The Android Tablet Watch Thread

[DaFace]

Since the iPad thread is 90% Mac vs. PC (Android) BS, I figured I'd start a separate thread now that some viable Android tablets are starting to be available. (Yeah, yeah...vaporware, etc., etc.)

Discuss.

[kcxiv]

Originally Posted by Guru

and the cord for the AC plug doesn't come off to reveal a USB plug? Man, they really want this to be a cloud only device.

Not mine. Daface said his wife did but not mine. Was a bit dissapointted w that though.

The cloud id nice. I put some music on mine. Its cool as lo
G as u have wifi access.

[jjchieffan]

I got the Xoom on Black Friday for $200. Well worth the money at that price. I can't get high speed here at my house, so the 4G hotspot is great for my laptop. My daughter has a ton of games on it and gets a lot of use out of it, and it works for everything I need it for. It is still running on Honeycomb, but I hear that ICS is just about ready to roll out for it.

[DaFace]

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:

We have identified a pattern of complaints concerning customer service and service issues. Complaints processed by the BBB claim that 1) products sent to the company for repairs are still not working properly when returned to the consumer. 2) Customers calling the company are asked to call back or told they will receive a call back and in many cases don't.

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.

[patteeu]

Originally Posted by DaFace

...

TL;DR ASUS products are decent, but their warranty process is a nightmare.

Good to know. I'm getting ready to build a new PC and I had an ASUS motherboard targeted. I may still go with it, but I'll at least reconsider my options based on your report.

[Fish]

I'll have to agree with you on the Asus return procedure. Just before Christmas, I had to return an Asus mobo that quit working within a couple months. It was a nightmare. I had to contact Asus in Taiwan through their online RMA procedure. Didn't hear anything from them for 2 weeks. Sent another RMA request at that point. A week later, I received an e-mail with instructions on how to RMA. 2 weeks later, I finally received an e-mail that was from the initial RMA request I submitted. ??

Once I finally got an RMA number, I sent it off. It was returned a little over 2 weeks later.

[Buck]

Originally Posted by DaFace

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.

Sell it, buy a Samsung Galaxy Tab.

[DaFace]

Originally Posted by patteeu

Good to know. I'm getting ready to build a new PC and I had an ASUS motherboard targeted. I may still go with it, but I'll at least reconsider my options based on your report.

Until this, I've never had a problem with the products themselves, and I probably built 10-15 computers with their motherboards back when I was doing the computer tech gig. My brother's got a laptop of theirs, and a friend of mine has the original Transformer and has had no problems.

I think they rushed the Prime out a little too quickly and didn't have time to do proper quality control. Hopefully they'll learn from that, but who knows. For me, I'd at least have to consider some sort of alternative warranty in the future. It'd be one thing if this was something I don't use very often, but being without the tablet I paid $500 for for a month (probably) just isn't acceptable. If this were a laptop, I'd be even more pissed.

[DaFace]

Originally Posted by Buck

Sell it, buy a Samsung Galaxy Tab.

Not gonna lie - it's tempting.

[Buck]

Originally Posted by DaFace

Not gonna lie - it's tempting.

I have nothing bad to say about my Samsung Galaxy 10.1 Tab, except about three times a day, it randomly thinks I've switched the tab to portrait view for some reason, but it corrects itself within 5 seconds.

[DaFace]

Originally Posted by Buck

I have nothing bad to say about my Samsung Galaxy 10.1 Tab, except about three times a day, it randomly thinks I've switched the tab to portrait view for some reason, but it corrects itself within 5 seconds.

Have they pushed out ICS for it yet? That's the one thing that would hold me back (assuming I could get my money back out of the Prime).

Of course, I also like the dock option for the Prime. I haven't gotten it yet, but I could see it coming in handy.

[Buck]

Originally Posted by DaFace

Have they pushed out ICS for it yet? That's the one thing that would hold me back (assuming I could get my money back out of the Prime).

Of course, I also like the dock option for the Prime. I haven't gotten it yet, but I could see it coming in handy.

Nope, its still 3.1 or whatever that is called. They haven't confirmed ICS for it either.

I turn off the wifi every time I'm done using it, which is very easy to do, it takes 2 presses to do that. My battery lasts for over 2 weeks.

[DaFace]

Final update on my ordeal for anyone who cares:

I got my tablet back yesterday. In total, it took over 4 weeks from the time I sent it in until the time I got it back. They repaired the jack under warranty as promised, but they didn't do anything with the bright pixel (which isn't a big deal) or the charger (which is). I called their tech support line again, and they told me I'd have to send the charger back again before they could send me a new one. I politely told him to go **** himself (not in those words) and that I'd just buy a new one.

What an incredibly horrible system...

[MoreLemonPledge]

I've been running ICS on my Touchpad for a week or so. Quick and smooth as hell, and much better than that WebOS crap. $150 for a 32gb, 10.1" tablet that runs as smooth as a Galaxy? **** yeah...

[NewChief]

Originally Posted by DaFace

Final update on my ordeal for anyone who cares:

I got my tablet back yesterday. In total, it took over 4 weeks from the time I sent it in until the time I got it back. They repaired the jack under warranty as promised, but they didn't do anything with the bright pixel (which isn't a big deal) or the charger (which is). I called their tech support line again, and they told me I'd have to send the charger back again before they could send me a new one. I politely told him to go **** himself (not in those words) and that I'd just buy a new one.

What an incredibly horrible system...

Apple would never treat you that way.

[DaFace]

Originally Posted by NewChief

Apple would never treat you that way.

Yep, I'm sure you're right. Of course, I've had positive support experiences with HP, Dell, and Samsung as well, though I don't doubt that Apple's top notch in the support department.

Suffice it to say, this experience has irreparably damaged my opinion of ASUS.