Six so far this week.

         Ten or more every seven days.

         I thought I'd be unique as a strolled into my neighborhood UPS store Tuesday night, busted XBox 360 neatly packed into the casket the fine folks at Microsoft had sent me.   

        Turns out I was just another mope with a busted piece of high-tech hardware.

        "Another one of those", the UPS woman said with more than a bit or disgust in her voice.     "We get at least ten of these a week.     We've gotten six here already."     

        Mind you, this isn't a major UPS facility, like the one in Brookfield or the one over by Mitchell International.     This is a UPS store tucked into an off-the-beaten track strip mall just off Highway 100.      You have to look to find it.     I had to use the Internet.    And Mapquest.      And, this little outpost is getting ten busted XBox 360's A WEEK.     I didn't think there were that many of the machines in the 53130 Zip Code, much less that many in need of repair.

        This tells me the problem with these machines is bigger than Microsoft is letting on.      Then again, the fact they're SENDING PRE-MADE BOXES complete with UPS labels, box tape and packing foam along with a printed form telling you how to send your defective machine to the high-tech hospital in Texas should've been a clue.     To the company's credit, they make it easy to hold up your end of the repair process.      They've already extended the warranties to cover XBox's like mine whose original one-year deal expired.    And, they toss in a free year of XBox Live.        Still, the streamlined process tells me this company knows the scope of it's failure.       It's trying to make things right, but if ten of these suckers are being shipped out of one little UPS store in Hales Corners any given week, how many of these things are Big Brown and Microsoft dealing with nationwide?

       And, my clerk's parting words sent a chill up my spine.

      "I've had some people come back here with their machines three or four times."

       Why to I get the feeling that I may be beating a path to this little store that I needed Mapquest to find tonight?

       I'm still collecting XBox "Ring of Death" stories.      Let me know how your experience worked out, good or bad, at mueller@620wtmj.com.