Question Look at this Conversation I had with ASUS Tech Support (WHY can't they give me a price???)

[PocketCalculatorOperator]

Look at this Conversation I had with ASUS Tech Support (WHY can't they give me a price UNTIL they receive the laptop if I want a NEW motherboard installed???)

Shanice_F.
I am seeing here that you are having an issue with your device motherboard. Is that correct?

Me:
...so I suspect a bent pin on the motherboard. How much to get the motherboard replaced with a new one? I don't have the experience to risk looking inside the computer. There is no external damage. I'm 40 years old and other than that one accident I have handled the laptop very gently.


Shanice_F.
Sadly the repair quote can only be determined by the repair team

Me:
In that case, IF the repair team finds that the motherboard must be replaced to solve the issue, then how much will be charged?

Shanice_F.
They will have to tell you

Shanice_F.
This seems to be a hardware issue. You will have to get the device repaired/serviced to resolve the issue. I am seeing here that your warranty ended on 2023/03/22 . Since your product is out of warranty, there is a $85 non-refundable diagnostic fee must be paid prior to the device being sent for repair. This fee does not include the repair cost. When your product reaches the repair facility......

Me:
Ok. I am not being rude but I honestly wonder why you cannot tell me how much it is to replace the motherboard, the reason being because that would be the same process on any other same model as mine. I understand how repairing my motherboard cannot be known until they see it because every damaged motherboard is different, but in the case of replacing it with a new motherboard, the price would be motherboard cost plus repair cost = total cost

Shanice_F.
Sadly ASUS does not offer spare parts for sale directly.

Me:
I'm not asking for parts. I'm saying for ASUS to use the parts

Shanice_F.
We at this department dont know how much it will cost

Me:
I'm asking ASUS how much money it would be for them to replace my motherboard with a new one.

Shanice_F.
We can only specify the 85$ repair diagnostics fee

Me:
With my laptop serial number they know the exact part they would install. So it's a mystery why they won't tell you a price.

Shanice_F.
Sadly we cannot speak on pricing even with the knowledge of the part to be exact

What s the reason for that. It really surprised me.

 

[DSzymborski]

It would be extremely odd if they did give you a price. I'm not sure why you expect this; it's a department at a very large company that doesn't handle the repair itself at all and even if they did, they have no idea what the condition of the inside will look like when they get to it. It would be absolute idiocy if they had their customer service basically giving out estimates.

 

[MrLitschel]

Your first statement says it all --

"...so I suspect a bent pin on the motherboard. How much to get the motherboard replaced with a new one? I don't have the experience to risk looking inside the computer. There is no external damage. I'm 40 years old and other than that one accident I have handled the laptop very gently."

You are guessing there is a bent pin on the motherboard. The problem may not be a bent pin - it could be another faulty component/connection. Customer support cannot verify that is the issue so it would be inappropriate for them to try to give an estimate for repairs. That 85$ repair diagnostics fee is standard. A Repair Technician certified by ASUS needs to look physically at your laptop in order to determine the exact issue/problem with your laptop. Once that is done, then a repair estimate can be made.

 

[PocketCalculatorOperator]

It would be extremely odd if they did give you a price. I'm not sure why you expect this; it's a department at a very large company that doesn't handle the repair itself at all and even if they did, they have no idea what the condition of the inside will look like when they get to it. It would be absolute idiocy if they had their customer service basically giving out estimates.

I never repaired computers before, but what is UNIQUE about me asking to have my motherboard replaced with a new one, that makes it so they can't give an estimate? They know my model so they know the exact part to be installed. And they know how long that process takes.

It's like if you know you need something replaced in your car with a brand new part, the dealers know how long it will take and have experience, and you call them up, and they're like, "We can't tell you until we see the car in person"

Well that would make sense if they had to analyse the whole car to figure out some mystery problem, but if I am ASKING them to REPLACE a part with a NEW one, regardless of the outcome, they CAN know the price of that.

 

[TerryLaze]

I never repaired computers before, but what is UNIQUE about me asking to have my motherboard replaced with a new one, that makes it so they can't give an estimate? They know my model so they know the exact part to be installed. And they know how long that process takes.

It's like if you know you need something replaced in your car with a brand new part, the dealers know how long it will take and have experience, and you call them up, and they're like, "We can't tell you until we see the car in person"

Well that would make sense if they had to analyse the whole car to figure out some mystery problem, but if I am ASKING them to REPLACE a part with a NEW one, regardless of the outcome, they CAN know the price of that.

So if they replace the motherboard and that doesn't fix your problem and they still ask you full price for that you would be ok with it?!
There is no service that works in that way, they will figure out what the real issue is and tell you what they can do about it.
If they are to replace everything inside the laptop then better get a new one, it will be cheaper.

 

[DSzymborski]

I never repaired computers before, but what is UNIQUE about me asking to have my motherboard replaced with a new one, that makes it so they can't give an estimate? They know my model so they know the exact part to be installed. And they know how long that process takes.

It's like if you know you need something replaced in your car with a brand new part, the dealers know how long it will take and have experience, and you call them up, and they're like, "We can't tell you until we see the car in person"

Well that would make sense if they had to analyse the whole car to figure out some mystery problem, but if I am ASKING them to REPLACE a part with a NEW one, regardless of the outcome, they CAN know the price of that.

When you call the car dealer, you're talking to a service department or someone on a phone that's a 45 second walk away from the department. You're not doing that when you call an extremely large company (relatively) like ASUS. You're talking to a customer service agent, whose job here is basically getting you to ship what to where, and is probably not even in the same state as the people fixing your laptop. At some point, you've developed a very strange idea that the customer service agent you called has a big price list of the replacement cost of every part for every PC they make. They have a script to keep to and the goal is to spend as little time as possible with your problem; people aren't willing to pay more for good customer service so companies aren't going to spend hours to answer a theoretical question for an out-of-warranty repair.

 

[geofelt]

Why do you suspect a bent pin in the motherboard?
Laptop processors are almost always soldered in; no pins involved.

Look on ebay , there you will likely find a replacement motherboard for sale.
You will get some idea of what a repair will cost.
Since you are no longer on warranty, your best bet is to take the laptop to a local repair service.

 

[TerryLaze]

Why do you suspect a bent pin in the motherboard?
Laptop processors are almost always soldered in; no pins involved.

Look on ebay , there you will likely find a replacement motherboard for sale.
You will get some idea of what a repair will cost.
Since you are no longer on warranty, your best bet is to take the laptop to a local repair service.

All of the ports of a laptop have pins in them, if one bends and touches the ground it can burn out some component on the mobo.