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ASUS Sucks!

If you're thinking about buying an ASUS product, I implore you to think again.

Last October, my brother and I bought an ASUS table for my mother on her birthday. We went to Best Buy with the idea of getting her a Samsung or ipad, but the salesperson insisted that we look at the ASUS Transformer tablet. It seemed great, and, according to the sales clerk, was the best tablet on the market. Furthermore, it was cheaper than the other brands, so we were pleased walking out of the store!

The euphoria didn’t last long however. Not long after my mom got it, a rather large spidery cracked formed on the top left-hand side of the tablet. My mother claimed that it happened from the pressure of her thumb when pulling it out the recharger. For a few weeks, she kept quiet about it out of embarrassment, as she felt she was at fault.
When she finally told me, I though it peculiar that it cracked so easily. I have an ipad2 that ended up being none worse for wear after accidentally dropping it a few times. I can image that at some point or another, most people will experience some form of accident, especially considering that these tablets are fairly small and light. So, in essence, one would think that most companies would develop tablets that are fairly strong and durable. In fact, ASUS boasts that their screens are made with Corning Gorilla Glass. After viewing the promotional youtube video of this product (How tough is Corning® Gorilla® Glass 2? Corning puts it to the test. - YouTube), one is left with the impression that even Superman would have problems shattering the stuff. But alas, there we were with a useless, almost new, broken-screened tablet.

After doing some searching about the product on the internet, I felt a glimmer of hope that we could get the product repaired at no cost. See, according to numerous people on various sites, it appears that there was defect in the tablet, specifically in serial numbers which completely fell in line with the one purchased for my mother. Seems the cracks always formed in the top left-hand side of the defective tablets. So playing that new found angle, I contacted the company with strong hopes.

I was advised to fill out a form describing the damage and to package it up and mail it to a repair office in Texas. I was told that they would determine how the damage was done and get back to me. So I placed the tablet in its original box, wrapped it in bubble wrap, and place it in a much bigger box filled with Styrofoam peanuts. Cost for shipping? $30. Steep but worth it, I naively thought.

Three weeks pass and I heard nothing. Zip. Nada. Then, in the middle of February, while on vacation on London, I received an email from an ASUS repair department in …drumroll please… Markham, Ontario. WTH? According to their ‘experts,’ it turns out the cracked glass was my mother’s fault. To make matters worse, there was a problem with the casing too. I don’t remember that issue, so I asked for reference photos as well as an answer to why I was dealing with someone less than 500 kms away instead of Texas, where the tablet was originally shipped. Aside from an apology for the shipping mistake, this is what I got:


Photo #1
CAF3320318_2.jpg
Huh? That does not look familiar at all.

Photo #2
CAF3320318_3.jpg
WTF? Now I know for sure this is wrong. Did they get my mom’s tablet mixed up with another?



Photo #3
CAF3320318_4.jpg
I guess not, as I do recognize this, though the damage looks worse. Jeepers, what in the heck happened to it???

I was then told I had 48 hours to inform them what I wanted done. I had to wait almost a month, big deal, but golly-geez-darn, a big deadline was slapped on little ole me! Being in London, with another 5 days to go, I was put in a pickle to say the least. Luckily, because of the extra damage (that sounds kind of weird, doesn’t it?), they decided to give me some extra time and wait until I got home. “How very kind,” I sarcastically muttered to myself.
I was hoping I had been careful enough to have taken some photos of the tablet before sending (I honestly could not remember). Unfortunately, I did not. I searched my camera and computer valiantly, to no avail. I did, however, have a copy of the write-up (a description of the damage, in my words) that I had included in the sent original package. Nowhere did I mention the damage to the bottom right-hand side.

“How did it happen?” I thought to myself.

The way I had packaged the box in the original delivery, there was no way any further damage happened on its way to Texas. Even if the UPS guys decided to use it as a football and spike it after every touchdown, that tablet was going to be safe from further harm. So, it either happened at the Texas office, when it was re-shipped to Markham, or, in Markham.

When I brought it up to the customer representative in Markham when I got back to Canadian soil, she claimed she didn’t know anything about the extra damage. She then abruptly asked me if I was willing to go ahead with the almost $300 repair cost. I asked if they were willing to take responsibility for at least half of the damage (because of the defect, I was hoping for all, but at that point, I was willing to negotiate). She said she’d talk to her manager.

She got back to me the next day and said they were willing to knock off $7, the cost of the new casing. What a joke. So I told them I was not happy and extremely unhappy with the way everything was handled.

