And no, it has nothing to do with Wii U.
Edit: I'm in the UK and my console was purchased on the 30th July.
I've held off making this thread for ages, convinced I could sort this out myself, but now, after a couple of months of backwards and forwards correspondance, I am being ignored by customer services and I turn to Gaf for advice.
In November I was playing my 3DS XL as usual, went to activate 3D, by clicking the 3D slider upwards, at which point the mechanism snapped and the switch came loose and just rattled about. My 3DS was stuck in 2D mode.
Now, I had noticed my top screens scratching for a few weeks, but had been stuck well into NSMB 2 and hadn't bothered sending it in. This gave me the perfect excuse to get my arse in gear in get my XL sorted.
I spoke to a chap at Nintendo Customer Services (NCS) who did not indicate there would be any problem getting this all sorted, so he emailed me my postage label and I sent it off asap. I waited about 5 days before checking in on the status of my repair. I did this using the very helpful Ask Mii live webchat feature on the Nintendo Service Center website. There I was informed that I was required to phone Nintendo regarding the status of the repair, he was unable to provide further details.
A little concerned, I contacted NCS straight away,and I was informed that the technicians had diagnosed my console as having undergone "accidental physical damage", and as a result the slider fault was not covered by warranty. As a result I was going to have to pay the sum of £77.50 in order to get my unit repaired. This, for a console only a few months old. I disputed the accusation that my console had been damaged. Some of you here may even be aware of the efforts I go to in order to protect my handheld consoles. They are very valuable to me. Assured that my console had never undergone any physical damage of any kind, never dropped, never rattled around in a bag, I disputed the payment.
The young lad on the end of the phone simply repeated the technician's diagnosis of "accidental physical damage" over and again, clearly reading from some sort of script. I then thought, a few weeks before Christmas, I would forego the slider repair and simply get my screens repaired and subsequently deal with playing in 2D. Not an ideal solution, but one that would have me avoid the ridiculous, unjustified price of repair until I could reasonably afford it. I'd rather any further disputes were delayed until that time, just because of the state of mind I tend to be in this time of year.
However, I was told that it was an all or nothing deal. They refused to fix the screens, which were in warranty, without fixing the slider, which apparently was not. I could either pay the £77.50 for a refurbished unit, or they could return my gimped console, that had two faults neither of which were a result of my own actions. I didn't really have much of a choice, so after a bit of an argument that the man was simply not prepared for, and subsequently went nowhere, I paid up. I thought I would follow the payment with a swift email to NCS management describing the situation, hoping to receive a better explanation than an arbitrary "physical damage" diagnosis, which was clearly picked out of a handbook and applied to my console.
I sent a reasonably worded email through, to which I got an email back explaining the "physical damage" category for repairs, and explained to me why it wouldn't cover warranty. Of course, because I'm not a child, I am fully aware why that category exists, and I would not expect free repairs if I dropped my XL on the ground, and I replied asking for more specific details regarding the repair. Here's how it's gone...
And that's where it ends, because I have not heard from them in over 15 days.
UPDATE: After 20 days of keeping me waiting, the gentleman who appears to be the manager of customer services in the UK got back to me today, with:
Hmmm. Wasn't very happy with that either. The lack of actual facts they are able to provide is ridiculous. So I hit back with:
(Thanks phisheep)
This ain't over! I'm insulted dammit!
Edit: I was advised by a customer of mine on the matter, and as a result sent the following email:
TL;DR
The 3D slider on my four month old 3DS XL snapped during normal use. Because "expert technicians" diagnosed "accidental or physical damage" as the cause of the fault, I am charged £77.50 for it to be repaired. In actual fact, the console has never been damaged, knocked about, dropped, shaken or anything else that might cause any physical damage whatsoever, so I have disputed the payment and the technician's diagnosis. Nintendo are unable to provide any proof that my console was damaged as the only notes applied to my repair case was the arbitrary "physical damage" label. I have been trying to obtain further information and get hold of more senior management as the customer services playbook can only cover so much ground before we start going in circles. I need to talk to a human, not a robot. But Nintendo are now ignoring my emails. Yet claims that the console was physically damaged remain unproven, and my claims that the system was faulty go unchallenged.
I would really quite like my money back, because I genuinely feel as though I have been wronged. I understand why certain measures are in place in order to protect Nintendo from bogus repair claims. What saddens me is that the faults that have resulted in my having to pay for this repair are theirs, yet they continue to take no responsibility. Instead, I am expected to fold and simply deal with their inconsistent, flawed policies at significant cost to myself. That doesn't seem right, particularly for a customer as loyal as myself. For prosperity, here's a picture of the Nintendo collection that is currently sat on my shelf, accummulated largely over the last couple of years. There is plenty more in the loft!
Sorry to bore you all with this, but I feel as if Nintendo UK have let me down.
Edit: I'm in the UK and my console was purchased on the 30th July.
