My ASUS bubble has officially been burst. After having a great opinion of them for years, I'm to the point that I'm not sure I can recommend them in good conscience ever again.
As I mentioned previously in this thread, I was having a problem with my power adapter not charging consistently. It was a bit of a hassle, but I just lived with it. However, a few weeks ago, when I was plugging it in, a little plastic piece in the center of the power port snapped off. I'm not sure if I wiggled it or what, but I certainly didn't put a ton of force into it.
Anyway, I called ASUS and got an RMA to send it in for repair. I had to pay for my own shipping to send it in, and it got there on February 1st. It took a full week until I heard from them, but they sent me a canned e-mail message that the damage was my fault and included a form for me to fill out and FAX BACK IN to pay for it. (It wasn't a huge amount - $85 - but it's the principle of the thing.)
I, of course, dispute that damage like that should be my responsibility. I heard back the next day that the rep was going to check in with the technician and get back with me. After sending three emails in the past week asking for an update and a phone call to their support line to escalate the issue, I finally heard back from them this morning - more than two weeks since they originally received it. To their credit, they're going to cover it under warranty - not because they agree it's my fault though - because they haven't heard back from the technician and are tired of waiting for such a small amount.
Anyway, here are a few key things I've learned in the past week that I'll pass along to anyone considering buying an ASUS product:
- ASUS has three levels of people you have to deal with in the RMA process: the people you talk to on the phone, the warranty coordinator who tells you if you have to pay for shit, and the technicians doing the work. You can't talk to the technicians AT ALL under any circumstances. The warranty coordinator only communicates via e-mail, and doesn't have any direct contact with the technicians. And the people on the phone only have access to the system that includes generic statuses, so they can't tell you jack shit. It's INCREDIBLY frustrating.
- There is a strong sentiment online that the repair facility in Grapevine, TX is shady. There are numerous reports of tablets in new condition "arriving" completely beat up. One guy posted the pic of his that looked like someone had run over it with a truck. They tried to get him to pay for it until he produced pictures of it before he sent it off in perfect shape. They then tried to say UPS damaged it, but they didn't have the box or pictures of it, so UPS wouldn't cover it under insurance. So eventually, ASUS gave him a new one, but it took a month of intermittent e-mails (no phone calls) to work it all out.
- Until recently, the Better Business Bureau had ASUS listed with an "F" rating. It currently says "no rating" as they investigate a few complaints, but the trend is there. Directly from the BBB's web site:
Anyway, in the end, I'm getting my tablet repaired under warranty, but the process it's taken to get it done has been one of the most frustrating customer service experiences I've ever had. I'm still a believer in the overall quality of their products, but if you ever get something that isn't working properly, be prepared for a battle. And if I were you, I'd try and buy it from someplace with a really generous return policy.
At this point, I'm just hoping I get it back working like they said they would. It's sad, but I'm not even confident in that at this point.
TL;DR ASUS products are decent, but their warranty process is a nightmare.