PS2 needs repairs! I need advice! :( (1 Viewer)

[Matthew_Millheiser]

Quick question, my brethren, but it begins with a short recap...

The day after I bought Grand Theft Auto 3, and with the inevitable addiction at hand, my PS2 died. "Error Reading Disc". Some quick experimentation with my PS2 alongside a friend's and with other PS2 games did in fact reveal that my PS2 was not reading neither PS2 games nor DVDs.

However, it had no problem reading PS1 games at all. Playing a lot of MGS lately...

Anyways, the machine died exactly 4 days after the 90 day warranty expired. I didn't purchase an extended warranty (never have, and never needed one -- until now), and I paid cash for the system, which means I don't have the usual "double-manufacturer's-warranty" service my credit card provides.

*sigh*

Anyways, I spoke with Sony and they want me to box it up and ship it to their service location in Pennsylvania, with repairs costing $127, plus postage of course. Repairs will take about a month to do, give or take...

That's almost half the cost of a brand new system!!

So my question... questions, really... are these:

1) Are there any "unauthorized" PS2 repair stations out there that do quality work for considerably less jack, especially if they are located in the South Florida area?

2) Is this a common problem with PS2's, or is Loki pissing on my forehead?

This tragic situation is worse than flipping the proverbial bacon-trampoline. All advice is welcome. I'm so depressed...

 

[Joe michaels]

My Ps2 did the same thing RIGHT after the warrantee expired. I went to Toys R Us and the guy THAT WORKED there told me to buy a brand new one, swap the Serial number labels, Return it and get a refund and make up any story to not get another one.
I'm not suggesting you do this nor will I tell you what I did, Just an interesting story.

 

[Stephen L]

My Ps2 did the same thing RIGHT after the warrantee expired. I went to Toys R Us and the guy THAT WORKED there told me to buy a brand new one, swap the Serial number labels, Return it and get a refund and make up any story to not get another one.

I'm on my 2nd PS2 , the 1st one died about 5 months after purchase.I bought a new one at ToysRus and did the switch with the old one.Sorry but I don't feel one bit of guilt.

 

[Eric Alderson]

Mine stopped reading some games just the other day. Luckily I got the ext. warrantee. Instant swap out. I only had the thing for 7 months too.

 

[Matty B]

Do the swap. The only person that gets hurt is Sony and it's their fault for producing crap.

I have a question for you guys that's PS2s are dying, how do you have your PS2 sitting? It's supposed to sit vertically, horizontal play is HELL on the Ps2.

 

[Richard Burzynski]

Matty:

"It's supposed to sit vertically, horizontal play is HELL on the Ps2."

Seems to be opposite to common sense as most gear is produced to operate "normal" horizontal. Are you sure? Where'd you hear this?

My PS2 is in storage, I moved & will be hooking it up again soon - mucho play in its future and I'd like it to last as long as possible.

Thanks.

Rich B.

 

[Camp]

The only person that gets hurt is Sony and it's their fault for producing crap.

Not true at all. The store that takes back a console outside of Sony's warranty (whether the serial number is tampered with or not) gets no credit for that unit. They basically loose $300...Sony looses no money in the process.

So, if you're wanting to scam a return you're only hurting the retailer -not Sony. It's not fair but that's the way it is.

 

[Stephen L]

I have a question for you guys that's PS2s are dying, how do you have your PS2 sitting? It's supposed to sit vertically, horizontal play is HELL on the Ps2.

Matty , my PS2 sits horizontally.Thanks for the tip , I'll try it.It makes a lot of noise when we play NCAA or NBA Street.

 

[Joe michaels]

Well Then let The store get burned enough times and THEY can put pressure on SONY. Either way, why should all these people get stuck with bum units?

 

[Camp]

Hey, I'm just telling you how it works. If you're going to screw someone you should know exactly who you're screwing.

Try to bring an altered serial number to me and I'll send you packing. I'm sympathetic but I'm not taking a hit to my bottom line (and my bonus!) just because you were unlucky enough to get one of the rare bad units.