A popular tech YouTube channel known as Gamers Nexus has put hardware maker Asus’ customer service under scrutiny, revealing shocking results. In a detailed video, he describes how Asus tried to charge him exorbitant costs for replacing a faulty joystick on his ROG Ally, even though there was only a small scratch on the case.
In the description of a video where he makes this evident, the content creator says that it is all part of a “covert warranty investigation is a year-long follow-up to our series that investigated ASUS for incinerating AMD CPUs in motherboards, al end of which ASUS promised a series of improvements to its then anti-consumer warranty processes.” And also, announcing that according to his research everything remains the same, he says: “spoiler warning: They are still anti-consumer.”
You can read: Player sends his new $2,799 RTX 4090 for repair due to a small defect and ASUS asks him for $3,758 to fix it
Gamers Nexus says it had received numerous reports from viewers who had similar experiences with Asus repairs. In these cases, disproportionately high sums were requested for simple repairs and alleged undetected damage was billed additionally. And to investigate these practices, Gamers Nexus sent its own ROG Ally with a defective joystick to Asus. The joystick was covered under warranty and should have been replaced free of charge. The YouTuber documented the entire process meticulously, extensively photographing the device and ensuring that only the joystick was defective.
To his surprise, Asus informed him that they would have to replace the device’s screen instead, for the exorbitant sum of $200. As justification, they mentioned a small scratch in the plastic above the screen, which Gamers Nexus had already mentioned before shipping and presented as a purely cosmetic defect under the microscope. Asus put pressure on Gamers Nexus by setting a deadline of 5 days for payment. Otherwise, the device would be returned unrepaired and disassembled. A procedure that can be especially harmful on a complex device like the ROG Ally.
After initially insisting on a screen replacement, Asus finally relented and offered to repair just the joystick. However, this only happened after Gamers Nexus expressed outrage at the disproportionate budget. Alarmingly, during the repair, Asus not only replaced the joystick, but also changed the motherboard, SD card reader, and system-on-a-chip (SoC). Gamers Nexus suspects that Asus did this to artificially increase the price of the repair and maximize profits.
Asus apologizes after video became popular
Following the recent wave of criticism for its opaque repair practices, fueled in large part by the Gamers Nexus video, tech giant Asus issued an official statement apologizing to its customers for “any confusion or frustration” they may have experienced. . The company reiterates that “repairs covered by the manufacturer’s limited warranty have always been and will continue to be free.” The statement further acknowledged that “the current process and language used do not adequately convey this information.”
Asus says it is “working diligently” to make changes to its RMA (Return Merchandise Authorization) process, which include a review of the repair pricing structure for out-of-warranty products and clearer communication about repairs. The company recognizes that this may have caused confusion when a customer only requests a specific repair and that is why they say they will no longer automatically offer repair quotes for cosmetic imperfections unless they affect the functionality of the device or the customer specifically requests them.
Additionally, Asus promises that it will implement clearer language in its automated email system so that customers always know which repairs are offered for free and the relevant terms and conditions for the device in question.
