Home Gaming Captain's Log: Getting my Xbox 360 replaced

Captain's Log: Getting my Xbox 360 replaced

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MiService.jpg

A little while ago, I posted up an article about how I am now going to be moving onto my fifth, yes fifth, Xbox 360 console since my original purchase.

Well, I thought that for interests sake, I would keep a log of the new swap-out process that goes through MiDigital and even though I am only in the first stages of the replacement process, things are not exactly going peachy.

Here is what MiDigital’s website has to say about the processes timeframe:

“48 hours: Within 48 hours of you supplying the correct and complete information, you will be notified of your “Authorization number”. (Week days only)

5 working days: within 5 working days of receiving your “Authorization number”, you should have your new console delivered to you, subject to stock availability. If it’s not delivered within this timeframe, call 0860XBOX360 (btw this is a typo, it’s supposed to be 0861) for an update.”

It has been around about 7 – 8 working days since I faxed through the forms with my information and proof of purchase. So by now I should have a brand new console replacement sitting in my apartment right?

Find out how things are actually going, after the jump.

Guess what I am going to be doing today? That’s right, I am going to be calling 0861XBOX360… again. Am I surprised that my replacement console hasn’t arrived yet? Not in the slightest. I have already tried calling once today but when I was put through to the right department, the phone just went dead after a while. So why am I calling today anyway?

Maybe that is because I have yet to even receive my “Authorisation Number”, which was supposed to be given to me within 48 hours. I had a busy week and lost track of time, meaning that I was the equivalent of a very patient customer. Well, I was up until the point where I realised that more than a week has gone by and I haven’t reached the second phase of the process yet.

I also emailed the address given to enquire about the process and even though I received a read receipt, telling me that they have seen the email, I haven’t actually gotten any sort of reply.

By now, I should have had a new Xbox 360 instead of sitting and wondering why I haven’t even received my special little number yet. Was there a problem? You would think that someone might have picked up a phone to give me a call about it or at the very least dropped me an email. This is the type of service that people abroad enjoy that we don’t get and the scary thing is that I felt ridiculous just thinking about the idea that someone would actually bother to pick up a phone and give a customer an update.

So then, later today, I will be calling the number provided again to try find out why in the hell absolutely nothing has happened. I will keep posting up logs of my experience with the process so that if you have to make a swap in future, you know what you are in for.

So far, the stopwatch is running and I am sitting on 7 or 8 working days with absolutely no progress whatsoever.

Well done.

Last Updated: January 21, 2009

28 Comments

  1. The first time I faxed through that form, the fax machine was out of order for a week. So I was told to email the form through but then the fax machine started working again. So my first 7 days went thinking when am I getting an Authorisation number but in the mean time the form never go through 🙁

    Scan your form and proof of purchase to a PDF and email it to the address. That’s a cheaper more reliable method. Oh and my brand new Elite had gave the RROD after 1 week but its working fine for the past month 😕

    Reply

  2. ShadowOfDawn

    January 21, 2009 at 13:10

    Great article, keep us in the know.

    Reply

  3. Syph1n

    January 21, 2009 at 13:18

    Dude. scan and email forms. dont email asking for update. Scan and email forms. I did this and i got my console in less than a week (around 4 days). I dont trust fax machines and this other stupid stuff called paper that goes missing and falls under tables. 😛

    I dealt with kathy and she was great (kathyn@midigital.co.za)

    Give her a shout (email) directly and im sure she’ll sort you out

    Reply

  4. Geoff

    January 21, 2009 at 13:36

    LOVE the picture. 😀

    I was very fortunate with my 360 swop. Faxed papers through on a Wednesday afternoon, received a shiny new console that very Friday.

    Reply

  5. Werner

    January 21, 2009 at 13:36

    As Nick knows, I had to wait for over a month to get my swap out, called every day too. I had to revert to borrowing XBoxes from friends just to be able to do some reviews.

    Reply

  6. Bboy

    January 21, 2009 at 13:56

    Ahh well aren’t you guys lucky – early Nov xbox broke, auth number a day or two later – xbox arrived 2 MONTHS LATER!!! AQRHGGHGHGHHGHGHHGHGHGHHG *Smash *smash

    I think it really depends on whether they have stock available. I hate MI.

    Reply

  7. Bacon

    January 21, 2009 at 13:57

    It’s articles like these that have completely obliterated any cognitive dissonance, however slight, that I might have experienced by making the decision to buy a PS3 instead.

    Reply

  8. Bboy

    January 21, 2009 at 13:58

    My house-mate and I grabbed a RROD box from a friend – baked it in towels, got it to switch on and then just didnt switch it off for about a week – worked like a charm! (the bake-box is prolly beyond repair now tho).

