Last week, I took my Nintendo Switch out of the dock like I've done countless times before, only to find that the screen was completely black with a few small blue pixels and a small crack in the screen. I've always used a screen protector to keep it safe, and I didn't drop it or mishandle it in any way.
I sent the console to Nintendo for assessment, hoping it might be covered under warranty, as it’s just over a year old. Unfortunately, Nintendo has assessed the issue as damage rather than a fault, and therefore not covered by warranty. They’ve presented me with three options:
- Pay $50 to return it as is, with a broken screen.
- Pay $165 for them to repair it.
- Dispose of the console at no cost.
Given the circumstances, I feel like I could still argue that this is a fault with the console or dock as all I did was take it out of the dock one day and it was broken. Does anyone have any experience with the ACCC or fair trading regarding something like this? Is it worth arguing a fault or should I just pay the repair cost?
That's user damage. Not a manufacturing fault.