Asus aftercare, PB278Q replacement monitor is such a joke its untrue!

[The Matrix]

Where do i start with this.

I reported to Asus that my PB278Q monitor had developed an area of dead pixels which was quite noticeable, anyway they granted an RMA for a replacement Monitor, great i thought .......Think again.

They sent me clear instructions via email as what to do next, they said a courier will deliver the replacement monitor and these were the instructions as what to do with the faulty monitor that's being returned

Please follow below packing instructions:

1. Provide the faulty product de-installed and unpacked to the courier.
2. Remove the base (if removable) of the faulty product.
3. Provide the base and back cable cover (if applicable) to the courier together with the faulty product.
4. Do not provide ANY cables, AC adapters or other accessories to the courier.

So basically it tells you to give the faulty monitor to the courier, (unpacked) without the base attached, then hand them the base with the monitor.

This is where the comedy starts, the courier turns up this morning with a plain brown box with the replacement monitor inside. I sign for that, i then hand him the unpacked monitor along with the base as per Asus's instructions.

He started laughing and said "your joking right ?" I said "what do you mean", he said "we can't take that without it having protective packaging", i showed him the email from Asus where they clearly state to hand the courier the faulty monitor in an unpacked condition minus the cables.

He then starts to open the box that my replacement monitor to came in which was very basic to say the least, he took out the monitor which had a thin piece of plastic sheeting over it and handed the monitor to me, i put that to one side. He then handed me the base, i looked at it and said "Asus have got to be joking right ?".

The base was a battered mess, deep gauges, scratches, it looked like it had been dragged down a road whilst tied to the back of a car. Naturally i said "you can take the base back and i'll keep my own" which was in perfect condition.

He put my faulty monitor inside the box that my replacement had been delivered in, i didn't have time to check the monitor there and then as i had to leave to catch a train so i signed for it as unchecked and would check it later.

I checked the monitor earlier this evening and i just could not believe what i was seeing, remember where i said the base looked like it had been dragged down a road whilst tied to the back of a car, the monitor looks exactly the same.

The first thing that hits you is how bad the bezel looks, i'm not just talking one area here, the whole bezel is heavily scratched and grazed.

If you think that isn't bad enough, ive spotted at least 4 dead pixels on this screen that stand out like a sore thumb, their is also a piece of dust stuck behind the screen and just to put the cherry on the cake their is something loose inside the monitor thats rattling around.

I gave Asus a virtually mint PB278Q that still looked like new and was bought brand new, they replaced it with something you would expect to find down a car boot sale for a couple of quid.

Here are a few pics of the bezel just to give you an idead of what Asus are sending out as warranty replacements.

 

[The Matrix]

I was posting to make people aware who are thinking of buying an Asus PB278Q to have a rethink, if something goes wrong with your monitor in the future your replacement under warranty is likely to be something similar to what i received which has been abused and looks like its been dragged around the street.

I don't know how Asus are allowed to get away with it, you return a faulty monitor to them under warranty that's been well cared for and kept in mint condition, they replace it with something that you'd expect to find at your local car boot sale for a couple of quid. This was a top of the range monitor when it was bought and cost close to £500, mine had dead pixels.

What should be happening is the monitor should go back to Asus themselves and not some 3rd party called (LetMeRepair UK) as thats who sent the emails to say it had been shipped, Asus should simply swap out the faulty screen and put it back into your original Monitor because that way you get your own Monitor back in the same condition that you sent it away in, for those people who look after them you get your mint condition monitor back and not some shabby monitor that someone has clearly abused.

Would i buy another Asus Monitor ? .... If this is what they class as a 3 Years On-Site (Premium Panel Guarantee) then you can guess what the answer will be, i'd love to drop this on the desk of the MD of Asus and say "This is your 3 Years On-Site (Premium Panel Guarantee) in action.

 

[The Matrix]

But to be fair this is not the usual quality of an ASUS replacement, it's shocked me as well to be honest.

Considering their have only been 11 posts on this thread, 3 people are already saying that they have had the same experience with Asus warranty replacements so i'd say its a not an isolated issue.

 

[The Matrix]

Cheers Monkey

I just wouldn't want anyone else to be put in this situation where you receive a beaten up monitor as a replacement for a mint condition one that you sent back to Asus under warranty. Yeh Dell RMA's seem to be very good from what you read, my next monitor will either be a Samsung or a Dell, i'll never buy anything with the name Asus on ever again.

You accept that things can go wrong or fail as thats electronics for you, its how your treated after that makes all the difference. Asus are treating people like mugs.

 

[The Matrix]

What are you doing about it next The Matrix? I've had 3 replacements of the PB278Q in the last couple of weeks all worse than the one I sent back.

Ive had a reply from someone at Asus whose apprently at a higher level asking me to do another RMA, after this experience i kindly explained that i'm not prepared to risk another replacement to be sent from LetMeRepair UK/Asus as they obviously have no regard for the customers and don't care what they send out as replacements.

Rather than write everything all over again and re-attach photos in another email i sent them a link to this thread so they can see what their customers think of them and their 3 year premium panel guarantee in action.

