Kind of a long read, summary at the end.
I moved to Japan last August and my 360 somehow made the long trek with me unscathed. However, last week Thursday, my US version '05 Xbox 360 RRoD'd on me. Considering the console was bought in the US with an extended warranty, I figured that something could be done to fix or replace my console if I called the USA cust. service line.
The first call was one of the worst cust. services I've ever had.
The CSR (whose name I don't remember, but will call Mary) was so rude that I was shocked. Keep in mind that she's a native American English speaker, so it wasn't simply mis-communication problems. After explaining to her that my console broke and that I lived in Japan, I started listing off my address. Since I live in a small town, there is no street names or numbers, but packages will get here. No matter how many times I tried to explain this, she just couldn't understand. So after I say my town, she says in a tone one would use speaking to a simpleton "How is your Xbox supposed to get back to you?? Are we just going to ship to X, Japan??" I reply with, "Well, if you'd let me finish my address you'd have somewhere to ship it to."
After she berates my living in Japan (heaven forbid I get out of the USA!), she goes on to ask me about my console's error and how it came about. It's the standard 3 red quads with a green middle light, but it presented itself after the console would cut out video, but keep playing audio in my games. Finally, it culminated in the console crashing and starting up with the RRoD. Though, after she heard the word 'audio' she tells me that an 'audio problem' shouldn't be causing the RRoD and that if the returns dept. gets my Xbox with a problem like that it won't be fixed
. Keep in mind that I have an extended warranty anyway, so problems like that would be covered if that were the problem I was having afterall. Despite that, she attempts to set up the return, then realizes that it won't go through, and that I'll have to ship the Xbox to the US service branch, and then they will ship in the US to someone else and then I have to handle from there. I attempt to protest, but she quickly suggests I plan a trip to the US to facilitate getting my 360 fixed before hanging up. 
Call time - 1 hr.
Thankfully, I somehow kept cool and just decided to call another CSR the day after. When I called, I got an extremely nice and helpful CSR named Holly. After I quickly explain that I live in Japan and my xbox 360 is RRoD'd, she tells me that Msoft won't ship to Japan, BUT offers the extremely helpful tip that I can call Xbox Japan and they should be able to help me because all the Xbox 360 serials and services are linked across regions (why the hell couldn't Mary tell me this?). She says they may have some US consoles at that location though she cautions that they may have to send me a JPN console, but I was fine with that considering there are so many games with no region coding. She looks up xbox japan's cust. service number and wishes me luck with a cute giggle (she actually giggled). Call time - 15m
Next day, I call Xbox Japan. After wading through the tele prompts (all in Japanese), I get the CSR Kenichi who is one of the few reps who speaks fluent english. So I go over my problem and before he even asks me my serial, he asks for the when the console manufactured and assures me that it will be fixed by Xbox Japan free of charge. He apologizes profusely that the turnaround is 10 days and then schedules a free pickup for Wednesday at the time that it is most convenient for me. All I have to do is hand the postman my Xbox and power brick and that'll be it. After a pleasant chat, he says if there are any problems that I can call back and ask for him personally and that he'll handle it. Call time - 15m
2/3 really good CSRs isn't too bad in my book. I just have to wait and see what Xbox Japan does with my broken box now.
Summary: All of Microsoft's service centres are linked. Should you move and your box breaks, you are better off calling the CSRs of the region you reside in.
I moved to Japan last August and my 360 somehow made the long trek with me unscathed. However, last week Thursday, my US version '05 Xbox 360 RRoD'd on me. Considering the console was bought in the US with an extended warranty, I figured that something could be done to fix or replace my console if I called the USA cust. service line.
The first call was one of the worst cust. services I've ever had.
The CSR (whose name I don't remember, but will call Mary) was so rude that I was shocked. Keep in mind that she's a native American English speaker, so it wasn't simply mis-communication problems. After explaining to her that my console broke and that I lived in Japan, I started listing off my address. Since I live in a small town, there is no street names or numbers, but packages will get here. No matter how many times I tried to explain this, she just couldn't understand. So after I say my town, she says in a tone one would use speaking to a simpleton "How is your Xbox supposed to get back to you?? Are we just going to ship to X, Japan??" I reply with, "Well, if you'd let me finish my address you'd have somewhere to ship it to."
After she berates my living in Japan (heaven forbid I get out of the USA!), she goes on to ask me about my console's error and how it came about. It's the standard 3 red quads with a green middle light, but it presented itself after the console would cut out video, but keep playing audio in my games. Finally, it culminated in the console crashing and starting up with the RRoD. Though, after she heard the word 'audio' she tells me that an 'audio problem' shouldn't be causing the RRoD and that if the returns dept. gets my Xbox with a problem like that it won't be fixed
. Keep in mind that I have an extended warranty anyway, so problems like that would be covered if that were the problem I was having afterall. Despite that, she attempts to set up the return, then realizes that it won't go through, and that I'll have to ship the Xbox to the US service branch, and then they will ship in the US to someone else and then I have to handle from there. I attempt to protest, but she quickly suggests I plan a trip to the US to facilitate getting my 360 fixed before hanging up. Call time - 1 hr.Thankfully, I somehow kept cool and just decided to call another CSR the day after. When I called, I got an extremely nice and helpful CSR named Holly. After I quickly explain that I live in Japan and my xbox 360 is RRoD'd, she tells me that Msoft won't ship to Japan, BUT offers the extremely helpful tip that I can call Xbox Japan and they should be able to help me because all the Xbox 360 serials and services are linked across regions (why the hell couldn't Mary tell me this?). She says they may have some US consoles at that location though she cautions that they may have to send me a JPN console, but I was fine with that considering there are so many games with no region coding. She looks up xbox japan's cust. service number and wishes me luck with a cute giggle (she actually giggled). Call time - 15m
Next day, I call Xbox Japan. After wading through the tele prompts (all in Japanese), I get the CSR Kenichi who is one of the few reps who speaks fluent english. So I go over my problem and before he even asks me my serial, he asks for the when the console manufactured and assures me that it will be fixed by Xbox Japan free of charge. He apologizes profusely that the turnaround is 10 days and then schedules a free pickup for Wednesday at the time that it is most convenient for me. All I have to do is hand the postman my Xbox and power brick and that'll be it. After a pleasant chat, he says if there are any problems that I can call back and ask for him personally and that he'll handle it. Call time - 15m
2/3 really good CSRs isn't too bad in my book. I just have to wait and see what Xbox Japan does with my broken box now.
Summary: All of Microsoft's service centres are linked. Should you move and your box breaks, you are better off calling the CSRs of the region you reside in.
