EASE OF REPLACEMENT PROCESS
Xbox 360
Getting an Xbox 360 replaced is completely hassle-free. As long as you have your console registered with the company (which you should ideally do the day you purchase it), there’s nothing you need to do to have your faulty console replaced besides calling customer support. Microsoft will send someone to pick up the malfunctioning console, and they will have the replacement console delivered to your doorstep as well. And all of this within the time period specified above. On the rare occasion that Microsoft fails to send you a replacement within the promised time, you will receive a call from a customer service executive giving you an update on the status of your replacement. There’s nothing more you can really ask for.
PlayStation 3
Getting your under-warranty PS3 replaced can be a bit of a nightmare. Not only can you not lodge a replacement request over the phone, but you will have to send your faulty PS3 and pick up the replacement console yourself; there is no pick-up and drop facility. You can’t give the console for replacement at the retailer you purchased it from, and you will have to take it to the Sony service centre yourself. We’ve also heard of many instances where customers have been kept in the dark about the status of their replacements once handed over to the service centre, and even repeated phone calls do not yield a satisfactory response. To make matters worse, the customer service executives, who probably also handle many of Sony’s other products, seem fairly clueless when it comes to the PS3 and they often aren’t aware of the company’s warranty policy for the console. All of this only delays the replacement process.
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Verdict
The procedure of sending a faulty console to the company and getting a replacement can be a very frustrating experience for a PS3 owner, owing to incompetent customer service executives, delays, and the lack of a pick-up and drop facility. On the other hand, getting an Xbox 360 replaced couldn’t be easier. Microsoft’s console again shows the way, while this is just another area of PS3 after-sales service that needs serious improvement.
Winner – Xbox 360
Next page: Post-warranty support
