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Nintendo Customer Services have let me down

C

Chopper

Member
phisheep said:
Sorry. Posted late at night and forgot to translate in to human.

It means that in the UK, if you return a product within six months anything wrong with it must be taken to have been there when you bought it. (Unless of course it can be proved otherwise.) So if there's any doubt as to how damage etc occurred, the consumer gets the benefit of the doubt.

Which means N can't get away with merely asserting that there was physical damage post-sale. So yeah, it should help.

The section to quote at them is section 11M(3) of the Sale and Supply of Goods to Consumers Regulations 2002.
Click to expand...
That is....pretty handy. Thanks man. I'm waiting to hear back from the last email I sent asking for the contact details of upper management. Will be interesting to see if they respond. They shouldn't be ignoring emails thou, right?
 
K

Katzii

Member
Wow.

Every time I've dealt with Nintendo's Customer Service (this being in the past, mind you), I've had nothing but good service. They've replaced numerous Nintendo DS consoles for me free of charge (except my US one, but I only paid £25 to have a UK one sent my way), and someone from the customer service centre even talked to an employee in Woolworths who refused to replace the Game Boy Micro I'd bought that day because the L button was sticking, and made them replace it.
 
C

Chopper

Member
Katzii said:
Wow.

Every time I've dealt with Nintendo's Customer Service (this being in the past, mind you), I've had nothing but good service. They've replaced numerous Nintendo DS consoles for me free of charge (except my US one, but I only paid £25 to have a UK one sent my way), and someone from the customer service centre even talked to an employee in Woolworths who refused to replace the Game Boy Micro I'd bought that day because the L button was sticking, and made them replace it.
Click to expand...
That...Doesn't make me feel any better.

Actually, this whole ordeal really has made Nintendo out to behave like money-grabbing bastards. Quite unusual for their customer service.
 
K

KAP151

Member
I remember the good ol days when Nintendo had the lifetime warranty.

It was great. N64 sticks fucked? send them in for brand new controllers free.

Same with SNES/NES pads.

Then it one day it changed.

Still, I have had nothing but great CS from them since I was a little kid.
 
P

PlayerReady

Member
Nintendo customer service here in Spain is notoriously bad. I had a DS with the broken latch problem, which was well publicised as a design failure. The guy at Nintendo accused me of damaging the item, well after an argument they sent me a refurbished one six weeks later. However, the console they sent me kept resetting, so I bought a new and swapped it with that one, problem solved. Figured the broken console would end up in Nintendos hands and clearly they would know it was mine since the serial number was assigned to me, but the can't do shit. Fuck them!
 
K

Katzii

Member
Chopper said:
That...Doesn't make me feel any better.

Actually, this whole ordeal really has made Nintendo out to behave like money-grabbing bastards. Quite unusual for their customer service.
Click to expand...

Sorry, wasn't trying to make you feel worse; I was just surprised that the service I got less than a decade ago has gone to such poor standards.
 
C

Chopper

Member
Katzii said:
Sorry, wasn't trying to make you feel worse; I was just surprised that the service I got less than a decade ago has gone to such poor standards.
Click to expand...
You and me both mate. I'm shocked it has come to this.

Still waiting on a reply to my last email...
 
E

EatChildren

Currently polling second in Australia's federal election (first in the Gold Coast), this feral may one day be your Bogan King.
XL has the screen scratching issue too? Seriously?

Oh my god.
 
K

Killer Yakuza B

Member
EatChildren said:
XL has the screen scratching issue too? Seriously?

Oh my god.
Click to expand...

It doesn't. I've owned one since launch, use it every day and travel with it. It only has an almost imperceptible scratch because I wiped the screen too hard with my t-shirt. If there's an issue it's the same one any Nintendo portable has ever had: the plastic covering the screen is very easy to scratch, but with the XL I really don't see how the clamshell design has anything to do with it.
 
K

Kokonoe

Banned
Nintendo gave me a few faulty Game Pads till eventually they gave me a nice one which although bothersome, glad they finally gave me a good one. They also replaced a battery for my DS lite which was nice.

However, they never sent me my Mario, Bowser, Peach, etc statue for getting Platinum at Club Nintendo many years ago even a after I called them this year, they always will put me on hold and until they hang up.
 
C

Chopper

Member
Killer Yakuza B said:
It doesn't. I've owned one since launch, use it every day and travel with it. It only has an almost imperceptible scratch because I wiped the screen too hard with my t-shirt. If there's an issue it's the same one any Nintendo portable has ever had: the plastic covering the screen is very easy to scratch, but with the XL I really don't see how the clamshell design has anything to do with it.
Click to expand...
YOUR console doesn't. But, yes it can still occur.
 
D

donny2112

Member
Hori screen protectors. They're way worth it. My XL hasn't had any issue like my original 3DS did, but even in the original 3DS, it was the Hori protectors showing the wear and not the screen scratching.
 
(mat)

(mat)

Member
Shame about the service you've recieved. Keep on it, and don't forget to inform us of the solution once all is said and done.

