Sending laptop back for warranty repair - gotta pay for packaging? WTF Asus?

Lavans

So, the laptop developed a severe case of dead pixel syndrome, so bad in fact that nothing I do will fix it. I called up Asus to get a warranty repair set up since the laptop is less than a year old. They set me up with a return label, which I take to FedEx Office to get printed. The label itself did not include the cost of packaging, so I spend 40 minutes with an Asus rep just to find out that not only will Asus not send me packaging materials, but they will also not pay to have the laptop packaged.

This seems like pretty poor customer service practices. I know for a fact that both Apple and Hewlett Packard will send a box to ship their laptops back in, so I fail to see why it's so difficult for Asus to facilitate the same quality of service.

The laptop box itself costs ~$23, so I got a callback set up with an Asus supervisor to discuss the issue, which should happen sometime within the next two days. If by some chance that not even the supervisor will honor the cost of packaging, I'll just say f!@# it and buy a replacement screen for $60. I sincerely feel that it's unfair to a customer to have to pay to package a laptop that's still in warranty to fix a manufacturer defect, in addition to the fact that the down time will likely be close to 7-8 business days (3 day outbound shipping, time to repair, then 3 day inbound shipping).

I sincerely expected better from Asus given all the good things I hear from them. Nobody should be required to jump through all these hoops just for a warranty repair.

Sash · 09-27-2012, 05:12 | posts: 7,068

There is a guy in these forums from Asus called Jeremy, i'm sure he would love to read your story.
Oh and next time, don't buy ANYTHING from Asus

momomo67890 · 09-27-2012, 05:42 | posts: 2,663 | Location: Austin Tx

umm foreals find a box put your laptop in such box stick label on such box and mail such box back to asus to get fixed.

Finchwizard

Everybody works like that in Australia.

Hell Corsair you're required to send it back to Malaysia half the time.

Some computer shops let you send it back to them and they'll handle it. But most of the time you've having to send it back directly.

Irritating but that's how it gos.

The Goose · *Last edited by The Goose; 09-27-2012 at 08:01.*

$23 for a box...just get one from your local super market for $0,it probably says in the small print that asus only cover return postage.
Ive been using Asus products for several yrs and ive never had a problem or had to rma once,i know a lot of people who have had hp & dell products and had no end of problems,you are one of a small minority to have a small issue but it doesnt make asus a bad company

kanej2007 · 09-27-2012, 07:48 | posts: 5,701 | Location: Dubai, UAE / London, UK

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Goose

$23 for a box...just get one from your local super market for $0,it probably says in the small print that asus only cover return postage

This.

Finchwizard

I read it wrong I thought you were saying how you had to pay to send it back but it's the box you were talking about.

I've never noticed because there's always some kind of box lying around. So long as it's roughly the same size just pack it.

Lavans · 09-27-2012, 09:27 | posts: 4,540 | Location: Austin

I did some research, and apparently Asus has some terrible customer service and warranty service. Not surprising considering how badly they handled my situation
http://www.customerservicescoreboard.com/Asus
Less than 10% out of the 600+ reviews had something positive to say about how Asus handles their repairs. It doesn't take much to figure out that something isn't right with that picture.

Even if I did have packaging materials laying around, I'd rather not deal with the 2-4 week minimum turn around, assuming they even replace the screen. After getting the runaround from 3 customer service reps and having the 4th finally bite the bullet, I'd rather just suck it up and deal with the dead pixels. As of right now, I have no faith in Asus's ability to properly handle what should be a simple return and repair, especially since they couldn't even patch me through to a supervisor to discuss the issue.

On top of the frustration of dealing with their customer service reps, I don't feel like worrying about the package being potentially damaged or lost during transit, something that Asus even states they don't honor. That being said, I'll probably just end up replacing the LCD at my own leisure. That way, I don't have to worry about a 2-4 week minimum turn around time, and more importantly having to worry about the laptop being damaged or lost during transit. After all, replacement LCD's for a G53 only cost ~$60 bucks, which is definitely a small price to pay for convenience and a worry free procedure.

RedSeptember · 09-27-2012, 09:27 | posts: 442 | Location: Dubai

My god. You are moaning about having to put the laptop in a box which you can get for free from your shed even if you have one or you can buy for like $2.

