Topic: Just developed the dreaded joy con drift of the dead (as I like to call it)

Had my switch since release and just developed this. Anyone here had to send in theirs for repair and how much did it cost? I tried to chat to guys over on nintendo website but they were just useless. Wouldn't tell me anything and just said you'll get the repair price once they've looked at it.

@DonkeyDiddyKong I've had to send in 3 pairs thus far. 1 was inside warranty and the other 2 times outside. Was free everytime for me only took about a week and change to get them back from what I recall

Nintendo of Murica was replacing these free of charge, but I believe that offer is on hold due to COVID-19. I'm not sure if Nintendo of Europe ever offered free replacements? If you consider yourself industrious, you could purchase the parts and tools necessary and repair them yourself. Or...if you consider yourself nefarious, you could purchase a new set of joy-con, replace the old with the new, and return your purchase for a refund.

@DonkeyDiddyKong Or as an alternative, how would you feel about doing the repairs yourself?
Doesn't seem all that complicated to me, and it costs you less time and no money:

EDIT:
Forgot that there are several DIY methods, so here's another video that discusses a couple of them:

EDIT 2:
Link for buying replacement thumb sticks:
https://www.amazon.com/Veanic-Replacement-Joystick-Nintendo-C...

@Magician Due to COVID-19 not to many places are taking returns for anything. Places like Walmart and Target arent at all for any reason.

@Tasuki Either thats a regional thing or a brand new change because I returned things at Walmart just this past Sunday without issue.

@redd214 Maybe it's a state thing cause my Walmart isn't taking any returns they have a sign posted and everything.

@DonkeyDiddyKong I repaired both of the drifts on my joy cons about 1 year ago. I have no experience in taking controllers apart. I bought replacement sets on Amazon for £10 a pair and you get the tiny screwdriver with the set. I've had no bother since. I had nothing to lose as my warranty expired. The video on this site helped me massively. If you need any advice just let me know if I can help. I actually enjoyed taking the joy con apart, was a good "project". I will add that this breaks the warranty of the product, just to get the disclaimer out there.

A while back i tried the contact cleaner under the sticks method and haven't had a problem since. You just lift the little plastic flap with a pair of tweezers and give it a squirt. Then work it around by wiggling the sticks and you're done. Two sets of my joycons that i was sure were a lost cause are working great now! Just try it. You may be surprised!

Better than taking them apart and getting all pissed losing or ripping out screws. It worked for me. Easiest method and it's simple and effective too!

The current Switch - purchased on those mobile apps that let you sell your stuff - I own is a replacement for my original that was stolen, so it's not like I could send the drifting Joy-Cons that came with it in for repair without paying for them. Basically speaking, all four of my Joy-Cons were experiencing drift and the alcohol cleaning method wasn't working out, at least not for the long-term. So.. I decided to replace the sticks (@ThanosReXXX linked the exact ones I bought, actually). It's actually not too bad replacing them - it only takes about like, what, 10 minutes or less once you understand what you're doing?
Although, I should say that the sticks I directly brought off Amazon - all 4 of them - were defective. They'd always register in one, and only one, direction only, usually the left. Even if you weren't touching the stick. Testing out the sticks in the calibration menu showed that I could technically move around, but only in an arc beginning northwest and ending southwest (this corresponds to the left direction). Yeah, that was super weird, so I contacted Veanic directly and they sent me replacement sticks which work perfectly. Well, at first, one of the sticks was drifting ever so slightly when I pushed down on it but I think it's gone now, so yaaay? We'll see how long this lasts before I probably have to buy new sticks again

If your system is out of warranty, I recommend just replacing the sticks all together. It's like you brought a brand new Switch all over again.

Cheers everyone! I'm going to try what the guy does in the first video. I'm not going to try the second because knowing me and my luck I'll just make things worse. When you guys sent yours in did you just send in the faulty joycon or did you send both joy cons together?