Bad support from Asus

[flyboynm]

I purchased an Asus N71JQ laptop back in April this year. This was a top of the line 17 inch, Core i 7 laptop. Before purchase of the laptop, I read the specifications that was provided by NewEgg compared to the Specs on Asus's website. I was told by Newegg that it had 2 hard drive support when I ordered. When I went in to install the 2nd hard drive, I was greeted by 2 bays, but one without the connectors for the 2nd drive! Needless to say, I couldn't do the dual SSD and HD setup with only one connection. I contacted Asus about this and was ignored. Let the insanity begin!

I had an issue almost immediately with the laptop and the heat it produces. Yes, I know it is a Core i7, but who would have placed the power connection for the system right next to the exhaust port? Asus did. After partially melting the cord due to my leaving the laptop turned on on my desk, I decided that the problem is one that could be addressed with a notebook cooler. I can live with that.

Next, I had problems with BSOD. It turned out to be a bad memory module. I went ahead and used it as an excuse to upgrade my RAM to 8 GB. That is something I can deal with again.

What I can't deal with is how long their RMA process is taking. I had to send my laptop back to them for motherboard replacement. I did that at the end of September. I just spoke to their Customer Support to check on the status of my RMA. I was told that they had to order the motherboard from Japan and the part might be in on Friday. That is ludicrous! I then asked when I might be able to get my laptop back. I was told I might be able to get it by Oct 20th. Again, insanity.

I am at whit's end. I have been without my Core i7 laptop for a couple of weeks and will be another couple of weeks still. I am at a loss with Asus. I have been a long time customer of theirs but that may change after this issue. I have heard that Dell has a much fast turn around on their RMAs....

If anyone on here has an email address where I can send a complaint at Asus, please PM me. The email address I was provided with previously, APS_Support @ asus.com is no longer monitored. Any suggestions? I have called the support # and asked to speak with a supervisor, been told that I would be called back but never have received the call.

 

[Guest]

I would not e-mail. Find the address of Asus in your country (Google it) and post a letter addressed to the CEO outlining the faults you've experienced. To be fair, the timespan is not too surprising, but given the seriousness of the design fault which could cause a fire (I would think), I reckon they should give you a laptop of a different design.

 

[23mike]

I can't speak on your specifics, but I don't think there are many companies selling laptops that are providing good support. We bought a gateway laptop a year ago and it's been to the factory 3x and it always took longer than they said it would.

 

[flyboynm]

I found this article interesting. It lists whom builds whose laptops.
http/tuxmobil.org/laptop_oem.html

 

[flyboynm]

I received a response from Asus earlier this morning. It basically comes down to "too bad, so sad, live with it". Too bad that I am not going to buy another Asus product. You would think that Asus would take care of their long time customers (I have bought Asus almost exclusively since 1994) but that is no longer the case. Asus used to be a great company but they are far from it now.

I have mailed a letter to Jonney Shih in regards to my very negative experience. If they continue their current ways, the letter will go in the garbage as soon as it arrives.

I have a lot of influence with the purchase of systems where I work. We are a large contract. We have been known to purchase up to $40 million a year in computer systems. I am going to fight the purchase of any Asus or Asus-based product from now on. Why should we buy Asus when they treat us like this? I have heard Dell have a 3 day, at the most, turn around on their systems.....

 

[Guest]

Well, if you want slow turnaround, I've just put my Rolex in for overhaul and they took 14 days to send the estimate and want 16 weeks to do the job. I suspect that gives them enough time to ship the watch to a cheap-labour country like China or Eastern Europe and back.

I can stomach the delay and even $375 for cleaning the mechanism and replacing glass etc.

But $200 just to replace part of the steel bracelet ? I don't think so.

I'm afraid that the days of after sales service expired when industry realised that the more you spend on an item the longer the interval before replacement and the less likely you are to buy the same brand.

Which is why, if you complain at a big supermarket about a piece of cheese, they will instantly give you a free replacement and sometimes refund more than the purchase price.

But just try complaining about a TV or a sports car !!

 

[flyboynm]

I know what you mean about the part on the bracelet. I have had that done with my Breitling, but it didn't cost as much nor took as long to get fixed. I am more concerned about their attitude with me. No apology, no attempt to satisfy the customer, nothing. This attitude in addition to the length of time it is taking for my laptop to be fixed has made this long time, loyal Asus customer into a former customer.

