Going to be posting updates on the repair to my headset’s controllers in here. Due to the importance (of me) to get back in VR, I have stickied this post until the headset arrives back in my room.
(As of 3:07pm on October 21st, I got it back. So the post has been un-stickied.. not that I really needed to do so)
So, without further adieu….
Friday, October 11th, 2019: Contacted Samsung about the problem (as I cannot take it anymore). They started the process to do a repair, and on that same day I got my father to take me up to our local UPS Store and sent it off to them. It was to be sent via Next-Day Air, so I assume they’ll be getting to it by Saturday. Little did I know they only work on the weekdays.
It was also that day when I saw where they’ll be taking it. With that I found very disturbing things from Google Reviews and the BBB (giving it a C+ rating).
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Monday, October 14th, 2019: My headset arrived at Total Tech Solutions, as expected. Got confirmation from UPS and Samsung, but they didn’t get to work on it until Tuesday.
That same day, I told Zagro the company they’re sending my headset to (and its bad reviews). He’s “surprised they don’t have a lower one”, and doubling down on not receiving the originals; but either brand new or refurbished. He made it sound that everything should be fine.
Finally he suggested the next time I ever have to send something in for repairs, to use a special UV marker that can only be seen with a blacklight. If the marks are ‘gone’ when it comes back, then it’s not the original.
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Wednesday, October 16th, 2019: In VRChat this morning, I was talking to a few friends about the issues with the controllers and having to send them to Samsung (yet how I haven’t gotten a single update since). Was suggested to call them, so I did. And like I assumed what would happen, all I can do is wait. However, the guy I spoke to on the phone indirectly said how it “usually takes 7-14 business days”…
…Excuse me?! Your email, and your ‘Repair Self Tracking’ do NOT show 14 business
days (2 and a half weeks) being a thing! Obviously you read something wrong there. But he did say that in a few days, I should get an update to the repair request. So, that’s hopeful.
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In the evening of that same day, they (virtually) saw me standing outside of their building for two days (after arriving early Tuesday morning), acting like this meme;
“HURRY THE FUCK UP!! I have no VR and I MUST SCREAM!! 😱“
Someone actually came out to see me and gave me a thumbs up, saying “your left controller will no longer malfunction, and we fixed the pairing issue with the right.”
I happily squealed like a pig that just found their mud pit. As we’re talking, I saw someone else loading a package with my name on it onto a UPS truck and he said “we’re sending it back to you as soon as humanly possible”.
Then he said that I can virtually fly back home once this powerful Nor’easter clears and wait for it there, and I’ll get a tracking number ‘soon’. So I’ll be virtually flying back home tomorrow.
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Thursday, October 17th, 2019:
A lot of things happened this day. So to clean up the chaos, I’ve sectioned them.
[Section #1, the statement]: To start things off, they released their findings of the problems with the controllers (and shown what they did to ‘fix’ the problem.
The below has also been edited to remove personal information.
So they list the issue as ‘Bluetooth Failure’. This to me didn’t answer if they even tested the left controller for the main issue why I asked for a repair. It only.. A: explains the issue with the right controller. and B: explains the issue how the controllers wouldn’t factory reset themselves properly.
So I called and they told me I would have to get ahold of Total Tech Solutions directly and ask them. They gave me the number to do so. After pressing the right key for their ‘northern New Jersey’ location, told me they did indeed test for the issue and see it for themselves, and will send me two brand new controllers.
As for the headset, I forgot to ask them if they used it to test the issue. Instead I only asked if they replaced it as well. “As I have told you at the beginning of this call, only the controllers have been replaced”. So I can safely assume I’ll get back the same headset that I sent them. In your FACE, Zagro!! 😏
[Section #2, Shipping Questions]: With the statement, I have the tracking number. When I first looked, it showed ‘Shipment Ready for UPS’. They (Total Tech Solutions) told me it “will be shipped today”.. but they never told me when (as in what time).
UPS’ website also showed the service is ‘UPS 2nd Day Air’. Strange, when the shipping label was printed out, it showed ‘UPS Next Day Air’. So why am I having to wait an extra day? I’ve been waiting for nearly a WEEK now, and you want me to wait another
day?! …Seems so. Damn. But what was interesting was clicking on it and there’s
this ‘Value-Added Services’ section. And directly under that is ‘Saturday Delivery’. Checking that out, it looked like it was going to arrive on Saturday. But scrolling to the bottom, I read that “you must affix a Saturday Delivery sticker” to the package, with a link at the bottom showing how you can order one.
Thought of calling my local UPS Store, which was a semi-mistake as they don’t know. But they were able to give me UPS’ main number, which they told me “no”, the sticker wasn’t applied; and to expect it by Monday (the 21st) between 2:15pm to 5:15pm.. that is, if TTS ships it out today, which that company told me they would.
It wasn’t until 9pm tonight when I got an update verifying they did ship it, so I will be back in VR by Monday.
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Monday, October 21st, 2019: Today’s the day. I’ve been waiting 11 days for this day to arrive!!
Soon, I’ll be back in VR.
Still scheduled to arrive by the time I said before. UPS even provided me with a way I can live track the truck making the delivery. Quite cool, and the current look of the time I’m writing this (1:35pm), it’s sitting at a UPS Facility in a neighboring city.
I’ll be updating this throughout the day with timestamps if I see movement of their live track (including the time of arrival).
2:15pm: Between NOW and 5:15pm (a 3-hour window), my headset should arrive. But the truck hasn’t moved from its spot. Something tells me I’m not going to see an update until it gets really close to my house.
3:07pm, October 21st: I GOT IT!! 😆 And just as I thought, it never showed a change. That delivery track thing was garbage, as all I saw was this;
Took awhile to open up the box (so much tape). Plus there was this Tamper Proof tape around it (to show no-one else opened it since it got shipped).
Finally getting it open, there was this strange smell (smells like hot sauce) coming from the green packing foam. I also saw where I had messed up with packing it; the headset goes in first, then the controllers.
Got the headset out and looked at the cable, same kinks as before. Yep, this is the original! They added a twist tie to secure the cable during shipping, though. Now to plug it in
and, get over my fear I’ve had since they told me it’s the original headset (that I may had fucked it when I was wrapping the cable up on the 11th).
But it’s still under warranty. So if I have to send it back to them.. which I hope I
don’t as I’m pretty sure my father wouldn’t enjoy that (plus I promised mother this would be the last thing I send out), all I can hope is I don’t have to send it in. 😖
Oh, and they also gave me a free ‘mousepad’. Makes my mouse a ‘bit’ too fast to control.
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Plugging it in and pairing the controllers, after holding down the Windows button on
both, they immediately turned on as if they were paired. My guess is they were never wired to be paired to this headset (as they’re brand new).
So I had to do a manual pair on both, and that got it to work (hopefully that’s what they wanted me to do, if I had called them about it). Got the boundary setup.