A hot potato: Asus has not had a good week, to say the least. The Taiwanese gaming giant experienced a PR black eye after its RMA process was highlighted by YouTube channel Gamers Nexus, leading to customers sharing stories of their own bad experiences. Now, Asus has issued a public apology for the "confusion and frustration."
It was late last week when Gamers Nexus published a video titled "Asus Scammed Us." Host Stephen Burke explains how the channel had returned an Asus ROG Ally handheld (bought to review) to Asus so it could repair a thumbstick problem under warranty
Asus, however, rejected the claim because of what it called a damaged chassis; a dent so small that a microscope was required to see it. There was also mention of liquid damage, something Gamers Nexus said "came out of nowhere," and faulty connectors, which GN knew nothing about. Asus said it required $191 to fix the damage, ignoring the joystick problem that it was sent in for, and even suggested that not paying the money could lead to the Ally being sent back disassembled.
The video resulted in similar bad experiences with Asus' RMA being shared online. One Redditor said he purchased a $2,799 Asus RTX 4090 in April that worked perfectly but the safety plastic indent got scratched off. It was sent to Asus RMA for repair, which the company said it would do – for $3,758. Asus generously said it would take 30% off this price after the customer queried the amount. After complaining, Asus then claimed the damage was not under warranty and that the whole card must be replaced.
The furor and bad press has led to Asus issuing a statement on the matter. It calls the problem "some gaps in our RMA communication process," which Gamers Nexus and others will likely object to.
"We want to assure our customers that any repairs covered under the manufacturer's limited warranty have always been and will continue to be free of charge It is never the intent of ASUS to charge any customers a fee that does not directly address the device malfunctions they are experiencing," the statement adds.
"We now recognize that the current process and the language used does not adequately convey this information. We are working diligently to make changes in the best interest of our customers."
Asus does say in the statement that it is making changes to its RMA process. This includes revising the repair pricing structure for out-of-warranty products, including a review process for abnormal pricing. Furthermore, the company will no longer automatically offer repair quotations for cosmetic imperfections unless they affect the device's functionality or are specifically asked for by the customer.
It was almost exactly a year ago when Asus faced criticism for refusing to honor warranties for its AM5 motherboards that were failing due to poorly-tested BIOS releases, which pushed processors to unstable voltages. It led to several high-profile YouTube channels announcing that they were pausing their Asus sponsorships.
Redditors seem unconvinced that much is going to change with Asus' RMA process this time around, especially as little came from its last warranty scandal.