“Ship it back to me, unrepaired,” I told her.

So now, I have this useless tablet still sitting in the packaging. It was like I took $450 bucks and flushed it down a toilet. After speaking to a few IT people at work, they opined that ASUS has traditionally made substandard products. Sigh… I wish I would have consulted with them beforehand, but at least I know now to never buy any of their products again. And I will make damn sure my family/friends/colleagues know too.
 
That completely sucks, MG. That's a horrible experience with both the inconveniences and costs.

So, you believe that the damaged table wasn't your moms? Sounds like totally irresponsible people involved. Not only irresponsible, but possibly dishonest.

Doing business with any electronic company seems to put consumers at risk of just being screwed. We all see nightmare stories with a lot of manufacturers or retailers. And I've been the victim of these folks a few times in my life. Well, not with ASUS, but others.


The above said...you're gonna hate my comment. I recently bought an ASUS router. In fact, the very best that they manufacture. When I installed it, the router frequently dropped the bandwidth. I called tech support and they diligently talked me through various configurations, which should have resolved the problem. They simply didn't.

Long story, short...

ASUS sent me a new router within a week. From the experience I went through with Tech Support...I reconfigured the router in a slightly different way than the first time. Not sure it would make any difference in the outcome, but I did so anyway.

Welp, I'm up and running with high performance service from my router. It's better than it's ever been and I had a really good router. There were a couple of reason I replaced the router we had was that we did an addition to our home and unfortunately...I didn't have coax installed in the walls to extend the areas where I could do place the router, which would provide service every where.

Now, I could have opted with getting a wireless range extender. But I also wanted better streaming abilities from my internet to my television. The router I had just wasn't providing the transmission I needed to achieve that.

Hopefully it continues to perform like it currently is. If it doesn't make it...well, it'll be just another electronic company who doesn't meet the standard that they advertise.

Sorry that you had that experience.

Respectfully,

RM
 
I'm glad it worked out for you. Dealing with their customer service was a complete nightmare for me.

Yes, the damaged tablet was my mom's, but at first I didn't recognize it because they had damaged it further (see pic 1 and 2).

Thx for the feedback!
 
I've also sworn off Asus products. I've had nothing but HORRIBLE experiences as well. My laptop began falling apart after about 2 months, literally falling apart into pieces. My brother in law's laptop did the same.

Dealing with their customer support is also HORRIBLE. Their alleged international warranty isn't international. I lived in Germany and had to send it back to the states.

Horrible people, horrible products.
 
In the past, I have bought a couple of motherboards for desktops that I built, which was manufactured by ASUS. They were pretty easy to work with in that the circuitry connectors, card slots, and sockets for specific hardware such as drives, sound and graphic boards, etc...were very accessible. I never had problems so consequently that had some bearing my purchasing the router.

I admit that when I initially called tech support regarding the bandwidth drop problem it took awhile as the "first tech" I spoke with couldn't figure the problem out, knew he was stumped, and had to escalate the issue to a higher level tech. Now that was time consuming. But the second guy I spoke with was thorough and fast at working through some fundamental configuration, which clued him to the fact that the router itself just wasn't functioning properly rather than a simple configuration issue.

And as I said, the guy was prompt in getting a new router headed my way.

The only thing I don't like about the router is that it seems to me...its overly hot. Now I've had hot running electronics before and for the most part I don't think it's been a direct problem. But I'm a little concerned that it'll effect the life of the router. I have a metal ventilated stand where the router sits so I think that'll take away my mental concerns anyway.

The first router I got ran hot, too. I did bring that issue up to the 2nd tech and he said that, yes, they tend to run hot, but that there's been no issues linked to safety problems.

And I may wind up like you and RA...and have a bad product.

RA...sorry about your laptop problems.

We've all become "addicted" to our electronics whether we want to admit it or not. And when they don't work...it makes my hair stand up straight.

MG, I have a couple of iPads...one of which is an iPad 2. The iPad 2 had a strange problem in that it wouldn't shutdown. I just couldn't turn it off. I took it in to Apple. They said..and it really pissed me off...that apparently I spilled some inside the battery recharge connection socket. They showed me a lacquer looking substance inside the socket that was very uniformly covering the outer edge and interior part of the socket.

I said to the Apple guy, "BULL****"! I've never exposed it to any substance that would do what you just showed me. I said if that's what I DID...then show me any evidence of a substance of any kind on or around the area on the cover because I purchased and your people put the cover on the day I bought the iPad and I haven't taken it off.

