Nintendo's joycon repair service is a joke.

[ItWasMeantToBe19]

The joycons have a massive design flaw which allows dust to get trapped under the control sticks, leading to huge amounts of drift to where the games are unplayable. However, to get this repaired you have to:

1. Dig through Nintendo's terrible service website for what to do next.
2. Wait on hold for 20 minutes because you have to call Nintendo's reps for some godforsaken reason instead of sending an email or doing online chat.
3. Nintendo reps refuse to let you send in your joycon for repair unless you've tried another joycon with the console. This means I have to find someone else with a Switch and then go over to their house just for the purpose of trying out a joycon on my Switch for troubleshooting.
4. Nintendo charges $40 for repairs even though replacing an analog stick should cost them around $3.

This is just terrible, I'm really unhappy.

 

[Tidalwaves]

Just say you tried another joycon..

 

[Puroresu_kid]

How easy would it be to fix this oneself with some canned air?

 

[chicken_pasta]

Sony to this day produces shit controllers, and they don't fix them either. Controllers tend to die. Shit happens. Plus, you won't see a week old joycon doing this, unless you're treating them poorly, in which case it shouldn't be covered under warranty.

 

[Noppie]

Can't say I share the same experience. Service was easy and quick.

 

[ItWasMeantToBe19]

How easy would it be to fix this oneself with some canned air?

Click to shrink...

I tried:

1. Blowing canned air under the flap and then calibrating, still drift.
2. Opening the joycon up and cleaning around the analog stick and then calibrating, still drift.
3. Using a QTip to clean under the flap and then calibrating, still drift.

These three techniques often work if you have this problem... But they didn't work for me.

 

[Deleted member 19739]

Weird, I just called them a few days ago and I am sending the left joycon out for repair for free. I do have a launch console though

I told them that I have had issues with the left joycon since launch (which is true) and that I tried all troubleshooting methods. The rep asked me if I thought it was unreasonable to pay $30/40 for repairs. I said yes

 

[Noctilum]

I have had the same issue with the joy-con drift. Using canned air in it fixed it instantly. It eventually returned but another puff of air fixed it again. Better investing in a can of air for $2 than to waste your time with support.

 

[Beer Monkey]

That's a hell of a design flaw.

The joycon is easily the worst pack-in console controller from a major manufacturer, ever. It is just so unbelievably terrible.

 

[ItWasMeantToBe19]

Weird, I just called them a few days ago and I am sending the left joycon out for repair for free. I do have a launch console though

Click to shrink...

How did you get them to send out for repair for free.

My Switch I bought in June 2017 and they want $40 from me.

 

[Deleted member 6949]

It's wild how much the joycons cost, considering how little I enjoy using them.

 

[Deleted member 1287]

Nintendo reps refuse to let you send in your joycon for repair unless you've tried another joycon with the console.

Click to shrink...

I had to send mine in for the same issue. They asked me if I had another pair, and I told them I didn't. They didn't make a big deal, in fact, the rep said it's a common problem and he understood. I do agree that the joycon flaw, website, and call wait are all really annoying, but the rep I talked to was great and the repair was fast. I was still under warranty so I didn't have to pay anything.

 

[New Fang]

How did you get them to send out for repair for free.

My Switch I bought in June 2017 and they want $40 from me.

Click to shrink...

That's ridiculous. It's the cost of a new Joycon. I would just call back and speak to another person.

 

[PCPace]

When I needed joycon repair, I just filled out a website form, they sent me a shipping label, I sent it off and got it back in five days. Never had to talk to anyone on the phone.

My problem wasn't drifting sticks from dust though, it was that one wasn't charging. I've never had trouble with dust, I dust my house every week

 

[Jucksalbe]

Lol, for $40 you can just buy a new one.

But yeah, the JoyCon isn't exactly Nintendonium quality. Luckily when the same happened to mine, I managed to fix it with some canned air (but sadly after I already bought a replacement).

 

[Etrian Darkness]

I still haven't gotten my launch day joycon fixed and now I'm getting other issues with them. My right joycon's stick is getting bad inputs just like yours and my left's leds don't work.That's on top of the launch day left joycon just having a desync issues.

 

[ItWasMeantToBe19]

The rep also said it would take 3 weeks for them to return it to me.

Overall, not a good call.

 

[Noobcraft]

I didn't have to try mine on another console when I sent mine in like a week ago.

 

[Alwayscrazybacon]

4. Nintendo charges $40 for repairs even though replacing an analog stick should cost them around $3.

Click to shrink...

It's not going to install itself for $3.

 

[Nathan.exe]

Is that exclusive to the US ? Because I sent my Left Joycon (with warranty) to them after a quick order on their website and it was done 1 week later. France.

 

[Beer Monkey]

It's not going to install itself for $3.

