Asus Service is Horrible (RMA Procedure fail and hardware downgrade)

I just received my g53sx from fedex today and i open the box and there's no power cord. I called them up and first they told me i needed to purchase a new power cord (that asus wasn't responsible for accessories). I argued with them and received a case number, they should be shipping me a power adapter soon.

I was pretty angry because it says right on the packing sheet that i sent it, so i should receive it back. You would think that since it's in the packing description it should be normal to double check before the rma is packaged and shipped out, apparently not. Anyway that's not that big of a mistake, i'd pay shipping if i had to and it's excusable.

So i have my g53sx-a1 that i bricked doing a bios update with thread here. I had the computer for about 45 mins then bricked it so i decided to start it up and mess with it a little (it has about 24% battery left, no way to charge it right now). Well i start it no problem, log into windows and then i realize my gpu observer program is reading the gpu as a gtx460m with 1.5gb ram (it's supposed to be a gtx560m with 2gb ram). In the device manager it confirms it's a gtx460m. From what i'm guessing they replaced the motherboard with one from an older g53sx or a g53sw that has the 192bit bus instead of the 128bit bus. So they couldn't use the gtx560m with the replacement motherboard.

Now some of you may argue the gtx460m on the higher 192bit bus is better, it is but it's not what i paid for. I called up asus and they gave me another rma number, i told them i have no personal information on the computer and would like an exchange because i'm having nothing but problems from them. They told me since i used the warranty that an exchange is not possible.

So i'm pretty angry with the whole situation, i'm so pissed off that i'm thinking about suing asus. I own a small computer repair store and if i was to do this to a customers computer i would get sued. If i had to replace the motherboard with an older version i would tell the customer. Asus is a huge corporation, they shouldn't have these huge flaws in their system.

I think that if i was just a normal user i wouldn't have noticed that they actually downgraded the video card, i'd still be mad about the power adapter though.

Here is some proof it's the gtx460m instead of the gtx560m that's supposed to be in it.











So what should i do? Sue asus or send in this expensive laptop that i've used for 45 mins that i've had nothing but problems with?

 

That's pretty bizarre... Who did you purchase the laptop from on eBay? Was it sold new, refurbished, or used?

Did you confirm it had the 560M in it before you bricked it?

 

yeah it was the gtx560m before i bricked it, i bought the laptop as refurbished but it was pretty much brand new, not a mark on it.

All i can think of is they put the motherboard from the g53sw in it and had to change the video card as well

Here's the auction
ASUS G53SX-A1 REPUBLIC OF GAMERS 15.6" LAPTOP COMPUTER $1,399 - READ | eBay

 

A lawsuit would have complications. ASUS could say they reprogrammed the BIOS chip of the laptop you sent them, and forgot to return your power adapter, which they have since shipped back to you. They'd claim SabbaShop misrepresented the product to you, or whoever sold the laptop to SabbaShop misrepresented the product to them (they are just resellers of all kinds of overstock merchandise).

I find it curious the GPU spec is missing from the detailed description of the eBay auction...

Without proof that the used laptop actually had a GTX560M when you received it, I think it would be unlikely for you to get a ruling in your favor against ASUS.

 

Hi C4RN1,
I think that rather than sue them try to claim product configuration at first. It will take much less time than a lawsuit and I see it more likely to obtain redress.
The possibility of courts, I chose as the last option, when the ASUS rejected to claim.
It's really sad that such things ever happen.

 

In the end i just want what i paid for, i don't care what i have to do to get it. The auction says it's a gtx560m on ebay. I know it's one of those general specs but they sell these computers all the time. I would think they would have rejected the claim if the graphics card was switched out or didn't have the stock tim on it. Like i said i own a small computer store and you can tell the stock tim from arctic silver or ic diamond or anything else.

I'll give them a chance to fix it, though they've had this computer longer than i have. It's a sad situation

I know if i did this to a customers computer i would be sued in a heartbeat.

 

I wish I hadn't seen this thread. I'm picking my G74 up from fedex tomorrow. It was in for graphics card issues and the "floor manager" I spoke with told me they were repairing it, but either could not or would not tell me what the repair is/was.

Here's what I find odd though, aside from the lack of a complete description on the auction site. Read this review of that model. The review was...local...

ASUS G53SX-A1 Review: Powerful Portable Gaming

Under the cons, at the top.

You could also directly PM an Asus rep at the ROG forums (not sure if there are any here)....to see if they could offer help/clarification.

ASUS Republic of Gamers | The Choice of Champions – News, Guides, Overclocking, PC Gaming

best of luck getting this sorted out C4RN1

 

I understand why you are angry about it, and rightfully so. As for asking what you should do about it? Well you did say the GTX 460M in your own words, it is better. Then just keep it and be happy if came back with a better GPU.

 

Did you receive the RMA work order when your laptop was returned?

 

Of course i did, it says replaced system board and replaced battery. That's all it says.

