360 DRM Transfer Failed

The replacement for my bricked 360 arrived on Monday. The good news is that the console itself works. The bad news is that despite Microsoft's official claims to the contrary, I was not able to transfer/restore the licenses for my purchased LIVE content to the replacement console. I followed the procedure that is specified both on the official support website (see above link) and in the paperwork that came with my replacement console. Microsoft says to follow the procedures because, "If you don't, you'll only be able to use that content when signed in to Xbox LIVE with the profile that originally downloaded the content." Despite following their directions, that's the boat I'm in right now.

I'm not alone in that boat, either. My brother also owns a 360 and it also bricked. He has bought what is technically known as a "shit-ton" of content off of live marketplace. We're talking entire seasons of multiple TV shows in addition to add-on map packs and about a zillion(also a technical term) LIVE Arcade titles. He followed the procedures, spent hours on the phone with LIVE support, and now, months later, he still has not had the issue resolved.

About two months ago I said that I'd tell you how my brother's license transfer worked out. As of today, it has not worked at all. He's decided not to buy anything else from marketplace until the 360 update that allows DRM management for everyone (not just those with warranty replacement consoles) is actually out and confirmed to be working. I'm with him, though I've bought so little in comparison to him that I don't know if my withdrawal from LIVE Marketplace will make any difference to anyone but me.

While frustrating enough on its own, for me Microsoft's failure to follow through when consumers follow their written instructions brings up a concern regarding warranty service. An excerpt from the letter that Microsoft sent to me along with my replacement console reads as follows:

"... we have replaced your Xbox console with a replacement unit.

The replacement unit has a different serial number than your old unit.

We will handle these administrative functions for you.

1.-We will perform the warranty registration of the replacement console for you. If you had already registered your old unit, we will cancel the old registration."

The same paperwork tells how the DRM transfer procedure is supposed to work. If that "administrative function" does not work as described (and it doesn't,) then how can I be sure the warranty transfer went through as it was supposed to? The replacement console that I was sent has an older Date Of Manufacture than my original console did. Aside from that, my Date Of Purchase was over a year after the Date Of Manufacture on my original console. When trying to straighten the DRM issues out on the phone, I repeatedly had to provide the Serial Number for my original console and both the Serial Number and the Console Identification Number (which I would have thought would be the same thing) for my replacement console. They needed these numbers, it seemed, not just for confirmation purposes, but in order to have the information necessary for the DRM transfer to take place at some future time.

Did they transfer my warranty information based on the DOM of my original console, the DOM of my replacement console, or on my original DOP? My original purchase receipt will do me no good if they haven't kept proper records to explain why my replacement console is still under warranty even though the serial numbers on it and my receipt don't match.

Supposedly, the Product Development Team is working on my problem right now. That's right, the Development Team. It seems to me that they would be in charge of products and services that aren't finished yet. Otherwise, the LIVE Department would be handling it. If this process actually eventually works, I'll let you know. In the mean time, know that at least for my brother and me the DRM transfer process failed utterly. We didn't even get an error message to let us know that it had failed. It's as if Microsoft corporate made a mandate based on what the DRM policy should be, but no one bothered to forward the memo to our 360 consoles.

How has your luck been with DRM transfers on warranty replacement consoles? Has anyone actually gotten it to work as described (or at all?)

Posted by Graven on Wed Jun 18, 2008 @ 9:32 am EDT | 4 Comments