Click to shrink...

With the amount of labor it costs to tear down and rebuild a joycon, I'm guessing they just throw it in the fucking trash.

 

[davidnolan13]

Sony to this day produces shit controllers, and they don't fix them either. Controllers tend to die. Shit happens. Plus, you won't see a week old joycon doing this, unless you're treating them poorly, in which case it shouldn't be covered under warranty.

Click to shrink...

Sony do, I bought a pro and the left stick on the ds4 went wonky after a few month and they got me to send it back and just replaced it without any fuss and it was all done online

 

[Kenzodielocke]

Personally I send it in, came back in a week, no problems, no extra costs, EU.

 

[HighFive]

Iv did that, and worked for me:

https://www.reddit.com/r/NintendoSwitch/comments/7n0e7h/joycon_driftingmoving_on_its_own_fix/

NOTE: Putting it back flawlessly is a pain in the ass after, in fact, mine is not perfect like it was brand new, have a few hemorroids bumps, but my joycon work just as it was before.

 

[Council Pop]

3. Nintendo reps refuse to let you send in your joycon for repair unless you've tried another joycon with the console. This means I have to find someone else with a Switch and then go over to their house just for the purpose of trying out a joycon on my Switch for troubleshooting.

Click to shrink...

Lol just say you've already done this.

 

[JershJopstin]

I tried:

1. Blowing canned air under the flap and then calibrating, still drift.
2. Opening the joycon up and cleaning around the analog stick and then calibrating, still drift.
3. Using a QTip to clean under the flap and then calibrating, still drift.

These three techniques often work if you have this problem... But they didn't work for me.

Click to shrink...

For 2, did you open the stick itself up? That's what I had to do. Works like new now.

 

[Psychotron]

The joycon is the shittiest controller Nintendo have ever made. I've had connection issues since day 1. Tried multiple joycons, repairs, moving the system closer, turning off all WiFi and phones. They just suck. Shame because the potential is great and when it worked it was fun in Mario Odyssey.

 

[Zafir]

The two times I've used their warranty service in the UK they've been fairly fast. That said they have a online form you can fill out here to state your problem and get a freepost label.

The first time was over the infamous cracking issue around the top grill and power button, a design flaw with some of the launch consoles having too tight screws. The second time was over the power supply, something came lose inside the plug so I sent it off. This took slightly longer because they incorrectly(it was still under warranty) sent me an email asking me to pay £31 to repair it (bizarre considering a new one from the store costs £25). Fortunately after phoning them up and complaining at the fact they're trying to charge me when it's still under warranty they did actually repair it for free and sent it me back (I will note I think they actually just sent me a new one, which to be fair, makes sense).

I think I'm going to have to use warranty service again though. My right joycon has that issue where you can basically pull it out without pressing the button. I've no idea how it's happened considering I can probably count the times I've taken them off on my two hands (I have a pro controller so I rarely use them detached).

It's funny, if I do send that joycon off, the Switch will be tied with the 360 for most times I've had to go through warranty service for a console. :/

 

[Puroresu_kid]

I need to fix my left one as I get drift just don't want to do it myself and fuck up

 

[LinkSlayer64]

I've literally had no issues with the joycons, and I've had it since launch, don't know how the hell are you getting that big a dust buildup.

 

[LiquidSword]

I bought a couple more joy cons a couple months ago. The pink left one, the stick just doesn't register up half the time all the sudden and the grey right one, the a button doesn't work half the time. I was going to call them soon. If they try to charge me I'm going to be pissed.

 

[Elven_Star]

At least you have customer service in your country. If something happens to my joycons, buying another pair (at a ridiculous price) is my only option.

 

[GiantEnemyCrab]

I had to send it in twice because the first time, they claimed there was no issue. I even tried the canned air shit but it didn't work.

I had Playstation, GameCube, N64 etc. controllers and never had problems. The ones I still have, still work perfectly. Compared to that, the joy cons are a disaster - especially at that price.

 

[Astral Lovelace]

I had tried it all (removing the stick, canned air, etc) but what finally got my drift 100% gone was Electric Contact Cleaner.

 

[VorpalNonsense]

I've heard good things from people that instead of using compressed air, they used plastic safe electrical contact cleaner.

 

[GrimGrinningGuy]

You can haggle with Nintendo repair reps FYI
my Wii U broke in feb and they wanted 100$ to repair it. I got them down to $47 (odd price..) with overnight shipping instead of ground

 

[scrapple]

my launch day battery seems to be my big issue.... at least apple eventually comes out and says something like "free battery replacement for iphone 6 users with this serial range blah blah..."

you will never see that from nintendo guaranteed.

