http://www.engadget.com/2006/07/21/nintendo-fesses-up-to-ds-lite-hinge-defect-will-fix-for-free/ Engadget Comments for http://www.engadget.com/media/feedlogo.gif http://www.engadget.com en-us Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/http://www.engadget.com/2006/07/21/nintendo-fesses-up-to-ds-lite-hinge-defect-will-fix-for-free/http://www.engadget.com/2006/07/21/nintendo-fesses-up-to-ds-lite-hinge-defect-will-fix-for-free/
So, they make a faulty product, sell it with a warranty, and when it breaks because of thier mistake, I have to pay to fix it? Even if it is still covered by the warranty? That is insane!

I have been a loyal user of Nintendo products right from the beginning, but not anymore. ]]>Jan 27th 2008 10:49AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/07/21/nintendo-fesses-up-to-ds-lite-hinge-defect-will-fix-for-free/http://www.engadget.com/2006/07/21/nintendo-fesses-up-to-ds-lite-hinge-defect-will-fix-for-free/Feb 21st 2008 7:06PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/07/21/nintendo-fesses-up-to-ds-lite-hinge-defect-will-fix-for-free/http://www.engadget.com/2006/07/21/nintendo-fesses-up-to-ds-lite-hinge-defect-will-fix-for-free/Apr 6th 2008 10:54PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/07/21/nintendo-fesses-up-to-ds-lite-hinge-defect-will-fix-for-free/http://www.engadget.com/2006/07/21/nintendo-fesses-up-to-ds-lite-hinge-defect-will-fix-for-free/May 5th 2008 11:32PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/07/21/nintendo-fesses-up-to-ds-lite-hinge-defect-will-fix-for-free/http://www.engadget.com/2006/07/21/nintendo-fesses-up-to-ds-lite-hinge-defect-will-fix-for-free/Jul 24th 2008 3:44PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/07/21/nintendo-fesses-up-to-ds-lite-hinge-defect-will-fix-for-free/http://www.engadget.com/2006/07/21/nintendo-fesses-up-to-ds-lite-hinge-defect-will-fix-for-free/Jul 27th 2008 7:37PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/07/21/nintendo-fesses-up-to-ds-lite-hinge-defect-will-fix-for-free/http://www.engadget.com/2006/07/21/nintendo-fesses-up-to-ds-lite-hinge-defect-will-fix-for-free/I spoke to Nintendo directly and they said that regardless of what you read on this or any other site, that it is NOT TRUE and NOT THEIR POLICY to replace broken hinges for free. They absolutely will not. It is a minimum $85 charge to have them look at it. They will not honor any reference to any claims made on this site and said that this site is not an official Nintendo site at therefore anything stated on here is not in any way associated with their policies. ]]>Aug 9th 2008 2:19PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/07/21/nintendo-fesses-up-to-ds-lite-hinge-defect-will-fix-for-free/http://www.engadget.com/2006/07/21/nintendo-fesses-up-to-ds-lite-hinge-defect-will-fix-for-free/Aug 9th 2008 2:20PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/07/21/nintendo-fesses-up-to-ds-lite-hinge-defect-will-fix-for-free/http://www.engadget.com/2006/07/21/nintendo-fesses-up-to-ds-lite-hinge-defect-will-fix-for-free/Sep 5th 2008 9:11PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/07/21/nintendo-fesses-up-to-ds-lite-hinge-defect-will-fix-for-free/http://www.engadget.com/2006/07/21/nintendo-fesses-up-to-ds-lite-hinge-defect-will-fix-for-free/
The defect is actually on their website...of course it has to be the correct model...