    Reply

  9. sylar za

    January 21, 2009 at 14:04

    no that we are on this subject….My usb’s arnt working, so i got a ref # for a new x box, does this mean i am going to do the same steps or just like before go strait to my store with my proof of purchase and change it plus what do i do with my HD?

    Reply

  10. Bboy

    January 21, 2009 at 15:04

    All SA retailers refuse to swap – you gotta go the MI digital route (xbox europe confirmed this for me). When they swap your box you keep all cabels and HD and everything but the box. They give you a refurbished box, i.e. old case, but new internals.

    Reply

  11. bunnyfight

    January 21, 2009 at 15:12

    i waited 3 weeks for my replacement 🙁

    Reply

  12. Wolfy

    January 21, 2009 at 15:25

    R1000 a game later…. Doesnt catch my eye at all

    Reply

  13. Wolfy

    January 21, 2009 at 15:31

    luckily my 1st xbox failed back in late 2007. i purchased it on my edgars account by CNA. I took the original packaging with the brick of a console of corse and demanded a swop ofcourse.. seeing that the “Core version” that time was very popular and was always out of stock they gave me back my money. and went 2 days later and bought a new core(bought 2 weeks before the release of HALO 3) and believe it or not the bugger is still going. Wanna know my dark secret?????????

    Go to any flea market,game,pick n pay,hyperama ect… and buy a fan, they’re like R150+/- . Put it next to your xox and, viola! Never witnessed another RROD ever again.

    True story 8)

    Reply

  14. sylar za

    January 21, 2009 at 15:55

    Oooooi, thanks dude.

    Reply

  15. Ace

    January 21, 2009 at 18:49

    what do you mean R1000 a game later… where are people getting this 1000 number from???? the games cost the same in stores as the x360 and none of them are ever that expensive (except in look and listen)

    unless you pirating then yeah R1000 a game later

    Reply

  16. Shaun

    January 21, 2009 at 19:16

    Was just wondering, i’m on my second xbox currently, does the warranty renew every time you get an exchange? the frikin box is already starting to give disk read errors.
    Kinda miss my ps2, had that thing on for a month nonstop and no probs.

    Reply

  17. Karl

    January 21, 2009 at 19:17

    My Xbox is 2nd hand, manufactured in 2006….

    Just waiting for the damn thing to RRoD…..

    Reply

  18. Nick

    January 21, 2009 at 22:22

    Yes, because you are getting a new console, its warranty is 3 years from the time that you get it.

    Reply

  19. LazySAGamer

    January 21, 2009 at 22:35

    Actually the warranty is 3 years from date of purchase which is why you need to keep your original receipt and all that.

    https://support.xbox.com/support/en/us/xbox360/hardware/warranty/warrantyupdate/WarrantyUpdate.aspx

    Reply

  20. Wolfy

    January 22, 2009 at 07:53

    dont jinx yourself yet…

    Reply

  21. Fox1

    January 22, 2009 at 09:30

    They stopped renewing warranties with the new swap-out procedure 🙁

    Reply

  22. Gerrit

    January 28, 2009 at 11:59

    Also waiting for MIDigital for a replacement. Advised that there is no stock and they dont know when they will get – battled for days just to get someone tell me that!
    Phone Microsoft and report bad or indifferent service – if they get enough complaints, they may get someone better that MIDigital as local agents.

    Reply

  23. Ray

    February 2, 2009 at 10:08

    If anybody needs their “out of warranty” Xbox 360 repaired.
    Lemme know.Just fixed my RROD Xbox this weekend!And it’s running smooth.

    Reply

  24. Reaver

    February 2, 2009 at 11:28

    I have gone thru exactly the same experience, and will also be calling MiD later today….Sigh

    Reply

  25. Vin

    February 4, 2009 at 18:31

    I faxed my forms and got the Authorisation number on December 15 2008. I was told there was no stock and I must wait till January 2009.

    Called MiDigital around 14 January 2009 and they said they have a 2 week lead time to obtain stock.

    Tried calling them yesterday and today but they dont answer, nor do they respond to emails.

    I can understand that there is no stock, but surely they should have the courtesy to provide feedback and give a status update, even if it is via email.

    Their service is appalling to say the least!
    :angry:

    Reply

  26. ewie

    February 4, 2009 at 21:34

    just put it on hello peter.

    Reply

  27. Ridwaan

    June 9, 2009 at 02:25

    I want to buy xbox please advice me what to do , what about if somthing happens

    Reply

  28. Greg

    June 23, 2009 at 15:00

    Wow I have really think there has to be a better way! I’ve been trying to get a shipping number for over a year! My last attempt was Jan 29th. I believe Micrsoft has lost me as a consumer and customer. For the simple fact they made the X box very well and I still have the original one in great working condition (yrs??) and the 360 was dead in six months. That’s who they have become.

    Reply

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