MikeB on 14 April 2009
@ MonstaMack
Also why does the problem have to be widespread for a company to repair it? A defect is a defect.
It's very difficult for a sole individual to sue Microsoft over a relatively cheap luxury item, they just deny issues (may claim it's your own fault, like moving the console, etc) and it usually would cost way too much time and money for an individual to take proper action. That's why these Class Action Lawsuits regarding RRoD and E74 (and maybe disc scratching in the future) seem to be far more effective.
Also consider the PR damage, surely Microsoft didn't want to have court testimonials of its employees out in the open declaring things such as Microsoft knowingly misled its consumers.
I think in normal situations it's wrong to put full blame with the manufacturer though, there are also companies who sold these products knowing full well it had problems well beyond industry standards. That's why in the EU, the retailer will have to handle these issues with the manufacturer instead of the consumer.
If for example a European PS3 fails without any wrongdoing by the consumer, the problem must be fixed by the retailer without expense to the customer the first 3 years. After this for a couple of years they are still liable for selling you a faulty product, but to a lesser extend as the user has had his money's worth of usage. They can for example opt for partial repair costs payment, provide a refurb replacement, partial money back, etc.
