, since the problems are becoming more common, and my coverage ends in September of this year, I wanted to ensure that I could obtain a replacement before the unit stopped working entirely.

To the Community Connector that takes the time to answer my query, could you also please take into account that my isuses with the unit cannot be replicated on cue?

[Aaron-GS Community Connector · Accepted solution]

Hey Roger_Moore,

Those are all excellent questions, and I’m pleased to inform you that you’ve come to the right place.

As long as your local store is able to replicate the problem you would be entitled to an immediate in-store exchange of your Xbox 360 under your PRP coverage. It’s important to remember though that a store associate must be able to do so – we cannot replace products under PRP coverage if we cannot verify that they are defective.

Now, remember that PRPs are unique in that they guarantee the original purchase price of the covered product. That means that if your Xbox360 is found to be defective you would be issued a gift card for that full amount. Some stores, however, may choose to process PRP claims as exchanges, instead providing customers a replacement product and a gift card for any remaining difference in price.

When it comes to your saved game data you’ll need to back up this information yourself prior to seeking an exchange. Otherwise, you can always request that the store do it for you for an additional fee. Just keep in mind that you’ll need to transfer the content licenses for anything you’ve purchased through the Xbox Live Marketplace to the new console in order to keep those programs! Instructions on how to do so can be found here.

I hope this helps you out, but please feel free to let me know if you have any other questions. You can send me a private message by clicking on either the icon in my signature below or the letter icon in the upper right-hand corner of the page.

[Roger_Moore]

Great! Thank you Aaron; that's answered all of my questions!

[hi-im-jesus]

thanks for the info arron