 

What likely happened is that the tech put a G53SW board in your G53SX. I'd check what CPU-Z has to say about the mainboard.

 

Surprisingly cpu-z says it's a g53sx board, that stumps me even more. Why would they use a gtx460m if the 560m would have worked?

 

Well, the tech who replaced the GPU probably made a mistake. It's not something that should happen, that is for sure. On the bright side, you got an older GPU that performs better.

 

This has happened to me but with RAM. I had 16gb of G.Skill ram, 4gb was swapped out for the Hynix RAM. I have been fighting ever since that happened, but I gave up, sold the RAM and REPURCHASED the G.Skill RAM.

 

Hello my name is Jeffrey and I work for ASUS Customer Loyalty Team

Sorry to hear that the repair center gave you a different version motherboard.

What is your RMA or service number that was given to you. You said you purchase this unit from ebay that the warranty will only be 90 days because your unit is refurbished.

Please email me your serial number so I can look more into detail and see if that was our mistake or not.

Please reply with reference# C1042-79. You can email me at [email protected]. ASUS strives to meet and exceeds our customer expectations within our warranty policy.

 

This kind of things happens because they swap the entire motherboard with all the components already on it. It shouldn't happen, but since it does happen sometimes, i tend to return Asus notebooks with their default config if i need to RMA.

 

Good to know, thanks.

Now I'm really nervous about getting my RMA back....

 

Well, every time i sent a notebook for RMA, i also had to fill a form listing which components were in it. If the tech does his job as he should, you'll get your hardware back the way you sent it. I personally, never had problems with my Asus RMAs. Also note that they don't automatically change the motherboard, they change it if it needs changing or if they can't find the problem.

When i RMA'ed my N50 i got a new motherboard because they couldn't pinpoint the problem i had. I also got a pretty good paste job, everything in it runs cool (for the hardware it packs)

 

I emailed cl-jeffrey with my 2 rma numbers and my case number for my missing power adapter. Hopefully something gets done fairly soon, i'm losing my patience with asus. I still haven't sent out the computer again since i've had it in my possession for just a couple days (asus has had it longer than i have). It's a pretty sad i have to send it back again. If i could talk to someone on the phone from the us that speaks english well and knows what they're doing maybe i can get somewhere.

Like i said i used the computer for about 45 mins before it bricked from the bios flash. I'm sure asus gets these all the time and they should learn how to reflash the bios to repair the motherboard instead of replacing it. It's probably more cost effective than replacing the board.

Anyway i think i'll wait till i speak to a rep before i send this computer out again.

I want to note that this computer was probably a display so it wasn't refurbished by asus or anyone else. It probably had the operating system restored from the recovery partition and sold as refurbished. It was never taken apart, it has the i7 @2.0ghz, 12gb ram, 750gb hdd and gtx560m gpu. Those are the stock specs, that's how it was sent to asus (all stock specs). The 2 year warranty started on July 2011 so the warranty expires on July 2013. There is no 90 day limitation i am aware of.

 

Well, first off, My intent isn't to hijack this thread -I'll make my own thread later after I get a hold of customer service again.

I just want to reinforce the OP's assertion regarding Asus RMA service as I just got my G74 back.

Un-flipping-believable. doesn't even cover it.

 

Was everything you had in it there at least? Most of my RMAs with Asus were in the good old 2008 days.

 

Yes, I actually sent mine in minus battery, power cord and all 2nd hdd hardware at the direction of the rep who created the RMA for me. I also reinstalled the original hdd - didn't want to chance losing my SSD.

 

ASUS states that in their RMA instruction to not include anything but stock parts since they are not liable if it gets lost. they also state to not send power cables or recovery discs.

 

Yeah i'm pretty angry about that too. The customer service rep tried to convince me that it was the dc jack and that's why it wouldn't charge. He said to pack the power adapter with the laptop so they could test it. I told him it's bricked it won't take a charge because the bios was overwritten. He argued with me that it should still be able to charge. Anyway i sent it and didn't receive it back. Oh well mason from asus will take care of it for me, i'll let you guys know how it goes. In the meantime i bought another g51vx with a bad gtx260m (got it for about $240 shipped on ebay) and it should be at my shop tomorrow morning. I'll reflow it and use it until i get my g53sx back.

 

good luck on that one! hope it works out

 

Eh i seem to have better luck fixing broken laptops than buying ones that work. Right now i own probably 12 laptops, though the one i want to use needs to go back to Asus. I didn't get any mail today so it looks like a no go on the g51vx for today, though i do have a dv9000 laying around i can reflow. Anything would be better than this little acer netbook i'm typing on right now.

The g51 will be my 4th rog laptop within a year. I think something's wrong with me.

 

LoL, I don't think it's you. I lurk at the ROG forums (saw your thread) quite a bit and there are service issues a plenty. I hope they get you squared away soon.

I almost wish their G series weren't so attractive and solid feeling, I'm afraid to buy another....

