Xbox support blames your surge protectors for massive failure rates

Yep, apparently since XBox support discovered that some 90% of failed Xbox's were plugged into surge protectors, they've come up with the statistically unsound assumption that your surge protector is causing all the failure:

"Well, according to a post on Law of the Game, it's actually surge protectors. Apparently LofG's Mark Methenitis contacted Microsoft Tech Support about his particular red rings of death, and reports the following explanation: "The Xbox 360 is highly sensitive to reductions in power, and even the slightest cut in power can cause things like the fans and even the DVD laser to malfunction. Surge protectors can cause this, and probably 90% of the consoles they see have all failed in 6-12 months of being plugged into a surge protector."

Now, being the geek I am about surge protection and line conditioning, I'm aware that the vast majority of consumer based surge protectors consists of a discharge tube sitting across a line that much like a fuse, pops when the voltage exceeds a threshold, cutting power to attached devices. Apparently there aren't any geeks working at Microsoft Xbox technical support. My favorite quote from the commentator:

"Obviously it's not surge protectors that are at fault - as only 90% of the affected boxes were using them. No, it's electricity itself. SPOnG can exclusively reveal that 100% of 360s that suffered from the Red Ring of Death used electricity. "

Nice.

Citing excessive 360 repair costs, Microsoft revamps warranty program

And also takes a $1 billion hit in the process (courtesy CNN):

Microsoft said on Thursday "an unacceptable number of repairs" to its Xbox 360 will force it to take a charge of more than $1 billion for its most recent quarter, and it announced a new, extended warranty for the videogame console.

The announcements come amid mounting complaints about Xbox 360 failures on the Internet. Microsoft said it had investigated the sources of hardware failures indicated by three red flashing lights on the console and had identified "a number of factors" that can cause such failures.

Microsoft said it would extend warranty coverage to three years to cover the problem and would reimburse customers who had previously paid for repairs related to the three-flashing-lights error message.