The poor service I am being provided with has led me to buy an Alienware laptop. I have worked with Dell previously and their support has been outstanding by way of comparison. I am probably going to buy their systems and Falcon Northwest instead of buying Asus parts or laptops.

Anyone want a laptop cheap?

 

[Guest]

Happy ending on my watch. My bro has the same model but upgraded the bracelet so he's giving me his spare -- a complete almost new bracelet. Instead of me giving the Swiss Gnomes $200 for a new part on a 35 year old bracelet.

 

[flyboynm]

Glad to hear. I am sorry you have had issues with them. I am going to give my neighbor the laptop once it comes back.

 

[flyboynm]

Some people ask me why I am making such a big deal out of this issue. It is a big issue because I WAS running my business with this laptop and if I didn't have another system, my business would be dead. I spent as much on this laptop as I would on a Refrigerator or stove. How would you react if you had a new stove or refrigerator break, had the manufacturer take it back and leave you without the stove or refrigerator for a month? I think you would not be happy the situation in the least.

I am not upset that the laptop broke or anything like that. I am upset with their attitude showing "Who cares you bought our product? We have your money now and we will get to fixing it when we get around to it."

I hope you see my point now and why it is a big deal.

 

[Guest]

I think consumers in the US are due for a big revolt -- in most of Europe we are protected by far more than 12 months warranty on stuff. The warranty is just a deal between the retailer and the maker under which the maker temporarily agrees to shoulder the burden of replace or repair.

While the warranty is enforceable against the maker at any time during the 12 months, for the reasonable life of the product, the consumer can seek redress from the retailer. The enforceable contract is always between the purchaser and the final vendor.

In UK a Central Government department advises on your rights, local government has Trading Standards officers and the small claims court system is geared to redress on consumer type items, legal representation is not required and legal costs awards are, thus, very limited.

This is a lot cheaper to use and less cumbersome than the Class Action alternative in the US. As someone has pointed out, though, these rights may partly explain price differences between shops in US and UK.

 

[flyboynm]

Thank you for your input. I agree with you on what you just said. I had received another contact from Asus and it bothered me with that one too. I won't bother with posting what was said other than it is more of the BS that they have given me so far. *sigh*

Bad support, bad treatment of customers and bad attitude. I think we both know where this is going.

By the way, I had an issue with the screen on one of the Alienware. Dead pixels. I contacted Dell about it. 2 days later they were on-site to replace the screen. Pretty amazing that Dell can hold up their end of the bargain.

 

[flyboynm]

I just contacted ASUS again to see the status of my repair. They claim they are still waiting on parts. I was told that it would be back in my hands by yesterday. Well, it hasn't been. I called and asked to speak to a supervisor. First time I was hung up on. 2nd time I was put on hold for over an hour and then was disconnected. I am going to call and ask for the phone number of their legal department. It is time to sue.

 

[flyboynm]

I was promised a phone call from Asus today in regards to this issue. I am not going to hold my breath on that one.

http/gethuman.com/Asus-customer-ratings_1490.html

Look at that rating for their customer service. Gee, I wonder why they scored that way. *sarcasm*

 

[Guest]

The ratings decline is quite spectacular and suggests to me that they are being killed by their own success. I suspect the netbook is the culprit -- these are cheap and selling well to the kind of people who need more support than Asus (in the past best known as a component supplier) had anticipated.

 

[flyboynm]

If I had held my breath about the phone call, I would be dead now. They did not contact me. Are you surprised? I am not.

As for the success, I think you may be right about their own success. They are the OEM provider of laptops for several companies and research shows that those companies are having problems with their systems too.

Just makes you wonder.

 

[flyboynm]

I got a reply from them earlier. They gave me the same "the part is back ordered" but they didn't give me a date this time. I guess that they have figured out that this is what they use as an excuse for their ineptness. I have found many websites where their lack of satisfactory service shows that this is par for course with them.

UPDATE = I FINALLY received my laptop back after over a month with Asus. I finally had to threaten a lawsuit before they did the right thing. Now the question is if it will work....

 

[flyboynm]

Best answer selected by flyboynm.