Complaint Review: Asus - Nationwide

In the beginning of 2016 I purchased an Asus G20AJ Republic of Gamers All-in-One gaming pc through Amazon.com. It was a fantastic pc. Fast, responsive, pretty. I loved my computer. I'm a blacksmith by trade (self taught) and had decided to try my hand at professional streaming. I upgraded my pc with windows 10 (I actually like windows 10). About a month later it started acting a little weird (sluggish when turning on among other things). Then a week or two after that the graphics card s**t the bed. I would turn the computer on and the fan would start going a mile a minute but not show a picture on the monitor. Chime in Asus repair.

First I tried calling customer support. The person who answered was either very bad at speaking english or had a HORRIBLE microphone. So instead of frustrating them and myself, I decided to contact Asus LiveChat Support. This time I got somebody doing their job and understanding what i was saying. I was able to get the problem across no problem. They were professional and quick to respond with solutions. In the end we determined it needed to be sent in for repairs. I also made it clear to the livechat rep that this pc was not used as a gaming pc but was actually a streaming pc for a home run business. It was urgent that it be repaired quickly. The rep agreed and noted it in the file. At this point I felt everything was going good and there was nothing amiss (So I wasn't documenting things. I was trusting the company to uphold their responsibilities). So I sent my G20AJ (cost me $100 to ship it out) to the Asus facility in California.

It was there for about a week then shipped back.

Here is where things start truly going wrong.. Upon receiving my pc I (as you would imagine) opened the pristine shipping box (no scratches, bumps, dents, etc..). Inside the pc was packed with reinforced foam and plastic air filled tubes. I could have kicked it across the room and would have been fine. On the invoice it informed me that the pc broke because I installed windows 10 on it (i still find this hard to believe) and reinstalled windows 8.1. I thought it was weird but accepted it seeing how I had my "fixed" pc back. I plugged in the power supply.. no problem. I then went to plug in my brand new hdmi cord but it felt tight (after only a millimeter) so I proceeded to pull it out for inspection. It was then that the tab on the inside of the port snapped off into the hdmi cable (I was gentle. It’s a $1000 pc after all). I was dismayed. Before calling Asus I checked the cord on an old pc and it worked perfectly. LiveChat here we come..

I was upset but still keeping my cool (which I've continued to do). This time I told the agent I wanted a refund. I couldn't continue this path. I needed to work. I needed to be able to feed my family (I am a father). I was then told that since I had purchased my pc through Amazon I couldn't get a refund (I was bummed but I understood). I then asked for a replacement (or the same specs just in a larger tower so I could replace my own broken parts. The agent then told me that I would receive an email (take note) later that day in regards to my request. I was displeased, but what do I do at this point? I was issued another RMA# with a shipping slip so I wouldn't have to pay again (I still had to pay $30 to have it packed). The chat agent was professional, responsive and helpful. After getting off the chat, I still felt that things were being handled.

I couldn't keep doing this so I broke down and borrowed money from family to get a backup pc that didn't quite do what I need. But I could hobble along (though I was still sinking). On July 25th at 10:10 p.m. I missed a phone call from Maurice (Asus Agent) in regards to a pc replacement (as a telemarketer in my twenty's I was taught that it was illegal to contact somebody in a business manner before 9a.m. and after 9p.m. without their consent. which they did not have). I know this because he left a voicemail. He also told me to call them back seeing how I missed the call. He did not provide a phone number or any way to reach him. Having sent in my pc yet again, it was a couple weeks before I saw it again. When it arrived (by now I was getting paranoid and started documenting things with screenshots) I inspected the box carefully (in which all was in order once again) and opened it. All looked good. It was my beast of a pc.

Power cord, check.

Keyboard in a front usb, Check (mouse was hooked to the keyboard).

Ethernet, check.

Hdmi- CHECK!!

I power on the pc and everything lights up!!! Then I notice, it’s in diagnostic mode. Weird. I set things back to normal (still hyped that I got the pc and it was on) then I remembered that I had a cool-looking Asus keyboard that went with the pc. So I unplug my main keyboard and decide to go through a usb port in the back. As soon as the (mint) usb plug touched the port it felt wrong. I remember uttering the words "no not again". I carefully pulled and I heard a tink and the piece broke. Only this time there was a sizzle noise and everything went black. I knew the motherboard was fried. The wires had to have touched and the pc was on. I freaked!

This time when I contacted livechat it was hard to stay cool (had to step away from the pc at least once to calm down). Again, the livechat agent (Christine D) went above and beyond (as far as I'm concerned). I started things out rough. I warned her that I was a very very angry customer and that Asus was endangering my way of life. I was distraught (even now.. every time I type a word like distraught.. I think about all this and I fight back tears unsuccessfully). She waited while I stepped away to cool down. She got the new RMA# set up. She listened when I told her I don't want this computer anymore. She remained professional while I quietly broke down. She told me that though she couldn't tell me WHAT pc I was getting she had sent things along to the people who could and they would be in touch very soon. I got off the chat cool and calm but worn out.

This time I waited. after a couple days of hearing nothing I contacted them to ask what was happening and what I was going to get as a replacement pc. This time the livechat agent (Shadeene R.) was professional and to the point. She told me that I wouldn't be contacted until I sent in my pc. This was a short chat experience.

With no other choice.. I sent in my pc a 3rd time to their California location. Again it cost me $30 to have it packed. This time I watched it jump from place to place across the country.. I'm watching my future as a pro stream zig zag back and forth. Finally it was delivered.