Seems normal for most companies. Don't be such a queen

Lavans · *Last edited by Lavans; 09-27-2012 at 09:39.*

Quote:

Originally Posted by RedSeptember

My god. You are moaning about having to put the laptop in a box which you can get for free from your shed even if you have one or you can buy for like $2.

Wrong. I'm moaning because I shouldn't have to be inconvenienced to provide packaging material for a warranty repair. In addition to that, I'm also moaning because I was consistently fed bad information by 3 customer service reps.

Quote:

Originally Posted by RedSeptember

Seems normal for most companies. Don't be such a queen

Wrong. I have dealt with 3 different companies that actually treats their warranty repairs with the proper level of care. I know for a fact that Apple, Dell, and HP all provide boxes to ship laptops back for repairs.

kanej2007 · 09-27-2012, 10:05 | posts: 5,701 | Location: Dubai, UAE / London, UK

Your right Lavans, the company should send a courier to YOU & collect the laptop, package it, fix & return it.

I've had laptop problems in the past & from my experience you simply package the laptop in ANY packaging & it's simply collected by a courier & taken pack for repairs...

rflair · *Last edited by rflair; 09-27-2012 at 13:22.*

Never throw away any packaging for something that is still under warranty, EVER.

Read your warranty people some manufacturers will not even honor the warranty if you do not send the item back in its original packaging.

I keep the packaging for everything I buy for at least the time of the warranty.

Denial · 09-27-2012, 13:03 | posts: 6,351 | Location: Above Earth in a Big Rocket Ship

Dunno I've had good experiences with ASUS. My sister has an ASUS laptop that has a faulty power connector, apparently lots of people have similar issues with the same laptop. I tried taking it apart and fixing it myself by soldering a plug onto the power board. It worked for like 2-3 weeks before failing. I called ASUS and told them exactly what I did and they gave me the option of either shipping the laptop back to them to fix it, free - or they would send me a new power board if I felt like replacing it myself. I guess I would have to find my own packaging if I sent it back to them, yeah - but I feel like if I told dell that I soldered something into their laptop they wouldn't want to cover it.

Anyway I chose the latter option and got the replacement part - it was a new revision without the problem and it works perfectly.

Andrés · 09-27-2012, 13:48 | posts: 4,286 | Location: Buenos Aires, Argentina

Quote:

Originally Posted by rflair

Never throw away any packaging for something that is still under warranty, EVER.

Read your warranty people some manufacturers will not even honor the warranty if you do not send the item back in its original packaging.

I keep the packaging for everything I buy for at least the time of the warranty.

^ this. I do the same. As long as the warranty is still valid, I keep the original packaging. Every once in a while I do a general cleaning and get rid of the boxes I no longer need.

As for the OP, I'm with you. They should cover the packaging expenses. Poor customer service...

Labyrinth · 09-27-2012, 15:37 | posts: 3,445 | Location: Cheshire, England

From my experience you've always had to deal with sending items back yourself apart from big items like washing machines, cookers, etc

This is why I tend to store some of the boxes in the attic

WildStyle · 09-27-2012, 18:54 | posts: 15,236 | Location: UK

Ooooh Asus rant thread! Asus are tw@s when it comes to warranty.

We had a laptop come back from a customer faulty, needed a new screen.

Called Asus, they said it was in warranty and gave an RMA number.

Sent the laptop off as required, went to one of their authorised repair centres.

They then said it wasn't under warranty and wanted £400 to replace the screen, so we said OK just send it back then we will replace it ourselves. But then they said we had to pay £40 inspection fee because they'd looked at? WTF? I don't need a diagnosis I already know what's wrong with it!

So in the end had to pay £40 to get the laptop back in the same condition I sent it away in. Never really liked Asus and that added to it.

IPlayNaked · 09-27-2012, 18:59 | posts: 6,559

Is this surprising? Feels like all warranty repairs almost ever require you to pay for packaging...?

The only exceptions I can think of to that are Kindle Fire and Xbox 360. Everything else I've ever had to send in didn't cover the cost of anything, really.

