Hardware I was given a broken 3DS with no serial.

[Wombo Combo]

And nintendo said they would repair it for free. How common is this? I was very surprised when I told them a friend gave it too me and the serial was scratched off. It does not power on, the blue power button lights up but then a lound pop from the speakers and turns off nothing ever shows on the screen. Am I lucky or do they do this for everyone because there was no way to know if I still had warranty.

 

[Sychophantom]

Probably lucky, though any time I've had to contact Nintendo I've been pleased by their service.

 

[avran89]

And nintendo said they would repair it for free. How common is this? I was very surprised when I told them a friend gave it too me and the serial was scratched off. It does not power on, the blue power button lights up but then a lound pop from the speakers and turns off nothing ever shows on the screen. Am I lucky or do they do this for everyone because there was no way to know if I still had warranty.

When the sticker with the serial number rubbed off my old DS I unscrewed the battery cover and found the serial number printed on the battery as well. I would assume the serial number would still be there on the 3DS. Though taking apart your 3ds would void your warranty if it was still active. If the damage to the 3DS isn't the result of the manufacturer I doubt they'll fix it for free, they charged me three time when my old DS and DS lites had the"hinge" issue and broke.

 

[Chocolina]

I would say that I'm not pleased with their service. Like everyone says, they only fix issues that they think they cause. If they think the owner is at fault for something, then they don't fix it up, despite having all the parts necessary to fix something with ease. And if they fix something and feel your warranty doesn't cover it, then theyll charge you a ridiculous price for their "services"
I was on the phone with a cstomer service agent, and he said repair costs for a 3DS XL is $130 + the shipping you'd have to do. Thats $130 for a $200 system for an issue thats probably very minor.

 

[Pleng]

If they think the owner is at fault for something, then they don't fix it up, despite having all the parts necessary to fix something with ease.

This is true of every warranty for every device in existence! They aren't service contracts!

 

[Gabelvampir]

I was on the phone with a cstomer service agent, and he said repair costs for a 3DS XL is $130 + the shipping you'd have to do. Thats $130 for a $200 system for an issue thats probably very minor.

What was the problem with the system? Maybe it was not minor. And even if it was minor, if it is something on the mainboard you have to switch the whole thing, nobody replaces single components on a board any more.
In all my years as a Nintendo customer (my first system was a Game Boy back in 1992 that still works) I've only had something repaired once, the touch screen of my DS Phat did have an offset. They replaced the screen without a problem (and for free), but the casing gained quite a few scratches in the process. But I don't know if Nintendo is to blame for this or the shitty electronics chain I bought the system at that send it in for me.

 

[Janthran]

When the sticker with the serial number rubbed off my old DS I unscrewed the battery cover and found the serial number printed on the battery as well. I would assume the serial number would still be there on the 3DS. Though taking apart your 3ds would void your warranty if it was still active. If the damage to the 3DS isn't the result of the manufacturer I doubt they'll fix it for free, they charged me three time when my old DS and DS lites had the"hinge" issue and broke.

Taking the battery cover off doesn't count as taking it apart and doesn't void the warranty.

 

[ElYubiYubi]

They will probably check it in their Repair Center, or w/e is called, and if the Warranty is expired they will call you back to tell you how much you've to pay and if you want the service. If you don't want it their will send it back damaged.

 

[Chary]

Customer service with Nintendo has always been great, at least for me.

 

[teh_ryn]

I was on the phone with a cstomer service agent, and he said repair costs for a 3DS XL is $130 + the shipping you'd have to do. Thats $130 for a $200 system for an issue thats probably very minor.

Without knowing the specific issue I can't speak to it specifically, but I will tell you from my experience buying up broken systems and trying to repair them for fun that you would be surprised at how expensive 3DS XL parts still are. Most of the time, it is just not worth repairing at all.

For example, one of the most common problems I see with broken 3DS XL systems on ebay is a cracked top LCD. You can buy a replacement top LCD, but they are prohibitively expensive and require dealing with manufacturers in Hong Kong: cost about $70 or more plus shipping from Hong Kong, so right around $100. Even purchasing in bulk (we're talking hundreds bulk) the screens go for more than $50 each plus shipping. Factor in your time to take apart the system and hope you don't break anything else in the middle of your repair, and $130 or more for a repair of this magnitude makes sense, even for Nintendo.

Other parts are cheaper to replace, but only if you can find them. For example, there are no aftermarket replacement shells for the 3DS XL right now, only cases. You would have to salvage shell parts from another system, and they wouldn't be in "mint" condition. This is one area where Nintendo has the advantage--I'd like to think they have plenty of spare shells on hand. But even with a shell-swap, you might think it's an "easy fix" or "minor issue" but I assure you, it's much more tedious and delicate a process than you might think to perform. I challenge you to shell swap a DS Lite, which is EZ mode, and then move up to a 3DS, and when you're done with that, keep in mind that a 3DS XL is even more complicated than either of those. It would give you a new-found appreciation for the hardware and the cost of repairs.

Now I'm not certain at all how Nintendo's repair service operates, but from their perspective, even though parts are easier for them to come by, until you get the system in your hands it's difficult to know the exact condition of the system and figure out precisely what parts you have to replace. So what I am assuming happens is they have this blanket repair cost of $130 for the system which should cover pretty much any repair, including a major repair like top LCD or motherboard replacement. Maybe that's why what they quoted you was so high? I don't know.