Mike writes in with an update on what he’s doing to get his Asus EEPC fixed. We think his number one way to solve the problem is to activate the extended warranty protection on his credit card. His reply to that is, “My credit card has an extended warranty but since it is still in warranty with Asus, that can’t help.” Not that we want to embarrass Mike, but since this can help other people, I need to point out that this isn’t true.

Just tell them that ASUS voided your warranty, they didn’t honor your warranty. They made you run around in circles to get an RMA, then simply shipped you the device back unfixed. That will be enough.

In the letter that follows, Mike makes it clear that he would rather ASUS pay for it, rather than any of the transaction partners, to teach the computer-maker a lesson. If ASUS was an entity capable of learning, they probably wouldn’t have done this to you in the first place. As savvy consumers involved in a transaction dispute, it’s important to stay rational and focused on the bottom line: getting what you paid for, in the form of a refund or a replacement, the quickest way possible. Getting what you deserve without wasting any more of your time is the best revenge possible.

So, definitely give your credit card company a call and ask them. You’ve spent this much time working on it, one phone call can’t hurt, and it has a high likelihood of fixing your problem outright!

Here’s Mike’s followup letter:

I just wanted to reply to let you know that I REALLY appreciate your
time you took to respond and look up some info for me.

I called Amazon and they can only give me a refund within 30 days (I haven’t tried their ECS yet, I might at some point but really Asus is the problem, not Amazon). My credit card has an extended warranty but since it is still in warranty with Asus, that can’t help. However I am also out of the 3 month period in which I can dispute it via phone apparently, and I have to write to them to perform a dispute. This is not a terrible option but I am always worried in these cases that my credit card might eat the cost which isn’t what I want at all; I like my credit card company and don’t want them to pay for my misfortunes if they haven’t done anything wrong, and I DO want Asus to be the one paying.

I copied you on my email to Eric Chen (the address you provided me with), and if that doesn’t go anywhere I am wondering if my next best step isn’t small claims court. I saw Suing Big Companies In Small Claims Court Is Fun And Easy and the linked article, and it sounds like a decent option which would allow me to sue for the price of my non-working laptop and the shipping back to them, plus a small reasonable amount for all my time as well.

The only thing I have to figure out is what would or would not make Asus a business/corporate/sueable entity in New York or my specific region, to ensure I can proceed. I imagine a clerk can help me with this. Sounds like if I don’t hear back from Eric I have a trip to court to make!

We asked ASUS whether Mike’s experience was standard practice or if their warranty department is experiencing some kind of malfunction, and await their response.

PREVIOUSLY: EEEPC Return A Recursive Hellhole

(Photo: Getty)

UPDATE: 9/02/08 Mike says Asus’ RMA department contacted him and is Fedexing him a return label. He writes, “Let’s hope it comes back working this time. If not I guess I’ll see what MasterCard has to say.”

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