Model Number usg-001

I think this hinge is fixed on the C/USG-USA-1 models]]>Oct 21st 2008 4:55PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/07/21/nintendo-fesses-up-to-ds-lite-hinge-defect-will-fix-for-free/http://www.engadget.com/2006/07/21/nintendo-fesses-up-to-ds-lite-hinge-defect-will-fix-for-free/]]>Nov 3rd 2008 7:57PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/07/21/nintendo-fesses-up-to-ds-lite-hinge-defect-will-fix-for-free/http://www.engadget.com/2006/07/21/nintendo-fesses-up-to-ds-lite-hinge-defect-will-fix-for-free/Nov 20th 2008 1:34AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/07/21/nintendo-fesses-up-to-ds-lite-hinge-defect-will-fix-for-free/http://www.engadget.com/2006/07/21/nintendo-fesses-up-to-ds-lite-hinge-defect-will-fix-for-free/Jan 5th 2009 1:03AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/07/21/nintendo-fesses-up-to-ds-lite-hinge-defect-will-fix-for-free/http://www.engadget.com/2006/07/21/nintendo-fesses-up-to-ds-lite-hinge-defect-will-fix-for-free/Jan 14th 2009 6:09PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/07/21/nintendo-fesses-up-to-ds-lite-hinge-defect-will-fix-for-free/http://www.engadget.com/2006/07/21/nintendo-fesses-up-to-ds-lite-hinge-defect-will-fix-for-free/Jan 15th 2009 5:22PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/07/21/nintendo-fesses-up-to-ds-lite-hinge-defect-will-fix-for-free/http://www.engadget.com/2006/07/21/nintendo-fesses-up-to-ds-lite-hinge-defect-will-fix-for-free/
At least they're fixing it free though.]]>Jan 19th 2009 3:20AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/07/21/nintendo-fesses-up-to-ds-lite-hinge-defect-will-fix-for-free/http://www.engadget.com/2006/07/21/nintendo-fesses-up-to-ds-lite-hinge-defect-will-fix-for-free/Jan 23rd 2009 8:52AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/07/21/nintendo-fesses-up-to-ds-lite-hinge-defect-will-fix-for-free/http://www.engadget.com/2006/07/21/nintendo-fesses-up-to-ds-lite-hinge-defect-will-fix-for-free/Jan 27th 2009 10:33AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/07/21/nintendo-fesses-up-to-ds-lite-hinge-defect-will-fix-for-free/http://www.engadget.com/2006/07/21/nintendo-fesses-up-to-ds-lite-hinge-defect-will-fix-for-free/Feb 27th 2009 12:21AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/07/21/nintendo-fesses-up-to-ds-lite-hinge-defect-will-fix-for-free/http://www.engadget.com/2006/07/21/nintendo-fesses-up-to-ds-lite-hinge-defect-will-fix-for-free/
2 Weeks onld, hinges stiffer than the white one I bought at the same time, crack appears then hinge breaks. Argos refuse to cover the DS Lite in their 30 day guarentee and Nintendo claim accidental damage therefore I must pay £53.

I am really angry about this for a number of reasons.

I called Nintendo and the CS guy went on a rant about 86Million units out there so it cannot ever be a manufacturing fault so it must be the consumers fault, every time.

I spoke to Argos and the confirmed that every broken hinge they get is classed as accidental damage and the customer has to pay.

The repair cost 50% of the purchase price.

This unit was bought for and used as an ebook reader for an adult, so it was not abused.

Researching the fualt led me here and it is obvious that they still have a problem with some units but are not willing to admit fault.

This is really putting me off buying anything Nintendo again.


I am interested about how many people are really affected by this, I am one of the few unlucky ones or is there a significant number?
]]>Mar 9th 2009 1:04PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/07/21/nintendo-fesses-up-to-ds-lite-hinge-defect-will-fix-for-free/http://www.engadget.com/2006/07/21/nintendo-fesses-up-to-ds-lite-hinge-defect-will-fix-for-free/Jul 21st 2006 3:09PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/07/21/nintendo-fesses-up-to-ds-lite-hinge-defect-will-fix-for-free/http://www.engadget.com/2006/07/21/nintendo-fesses-up-to-ds-lite-hinge-defect-will-fix-for-free/
But unfortunately they won't fix any other color than White.. If you have a different color, they said they'd only be able to replace it with a brand new white DS Lite.