The guy saw I wasn't gonna walk away without a resolve. He got me another...ran the iCloud restore, then I fine tuned it on iTunes when I got home. So you just can't rely on any electronics place. As I said before, I've gone through problems with several electronic people.

MG...good luck!

Respectfully,

RM
 
Yo that sucks dude. I hate it when IT companies act all stupid and don't try to fix your stuff. >:l

Thanks for the tip, by the way to avoid ASUS.

My advice is this: Call up the President or the regional manager or something of the company and explain to him the situation. My mom has done stuff like that in the past and seen awesome results. You said that that tablet cost $450 so if I were you, I'd be willing to go in on ASUS and see if I could get a new tablet.
 
Have you tried talking to Best Buy about your unhappy experience?
 
Asuce sucks, of course.
Seriously I hear they make good motherboads, but they're abit expensive.
Sorry I don't know much about the subject, but you've got a pretty profile pick!
 
ASUS used to only manufacture motherboards for pc manufacturers. Dell predominantly at first. Then they got into selling their own name brand boards and from there got into other equipment including laptops.. Sadly I have heard some bad things about their quality and reliability since their expansion. But I have to say almost every modern laptop made has dropped in sturdy construction over the last 5 years or more. They keep going cheaper on the materials to sell them at a low enough price.
 
Wow, that sucks. But I have to say, my own experience is very contrary to this.

I have an Asus Slider (same specs as the original Transformer, only without the extra battery and a permanently docked keyboard). My first one acquired some battery damage from a faulty pin in the charger.

I got a full refund. I walked away with an extra 80 bucks, because I replaced it with the floor model that was on sale at Microcenter. That was over a year ago. Still works great.

I've had a few other Asus products, and they all worked great.

It's hard in a lot of cases of damage when the source is either disputed, or you just wind up getting a bad rep. That can happen anywhere, unfortunately. The system at large is not customer-friendly. But just offering my counter experience.
 
Removable Mind;bt2337 said:
In the past, I have bought a couple of motherboards for desktops that I built, which was manufactured by ASUS. They were pretty easy to work with in that the circuitry connectors, card slots, and sockets for specific hardware such as drives, sound and graphic boards, etc...were very accessible. I never had problems so consequently that had some bearing my purchasing the router.

I admit that when I initially called tech support regarding the bandwidth drop problem it took awhile as the "first tech" I spoke with couldn't figure the problem out, knew he was stumped, and had to escalate the issue to a higher level tech. Now that was time consuming. But the second guy I spoke with was thorough and fast at working through some fundamental configuration, which clued him to the fact that the router itself just wasn't functioning properly rather than a simple configuration issue.

And as I said, the guy was prompt in getting a new router headed my way.

The only thing I don't like about the router is that it seems to me...its overly hot. Now I've had hot running electronics before and for the most part I don't think it's been a direct problem. But I'm a little concerned that it'll effect the life of the router. I have a metal ventilated stand where the router sits so I think that'll take away my mental concerns anyway.

The first router I got ran hot, too. I did bring that issue up to the 2nd tech and he said that, yes, they tend to run hot, but that there's been no issues linked to safety problems.

And I may wind up like you and RA...and have a bad product.

RA...sorry about your laptop problems.

We've all become "addicted" to our electronics whether we want to admit it or not. And when they don't work...it makes my hair stand up straight.

MG, I have a couple of iPads...one of which is an iPad 2. The iPad 2 had a strange problem in that it wouldn't shutdown. I just couldn't turn it off. I took it in to Apple. They said..and it really pissed me off...that apparently I spilled some inside the battery recharge connection socket. They showed me a lacquer looking substance inside the socket that was very uniformly covering the outer edge and interior part of the socket.

I said to the Apple guy, "BULL****"! I've never exposed it to any substance that would do what you just showed me. I said if that's what I DID...then show me any evidence of a substance of any kind on or around the area on the cover because I purchased and your people put the cover on the day I bought the iPad and I haven't taken it off.

The guy saw I wasn't gonna walk away without a resolve. He got me another...ran the iCloud restore, then I fine tuned it on iTunes when I got home. So you just can't rely on any electronics place. As I said before, I've gone through problems with several electronic people.

MG...good luck!

Respectfully,

RM

At least Apple did replace your ipad. With ASUS, even when they have admitted a defect in the model and even when they have further damaged my Transformer pad, they still won't cut me a break. Absolutely horrible customer service.
 