Regarding Apple, my mother had an iPhone that was 3 days out of warranty that ceased to work. Never dropped, no scratches, no cracks, no jailbreak, nothing. They refused to replace it. I was shocked when I read here that they usually replace things no problem. Was this a sarcastic jab at Apple's horrible service, or were you guys serious, and my mom actually is the only person in the history of people to have been rejected by Apple?
 
(mat)

(mat)

Member
Willectro said:
There's your first problem. You slide the slider.
Click to expand...

The 3DS XL's slider clicks at the "off" position, so you don't accidentally turn the 3D on by bumping the slider. Happened all the time on my original 3DS. Handy improvement for the XL.
 
C

Chopper

Member
Willectro said:
There's your first problem. You slide the slider.



There's your second problem. If you thought the accidental damage diagnosis was false, you definitely should not have paid.
Click to expand...
The XL's slider clicks. I used it normally.

Perhaps I shouldn't have paid, but I really wanted my 3DS back for Christmas, and I really didn't want a fucked unit. I just figured I would get my console back and argue afterwards. I'm happy to send the emails, and I'm pretty sure I'm in the right.
 
I

IdreamofHIME

Member
My Wii wouldn't play Xenoblade, so I spoke to Nintendo and they said some machines don't play dual layer games and I just needed to send it in to be tweaked for free.
A week after sending it they emailed me saying it would cost £30 to fix it, guy on the phone said their testers had found that it wasn't that problem but some wear and tear problem...

...I refused to pay and they sent the machine back. I've had no problems with any other game except Xenoblade before or since.

Bought the bloody game day one to show support for it and I can't play it till I buy a WiiU.
 
W

Willectro

Banned
(mat) said:
Shame about the service you've recieved. Keep on it, and don't forget to inform us of the solution once all is said and done.

Regarding Apple, my mother had an iPhone that was 3 days out of warranty that ceased to work. Never dropped, no scratches, no cracks, no jailbreak, nothing. They refused to replace it. I was shocked when I read here that they usually replace things no problem. Was this a sarcastic jab at Apple's horrible service, or were you guys serious, and my mom actually is the only person in the history of people to have been rejected by Apple?
Click to expand...

Apple Support / Apple Care is garbage. They seem to arbitrarily decide the level of support you will receive. Android/PC 4 1YF3.

Chopper said:
The XL's slider clicks. I used it normally.

Perhaps I shouldn't have paid, but I really wanted my 3DS back for Christmas, and I really didn't want a fucked unit. I just figured I would get my console back and argue afterwards. I'm happy to send the emails, and I'm pretty sure I'm in the right.
Click to expand...

I could understand that, and your frustration. I can't see them giving you a refund unfortunately. Shitty situation.
 
Wolfe

Wolfe

Member
Chopper said:
Yes. It does. I'm looking at it. Shhh.
Click to expand...

And I've had a first version XL since it came out and mine is perfectly fine. You know the reason why you hear more about people with scratches than people without? Cause the people without them have nothing to talk about! :p

I realize it is a(n uncommon) problem but I continue seeing someone bring it up in a thread then 10 other people say something along the lines of "wtf it still scratches?! guess I won't buy one after all" when in all likelihood none of those 10 people would have seen the issue at all if they went out and bought one that day.

As for your problem I hope you're able to get it sorted out, the worst experience I've had with NOA was sending my 3DS in for dust under the screen only to get it back with a large chunk of (large in relation to dust) cardboard or something now under the screen in place of the dust. At that point I just pulled the plastic back and removed the debris myself.
 
n64coder

n64coder

Member
Chopper said:
The repair has already been done. Taking it back to the retailer won't help me at this point.
Click to expand...

I would still ask for a manager and get your money back. A fellow I know from another forum sent his Wii U in for repair 1 week after he got it because it got hosed during the system update. Nintendo said it was abused and charged him $90 or something like that.

Like a wimp, he paid it and we got on his case. He called them back and got the money refunded.

Like everyone is saying, you need to speak with the customer service rep's manager and if that's not satisfactory, speak to the next higher up. Stand your ground.

Don't wimp out.
 
C

Chopper

Member
n64coder said:
I would still ask for a manager and get your money back. A fellow I know from another forum sent his Wii U in for repair 1 week after he got it because it got hosed during the system update. Nintendo said it was abused and charged him $90 or something like that.

Like a wimp, he paid it and we got on his case. He called them back and got the money refunded.

Like everyone is saying, you need to speak with the customer service rep's manager and if that's not satisfactory, speak to the next higher up. Stand your ground.

Don't wimp out.
Click to expand...
I won't man, I'm on it. But it's difficult to make progress when they're just ignoring my emails. I could really do with sending some letters to important people, but I wouldn't know where to start. It's very frustrating.
 
Boss Doggie

Boss Doggie

all my loli wolf companions are so moe
Hmm I guess I'm lucky that my 3DS XL doesn't exhibit screen problems and weird clickiness on sliders and stick.
 
ipukespiders

ipukespiders

Member
No scratches on my XL. There is space between the two screens when closed. I placed it on a table and pushed down on the top and I could see the screens start to meet (looking side on), so it would seem scratches could occur when a "moderate" amount of pressure compresses the system. I could see this happening if it's in a backpack with books pressing against it, or even brand new in the box if it has traveled along at any point with any pressure on the box it comes in, since there is nothing protecting it really.
 
