Despite the fact that Microsoft's Aaron Greenberg has said their hardware troubles are a thing of the past, hardware failures for any consumer electronics happen. Maybe more so on Xbox 360's than others, but hey ... they happen. 

In a recent email to consumer advocate blog The Consumerist, a reader relays a sad tale of an Xbox 360 that stopped working a little after a year of use. Their issue? One flashing red light. According to customer service, one flashing red light is a $99 repair, not covered under the warranty. Had their been three lights, that would have been covered under the extended warrant. 

So here's a tip to everyone who has any kind of Xbox 360 issue, whether it be one red light, no video outputting, sound issues ... whatever: just tell Xbox Support that you see three red lights. While we normally don't advocate lying, we're big fans of you guys having working consoles that you paid for. Because videogames should be fun, and not a hassle.

And while I won't come right out and say that I've had to do this a few times (I've never gotten the dreaded Red Ring of Death, but have had other issues technically not covered under warranty), I will say that I've heard stories. Stories about people just smiling, nodding, and saying "three red rings" over and over again until Microsoft sent them a box in the mail.