At least Apple did replace your ipad. With ASUS, even when they have admitted a defect in the model and even when they have further damaged my Transformer pad, they still won't cut me a break. Absolutely horrible customer service.
 
Mr. Invisible;bt2338 said:
Yo that sucks dude. I hate it when IT companies act all stupid and don't try to fix your stuff. >:l

Thanks for the tip, by the way to avoid ASUS.

My advice is this: Call up the President or the regional manager or something of the company and explain to him the situation. My mom has done stuff like that in the past and seen awesome results. You said that that tablet cost $450 so if I were you, I'd be willing to go in on ASUS and see if I could get a new tablet.

Yeah, I did think of that. Maybe I will... stay tuned.
 
paris;bt2343 said:
Asuce sucks, of course.
Seriously I hear they make good motherboads, but they're abit expensive.
Sorry I don't know much about the subject, but you've got a pretty profile pick!

Ah, thank you. If I am even in Paris, I'll make sure to buy you a nice glass of French wine. :)
 
gslack;bt2344 said:
ASUS used to only manufacture motherboards for pc manufacturers. Dell predominantly at first. Then they got into selling their own name brand boards and from there got into other equipment including laptops.. Sadly I have heard some bad things about their quality and reliability since their expansion. But I have to say almost every modern laptop made has dropped in sturdy construction over the last 5 years or more. They keep going cheaper on the materials to sell them at a low enough price.

Speaking to the IT staff here, they have pretty much echoed what you said, though they stressed you get what you pay for. ASUS makes the cheapest tablet both monetarily and in quality.
 
SmokeAndMirrors;bt2346 said:
Wow, that sucks. But I have to say, my own experience is very contrary to this.

I have an Asus Slider (same specs as the original Transformer, only without the extra battery and a permanently docked keyboard). My first one acquired some battery damage from a faulty pin in the charger.

I got a full refund. I walked away with an extra 80 bucks, because I replaced it with the floor model that was on sale at Microcenter. That was over a year ago. Still works great.

I've had a few other Asus products, and they all worked great.

It's hard in a lot of cases of damage when the source is either disputed, or you just wind up getting a bad rep. That can happen anywhere, unfortunately. The system at large is not customer-friendly. But just offering my counter experience.


I have tried to make this right, but from the get-go, they have not been very cooperative. If it wasn't the wrong shipping address that could have saved me $25.00, it was the fact that they DID NOT ADMIT to me that their tablets have a defect. Pathetic. I will not put up with that and this is why I took the time to warm others. I'm glad that things have worked out for you. I fully realize that for all companies, some customers fall through the cracks ('scuse the play on words), but in my case, they have really ****ed things up.
 
Tell them they lost a costumer. You should try Costco if they're up there. They provide direct support for computers and TVs.
 
They make excellent motherboards but as said above they should have stuck with what they are best at.
 
If I were you, Middleground, I'd go to every consumer complaint forum and website on the internet and tell your story. No company likes bad publicity and the internet is good for getting satisfaction when companies fail to make good on their products.
 
Ive known people that have had very good experiences with ASUS products...some...not so good. When I was in the military and in the ME we ordered 60 desktops from them. About a third of them worked. Over a third of them had ribbon cables and components that were just stuck inside the shell.

Sorry to hear about your mothers troubles. Sometimes those Big Box stores with no questions asked replacement guarantees are the way to go.
 
I have my own horror story with the Asus Transformer Tablet. I bought one early last year as a treat, and a few days after the 90 day warranty expired, it refused to turn on, no matter how long I charged it. I went through all the tech support, troubleshooting tutorials, etc. Long story shorty, I now use it as coffee coaster.
 
Amadeus;bt2360 said:
I have my own horror story with the Asus Transformer Tablet. I bought one early last year as a treat, and a few days after the 90 day warranty expired, it refused to turn on, no matter how long I charged it. I went through all the tech support, troubleshooting tutorials, etc. Long story shorty, I now use it as coffee coaster.

That totally sucks. You must of had a lemon, because most internet ASUS horror stories deal with cracked screens.
 
Middleground;bt2335 said:
I'm glad it worked out for you. Dealing with their customer service was a complete nightmare for me.

Yes, the damaged tablet was my mom's, but at first I didn't recognize it because they had damaged it further (see pic 1 and 2).

Thx for the feedback!


I'm sitting at my Asus right now with an add on key board because the one on the lap top never worked and Asus would never fix it.
 
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