defective DS Lites, cracked hinges, Nintendo "recall" and roker's DS Lite

[roker]

you know

out of the blue

I was playing a DS game, and I clamped down the cover. Then there, right in front of me on the right hinge was a crack

purely cosmetic

but it kind of pisses me off being that I've taken great care of the system

so I'm looking at IGN and see this article:

http://ds.ign.com/articles/719/719927p1.html

Nintendo Responds to DS Cracks:
Physical cracks are popping up on DS Lite hinges, and the company offers its official statement.

July 20, 2006 - Grab your Nintendo DS Lite. Go on, we'll wait. Close the system and look on the back, and focus on the hinges that connect the upper half to the lower half. If you see a physical cracking, you're among a growing minority of Nintendo DS Lite users who have discovered a slight defect in the system.

The defect isn't detrimental to the enjoyment of DS gaming, and in fact it doesn't look like the crack does anything but put a blemish on your system's sleek exterior. At IGN, we have several DS Lite systems from the Japan, US, and European release. Only one of these units has the crack defect.


The crack defect will appear on one of the edge hinge connectors (right).
Still, this appearance is steadily making gamers uneasy, and it's a problem that's risen so much in the past few days that Nintendo of America has issued a statement concerning the problem:

"In the U.S., the reported number of small cosmetic cracks in the plastic hinge of DS Lite systems represents less than 0.02 percent of the total units sold. This cosmetic issue in no way impacts the gameplay or integrity of the DS Lite. Nintendo stands behind the quality of our products and encourages DS Lite owners to contact our Customer Service Department if they are not happy with the functionality of their systems."

Nintendo can be contacted at 1-800-255-3700.

 

[CarlosZ]

heard nintendo doesn't really care because it isn't a grand scale issue. I'm sure if people start noticing, so will nintendo. And I think that if you call nintendo you get charged for a replacement ds or something like that.

 

[roker]

heard nintendo doesn't really care because it isn't a grand scale issue. I'm sure if people start noticing, so will nintendo. And I think that if you call nintendo you get charged for a replacement ds or something like that.

I'm probably going to give them shit

and if they won't replace it for free

I'll use my BB warranty


but I honestly don't plan on doing that

since I expect a free replacement hinge

 

[abdul]

"and encourages DS Lite owners to contact our Customer Service Department if they are not happy with the functionality of their systems."


Pretty much a deft way of saying that we are not gonna replace the cracks since they are only cosmetic.

Imo, thats absurd. The system hasnt been out for more than a month. I know there are gonna be problems, but they have to think about the customers who just payed $130 for their product.

This has to be super aggrevating to all the people who take great care of their handhelds. I would be fuckin pissed if I bought a dorky case and all for my ds, and it still got damaged because of shitty manufacturing. They need to offer a replacement( especially for all the little kids whose parents are too cheap to get warrenty's)

Now, back to Meteos( thanks circut city)

 

[roker]

"and encourages DS Lite owners to contact our Customer Service Department if they are not happy with the functionality of their systems."


Pretty much a deft way of saying that we are not gonna replace the cracks since they are only cosmetic.

really?

I took it more as a silent recall, the same way Sony did with their PS2

that's how I got a PS2 in the first place

My cousin gave me his old one (after he bought a new one to replace it)

after a bit of complaining, they agreed to fix it for free

now I know the DS lite is only cosmetic

but I have a wierd feeling that if you complain enough, they'll be quick to remedy the situation

 

[abdul]

really?

I took it more as a silent recall, the same way Sony did with their PS2

that's how I got a PS2 in the first place

My cousin gave me his old one (after he bought a new one to replace it)

after a bit of complaining, they agreed to fix it for free

now I know the DS lite is only cosmetic

but I have a wierd feeling that if you complain enough, they'll be quick to remedy the situation

well i am just talking out of my ass lol, but it certainly sounds like it. They mention that the cosmetic damage doesnt do anything to the gameplay, and then say we will help if it has functionality issues.

anyway, its good that you bought a warrenty; I didnt with psp, and boy did i learn

 

[roker]

well i am just talking out of my ass lol

you might be right

I'll find out tomorrow

but I sure as fuck ain't going to call to tell the rep I'm having a great time

 

[Zenimus]

Hmmmm... you know, I never noticed it before, but my DS Lite seems to have this crack as well. It's only on the right hinge.

When you close the DS, you can see the crack open up slightly. I hope that doesn't mean it's gonna get worse over time...

 

[gamejunkie]

I think Nintendo is trying to play it down in a major way. Check this out:

http://www.maxconsole.net/?mode=news&newsid=8632

Hi, kero again. Went to Nintendo World store in NYC with some friends. ( http://www.nintendoworldstore.com/ ) I took a look at the DS lite demo models. It wasn't shocking to see that 6 or 7 of the 8 DS lites on the center table had the cracks. Two had a developing or hairline crack while the others had the full blown crack.

