Xbox 360 RMA

I had a dead Xbox 360 with the dreaded Red Ring Of Death syndrome [1] [2] and I wanted to ship it to Microsoft for a repair. Below you can follow the timeline from when I requesting service till the end where I finally got the Xbox 360 back.

30th August 2007: Success, new fixed Xbox 360 received.

Timeline

• 2007-08-03 - Registered as a user on their newly launched Xbox web service center, service.xbox.com.
• 2007-08-07 - Requested repair for the dead Xbox 360, entering the serial number to check if I qualified, in addition to my address. At the end page I was instructed to make a copy of the Xbox 360 receipt (which turned out I didn't need, see below).
• 2007-08-07 - Received an order receipt from service@microsoft.com and a few hours later an e-mail from Xbox Customer Care with a Service Request ID number. No instructions what would happen next.
• 2007-08-13 - After a week the status on the web service center was still 'Wait for machine at service centre'. I called the Norwegian Xbox 360 customer service and, in English, and asked what I should do next. Apparently they mixed up something, and the guy said I should received a box via DHL or UPS within the next 5 days. I prepared the Xbox 360, without any cables or harddrive, as barebone as you could get it.
• 2007-08-16 - Around 12AM DHL was on the door and picked up the 360. According to the invoices the dimensions of the box was 12x38x32 cm. The 360 receipt was not picked up as the Microsoft page mentioned I had to supply or else they would just return the 360. I also got a piece of paper with printed instructions of how the delivery guy should put the 360 in the box.
• 2007-08-19 - Received another e-mail fron Xbox Customer Care mentioning they received the 360 at their service center. Which according to the invoice is Teleplan Rhein-Main Gmbh, Feldstrasse 16, Weiterstadt, 64331 Germany.
• 2007-08-27 - Little over a week since last chang and the Xbox 360 was shipped today via DHL. Received the email from @css.one.microsoft.com. It mentioned I should have my Xbox 360 back within 7 days. Looking good.
• 2007-08-30 - Three days and a little past noon DHL handed over the new and fixed Xbox 360 in a white box! The Xbox 360 was not the same I sent for repair, it had manufacturer date 2006-01-06. The new one had manufacturer date 2006-01-03 and sported a BenQ VAD6038 DVD-drive and the new extended GPU cooling element. And surprisingly kernel 5759 with base kernel 1920 which noone else has seen in the wild. And as a bonus I got 1 month free Xbox Live Gold subscription. The receipt stated that the DVD-drive and motherboard was repaired, which is exactly what I had problems with.

After 2, or 3 if you consider the call I had to place, weeks I had my Xbox 360 back from reparir, not bad, not bad at all for what I've heard.