Microsoft
Xbox Spring 2011 Update Problems - xbox 360 elite

In short, the Spring 2011 update eliminated my ability to play any games on my 360 Elite which was replaced after the original RROD'd, but yet it allows me to play DVD's. However, because I do not get a special error, Microsoft will not repair so I have a glorified DVD player...

The situation details are as follows:

On Friday night, May 27th, I was prompted to conduct an update to my Xbox 360 Elite console, which was a factory refurb provided to me by Microsoft when my first Elite 360 had the RROD. Upon completion of the update, my Xbox rebooted, and no longer recognized the game disc in the drive. It only gave me the dashboard option to Open or Close the Disc Tray. After trying 14 different titles, the only one that worked sporadically was TopSpin4, and this happened only after a significant amount of "grinding" that takes place. Titles tested (and failed) included Gears of War, Gears of War 2, Crysis 2, and Rockband 3. To test whether the drive was physically malfunctioning, I placed several DVD movies in the drive which were easily recognized and played.

In my opinion, this demonstrated that the recent update caused my drive to not recognize proper game discs any longer.

My Xbox has NEVER been modded and all game Discs are original store bought, and I have many receipts to prove this.

What I did:

Prior to calling support, I went through the online instructions to troubleshoot Disc errors including unplugging devices, clearing system cache, etc.

As per Microsoft's online support's instructions, on May 28, I ended up contacting Microsoft Xbox Live Technical Support @ 1800-4MY-XBOX. This was a very frustrating affair. My first call while being on hold for an operator disconnected. I called back a second time in which I collectively spent 39min and 17sec on the phone speaking with an agent (Melody) who basically walked me through the online troubleshooting steps, and then told me that my Xbox needed to be shipped and repaired (at a cost of $149 Cdn) because the drive died and the fact that the update occurred just prior was a complete coincidence. My ticket number is 1155201680. Despite explaining that the drive still plays DVDs, and therefore is functional, I was told there was no further recourse and to send it in for repair. Apparently, the update problems causes a specific error I am not receiving, yet my system is compromised and no longer functional. Based on this, nothing can be done.

At this point I request to speak to a Supervisor which I spent almost 8min on hold waiting for until the call disconnected. To Microsoft Support's credit (the only thing they've done correctly in this process), the phone rang with unknown name & no, and they did call back and apologize for disconnecting. I spoke with the Supervisor (Erica) and explained everything again, and asked, "If my Xbox plays movies, but can't play games, and if the system update is concerned with modded consoles, pirated discs, etc, could it not stand to reason that this (the update) is the cause of my problem." I further explained that this is not an attempt to trade up for a new console (a program I was initially unaware of that the first agent mentioned to me), but that I wanted my console repaired without charge. She said she'd put me on hold and "try to see what they could do." After sitting on hold for several minutes, and 8min and 12sec into the call, I was again disconnected. I waited for 10min and then called back.

I called support again and spoke to yet another agent (don't recall this one's name), and gave the ticket # and explained the issues (again), and that I was talking to a Supervisor but was disconnected (again). She was extremely helpful but advised me that the Supervisor attempted to call me back (which never happened), and then told me that the Supervisor was not available to speak to me because she had a meeting. SO, a call back was arranged for tonight between 5pm-9pm EST. I waited patiently and at 9:04pm EST, the phone rang once (with unknown name & no) and then hung up.

I decided to call myself and after speaking with an agent (Sandy, I believe), I was repeatedly put on hold until I was finally told that the Supervisor would be calling me back within 2hrs. This took 35min, 12 seconds. I waited to the 2 hours and never received a callback from a Supervisor. The worst part of all, is that there is no recourse.

When calling Microsoft or searching online for a place to submit my complaint, there was no recourse except to either call the 1-800 and speak to a Supervisor or complete an online survey which focuses on the website.

Company: Microsoft
Country: USA

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