The lady I talked to told me that it might be easier to deal with my imported unit by simple replacing it with a brand new American unit. Fine with me!]]>Jul 21st 2006 3:18PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/07/21/nintendo-fesses-up-to-ds-lite-hinge-defect-will-fix-for-free/http://www.engadget.com/2006/07/21/nintendo-fesses-up-to-ds-lite-hinge-defect-will-fix-for-free/Jul 21st 2006 3:19PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/07/21/nintendo-fesses-up-to-ds-lite-hinge-defect-will-fix-for-free/http://www.engadget.com/2006/07/21/nintendo-fesses-up-to-ds-lite-hinge-defect-will-fix-for-free/Jul 21st 2006 3:30PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/07/21/nintendo-fesses-up-to-ds-lite-hinge-defect-will-fix-for-free/http://www.engadget.com/2006/07/21/nintendo-fesses-up-to-ds-lite-hinge-defect-will-fix-for-free/
Wow, I'm really impressed that they are servicing your imported unit, which technically isn't even under warranty here in the states. Either that support person just doesn't know any better, or Nintendo's policies rule.]]>Jul 21st 2006 3:40PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/07/21/nintendo-fesses-up-to-ds-lite-hinge-defect-will-fix-for-free/http://www.engadget.com/2006/07/21/nintendo-fesses-up-to-ds-lite-hinge-defect-will-fix-for-free/Nintendo did the same for me. Had a single stuck red pixel in the middle of the touchscreen. They paid for UPS shipping both ways. It is on its way back to me right now. ]]>Jul 21st 2006 3:41PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/07/21/nintendo-fesses-up-to-ds-lite-hinge-defect-will-fix-for-free/http://www.engadget.com/2006/07/21/nintendo-fesses-up-to-ds-lite-hinge-defect-will-fix-for-free/
We all know good Customer service = good PR!]]>Jul 21st 2006 3:41PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/07/21/nintendo-fesses-up-to-ds-lite-hinge-defect-will-fix-for-free/http://www.engadget.com/2006/07/21/nintendo-fesses-up-to-ds-lite-hinge-defect-will-fix-for-free/Jul 21st 2006 3:56PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/07/21/nintendo-fesses-up-to-ds-lite-hinge-defect-will-fix-for-free/http://www.engadget.com/2006/07/21/nintendo-fesses-up-to-ds-lite-hinge-defect-will-fix-for-free/
1) User experiences quality issue.
2) User discovers via internet that others are experiencing the same issue.
3) User confronts company regarding issue.
4) Based upon units sold, and complaints/issues logged, there is no indication that a quality issue exists.
5) Company denies existance of an issue, offers an out of warranty repair option.
6) More quality issues occur, more people complain, issue becomes bigger.
7) Company either admits to quality issue (in apple's case, they did, in nintendo's case, they did not.) or does not, but agrees to cover issue under warranty.

So all in all, looks like their modus operandi is the same, except that apple actually fesses up to the quality issue, and nintendo denies it with meaningless statistics.

Too bad they won't cover imports.]]>Jul 21st 2006 3:57PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/07/21/nintendo-fesses-up-to-ds-lite-hinge-defect-will-fix-for-free/http://www.engadget.com/2006/07/21/nintendo-fesses-up-to-ds-lite-hinge-defect-will-fix-for-free/
Cracked Nano screen fixed free of charge here, I had a early early model.

Dead pixel on my 5th gen, replaced free of charge.

I called Nintendo last week complaining that I couldnt play Mario 64 DS cause my lite didnt come with a thumb stick, and they sent me one for free because I was a long time nintendo customer and they had my records on file for over 10 years. When I got the package I looked inside and found a free subscription to nintendo power!

Love them or hate them Apple and Nintendo rock]]>Jul 21st 2006 4:08PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/07/21/nintendo-fesses-up-to-ds-lite-hinge-defect-will-fix-for-free/http://www.engadget.com/2006/07/21/nintendo-fesses-up-to-ds-lite-hinge-defect-will-fix-for-free/Jul 21st 2006 4:11PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/07/21/nintendo-fesses-up-to-ds-lite-hinge-defect-will-fix-for-free/http://www.engadget.com/2006/07/21/nintendo-fesses-up-to-ds-lite-hinge-defect-will-fix-for-free/
Apple did offer exchanges for iPod/nanos for any reason a while back.

