OVERALL WINNER:
While you can argue all day about which the better console is, when it comes to customer support in India, Xbox 360 vs PlayStation 3 is a no contest. With a 3-year warranty, quick turnaround time, and hassle-free replacements, the Xbox 360 sets the standard for after sales support for consoles in India, and even manages better turnaround times than bigger Western markets. Support for the PlayStation 3, on the other hand, is abysmal. Long turnaround times and clueless support executives make getting the console replaced a harrowing experience. So if you’re equally drawn to the features and software offerings of both consoles and feel that after-sales support is important to you, the Xbox 360 is the clear winner here.
XBOX 360 BEATS PLAYSTATION 3 (4 -2)
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WHERE THEY NEED TO IMPROVE
Taking the above service and support situation for both consoles into consideration, here’s where we think both Sony and Microsoft need to up their game.
Xbox 360
- Replacement consoles – Giving refurbished consoles as replacement is a global company policy, so that’s probably not going to change. But Microsoft India should consider replacing failure-prone Core and Pro consoles with the new, more reliable Arcade consoles. This would greatly reduce the number of consoles they get for replacement, so everyone’s happy.
- Post-warranty support – The fact that Microsoft India is looking at some sort of post-warranty support is a positive sign. But whether or not they deliver on it we’ll know only in October, once the first batch of Xbox 360s runs out of warranty. A paid extended warranty would be great.
PlayStation 3
- Turnaround time – Taking a month to replace a PS3 is ridiculous, especially when the company is promising replacements within 7-10 days. Turnaround time needs to come down drastically.
- Quality of customer support – Customer support executives are clueless about the PS3, and they’re often unable to provide the customer an accurate status for his query. The entire replacement process has to be simpler and streamlined.
- Post-warranty support – A paid extended warranty option should be explored, because not everyone can justify paying Rs 12,500 for a PS3 just a year after paying Rs 25,000 for one.
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