Black Friday and a broken PS3...CAG advice would be appreciated!

Double-J

Double-J

CAGiversary!
Hey fellow CAGs, this post is kind of long, so bear with me please.

I'm on my second PS3 (Slim 120GB) which I purchased in July of last year. This past weekend, it decided it no longer wanted to read disc media of any kind. Sometimes it will recognize the disc but I'll get an error when I try to play. It will play hard drive based media and games, but without the disc drive, it's pretty much a paperweight to me. Either way, it seems to be a mechanical problem...drive noises aren't abnormal, but they aren't 'normal' in terms of sequence either. The drive spins up the disc, but it never completes the process. It will then make an eject sound, but never eject the disc. I've gone the PS3 recovery menu and ran through the options (as per Sony troubleshooting) to no avail. I've contacted Sony about getting it repaired ($99 + tax) as well as my credit card which thankfully offers an extended warranty, so I'm assuming they will pay for either repairs or a new console. I'm waiting to hear on the claim.

Anyways, I'm not asking for technical support, this is for CAG advice. Since Black Friday is around the corner, and the PS3 holiday bundles are $199.99 (or less), I'm wondering if I shouldn't pick up a new PS3 bundle and keep it unopened until the repair/warranty stuff is settled? My reasoning is that if I do get it repaired, and it only has the subsequent 90 day Sony repair warranty, I'd be better off getting a new console (and the new 2 year warranty with the manufacturer + credit card extended) than sticking with a repaired console that likely will fail again and then be left out once the price of the PS3 jumps back up after Black Friday.

Odds are I would either keep or sell the old PS3. I already have my original 60GB sitting in a box in my basement because the drive control board failed on it. So if I bought a new PS3, it would be my third...I guess I've had horrible luck with the PS3s reliability wise. First consumer electronic purchase I've ever had go bad on me, and now twice. So I'm a bit leery of trusting a repaired/refurbished one, especially with such a short warranty. But I've never sold any of my video game consoles or games, so I'd appreciate any input on a.) the value of selling a repaired PS3 and b.) the general reliability on a repaired PS3 should I decide to keep it. Do you think it would hurt to get a new PS3 on BF and keep it unopened until the warranty/repair issue is settled?

I figure that worst case scenario, I can return the unopened Black Friday PS3 and keep the repaired unit depending on how much the final repair cost would be (even with my extended warranty covering the repairs). I get the inkling it may be worth the piece of mind having a fresh PS3 with another 2+ years of warranty protection, especially at the Black Friday price. I haven't heard back from my card yet, so I'm not sure if they will opt for the repair or reimbursement (I'm assuming the former), but best case scenario would be reimbursement to go buy a brand new unit.

Any advice would be really appreciated. Many thanks!
 
Update: Credit card just contacted me to let me know they're going to cut a check for the original purchase price of $299.99. Awesome.

Reminds me of the scene with Eddie Murphy in "Trading Places." He breaks the vase which was insured for more than it was worth.

I guess I can pick up a new PS3 and then get the old one repaired as a backup...?
 
[quote name='Double-J']I guess I can pick up a new PS3 and then get the old one repaired as a backup...?[/QUOTE]
Yup. That's what I'm doing.
 
[quote name='dohdough']Yup. That's what I'm doing.[/QUOTE]

I just wish I could get my 60GB fixed with the BC...alas, I took it to a 3rd party shop to try and get it fixed and I doubt Sony would even touch it now. But I'll settle for any sort of backup, especially considering how unreliable the PS3s have been for me overall!

[quote name='Shifty Effect']Good for you man, I would love a ps3 for the blu ray and exclusive games but can't afford one. I'm cheap ;)[/QUOTE]

Trust me, having to buy yet another PS3 is killing me...at the very least, I'm glad it happened right around Black Friday so I can get a bit of a deal! :applause:
 
As long as it doesn't look tampered with, they'll still exchange it for a fee of $130+ tax for another fatty or $100+ tax for a 160gb slim even if the void warranty sticker is gone. If you don-t care for BC, you should get a slim.
 
[quote name='Double-J']I just wish I could get my 60GB fixed with the BC...alas, I took it to a 3rd party shop to try and get it fixed and I doubt Sony would even touch it now. But I'll settle for any sort of backup, especially considering how unreliable the PS3s have been for me overall!



Trust me, having to buy yet another PS3 is killing me...at the very least, I'm glad it happened right around Black Friday so I can get a bit of a deal! :applause:[/QUOTE]

How is it killing you if you're going to get $299.99? That's $100 extra(assuming you get the $200 bundle).

Aren't they $200 around Christmas? Thought I read that somewhere. How about having the 1 repaired, keeping it as your main, then buying 1 around Christmas? That will give you an extra month(give or take) of warranty.

Just a thought. All these BF deals! WOOP!:D
 
[quote name='ChunLiBarbie']How is it killing you if you're going to get $299.99? That's $100 extra(assuming you get the $200 bundle).
[/QUOTE]

This would be my third PS3 in less than three years. Out of all the consoles, TVs (HD or otherwise), surround sound systems, computers, and various other electronic devices I surround myself with :)D), I've never had one major product fail on me, let alone so many times. Except for a crappy Sunbeam toaster. But otherwise, yeah. I'm really unhappy with the reliability of the PS3, at least for me. It's the first game console I've had (going back to the Atari days) that has just crapped out entirely, and not just once either.

I realize I'm in the minority, but damn. :hot:
 
read this kind of late so it seems you've already got your problem solved (i skimmed, but looks like you're getting $300 from warranty and buying new ps3 for $200 on BF).

what you could do is, instead of fixing your old ps3, just sell both of the broken ones on eBay. Broken PS3s, even old ones, still fetch a good price. so you could get around another $200+ (maybe less after S&H and fees).

again, just a thought...
 
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