 

[hanafuda]

Anyone got a photo of the cracks?

I use my Lite practically every day, but don't see any cracks.

I did check out a brand new pink DS Lite on Friday, and it had a dead pixel I love my Lite, and am already lined up for a second one, but they really need to sort that dead pixel thing.

 

[kernow]

Dead pixels are the fault of the lcd company

you make 1000's of screens, you get dead pixels on some.

*shrug*

 

[hanafuda]

Dead pixels are the fault of the lcd company

you make 1000's of screens, you get dead pixels on some.

*shrug*

If they can make the displays without dead pixels though, then there is no excuse for using displays that do have them. Surely these should be held back at quality control. It's not like they are difficult to spot.

So far I have purchased three DSs of various types, and all have been fine, but when my colleague showed me her brand new pink Lite with the flaw, I was kind of surprised. Sure, just one isn't critical, but it would annoy the hell out of me if it was my DS...

I'm now slightly worried about the fate of my FFIII DS Lite...

 

[subbie]

Anyone got a photo of the cracks?

I use my Lite practically every day, but don't see any cracks.

I did check out a brand new pink DS Lite on Friday, and it had a dead pixel I love my Lite, and am already lined up for a second one, but they really need to sort that dead pixel thing.

How was the pink ds. did it look nice?

 

[bokmeow]

Yeah, I think it would be slightly irritating, but at least my DS-Lite has no stuck red pixels.

 

[hanafuda]

How was the pink ds. did it look nice?

It looked OK, but to be honest it had a kind of cheap look to it.

 

[roker]

well, I called them

and like I thought, they're willing to fix it for free

the rep offered to send me a prepaid padded envelope so I can send it in

that's even better than the deal I got from Sony (I had to pay for shipping)

just thought I'd give a heads up

 

[bokmeow]

well, I called them

and like I thought, they're willing to fix it for free

the rep offered to send me a prepaid padded envelope so I can send it in

that's even better than the deal I got from Sony (I had to pay for shipping)

just thought I'd give a heads up

Word up. I called up Nintendo to explain the DS-Lite Ac adaptor buzzing and these power surges I experienced and the DS-Lite that seemed to never stop charging. They said they'd pay for UPS shipping my package, it got to one of the satellite location in like 3, 4 days, and they swapped out both my AC adaptor and my DS-Lite for pfhree, turn around was like 24 hours, amazing.

Nintendo owns me for pfhree.

 

[abdul]

well, I called them

and like I thought, they're willing to fix it for free

the rep offered to send me a prepaid padded envelope so I can send it in

that's even better than the deal I got from Sony (I had to pay for shipping)

just thought I'd give a heads up

Nintendo owns for that alone

 

[ulasamosa]

good to see the Big N helping out its true fans with good support...lord knows most companies dont give 2 shits about the consumer so long as they open up their wallets....hats off to Nintendo

 

[meanbean]

Well, it looks as if I am also affected by the cracked hinge problem. The unit is only 1 month old and is very muched babied and has never been dropped. Calling Nintendo up to actually get a live person took 7 tries before I could get routed outside of their automated answering system. I was put on hold after that for ~3 minutes. My Rep, Sue, was very pleasant and answered all my questions politely and clearly. I was given 2 options for warranty repair.

1) Have a pre paid shipping label and box sent to me so that I can have my unit sent back to them for repair. Estimate total time until I would receive my unit back would be 3 weeks. Cost to me for this option is $0.

2) Have an advanced replacement unit shipped to me via UPS 2-day air. I send back my unit to them in the same packaging received and use the pre-paid shipping label. Cost to me is $5 for the 2-day air shipping. Payment is via credit card.

I ended up going with option 2. $5 is not that much and the replacement unit is given 1 year warranty beginning the day of receipt. Overall, I am quite pleased with the way Nintendo has chosen to handle this issue and would hope other companies follow their example.

 

[meanbean]

I just wanted to provide an update on my replacement. I have recently received my replacement DS Lite from Nintendo. The unit received has been tested to be 100% working with no cosmetic faults and no dead pixels. I was informed that the unit is refurbished but it looks and operates like a brand new unit. The return instructions provided were very clear and easy to understand. As stated, a prepaid packing label was provided with the replacement unit and the packaging received was to be reused. I have since dropped off the package at a UPS Store for return shipping. I called their customer service and confirmed that drop off is the only option and that UPS pick up charge is not covered by the service. While the return package is sent via UPS Ground, they allow 21 days for it to reach them. Once they have scanned the barcode on the package upon receiving it, my credit card is only charged the $5 shipping and not the full cost of a new DS-Lite replacement. IMHO, Nintendo's Customer Service on this issue has been excellent. I would recommend all those who have this crack hinge problem to not hesitate in calling Nintendo. I have never really liked Nintendo all that much in the past but they are now tops in my book. I will definately be purchasing more products from Nintendo in the future. (Can you say Wii?)