 

[blacktout]

I had to send mine in for the same issue. They asked me if I had another pair, and I told them I didn't. They didn't make a big deal, in fact, the rep said it's a common problem and he understood. I do agree that the joycon flaw, website, and call wait are all really annoying, but the rep I talked to was great and the repair was fast. I was still under warranty so I didn't have to pay anything.

Click to shrink...

Ditto. I had the same problem, and I had exactly the experience you described. They had me try some basic calibration stuff. and when that didn't work, they had me send the joycon back and repaired it for free. But I was under warranty too. The whole experience was actually way less painful than I expected.

 

[Grettir_the_Swole]

This just started happening to my left stick yesterday and I thought I was totally out of luck. Damn, now I'm really going to have to buy a pro controller.

 

[TheGreatMightyPoo]

Nintendo has really dropped the ball hardware-wise with the Switch.

The screen is fantastic but the Joycons are garbage with the drifting analogs and don't get me started on that abomination of a d-pad on the Pro controller.

 

[Madao]

while i don't use the joycons almost ever since i prefer the Pro controller, my pro controller's left stick is dying now and i'll need a new controller. in my country the repair will probably run me as much as the controller's actual cost so i'll just skip the middle annoyances and buy a new one later.

it's a highlight of both their bad reach to some regions and the poor quality of these current controllers. my Wii U Pro controller still works without problems and i've used that one just as much over the years. shame they decided to copy Sony in one of their worst things.

 

[Zing]

4. Nintendo charges $40 for repairs even though replacing an analog stick should cost them around $3.

Click to shrink...

I highly doubt the cost of labour and parts for repairing the controller and shipping it back to you is only $3.

 

[ss_lemonade]

Weird, I just called them a few days ago and I am sending the left joycon out for repair for free. I do have a launch console though

I told them that I have had issues with the left joycon since launch (which is true) and that I tried all troubleshooting methods. The rep asked me if I thought it was unreasonable to pay $30/40 for repairs. I said yes

Click to shrink...

Doesn't warranty only last for a year? I had a launch console too and needed my joycon repaired because it wasn't clipping properly in place anymore due to a chipped clip (pretty awful design I think) but almost couldn't get it repaired at no cost because I was sending it a day when my warranty expired, which was a few months ago. The rep just said, "send it in and we'll let you know if the repair facility will need payment or not"

The screen is fantastic but the Joycons are garbage with the drifting analogs and don't get me started on that abomination of a d-pad on the Pro controller.

Click to shrink...

I used a pro controller for the first time while I was at PAX, in rent console rent area and did not notice the issues with the dpad. I was actually looking for the bad diagonals and could not get it to misfire (and I know how controllers with bad dpad diagonals are as I own a sf30pro controller and a Shield Portable). Could this be a non-issue now?

 

[tzare]

A few days ago i started noticing something weird with hollow Knight, the character would look up or enter locations / sit in benchs without me doing anything.
I calibrated the sticks but still have the issue.
So now it looks that is a known issue, hopefully we'll get this fixed but seems really low quality QA from Nintendo, something that unfortunately seems frequent, with my launch 3ds screen being scratched because it makes contact when closed, and the also known issue of screen scratching with switch dock.
I also have connectivity issues when playing docked, probably due to my switch being behind the TV because it is too tall too be front of it...
But if is baffling that only 2-3 meters away i already have this issue.

Now crossing fingers they are fast with this or my daughters will be angry

 

[zenspider]

They fixed mine for free and it took less than 5 days. They event sent a free packing slip.

Nintendo has the best customer service and repair in the industry. If you couldn't figure out how to get an under warranty joycon fixed, that's not Nintendo's fault.

 

[Jedi2016]

I've opened them up before, I can do it again.

 

[Herb Alpert]

Yeah joy con is the first Nintendo controller I have ever had a problem with

 

[TheFuzz]

The joycons have a massive design flaw which allows dust to get trapped under the control sticks, leading to huge amounts of drift to where the games are unplayable. However, to get this repaired you have to:

1. Dig through Nintendo's terrible service website for what to do next.
2. Wait on hold for 20 minutes because you have to call Nintendo's reps for some godforsaken reason instead of sending an email or doing online chat.
3. Nintendo reps refuse to let you send in your joycon for repair unless you've tried another joycon with the console. This means I have to find someone else with a Switch and then go over to their house just for the purpose of trying out a joycon on my Switch for troubleshooting.
4. Nintendo charges $40 for repairs even though replacing an analog stick should cost them around $3.

This is just terrible, I'm really unhappy.

Click to shrink...

You're going to be in the minority. I had mine repaired and it was extremely painless.

 

[ShinUltramanJ]

So for the cost of a new Joycon, Nintendo will repair your existing one.

What a deal.

 

[The Almighty Tria]

My nephews broke and I got it sent in and repaired for free, no questions asked.