Topic: Sending my Switch back for repairs, my story with Nintendo Customer Service

@Heavyarms55 yea I had one I got a month after launch it actually lasted nearly a year. When it died I returned it to Bestbuy because I bought a service contract on it which basically just got me a gift card to buy a new one, I used that to buy the Xbox 360 Elite, that died on me about a year afterwards... if I hadn’t amassed a large game library I’d have been done with Microsoft. Got a C3PO 360 Slim and it still works like new.

@th3r3ds0x By the time the slim came out, it should have had all the kinks worked out. It really is amazing the 360 did as well as it did. I wonder how many of their sales were rich people unwilling to wait for a repair job...

Alright sending my Switch from Colorado to California, and because I live with a PO Box Nintendo had a hard time getting an overnight shipping address so I'm stuck with just regular shipping, still paid by Nintendo; I'm not going to hold that against Nintendo, because it happens a lot when I have to buy stuff from Amazon, Ebay, or just have things shipped to me in genera. "I live in the middle of nowhere" so its more of an UPS problem then a Nintendo one, I should have mentioned that in the OP, but it was already long enough as it was.

My switch is now in Utah, and should be in for repairs by Friday.

@th3r3ds0x

I can confidently say I play mostly in handheld mode. I would even say as high as 95% of my play time has been in handheld and it has never gotten hot in my hands.

@Rusted_Gold Nintendo is pretty fast. I think the only company faster with repairs is Apple. My son destroyed the screen on my brand new iPad Pro a couple months back. I setup the repair online.. they overnighted me a box which arrived the very next day, I dropped the iPad off at FedEx the same afternoon I received the box and I kid you not I had my replacement iPad in my hands less than 48 hours later. They overnighted the replacement iPad out the same day they received mine. Apple doesn’t play around.

@Rusted_Gold Haha, yeah, the "towel trick" was possibly the single most horrifying DIY hack I've ever seen in the gaming world. There's so many things wrong with that solution on so many levels! Thankfully I had my PS3 and Wii at the time and saw that, heard that there was going to be a revision of the hardware that fixes it and decided, to wait it out (turns out that revision didn't fully fix it either....just mostly. The one AFTER that was the final fix.)

@th3r3ds0x Well, for the price I should hope not! I'm sure Nintendo would overnight it if they could get away with charging $750 for the Switch

@Heavyarms55
Rich kids unwilling to wait for repairs just means more xbox 360's died year one then reported lol

@th3r3ds0x

That's awesome that they got one out for you super fast

@NEStalgia
the Towel trick easily tops the list for bad fixes that I'm aware of.

If I had to think of a second it would probably be blowing Nes Carts, my original NES still works but the NA NES had one big problem in it's design, and that was not being a top loading console, because loading the games on their side would bend the pins resulting in poorer connections for later play sessions, and since water acts as a conductor the act of blowing onto the pins to clean them would result in moisture from your breath coating the pins thus resulting in a connection; not as bad as the Towel fix, but the pins in the cart or console would slowly rust over time. My NES still works but I think I will be investing in a top Loader, or I just might buy a NES off Ebay or a yard sale when I come across one, proceed to gut it out and make a NinToaster like the AVGN has. I have always wanted to do that, I will of course make a thread/blog about it if I ever get around to trying it lol, but who knows when I will have the free time to do that...

and now for my Switch UPDATE its in California, YES!

Got this email a few days ago

"Nintendo Repair Order #*******************

Hello *******

We wanted to let you know that the components you sent to Nintendo for repair have been received.

For Warranty Repairs:

If our technician finds that the defect was caused by accidental damage, such as being dropped or spilled liquid, it will not be covered by our warranty. If this is the case, you will receive an additional email with details for completing your repair. Otherwise, your system will be repaired and sent back to you free of charge.

Once your repair has been completed you may expect to receive it back in 9-11 business days (up to 16 days for Puerto Rico and PO Boxes).

An email will be sent once your repair has been completed and is being returned to you."

Now it's just a waiting game, which sucks because I just picked up some pink and green joy cons at my local game store.....

I did provide them two shipping addresses just on the off chance they have a hard time sending to PO Boxes, so I wonder if they will send it to my PO Box or my bosses house.

I will update again once I hear back from Nintendo

I just got my Switch back, well not my Switch I got a new one different serial number, I have to get back to work but I will post a bigger update later on, tonight or tomorrow once I get to play around with and see what save data stayed, or if I lost any, so far it's looking good

Seems like a fairly quick turn around as long as you didn't lose anything in the transfer and the new console looks in good condition.

@JohnBlackstar
New console is mint no scratches and the Screen is pristine

Alright a more complete update for my Switch.

I called Nintendo on December 8th to report a problem with my Switch, I didn't have time to get it back in the mail that day, but I got it in the mail on the 9th. So just a day under two weeks once I sent it in, or if want to be technical, exactly two weeks if you count the day I made the call, but after all has been said and done I am very glad to have a Switch back, and in only in only two weeks! Again as a point of reference Microsoft 3 hours on the phone, Nintendo 18 minutes, 2-3 months for microsoft to send my 360 back, and only 2 weeks for Nintendo

I did get an entirely new Switch, since it has a different serial number and I'm going to have to re-download all my digital games since I don't have an SD card yet
But I did a test I downloaded of MineCraft just to see if my world was still there, I made an underwater Sheep farm all in survival mode, its dumb I know, but I really don't want to make it again it took way to long, and to my supersize after I re-downloaded it, it was there! So I have no doubt all my save files are intact

Everything I shipped to them came back both joy cons my copy of Breath of the wild and Xenoblade 2 and the red case I sent them in, as well a new empty case for XenoBlade 2, which surprised me since Zelda and XenoBlade2 were both in the red plastic case, but XenoBlade 2 was in a new one, while Zelda stayed in the old one, not sure why that happened but I'm okay with it.

Thank you everyone who posted to this Thread sharing your experiences with Nintendo, I'm sorry to hear that service in the UK and EU were not so good, but to everyone wondering my service in NA and it was awesome.

@Rusted_Gold if it is out of warrenty why don't you try using the old screw driver to take it apart and put it back to together see if you can get it working yourself if no longer under warrenty.

Why not try the old tape screwdriver and glue try and fix it yourself and new parts to repair the console if no longer under warrenty.

@User23100 I just sent mine in for a repair I was 2 months past my warranty but they let me send it anyway and extended the warranty. I suggest trying to call them til you get someone who was as nice as the woman I dealt with.

(I know its an old thread just posting in case it helps)