Nintendo switch warranty

Dga1982

Hi
i bought my son a Nintendo switch from Currys in December. He absolutely loved it until it stopped charging about 2 weeks ago. I tried all the troubleshooting steps online but to no avail. It’s not the first time it’s played up, glitchy performance, not switching on, controllers not recognised but all of this seemed pretty common place when googled so although I wanted to take it back and get something else altogether my son loved it so much I just put up with these minor/common issues until the no charge and consequent no power. So I sent it in to Nintendo through the warranty repairs procedure fully expecting it to be fixed under warranty. However I have been emailed today to inform me that they have found the charging port pin bent and not repairable and main board damaged and want to charge me £157. I had a good a hat with my son before sending it in to see if he had got it wet or dropped it from a great height but he swears nothing untoward happened and I fully believe him, he treats that device like the holy grail. I put it on charge most nights as it’s left beside my bed as this is where he generally plays it. I am furious, I feel as if there is nothing I can do, I certainly can’t afford £157 and so now have to explain to 9 year that his beloved switch is gone. Is there anything I can do. I have the receipt, I even have the box. Someone did say to me that Currys may be liable for faulty device. Thanks for any advice

custardy

It wont be drop damage. It will be from inserting a charge cable/dock. More likely from cable insertion.
If the port is damaged (its common) then it is classed as board damage due to the mounting

Dga1982

Ok, but surely this is nothing outside of wear and tear, only official charger/docking station has been used and only plugged in and unplugged , it’s hard to imagine that any damage could be done by plugging in. 

JHW1942

Dga1982 said:

Ok, but surely this is nothing outside of wear and tear, only official charger/docking station has been used and only plugged in and unplugged , it’s hard to imagine that any damage could be done by plugging in. 

Exactly, which is why it isn't covered by the warranty. 

JamoLew

JHW1942 said:

Dga1982 said:

Ok, but surely this is nothing outside of wear and tear, only official charger/docking station has been used and only plugged in and unplugged , it’s hard to imagine that any damage could be done by plugging in. 

Exactly, which is why it isn't covered by the warranty. 

I think you misread the OP - they are saying that this damage is NOT outside of wear and tear -- meaning it IS inside wear and tear

jon81uk

It's difficult as if it was a manufacturing fault then it would probably never have charged. It is likely that you didn't insert it into the dock straight, or pulled it out at an angle or similar rather than it being a fault.
You could exercise your consumer rights with Curry's instead but you may have the same issue as you are just outside of the six months now where a fault is deemed to have been there since manufacture.

custardy

Dga1982 said:

Ok, but surely this is nothing outside of wear and tear, only official charger/docking station has been used and only plugged in and unplugged , it’s hard to imagine that any damage could be done by plugging in. 

Problem is proving how the damage occurred.
I know in the first 6 months its easier to argue inherent fault.
Others with more knowledge will advise on that process.
Non Nintendo repairs are much cheaper assuming it is just the port

eg (not a recommendation)
https://gamer-tech.co.uk/nintendo-switch-repair/2681-nintendo-switch-charging-port-repair.html
 

MattMattMattUK

The charging port on a Switch is a USB-C port, the bit in the middle is probably what has go damaged. This would not happen from being dropped, the most likely source would be "foreign object insertion", meaning something other than a USB charging cable has been pushed into the charging port. If this was a manufacturing fault the Switch would have never charged. 

Replacing a port on a Switch is not easy, certainly not something I would advise most people do attempt themselves, but there are much cheaper port replacement options available as custarty mentions. 

Eydon

I had the same issue with my Switch last year and sent it off to Nintendo for repair. It was outside of it's warranty but the charge was only £53.50.

Dga1982

Hi, this is still ongoing. I have raised a formal complaint. They are also requesting that the charging cable be sent in to check to see whether that is the cause of the damage. I have spoke with the retailer, they asked for my details and receipt then didn’t reply for a week which then put me outside the 6 month window, I’m no conspiracy theorist but that seemed a little convenient. I’m just hoping that when my complaint is heard someone will realise that this just can’t be right. I’m sure that this particular switch came off the production line with some minor fault internally which 6 months of daily plugging in has aggravated that small fault to cause the end of the device.