I don't have a problem with my DS lite, but it's nice to know I can get a new one if the problem shows up.]]>Jul 21st 2006 4:25PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/07/21/nintendo-fesses-up-to-ds-lite-hinge-defect-will-fix-for-free/http://www.engadget.com/2006/07/21/nintendo-fesses-up-to-ds-lite-hinge-defect-will-fix-for-free/Jul 21st 2006 4:51PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/07/21/nintendo-fesses-up-to-ds-lite-hinge-defect-will-fix-for-free/http://www.engadget.com/2006/07/21/nintendo-fesses-up-to-ds-lite-hinge-defect-will-fix-for-free/Jul 21st 2006 5:13PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/07/21/nintendo-fesses-up-to-ds-lite-hinge-defect-will-fix-for-free/http://www.engadget.com/2006/07/21/nintendo-fesses-up-to-ds-lite-hinge-defect-will-fix-for-free/I have a used gamecube here in the dorms. Its been on for weeks straight without any breaks. Been thrown, burned, and dropped. Still works great. Hope Wii is this reliable.]]>Jul 21st 2006 7:14PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/07/21/nintendo-fesses-up-to-ds-lite-hinge-defect-will-fix-for-free/http://www.engadget.com/2006/07/21/nintendo-fesses-up-to-ds-lite-hinge-defect-will-fix-for-free/Jul 21st 2006 7:34PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/07/21/nintendo-fesses-up-to-ds-lite-hinge-defect-will-fix-for-free/http://www.engadget.com/2006/07/21/nintendo-fesses-up-to-ds-lite-hinge-defect-will-fix-for-free/Jul 21st 2006 11:28PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/07/21/nintendo-fesses-up-to-ds-lite-hinge-defect-will-fix-for-free/http://www.engadget.com/2006/07/21/nintendo-fesses-up-to-ds-lite-hinge-defect-will-fix-for-free/Jul 22nd 2006 10:58AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/07/21/nintendo-fesses-up-to-ds-lite-hinge-defect-will-fix-for-free/http://www.engadget.com/2006/07/21/nintendo-fesses-up-to-ds-lite-hinge-defect-will-fix-for-free/Jul 22nd 2006 1:51PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/07/21/nintendo-fesses-up-to-ds-lite-hinge-defect-will-fix-for-free/http://www.engadget.com/2006/07/21/nintendo-fesses-up-to-ds-lite-hinge-defect-will-fix-for-free/Jul 22nd 2006 1:52PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/07/21/nintendo-fesses-up-to-ds-lite-hinge-defect-will-fix-for-free/http://www.engadget.com/2006/07/21/nintendo-fesses-up-to-ds-lite-hinge-defect-will-fix-for-free/
I'm a father of two and a big Nintendo fan, mostly because of what people have said here. All of their products that we have used (N64,GC,DS,DS Lite,Gameboy Adv.,GBA SP) have had rock solid quality and reliability, even after multiple drops, falls, kicks, etc.

With the DS Lite, however, I have found the out of the box quality to be a little disappointing. I purchased 3 units when they launched in the US. I returned one to the store for a pixel problem (I've seen many of my kids' friends with pixel problems, too). Not a big problem, pixel issues are not that uncommon.

However, my son came to me yesterday and said he could turn his DS Lite off. I looked and the power button had broken - it was pushed in and wouldn't spring back. The unit had not been dropped, so it seems to me it was some weakness in the switch assembly that caused the failure.

I called up Nintendo, expecting them to replace the unit under warranty as it was only about 5 weeks old. I talked to a curt young lady that said I had to pay for the repair.

I went around and around with her, ultimately explaining that, by her own statements, she agreed there is the possbility that it was a defect-related failure, and, if that possiblity exists, and with the unit only being a little over a month old, then it should be covered under warranty. After insisting that I would accept nothing less than a cross-shipped replacement under warranty, she relented (after going back and forth to her supervisor 3 or 4 times).

