Eds Note: Bashcraft's Xbox 360 crapped out. He's dealing.

Earlier today, I phoned Xbox Japan's Support Center. I was put on hold for five minutes plus (The hold music? Country!) before I got a live voice. While I've heard confirmed rumblings that Microsoft outsources its support, that doesn't seem to be the case in Japan. A female rep answered my call, asked what the problem was.

"My 360 keeps freezing up during play."

"What color is the light on the power button?"

"Green."

So, it isn't dead yet. Just clunky and in need of a quick tune up. She took the machine's serial number and asked when I purchased it. Japan's Launch Day, December 10th.

"It's over a year old, so the warranty no longer applies," she told me. "We will have to charge you to repair the machine."

"How much?"

"16,000 yen." (US $138)

Ouch.

Told her that I could get a used 360 for around that and asked if she was serious. And she said, unfortunately, she was. I asked what would happen if the console broke again after servicing. Would I have to pay again?

Her reply: "There's only a thirty-day extended warranty after the servicing. So, if it's after that, yes you'll have to pay again."

I pointed out that a new unit costs what it would to service an old one twice. No point in venting. I felt bad for her, not much she could do. Shit job, too. Long story short: the Support Center agreed to fix the console free of charge as it was difficult to determine if the crapping out started while it was still under warranty or not. Someone will be here tomorrow to pick it up, cart the thing off to Fukushima, where it will be fixed by a crack-team of Japanese 360 specialists.

While there's a truly scary 16,000 yen repair fee looming about the 360 in Japan, hats off to the Support Center for biting the bullet for me and being total pros about the situation. Though, you gotta wonder how many bullets they can bite. Brian Ashcraft

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