I've held off making this thread for ages, convinced I could sort this out myself, but now, after a couple of months of backwards and forwards correspondance, I am being ignored by customer services and I turn to Gaf for advice.
In November I was playing my 3DS XL as usual, went to activate 3D, by clicking the 3D slider upwards, at which point the mechanism snapped and the switch came loose and just rattled about. My 3DS was stuck in 2D mode.
Now, I had noticed my top screens scratching for a few weeks, but had been stuck well into NSMB 2 and hadn't bothered sending it in. This gave me the perfect excuse to get my arse in gear in get my XL sorted.
I spoke to a chap at Nintendo Customer Services (NCS) who did not indicate there would be any problem getting this all sorted, so he emailed me my postage label and I sent it off asap. I waited about 5 days before checking in on the status of my repair. I did this using the very helpful Ask Mii live webchat feature on the Nintendo Service Center website. There I was informed that I was required to phone Nintendo regarding the status of the repair, he was unable to provide further details.
A little concerned, I contacted NCS straight away,and I was informed that the technicians had diagnosed my console as having undergone "accidental physical damage", and as a result the slider fault was not covered by warranty. As a result I was going to have to pay the sum of £77.50 in order to get my unit repaired. This, for a console only a few months old. I disputed the accusation that my console had been damaged. Some of you here may even be aware of the efforts I go to in order to protect my handheld consoles. They are very valuable to me. Assured that my console had never undergone any physical damage of any kind, never dropped, never rattled around in a bag, I disputed the payment.
The young lad on the end of the phone simply repeated the technician's diagnosis of "accidental physical damage" over and again, clearly reading from some sort of script. I then thought, a few weeks before Christmas, I would forego the slider repair and simply get my screens repaired and subsequently deal with playing in 2D. Not an ideal solution, but one that would have me avoid the ridiculous, unjustified price of repair until I could reasonably afford it. I'd rather any further disputes were delayed until that time, just because of the state of mind I tend to be in this time of year.
However, I was told that it was an all or nothing deal. They refused to fix the screens, which were in warranty, without fixing the slider, which apparently was not. I could either pay the £77.50 for a refurbished unit, or they could return my gimped console, that had two faults neither of which were a result of my own actions. I didn't really have much of a choice, so after a bit of an argument that the man was simply not prepared for, and subsequently went nowhere, I paid up. I thought I would follow the payment with a swift email to NCS management describing the situation, hoping to receive a better explanation than an arbitrary "physical damage" diagnosis, which was clearly picked out of a handbook and applied to my console.
I sent a reasonably worded email through, to which I got an email back explaining the "physical damage" category for repairs, and explained to me why it wouldn't cover warranty. Of course, because I'm not a child, I am fully aware why that category exists, and I would not expect free repairs if I dropped my XL on the ground, and I replied asking for more specific details regarding the repair. Here's how it's gone...
Me said:
NCS said:
Me said:
NCS said:
Me said:
NCS said:
Me said:
Me said:
And that's where it ends, because I have not heard from them in over 15 days.
UPDATE: After 20 days of keeping me waiting, the gentleman who appears to be the manager of customer services in the UK got back to me today, with:
NCS said:
Hmmm. Wasn't very happy with that either. The lack of actual facts they are able to provide is ridiculous. So I hit back with:
Me said:
(Thanks phisheep)
This ain't over! I'm insulted dammit!
Edit: I was advised by a customer of mine on the matter, and as a result sent the following email:
Me said:
TL;DR
The 3D slider on my four month old 3DS XL snapped during normal use. Because "expert technicians" diagnosed "accidental or physical damage" as the cause of the fault, I am charged £77.50 for it to be repaired. In actual fact, the console has never been damaged, knocked about, dropped, shaken or anything else that might cause any physical damage whatsoever, so I have disputed the payment and the technician's diagnosis. Nintendo are unable to provide any proof that my console was damaged as the only notes applied to my repair case was the arbitrary "physical damage" label. I have been trying to obtain further information and get hold of more senior management as the customer services playbook can only cover so much ground before we start going in circles. I need to talk to a human, not a robot. But Nintendo are now ignoring my emails. Yet claims that the console was physically damaged remain unproven, and my claims that the system was faulty go unchallenged.
I would really quite like my money back, because I genuinely feel as though I have been wronged. I understand why certain measures are in place in order to protect Nintendo from bogus repair claims. What saddens me is that the faults that have resulted in my having to pay for this repair are theirs, yet they continue to take no responsibility. Instead, I am expected to fold and simply deal with their inconsistent, flawed policies at significant cost to myself. That doesn't seem right, particularly for a customer as loyal as myself. For prosperity, here's a picture of the Nintendo collection that is currently sat on my shelf, accummulated largely over the last couple of years. There is plenty more in the loft!
Sorry to bore you all with this, but I feel as if Nintendo UK have let me down.