Ultimately, Nintendo did the right thing, and, it is possible I simply encountered a rigid, young service rep that was poorly trained, but the whole experience was rather disappointing. Also, understand that I have spent a few years of my career working in and the managing customer service area for a large manufacturer. Customer service is as much an art as a science, and should be used to build customer loyalty, not just dole out a "yes" or "no" on warranty repairs.

This is not meant to be a rant, but it seems relevant to the conversation.]]>Jul 22nd 2006 2:15PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/07/21/nintendo-fesses-up-to-ds-lite-hinge-defect-will-fix-for-free/http://www.engadget.com/2006/07/21/nintendo-fesses-up-to-ds-lite-hinge-defect-will-fix-for-free/Jul 22nd 2006 3:13PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/07/21/nintendo-fesses-up-to-ds-lite-hinge-defect-will-fix-for-free/http://www.engadget.com/2006/07/21/nintendo-fesses-up-to-ds-lite-hinge-defect-will-fix-for-free/Jul 22nd 2006 8:48PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/07/21/nintendo-fesses-up-to-ds-lite-hinge-defect-will-fix-for-free/http://www.engadget.com/2006/07/21/nintendo-fesses-up-to-ds-lite-hinge-defect-will-fix-for-free/Jul 23rd 2006 2:10PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/07/21/nintendo-fesses-up-to-ds-lite-hinge-defect-will-fix-for-free/http://www.engadget.com/2006/07/21/nintendo-fesses-up-to-ds-lite-hinge-defect-will-fix-for-free/Jul 24th 2006 1:58PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/07/21/nintendo-fesses-up-to-ds-lite-hinge-defect-will-fix-for-free/http://www.engadget.com/2006/07/21/nintendo-fesses-up-to-ds-lite-hinge-defect-will-fix-for-free/Any suggestions?]]>Apr 30th 2009 7:37PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/07/21/nintendo-fesses-up-to-ds-lite-hinge-defect-will-fix-for-free/http://www.engadget.com/2006/07/21/nintendo-fesses-up-to-ds-lite-hinge-defect-will-fix-for-free/Jul 8th 2009 2:26PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/07/21/nintendo-fesses-up-to-ds-lite-hinge-defect-will-fix-for-free/http://www.engadget.com/2006/07/21/nintendo-fesses-up-to-ds-lite-hinge-defect-will-fix-for-free/(Guess I got all the 0.02% defects).

BTY-Each system we received got the crack in less than 2 weeks.
]]>Sep 12th 2006 11:09AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/07/21/nintendo-fesses-up-to-ds-lite-hinge-defect-will-fix-for-free/http://www.engadget.com/2006/07/21/nintendo-fesses-up-to-ds-lite-hinge-defect-will-fix-for-free/Sep 24th 2006 6:21PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/07/21/nintendo-fesses-up-to-ds-lite-hinge-defect-will-fix-for-free/http://www.engadget.com/2006/07/21/nintendo-fesses-up-to-ds-lite-hinge-defect-will-fix-for-free/
I bought a dark blue DS in August of 2008. 4 months later it refused to charge. Sent it back to Nintendo to get it fixed (under warranty), they just sent me a new one that December. Now 11 months later the DS i've got has the cracked hinges. Since it was a completely new DS they sent me, the warranty got reset for another year. Those cracked hinges couldn't have happened sooner. I had no issues upon phoning them back. Spoke to a lady who at first tried to blame me, but ended up setting up a work order for it to get fixed under warranty. Not once during the phone call did I hear a dollar amount. I even asked if I would be charged anything if they got it and found it to be a non warranty issue, she said she was coding the work order so it gets fixed regardless...i wouldn't have to pay anything at all. It'll just be interesting to see what they send back...if it'll be my old one that's fixed, or just a replacement with a whole new warranty (wouldn't that be nice!! haha)]]>Nov 6th 2009 8:50PM