Just so you know,when you send something to Asus for repair, they have 3 business days to get back to you.

Day 3 in Asus's hands… nothing.

Day 4... Nothing...

Day 5... I'm ready to explode. Helloooooo livechat.

This time Marlon S. on server 2 answered the line (it will be awhile before I forget this hopefully ex-asus agent). Marlon said hello and asked for a moment to review my information. I took this time to start typing what I knew would take me a little bit. About 90 seconds into typing Marlon closed the chat and banned my homes network from accessing Asus Livechat support. At the time I didn't realize what had happened. I thought there was an error. So I tried my phone and still couldn’t get through. Then I thought about it for a moment and decided to try again with my wifi off. bingo!! I'm in. And guess who shows up again. Marlon S.!!! This time there was no greeting. Five seconds in... closed chat and my phone is banned. I exploded!!!!! I started pacing back and forth around my backyard cursing under my breath. This was horrible. I'm approaching destitution and now things are happening that I'm having a hard time believing. How could a company di this to a customer?!?!?!? During these months dealing with Asus's inability to (at the least) hire a good repair team, I've poured every penny into building a workshop and smithy (blacksmiths workshop). I've built a film studio. All for a pc and a career that I'm now feeling like I'm never going to see.

At this point I'm at wits end. I call customer support (I don't like talking to support on the phone because they rarely listen to me or understand what I'm saying) and demand a supervisor. I believe my words were "You don't get paid enough to deal with how pissed off I am!" He went from broken english to perfect enunciation instantly. He also transferred me to a supervisor (Chris S.). I was grinding my teeth to keep from yelling at this guy (and he took it well). I told him everything. He apologized for my experiences and said he would personally handle my case. He also told me he would put a rush on things (I'm starting to think they are trained to say this). I mention lawyers and the Better Business Bureau. I also inform him (like everybody else at this point) that they are being recorded for my safety. I think they start realizing that I'm not f**king around. I tell Chris that I want to talk to a decision maker. Chris tells me that he has marked it in my file and sent the message along. He also lets me know that he will call me personally the next day with updates (which he did).

Almost moments after getting off the phone, I get an email from Asus repair. They wanted to inform me that the pc had a fried motherboard and it wasn't covered under warranty and I had to pay $600 to fix it. So much for feeling put at ease..

Though Chris wasn't able to do much he did send the message along.

A few days later I get an unexpected phone call (at an appropriate time) by a very nice lady (with the air of "I can fire people" about her). Like I said, it was unexpected so I was unable to record it (I still told her it was being recorded). I told her everything to that point. Not only did she sound embarrassed and angry that her company would do that to one of their customers. She assured me this would be handled very quickly. I told her that I didn't want the G20AJ anymore. It’s been too much trouble. I told her I wanted an upgrade at this point. At the very least I wanted a machine of equal power but in a full-sized tower so (like I said earlier) I could fix it myself and I wanted it to have Windows 10 (because that’s where they say all this started). She agrees and say I will be issued a proper replacement. She also promised that at the very least she would make sure that Marlon S. would be handle accordingly. See how she sounded like she meant business. I made sure to tell her ALL the employees who DID THEIR JOB RIGHT!! I didn't want the wrong people punished or retrained. When the call was over I broke down. I cried for a good 20 minutes. I imagine it was an interesting site- full grown man with horns sticking out of his head covered in coal dust and crying like a baby. I felt like it was finally ending.

..

..

I was wrong.

I don't know WHO got things moving but apparently at some point. Asus shipped something out and sent me the tracking number. The email didn't come from its normal place (it said eservice) so gmail tossed it in junk. When I finally found it, the package had apparently already been delivered WITH NO f**kING SIGNATURE!!! Just so you know, I live in the city and fedex left a $1000 pc (under Asus instruction) in the middle of my driveway. GUESS WHO DOESN'T HAVE HIS PC!!!! But wait- it gets better!

..

..

Asus didn't have a replacement pc of the G20AJ model so they fixed the pc I didn't want and sent it back! I was looking at the email they sent me and realized it was not only a G20AJ.. it had the same serial number.

No upsell...

No upgrade...

No lateral move...

“Just send it back to him- he won’t care!!”

So I call Asus again. I recorded the whole thing. I, once again, regaled my story. This time I also mention the Consumerist Group and their contract with Amazon. The supervisor (I don't even care to remember his name now) said all the same stuff. But he couldn't tell me why they sent the same pc back for a replacement and he couldn't tell me why they had it delivered without a signature. He COULD tell me that I had to file another claim to Julia Wang at Asus and that this time I needed to provide a valid ID. I imagine Julia is starting to recognize my info. Now this may sound crazy, but those who know me know that for the last 2 and a half months I have been on a medication that makes me allergic to sunlight. I have an expired driver’s license. I told him this. Guess which government buildings are only open when the sun is up? ALL OF THEM!! He then sat quietly for a long time and in the end told me to send a picture of my expired license to "get the ball moving".

So that is where I am. It is now September 4th, I have had 35 repair related emails sent to me from Asus and I'm the farthest I ever been from having a working Asus machine that I paid for. Their gross negligence in handling what was once a small problem has grown out of control. And now, due to this same negligence in not requiring a signature upon delivery of this computer (nor proper notification it was even sent) has left me dealing with the headache of a STOLEN pc!

I need ANY help I can get. Soon I will be ruined.

Puck Goodfellow {My pen name}