Sweat damage voided warranty - rant and questions

[Maldus]

Hello everyone,

I find myself in a truly frustrating situation (like many others I believe). I've bought a Vive a month ago and was able to use it only for two days before it stopped working.

I contacted support, which prompted me to send the headset for repairs. Beside all the struggle to track my ticket (repair tracking system still not working), I received an email a couple of weeks ago stating that warranty was voided due to liquid damage, and that I have to pay an extra 275 Euros to have a replacement.

 

Now, I know the drill. Warranty does not cover liquid damage, the contract was clear, blah blah blah. I'm here for two reasons:

 

1. Rant

I used the HTC Vive kit for a grand total of 6-7 hours, discontinued among two days; when not in use the headset was carefully placed inside a dry and safe drawer; no drinks were spilled on it and the room was sealed to wind & rain; between each use the face cushion was changed (swapping two of them) and properly cleaned. I know the product was not misused, and now I am supposed to simply accept some random blind judgement that my headset is damaged? The title says sweat damage because it's the only thing I can think of, but at this point I can't help but feeling that being scammed is also a possibility. I've emailed the support (  ro_customercare@ctdi.com ) but I've yet to receive an answer. Most certainly I need to see a photographic proof of said "oxide marks" before taking any further step.

Seriously, there is no way I can accept it. There are complete kit available on Ebay for 200 Euros; the advantage of getting one from an official retailer is supposed to be the warranty, but I've already witnessed it is non-existent. Which brings me to the next point.

 

2. Is it really a good product?

I now realized I should have asked this before buying, but oh well.

After two days of normal usage, the headset broke. I know it wasn't mishandled. Paying the repair cost would not be a problem for me, but how do I know it won't appen again in a week?

Internet is full of dissatisfied HTC customer stories, but what's the usual lifespan of the product? Was I just unlucky? Will a new one last longer?

[Blazen]

Please, do what I am doing. Post this on as many sites that sell the vive as you possibly can. Let the world know that HTC does not care for their customers and that, if any form of serious problem arises, you are completely on your own. I'm talking amazon, walmart, ebay, anything that sells the HTC Vive. Get people's attention, because all they care about is the money, and the only way to make them care about their customers is to hit them where it hurts. Maybe then they'll do something about the people like us.

[Maldus]

Small update:

After another attempt the repair service customer care responded me. It was nothing worth mentioning (the warranty is voided blah blah blah), except for the fact that they are not HTC.

Maybe it was obvious but I wasn't aware of this: the ones that actually carry on the repair are Regenersis, an enterprise specialized in the field.

Now my question becomes: who is issuing the liquid damage diagnosis? If Regenersis was responsible for it I imagine they would try to avoid asking money directly to the customer because it's just more effort; on the other hand it wouldn't make sense for HTC to check the product for damage and then send it to Regenersis.

 

At this point I suspect HTC asks their repair service to simply issue as many warranty voids as they can to avoid paying them. Not to mention the whole product kidnapping fee - it's obious I won't pay back for a defective device, so they can just repair it and re-sell it.

[Rockjaw]

, as I understand it the EU Customer Care team have been in direct contact with you. You can also connect with  here if you want further follow-up on your case.

 

Please do not add 'blank' posts to a thread in an attempt to 'bump' it, as you did twice in this thread. I'll be removing those posts in a moment. Thanks in advance.

[Maldus]

No, no one has been in contact with me. I've contacted what I though was the Customer Care team, but turned out to be the Regenersis customer care.

 

At this point I will, but it's very frustrating. I was aware of the terms and conditions the whole time, but there is a significant difference between abiding to a contract and using it to scam people; if there is any insight you can give to me, you can do it here on the forum.

 

Beside my complaint I am genuinely interested in the average lifespan of a Vive, because to the best of my effort I couln't find anyone who didn't have some major issue after a few months of usage.

[Synthesis]

If you haven't been in contact with EU Customer Care, then where did you send your device for repair? How did you set up an RMA? Did you go through a third party?

Thanks,

-John C

[Synthesis]

 

Regeneris is CTDI (the repair center in EU).

I'm checking with our Care team there as well.

Thank you,

-John C