ASUS Apologizes For Warranty Woes, Revamps RMA Process After Getting Called Out

Asus has pledged to improve its warranty RMA process after being taken to task for what could only be described as extortion. A series of reports, including an investigation by Gamers Nexus, showed that Asus repair centers have a nasty habit of demanding obscene fees to repair minor damage. The company says it's beginning an overhaul of its RMA process, which includes a dedicated email address where customers can send complaints if they feel a case has not been handled correctly.

This issue began percolating over the past several weeks when Gamers Nexus sent a ROG Ally in for warranty service to replace a defective thumbstick—a common issue with the Ally handheld. However, the story begins earlier. For years, Asus customers have been contacting Gamers Nexus and others to detail their horrible customer service experiences at Asus. So, before sending in the Ally, Gamers Nexus photographed every square inch of the device. And sure enough, Asus' technicians demanded almost $200 to fix several minor cosmetic issues and refused to reassemble the device unless the fee was paid.

So, Asus clearly stepped in it by treating Gamers Nexus like the rabble that doesn't have millions of YouTube subscribers. The company initially tried to explain its policy and shift blame to customers not understanding the repair options. After some tense discussions (see below), Asus is working to further improve its RMAs, and its tone has certainly changed since the last update—it now apologizes for the issues customers have experienced. 

The process is still ongoing, and Asus promises more improvements next month. For now, most of its promises have amounted to communicating more clearly and offering more accurate repair quotes. The latest change, and the one that will probably make the greatest impact, is the new support email. If you feel your Asus RMA isn't being handled correctly, you can file a dispute with executivecare@asus.com. Asus provides a template for the dispute emails and says it's accepting these claims starting now.

While Asus has apologized and is working to improve, this is still the same company that was, until recently, demanding more than the MSRP of products to repair minor cosmetic damage. Time will tell if Asus' commitment to improving its RMA service is more than talk aimed at disarming a PR disaster. The next RMA policy updates in July could show which way Asus is leaning.