 

[The Matrix]

Yeh they do make some good products, its just the aftercare if something goes wrong is one of the worse ive ever come across. Ive never known any other company send out a battered pre-owned product as a warranty replacement, whats even worse is the monitor was their top of the range flagship model, i'd hate to see what they are sending out for an entry level monitor replacements

Ive had a reply to a previous email, it said they are escalating it to a higher level so i'll just see what happens, not really holding my breath with them to be honest. The emails are polite and understanding to be fair, actions speak louder than words though.

 

[The Matrix]

Had an email from Asus, after it being escalated they have agreed to send out a brand new monitor, the email basically said

"Please be informed that we have received approval to offer you a new replacement unit for the same model as your original unit: PB278Q.
This unit is not a refurbished unit."

I asked them if it comes in a fully sealed retail box and not a plain brown box like before, this was the reply

"Thank you for your reply.

Please be informed that we do not provide sealed boxes with our DOA (Dead On Arrival) replacement units. I can however confirm that a new LCD monitor will be replaced with the previous refurbished one. We normally only provide this service for customers whose units are faulty within 7 days of purchase.
But as your refurbished unit was of a bad quality, I had escalated your case for a new LCD unit.

Furthermore all our LCD replacement units are being shipped out via the repair centre LMR (LetMeRepair). However they do not repair these units. LMR is only the contact person for the courier DPD."

I'll just wait and see what turns up.

 

[The Matrix]

The thing thats baffling me from my reply above, Asus say they are sending me a brand new monitor and this will be shipped from LetMeRepair.

What would a company with repair in its name be doing with brand new monitors ? They allegedly repair things, well in my experience they don't having received a monitor with dead pixels and damage to the bezel so what would they be doing with a brand new monitor that doesn't need a repair ?

Also it seems a bit fishy that the alleged brand new monitor that Asus say they are sending out will be arriving in a plain brown box that isn't sealed, to me something thats brand new like a monitor would arrive in a sealed retail box so their wouldn't be any doubt as to its origin.

 

[The Matrix]

Straz

Let us know if your brand new replacement is coming from LetMeRepair as well, you should get an email once it's been handed over to DPD and that will say where it's coming from.

 

[The Matrix]

A quick update.

Today I've received a brand new replacement monitor, it looks like it's come direct from Asus in a full retail box with the security seal intact.

I'll check it out later as I'll be out for most of the afternoon.

Thanks Asus

 

[The Matrix]

Thanks Straz

Ive set up the monitor and used it for about 30mins, firstly its definitely brand new as you can tell from looking at the monitor, its still got the stickers on around the edge of the bezel and the protective plastic around the outer edge.

This monitor has zero light bleed from what i can see, i set it to a solid black background and i can't see any obviously light coming through, it appears to be jet black. I can't see any obvious dead pixels either.

Touch wood, its a good monitor, hopefully Asus will do something about LetMeRepair UK as from what ive experienced its them that are giving Asus a bad name by sending out appalling warranty replacements.

Hope you get a brand new one as well Straz and everything goes smooth for you, keep all your current cables and power lead as thats what Asus instructed me to do, the new one came with cables anyway so you'll have a couple of spares which is no bad thing.

 

[The Matrix]

Sorry to hear that Straz

If that were me i'd ask for a refund and wash your hands of them, those widescreen LG monitors look great.

 

[The Matrix]

Just a quick update to this:

The replacement monitor has now developed a fault, i bright white circular spot has appeared on the screen. It's worse on light backgrounds and pretty distracting, let's see if i get the same pantomime this time round, i've already told them that i won't accept anything from LetMeRepair, they are their repair agents in the UK who sent me a monitor in a terrible state as my warranty replacement last time.

 

[The Matrix]

I've finally received my 2nd warranty replacement for the recent issue.

Lets just say that LetMeRepair UK who are Asus's UK repair agents are still upto their old tricks, the first thing i noticed when the courier delivered the box is that it wasn't a brand new sealed unit direct from Asus, after the previous experience of a refurb from them i wasn't full of confidence with what i was about to receive.

Anyway i opened the box, at first glance it wasn't as bad as the other one that i received from them, let's face it nothing could be that bad, their was obvious signs of use though with minor marks on the plastic and on the base. I started to put it together, this is where i couldn't go any further. The idiots at LetMeRepair had forgot to put the bolt in the box that secures the base stand to the column on the back of the monitor, not only had they forgot to put that in they also forgot to put in the cable management bracket/clip that clips onto the back of the support column.

Anyway, i rummaged through the tool box and found a small bolt that was the same thread size. I connected everything up and switched it on, at the top left of the screen their is a small area of dead black pixels, it's only small maybe a couple of pixels, on a white background it looks like their is a bit of dust behind the screen.

Not perfect really considering this is supposed to be a fully checked warranty replacement along with the fact that Asus tell you that their warranty is a Premium 3 year panel guarantee.

 

[The Matrix]

Obviously i'm now stuck with an Asus monitor and their awful warranty service and refurb replacements, i just hope this thread is of benefit to other people because i'd seriously consider staying well clear of Asus from my own experiences, their warranty service and refurb replacements to put it mildly are awful unless you get very lucky.