Neo Cyrus · **Memory**: 6GB DDR3-2000 9-9-9-24-1T

Quote:

Originally Posted by RedSeptember

Seems normal for most companies. Don't be such a queen

It's not at all normal in North America. Big companies, especially ones based here, cover all RMA costs. Dell ended up having to pay for shipping back and forth FOUR times due to sending me lemons (and a refurb instead of new). They took care of it immediately with little hassle every time.

nm+ · 09-28-2012, 05:06 | posts: 10,259 | Location: Not Minneapolis

Quote:

Originally Posted by IPlayNaked

Is this surprising? Feels like all warranty repairs almost ever require you to pay for packaging...?

The only exceptions I can think of to that are Kindle Fire and Xbox 360. Everything else I've ever had to send in didn't cover the cost of anything, really.

Lenovo sent me a box via fed-ex early AM with another free fed-ex early AM label. Then sent it back fed-ex early AM.

Fun fact: If you don't use "laptop boxes" fedex and UPS will likely deny any liability if they break it.

IcE · 09-28-2012, 05:27 | posts: 7,005 | Location: Toledo, Ohio

My last Asus mobo was a problem child but I didn't even feel like dealing with their crappy warranty replacement process. So it just sits in the basement, forever alone.

Vardant · 09-28-2012, 08:10 | posts: 35

Quote:

Originally Posted by rflair

Never throw away any packaging for something that is still under warranty, EVER.

Read your warranty people some manufacturers will not even honor the warranty if you do not send the item back in its original packaging.

I keep the packaging for everything I buy for at least the time of the warranty.

While some companies actually use that line, it's not true in most countries and they will just use it to deny you the warranty if you don't fight back.

mmicrosysm · 09-28-2012, 13:36 | posts: 580 | Location: Box

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lavans

Wrong. I'm moaning because I shouldn't have to be inconvenienced to provide packaging material for a warranty repair. In addition to that, I'm also moaning because I was consistently fed bad information by 3 customer service reps.

Wrong. I have dealt with 3 different companies that actually treats their warranty repairs with the proper level of care. I know for a fact that Apple, Dell, and HP all provide boxes to ship laptops back for repairs.

Correct Both Dell and HP/Compaq will supply a shipping box with pre-paid shipping. Remember the Xbox360 fiasco, Microsoft sent Pre-paid Shipping Coffins for all the dead 360 at no cost to the consumer.

OP good luck.

Quote:

Originally Posted by rflair

Never throw away any packaging for something that is still under warranty, EVER.

Read your warranty people some manufacturers will not even honor the warranty if you do not send the item back in its original packaging.

I keep the packaging for everything I buy for at least the time of the warranty.

Yea I keep the packaging for the life of the warranty just in case.

Lavans · 10-03-2012, 20:38 | posts: 4,540 | Location: Austin

Seems like I'm definitely going to spend a little extra for some self protection and replace the screen myself. I was set up for a supervisor callback, which should have been a 48 hour turn around. Sadly, its been 5 business days since then.

If Asus can't even handle a simple issue properly (one that should be a non issue IMO), I shudder to think how poorly they would handle a serious issue.

tktk104 · 10-04-2012, 08:40 | posts: 160 | Location: North Carolina

***bites fingernails*** I was told that Asus was a GREAT product. Hmmmm, apparently I'm listening to the wrong people.

I've sent a motherboard back, now I'm WAITING WAITING WAITING for a CPU to be replaced. I'm seriously wondering when this will end and if I will EVER get a computer that actually works when you press the "power on" button.

Lavans · *Last edited by Lavans; 10-04-2012 at 16:09.*

Quote:

Originally Posted by tktk104

***bites fingernails*** I was told that Asus was a GREAT product. Hmmmm, apparently I'm listening to the wrong people.

I've sent a motherboard back, now I'm WAITING WAITING WAITING for a CPU to be replaced. I'm seriously wondering when this will end and if I will EVER get a computer that actually works when you press the "power on" button.

Sorry to hear about the long wait. How long has it been since you sent it in?

A long turnaround time is one of the things that I'm afraid will happen to me if I send in the laptop, especially since I use it more than my desktop. Heck, I wouldn't be surprised if Asus would try to say that it's my fault the screen has a cluster of red pixels just so they could get more money out of me considering how the experience with them has been fairly poor so far.