Broken core system? It could be upgraded

A reader, Josh, sent the following tip in: "So I just received the replacement for my constantly-freezing 360 Core, and lo and behold, it's grown a $100 appendage -- a hard drive! MS included a letter to help explain this uncommon fit of gratitude." This answers whether or this is policy or just some lucky, unlucky gamers.

We cleaned up his scan a bit, posted it above, and transcribed the juicy parts below.

[Thanks, Josh] 

Thank you for being a part of the Microsoft Xbox 360 community. We regret that you have experienced an Xbox 360 console failure. We examine each customer experience on a case by case basis and in your case we have chosen to exchange your Xbox 360 core console with an Xbox 360 console, which includes an external hard drive. We hope that this free upgrade is met with your approval and satisfaction.

If you have any questions, please contact Xbox 360 Customer Service Center in the U.S. or Canada at 1-800-4MY-XBOX (1-800-469-9269); TTY users call 1-866-740-XBOX (1-866-740-9269). In Mexico, call 001-866-745-83-12; TTY users call 001-866-251-26-21.

Thank you for your continued support of Microsoft products and services.

Sincerely,

The Xbox 360 Customer Service Team