11-month old Elite just died - can I force the shop to replace it?

16to9 · 15-11-2008, 12:39 PM

Question says it all really. Bought this Elite to replace a Premium that died about two weeks before xmas last year. I did that because I didn't want to have an xbox-free xmas, and sold the MS-repaired Premium on ebay.

But I don't want to have to buy a THIRD bloomin' console, nor do I want to wait however long to get this fixed as I'm on leave for a bit.

So can I ask the retailer - Woolworths - to replace the console or will they try and insist MS have to repair it for me?

(It died 10 minutes ago, not RROD, but with vertical blue lines all up and down the screen. And this might explain some odd behaviour I've noticed in the past week or so, with some graphics looking rough, and with it being moody about powering on from the joypad.)

16to9 · 15-11-2008, 12:43 PM

Update - just rebooted it and it's giving me a red quadrant, bottom right.

Googling the error code, E74, tells me it's a GPU problem. I'd guessed that...

KonkyWonky · 15-11-2008, 12:56 PM

The retailer (Woolworths) is duty bound to replace/repair the item under the Sales Of Good Act (1979). Your contract is with them as a retailer and not with Microsoft. They will of course try to get you to go to Microsoft as it is less hassle for them. If you quote the act and be firm that they have a responsibility for the goods they sell for a period of UPTO 6 years they should see reason and replace your item. If not ask to speak to the manager and remind him of the content of the Sales Of Good Act. Don't go in all aggressive though, at the end of the day you want a console from them so try and keep them on side.

If you have no joy at that send a letter, someone in this forum had a very good letter detailing this situation and how to go about it....

Best of luck..

Desmo · 15-11-2008, 1:07 PM

You can ask for a replacement, but you can't insist on it. It's not law.

lovelldr · 15-11-2008, 1:23 PM

As above.

There are three scenarios really:

1. You send the item to Microsoft for repair.
2. You go to Woolworths and ask them to swap it, they swap it.
3. You go to Woolworths and ask them to swap it, they say they won't, but are duty bound to get Microsoft to repair it for you if you don't want to send it, so they arrange for MS to repair it.

So it's worth a try. Game swapped mine when it died, so you might be ok?!

16to9 · 15-11-2008, 4:42 PM

Well it got replaced, so thanks to Woolies for that.

They did put a call into MS who tried to pin it on the hard drive being faulty.

In the end I said to the chap in the shop: it's up to you, it's not the hard drive. Change it or send me away and I'll have to call MS to replace it, and he was good enough to swap it.

16to9 · 15-11-2008, 8:54 PM

I just realised while making another post that this is my FIFTH 360.

I love the machine, and they've all been replaced without too many problems, but it's (a) getting beyond a joke and must (b) be costing MS a fortune.

Live is being a bit shabby tonight, good job I'm off out to the pub now. I'm sure my PS3 mates will give me some grief about it all. Mind you, they have a point about PSN being free..