Activate the system ahead of time for the customer.
I'm curious if that would have fixed the Xbox 360 for a bit. But honestly, with the background story, it's more entertaining.
I'm not sure if it's the Xbox or PlayStation 3, but at some point devices were being repaired by baking them.
It seems you're recalling a specific gaming setup. The Xbox 360 with RROD is a known configuration, though details can vary.