 

Actually, the last time i RMA'ed it was stated to include power adapter, battery and such. It was a while ago and RMA policies might have changed or vary be region.

 

last time i RMAed was over a year ago. The state only to send power adapter if you have power issues...forgot that part. So I guess in his situation it would call to send power adapter.

 

Still patiently waiting for my g53 to return, in the meantime i finally got the g51vx in but the idiot from ebay didn't put any padding in the box so of course the screen broke. I reflowed the board and got the computer to post, now i'm just waiting for the new screen to arrive.



I got a $50 partial refund from the seller on ebay and the new screen was only $75 shipped so it could be a lot worse.

 

Mine is going back to Asus in 2 days for another RMA.

 

Wow that's sad, i'll make sure when i get mine back everything is intact and it's transferring heat correctly. When i break my dc jack i'll just replace it myself (asus replaces the motherboard).

I think before you rma your laptop you should make a video showing what the issue is and how to duplicate it. I know i have a hard time when a friend of a friend brings in their computer and has no idea what's wrong with it. Could be a similar issue, i have to give asus some credit though. Guessing by your description i would guess your issue is caused from faulty video ram. You can run a video test off the hirens boot disc to see if it will error out.

 

hey if you fix the DC issue on your own make sure you make a how to..many people are currently toast with this laptop. I thought tijo said it wasn't fixable on your own...like the whole MB had to be replace no matter what. Also remember lemon laws. You might be able to get a free upgrade to a new system before warranty is up so you dont have to worry 6 months past warranty your screwed

 

I will do all my repairs personally. I am learning how to solder charger ports and the like soon at work, and if my jack goes out, I can solder a new one my self no more RMA, as well as any issue with the GPU or motherboard I will save up for a new one and get it. Screw ASUS(with these laptops I like their other products still). Fight ASUS to the death and get what you want, it is unacceptable that the RMA techs at the center are either so full of work they don't have time to check, or are handling everything crappy along with ASUS being a see no evil monkey.

 

Pretty much to replace dc jacks i destroy what's left and pull them piece by piece.

The first thing i do is add heat and new solder to the joint, the flux in the solder helps renew the old solder and helps distribute the heat. The next thing i do is take my wire cutters and try to separate the damaged jack into pieces that i can get a hold of with a pair of pliars. Then i'll heat the solder joint and wiggle the pins that go through the holes in the board. Once they're out i use desolder braid to clean up the holes. I then use contact cleaner to clean the burnt flux off the board and then i line up the new dc jack and solder in opposite corners to make sure the jack is mounted correctly. Then i solder the remaining pins.

Here's what it should look like when it's cleaned out.



The jacks for the g53 series are similar to the pic above and they should be fairly easy to remove.

Here's a link for an ebay auction.

OEM AC DC Motherboard Mount Power Jack Plug Replacement Connector Asus G53JW-3DE | eBay

I'll do a tutorial when i have to replace my dc jack, but it's pretty much all the same.

If you want to look at more dc jacks i've repaired you can check the folder on my photobucket.

dc jack repair pictures by Carnifreekshow - Photobucket

Xbox 360 ports are a different procedure though, i use a hot air solder rework machine for that because i have to pull the port as a whole.

xbox 360 port replacement pictures by Carnifreekshow - Photobucket

Anyway feel free to message me if you have any questions

 

Thanks for the link to Hiren's - great tool.

I ran several video tests including using the Hiren's CD and VMT and it's odd, no errors at all. Even with furmark beating the heck out of it lol. I thought it was the VRAM for sure, now I'm wondering if it isn't the GPU itself.

Yet when I fire up a game I get this.


Similar results in several other games about 50% of the time.

If they don't fix it this time I'll just find a board and do it myself.

 

Just wanted to let everyone know.

I received my laptop at the end of the week and have tested it thoroughly and there's absolutely nothing wrong. Mason from asus's customer loyalty team took care of me and made sure everything was perfect in the end.

I now have a brand new motherboard and a brand new gtx560m. After i tested everything i did a clean install with a high quality ssd i bought for a desktop build and i couldn't be happier. Windows boots in about 10 seconds and everything works as it should.

Here's a screenshot


The only problem i had was with the atk keyboard backlight driver, only because i installed 08 instead of 10. They must have forgot to code the "lights off button" in version 8.

I hope everyone has a similar experience as me if they have had a fluke in their rma. The customer loyalty team is probably the best thing about asus.

 

Good to hear C4RN1!

I have great news on mine as well. Scott from Asus jumped in on my RMA, monitoring everything and offering tips. Asus received my laptop 1030am July 25th and it was back out the door Thursday July 26th on it' way to me with a new system board and a new hard drive. Thoroughly tested in several games, movies etc and it's sweeter than it's ever been from day one.

Kudos and thanks to Scott@Asus and to the tech who repaired my laptop. Not a screw out of place and looking showroom new.

The old man is a happy camper again.