Nintendo has reportedly instructed customer support representatives to offer free Joy-Con repairs with “drift” issues for free. So if your Nintendo Switch joysticks are becoming unreliable, pointing your game in random directions even if you haven’t physically pushed them that way, you may be experiencing “Joy-Con Drift.” And though Nintendo hasn’t officially admitted to a defect, the company is now quietly repairing the controllers free of charge. According an internal memo obtained by Vice
Nintendo has told support reps not to charge customers for Joy-Con repairs if the controllers are manifesting the infamous drifting behavior that causes them to move things on the screen on their own. They were even told that it’s no longer necessary to request for proof of purchase they can take customers at their word. In addition, Nintendo has apparently advised representatives to issue refunds if they previously paid for a Joy-Con repair, which typically costs $40 or so.
Vice got the memo from someone familiar with Nintendo’s updated customer support documentation:
“Customers will no longer be requested to provide proof of purchase for Joy-Con repairs. Additionally it is not necessary to confirm warranty status. If a customer requests a refund for a previously paid Joy-Con repair […] confirm the prior repair and then issue a refund.”
Nintendo didn’t confirm the memo to the publication, but Vice was able to test the new directives out. Upon calling Nintendo support about a unit with drifting Joy-Cons, the publication was told to update the system’s software and call back if the behavior repeated. It did, just a few minutes later. Vice said it didn’t get any pushback the second time and was told that the company would send the defective Joy-Con’s owner a pre-paid shipping label, so they could send the controllers in for repair.
At Nintendo, we take great pride in creating quality products and we are continuously making improvements to them. We are aware of recent reports that some Joy-Con controllers are not responding correctly. We want our consumers to have fun with Nintendo Switch, and if anything falls short of this goal we always encourage them to visit http://support.nintendo.com so we can help.
