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I think Microsoft is full of tricks. It introduced Xbox 360 in the USA and Canada with just a 90-day warranty, when all other game console manufacturers were offering 1-year warranty as standard. Consumers then found out Xbox 360 often fails to function one way or another after 90 days, forcing them to fork out extra money for repairs. Apparently, Gates forgot that this is the internet era and consumers can’t be fooled like they used to be anymore. An online petition was initiated to force Microsoft to extend the warranty period. And Microsoft had no other choice but to comply with the demand. So Xbox 360 now comes with a 1-year warranty, which is retroactive, meaning that someone who bought an Xbox 360 in the United States or Canada and paid for repairs within the last year is eligible for reimbursement.

Microsoft has been the target of an online petition—with 3,382 signatures as of Friday—calling for a retroactive warranty extension to one year. The petition claims that Xbox 360 systems frequently failed after the original 90-day warranty and that customers were unreasonably required to pay between $50 and $129 for repairs.

Read [CNET News] Read [Microsoft] Read [DailyTech] Read [GameSpot]