Xbox 360 and the red ring of death

If you own an Xbox 360 then chances are that you have heard of the "red ring of death." It's when the green lights on your Xbox 360 turns red. It is a Xbox 360 owners worst nightmare. I know because I've experienced it.

About a month ago, I tried to put in a DVD and there it was--three rings of red. I shut it off and looked at my wife with completely horror on my face and said "it's dead." She asked how I knew and I only said, "I just know."

A few minutes after trying the potential fixes from the official Xbox 360 site and getting nowhere; I called customer service. This post isn't a rant, it's more about how Microsoft can make the bad PR for the notorious "red ring of death" and market it in a positive way.

Here is my breakdown of events and how they could have made the experience a great one:

1. The customer service person was really helpful and polite. Bonus for Microsoft.

2. They sent an email that kept me up to date with all the phases of shipping, fixing, and sending my 360 back. Another bonus for Microsoft.

3. They sent a free month of Microsoft Live. Let's call this a draw--I'll explain later.

4. They sent a box with clear instructions on how to send the 360 back so it was virtually hassle free. But it was UPS ground that takes 3-5 days and I had to drop it off at a UPS shipping center. This was again a draw.

5. They extended every owner of the Xbox 360 warranty to 3 years--which was good for me because I've owned mine for about 2 1/2 years. And under the initial 1 year warranty I might have just tossed the 360 out. This is a draw--Microsoft knew the product had defects so they felt compelled to do this--it fixed the bad PR that was blossoming around the "red ring of death." It was their fault, but to their credit they covered their customers.

So far Microsoft is relatively on track with a good display of customer service. But here is where they could have really made the service great.

1. After the fix, Microsoft could have gave me another year on my warranty. With a half-year left, and it just being fixed it, it would give me peace of mind. So what if that part fails? There is no extra coverage.

2. I was without my Xbox 360 for 3 weeks. It took 2 days to fix it. The rest of the time was nothing but a shipping turn around and I lost 2 days of trying to find a UPS store. If they would have shipped it overnight or even 2 day I would have only been without my Xbox 360 for a week with overnight and 8-10 days with 2 day shipping. That would have really made me happy. Instead of telling everyone about the great experience, after being so angry, because of the quick turnaround of my broken Xbox, I ended up telling them about how aggravating it was to have to deal with this 3 week loss.

3. Microsoft could have scheduled a same day or next day pickup of my 360 by UPS. Instead I had to bring it to work and go out and find a UPS store during my lunch hour. I know... poor me.

4. Microsoft gave me a free month of Xbox Live, but I lost 3 weeks off my Live account so I only really received one free week. That's not much of a bonus. Why not three months? It doesn't cost Microsoft a penny. In fact, Microsoft would have made more money. Think about it. I would have certainly purchased points to buy games and add-ons for the games I already own. That's a big missed opportunity.

5. Maybe it's overdoing it--but it would have been nice to know what ended up being broken on my 360 just in case it happens again. Instead, you get an email telling you its fixed and will ship the next day. I'm a big fan of transparency and I didn't get any of that. I was happy however to be notified it was fixed and on its way.

Microsoft did a good job--but they could have done a great job. Hopefully they won't take forever to realize their missed opportunity to turn Xbox 360 users into Xbox 360 and Microsoft evangelists. They have to be getting tired of all the Apple evangelists. We want to love Microsoft--it's up to the company to help us.