S

snowdog1971

Banned
Chopper said:
And no, it has nothing to do with Wii U.

Edit: I'm in the UK.

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. Well... I'll just post the transcripts. In email tags, just in case...




I would really quite like my money back, because I genuinely feel as though I have been wronged. Do I have a case? How can I contact someone more important about this?!
Click to expand...

You should have contacted the place you bought the 3DS from, not Nintendo. It was clearly not of merchantable quality and said retailer will be in breach of the Sale Of Goods Act if they didn't offer a replacement, arrange for repairs or a full refund. If it's still under warranty then it's down to the retailer to deal with Nintendo, not your good self.
 
C

Chopper

Member
Well, because I am Ambassador I have a shitload of stuff loaded on my 3DS. I really wasn't in a position to trade in my console once I'd transferred from my launch console. Perhaps if Nintendo's online policies weren't so backwards, and there was a chance I could just download the games I own, it would have been an option.

Also, for those trying to keep up, my console was purchase on 30th July 2012.

What is the legal implication of posting the transcripts of the emails? I would quite like to bring this thread to their twitter feed's attention, but might do well to edit the OP...
 
phisheep

phisheep

NeoGAF's Chief Barrister
Chopper said:
Well, because I am Ambassador I have a shitload of stuff loaded on my 3DS. I really wasn't in a position to trade in my console once I'd transferred from my launch console. Perhaps if Nintendo's online policies weren't so backwards, and there was a chance I could just download the games I own, it would have been an option.

Also, for those trying to keep up, my console was purchase on 30th July 2012.

What is the legal implication of posting the transcripts of the emails? I would quite like to bring this thread to their twitter feed's attention, but might do well to edit the OP...
Click to expand...

I'm pretty certain there isn't any significant legal implication. It's a perfectly ordinary commercial dispute, there's no libel that I can see and no breach of privacy [so long as you redact actual names].

Go for it.
 
D

dani_dc

Member
If they keep ignoring you I would look into contacting a Consumers Rights Association, not sure how helpeful that would be in the UK, but it can't hurt to try.
 
G

gerudoman

Member
PlayerReady said:
Nintendo customer service here in Spain is notoriously bad. I had a DS with the broken latch problem, which was well publicised as a design failure. The guy at Nintendo accused me of damaging the item, well after an argument they sent me a refurbished one six weeks later. However, the console they sent me kept resetting, so I bought a new and swapped it with that one, problem solved. Figured the broken console would end up in Nintendos hands and clearly they would know it was mine since the serial number was assigned to me, but the can't do shit. Fuck them!
Click to expand...

Really? It's been a long time since the last time I had any contact with it, but between 2008 and 2010 I had to send my DS Lite twice (one time because it fell and some permanent lines appeared in the screen) and a bricked Wii, and they returned me my consoles in less than three weeks.

They didn't even charged me anything at all when I had assumed that I would have to pay for installing illegal software in my Wii and therefore breaking the warranty, such a nice surprise.
 
R

RagnarokX

Member
Baconsammy said:
Hold their feet to the fire on this. Do you have something on par with The Better Business Bureau over there? If so, contact them. How in the hell can you look at the XL and determine if a slider was broken by abuse or poor manufacturing?
Click to expand...

The Better Business Bureau just extorts money from business for a rating. They don't actually do anything.
 
C

Chopper

Member
Thanks for the advice guys. I've decided to bring this thread to their Twitters attention. I've updated he OP so that anyone can read he emails and given a little more info. Pending a thread title change, I'll let you know when I've tweeted and hopefully some of you could re tweet for me?
 
K

Katzii

Member
PhantomR said:
NO. IT. DOES. NOT.




Full stop.
Click to expand...

Yes, it does. My XL, which I kept in the sleeve it came in, have never applied pressure to it, and keep in a shoulder bag with nothing pushing on it, had little "dots" along the height of the screen in line with where the bottom screen ridge pushes. It's not very prominent but it's there, and this was a good.... Week after I got mine.
 
C

Chopper

Member
Just got an email reply from a very well known Nintendo journalist about this. He suggested he might know some people who can help. Fingers crossed!
 
D

DeuceGamer

Member
Chopper said:
Just got an email reply from a very well known Nintendo journalist about this. He suggested he might know some people who can help. Fingers crossed!
Click to expand...

I hope this is solved for you. I've always been concerned that companies can always argue that any damage was caused physically or even by water damage.... After being told my Android Phone started giving process errors because of water damage (absolutely incorrect) I realized companies could basically deny any warranty work they wanted for one reason or another if they decided too.
 
H

hunnies28

Member
I'm still hoping this issue gets resolved. Please keep us updated on any developments.

Edit: Retweeted even though I have only 3 followers lol
 
C

Chopper

Member
Just sent out the tweet again. Will probably do so on a daily basis until someone at least picks up on it. No bites yet.
 
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