Attention Xbox 360 Owners! (Open tray Problem)

[Ash]

Attention Xbox 360 Owners!!!

As if the Red Ring of Death debacle wasn't bad enough, there is another big problem with Xbox 360's.
When you insert a disc, it says, "Reading" and then instead of starting the game, it will say, "Open Tray".
It's not recognizing that there's a disc in the drive.

Observe:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vN38ehQMj9w

I had this problem happen to me tonight and I just got off an hour long phone call with an Xbox supervisor.
What really made me mad was the fact that my console is still under a 3 year warranty but Microsoft won't pay to have it fixed.  They want me to shell out over $100 to send it in to them!
To explain why they won't pay, read further.

Two years ago, I had the red rings of death.  I sent my console in and instead of repairing it, they sent me a new one.  The only thing I received with it was a 1 month Xbox Live gold card for my trouble and a letter telling me that they had replaced it and extended the warranty to 3 years. 

I did not receive any documentation outlining the terms of this new warranty.

What they don't tell you is that the three year extended warranty only covers your new console if you get the red rings of death again.
If there is any other problem with your console, you have to pay for that out of your own pocket.
This whole time, I, like thousands of others, presumed that warranty means warranty!  I reasonably believed that this three year extended warranty would cover anything wrong with my console.
Nope.

This whole business with the "open tray" issue and how Microsoft has been dealing with it is very shady.  Especially with this BS three year extended warranty.  It's almost like they're counting on consumers to not read the fine print.
Walk up to any Xbox owner and ask them if they knew that the extended warranty only covered their console if they got the RROD again.  I can guarantee you that 99.9% of them didn't know that.

This is a widespread problem that has affected hundreds, if not thousands of Xbox owners.
Do a search on Google and type in, "Xbox 360 open tray problem" and take a look at the hundreds of complaints.

Someone else on the Xbox forums mentioned that this should be a recall issue and I totally agree with that.  A problem this big needs to be addressed by Microsoft.
If there is ever a class-action lawsuit dealing with this specific problem, I'm joining it.

Basically, the optical drive is either misaligned, dirty, or both.
The only option is to send your console to Microsoft and pay to have it fixed.
If you do it over the phone, it's $120.00.
If you set up your repair online it's $20.00 cheaper.

Either way, I've been ripped off.  

Any thoughts on this?

[Jack]

If it's a problem with the drive being dirty, you could get a can of compressed air and shoot that in there in the hopes it would dislodge whatever dust is causing the problem. 

Other than that, don't know.  You've probably got a good case against them, but it would cost way more to pursue than just getting the thing fixed.  I guess I'd pay my $100, be pi$$ed off, and get it over with    Maybe start browsing some PS3 games.  I would imagine that at some point in the future, they'll start coming out with some really good games for the PS3.

[Ash]

If it's a problem with the drive being dirty, you could get a can of compressed air and shoot that in there in the hopes it would dislodge whatever dust is causing the problem. 

I've already tried that.  Twice.
It didn't work.

Several people have mentioned that they're gonna check out the PS3 but not me.
I have no interest in that console whatsoever and have invested too much in my 360.  (almost $2,000)

[AnubisVonMojo]

My thoughts? Microsoft sucks. I enjoy my 360 and have been fortunate enough to avoid having any technical issues with it so far beyond the occasional system freeze (usually when I'm using NetFlix), but the whole thing with the red rings and a new rash of laser issues that I've been hearing about like yours Ash just make me hate the company more and more. Of the five or six people I've know to get 360s, FOUR of them have had problems. The day my system inevitably croaks and they send me a box to return it in, I'm giving them a Ted Kaczynski Delight and going into hiding.

[Mr. DS]

I haven't invested in next gen systems for 1.) not really have the extra cash to and 2.) the horribly flimsy design of these systems and their components.  They rush everything out nowadays and have an "oh well" attitude if it breaks down.  To me its a heaping pile of sh*t that consumer advocates should riot about.  I can plug in my Atari 2600 and it still works.  Why the hell can't they get these new things glitch free?

Rock Band  comes to mind with their guitar.  They rushed that thing out and tons of people found out that their guitar stopped working.  I sold the one that came with mine 

[BeyondTheGrave]

I just got a X-Box-360 last week. I didn't want it, Like Darksider put to much money, but since my birthday is coming up my mom insisted and we did have some extra cash laying around. I'm actually a big fan of Playstation and PS2 but I waited long enough and the didn't have one game that I wanted.

I would have hoped waiting this long that all these stupid Ring of Death and Open Tray issues would have been only in the first batch of systems and that it. A couple of years later still going on is too much. Also that B.S. with PS3 and X-Box-360 having different prices because they have more memory is just nonsense. Come out with one system like before and charge one price. Not this one had 60MB and cost this and other has 120 and is "Elite" cost this.

I don't plan of investing anything in the system like going online until about a year or 2. Just buying games and thats it.

[asimpson2006]

I just got my 360 today (Haven't played it yet, but read it has been delivered to my house).  I'll have to keep in mind about this.

[Torgo]

I have a lot of friends who has 360's (I still only have a PS2 at the moment) and only one of them hasn't had some kind of huge problems with their systems.  Most were the red ring of death thing but Microsoft finally fixed that as it was caused by the system not ventilating properly and the system over hearting.

I have heard that Microsoft if dealing with a 2 million dollar class action lawsuit in CA for selling faulty systems instead of addressing their was  a problem and dealing with it.

[Henry Narve]

It is a wonder that you got service!  My son received an X Box 360 for his birthday a year and a half ago and recently got the "rings of fire" so; after much consternation and deliberation M/S said they would fix it, just send it in.  It was returned with a letter stating that it was not repaired. My wife called the 800 number and finally spoke to a person who said that the console had been tampered with!  My wife immediately asked for a supervisor who said the interior seal on the chassis was missing was the probable reason for non-repair. The Supervisor said she would get back with more information after she contacted the "Repair Center(an oxymoron if there ever was one)".  To make a long story short; I found where the secret "chassis seal" was located and it was still intact as well as the M/S seal on the cover located behind the face plate.  I have been told lies and have received no follow thu when I told M/S I would a picture and send it to the "Customer Service(a sick joke)" Department.  I have been left no choice but to contact the M/S Legal Department, which was the "next step" to be taken according to "Customer Service", as well as the Consumer Protection Agencies of my state, the state of Washington, and the US Government, along with the corresponding Attorney Generals, and the Better Business Bureau. With all the junk, Vista, etc, that M/S is putting out, YOU do the same,  if enough people complain to the law someone will put Bill Gates in his place!!

[Doggett]

I've got the same problem. Luckily, I also got the ring of death so I now have to send the Xbox away for a little R&R.