As I have said, if you admit to touching the hardware they can claim an ESD related failure.
They can claim yes but they also have to back it up now do to the changes in right to repair. Now proving you didn't cause and ESD if there is ESD damage found, can be tricky so your not totally wrong either. It is just as tricky to prove you did do it too though so always fight it. I guess my point is companies no longer have the blank check of "warranty stickers" to shield themselves any longer. Let me explain some. Like I said know your rights and if your someone poking around a PCB or other electronics you should know to wear an grounding strap for example. If you have a failure and inspect it personally, then claim your warranty when you find the issue is unfixable/a part needs replacing you can't or don't feel comfortable with doing, you do need to be careful handling customer support.
I never lie to support but I am very careful of my wording as well as the company's are about profit and will do their best to put the issue on you. I have had things under warranty I didn't lay a finger on repair wise, die and have the CS try to blame me by either attempting to void the warranty baselessly or trying to tack "repair" charges on items I RMA'd. My favorite one was an ASUS laptop they claimed had water damage, it didn't it was a bad AC adapter plug receptacle that model was known for having a high defect rate on. Anyways when Asus received the laptop I was told it was water damage and it wouldn't be covered. A repair cost of upwards of 300 dollars was likely. I was told my options were to let them keep it so they could properly dispose of it and be out a laptop, pay this "repair fee" for water damage or I could appeal/escalate my issue with a higher tier tech...I clearly went with the last bit. After a lot of hassle I was able to get the tech on the phone oddly enough as he was cracking my laptop open. One of the first things I got was an apology when he saw the PCB. As I suspected a pin had detached from the motherboard from the AC port. And the so called water damage that was there...was also what I thought it was...left over markings they didn't fully clean up from wet etching the PCB (something frequently used to claim false water damage IME). I can't tell you how many brand new motherboards/graphics cards I have received with these markings on them. Anyways I only got my repair under warranty do to my knowledge/skill set. And keep in mind this is something i didn't lay a finger on...
So how does this apply to the ESD you mentioned earlier. First make sure you wear your wrist strap and more importantly make sure CS knows you did too. ESD events can be caused by human touch indeed as the amount of voltage needed to do irreparable damage you won't feel leave your finger tip, but dust can do it too. So there is the hang with them blaming you outright for an ESD event assuming you know tech and your rights. Over the years whether it is motherboards, graphics cards or HDD's I have had all of them die do to ESD that had nothing to do with me...ok ok there was this one hdd that I totally admit I fried when I pulled the wrist straps ground free and didn't realize it right away but I didn't try to RMA it as a result either. Anyways manufactures have generally been good with me when these ESD issues pop up because of my knowledge and handling of the broken tech.
Unrelated to ESD but still relevant do to a repair I performed. I had a Samsung TV panel known having display issues do to a resistor in a test circuit they forgot to remove after testing the panel during manufacturing. I called up CS knowing what was likely the issue. Anyways I knew all I needed to do was remove/cut the resistor out or severe the test circuit to the true circuit. Now I could wait a 2 weeks for the repair guy to come over and do this according the CS scheduling guy or I could do it myself according to me since I had the week off. If I was wrong it would hurt nothing and I could call up CS again to schedule the repair. Being tech savy IT guy I jumped off the phone popped the TV open, snipped the resistor out. I put it back together, turned it on and the panel was fixed...
A few months later the IR receiver took a dump. Granted this only killed the remote control but I was upset and wanted it fixed. I didn't have the time off to do the repair time <cough> was feeling lazy <cough cough> so I called in CS and set up for a repairmen to come out. A week or so later he did and when he had the TV opened up he homed in on my work with the test circuit almost immediately, kind of like he was looking for it (hmmm). He instantly questioned me and what I had done. He stopped working on the TV and had to "call it in" before he could proceed with a warrantied repair I was informed . My previous call in to CS about the panel image going funky (yes that is a technical term) and not displaying an image came up as soon as he spoke to HQ and a game of 20 questions ensued. I explained why I had done what I had and the research/precautions/procedures I took to fix the issue. Even showing the tech my repair kit, what I used and how. The repairman was impressed though his manger was defiant at first insisting I had voided the warranty by performing a repair by myself. I argued, while I wasn't a TV repairman, I was tech both in and out of the military. The manager ultimately accepted my work as the tech himself said I did exactly what they would have done for that particular issue/fix and he saw no damage done except what was intended for said fix. Now this manager did make one phone call I was not privvy to hearing before he did agree to repairs under warranty. It was only after this call and as mentioned the tech's assurances his tone changed. If I had to guess he called his boss, legal or both and found out they were on shaky ground. Regardless I do suspect with how fast the tech went straight to the factory test circuit that Samsung was looking for exactly what they found because of my previous CS call/inquiry. They knew there had been a panel breaking issue that hadn't been fixed by them because of my call of which I am sure they recorded. Long story short I think the tech came in with the express intent of voiding my warranty from the previous CS call I had placed so they could charge me for the IR receiver replacement. It was only my workmanship, knowledge of the issue and my careful wording that kept me safe...that and a little luck.
I've had this same story play out with more than one piece of electronic, mostly PC related, equipment over the years. Some of the details may vary but the general story is always the same. The key to talking to CS/Tech support and not getting your warranty voided is always be very deliberate with your words, know what you did and how you went about doing so is the correct way...Yes some companies will still try to pass the buck regardless of the circumstances but IME if you explain how you did things and you made sure you did them correctly, CS will generally honor your warranty. Now if you don't know what your doing, or don't know how to work on electronics properly then you shouldn't even be attempting these types of repairs/ or poking around your electronics so indepthly. If you do, at that point you kind of deserve having your warranty voided. I am not saying there isn't risk involved in doing your own repairs that may result in voiding your warranty but I stand by my statement that with the changing of the laws in regards to rights to repair, companies no longer have a blank check to void warranties as easily as they once did prior to the sticker rule being deemed illegal. You can challenge companies when they try to void you now where as once upon a time, you couldn't if the sticker was broken because it was company policy/ you "chose" to void your warranty...according to them at least.
Now all of that said I encourage folks to use their warranties first and foremost. I would tell a family member for example, to avoid doing your own repairs because it does introduce a level of risk to: your equipment, yourself and potentially others. Because as much as I want what Pytheus said to be 100% untrue companies can and will baselessly void warranties to save cash. If you don't know the tech you calling in about and/or how to advocate for yourself regardless of if you actually tried to repair something or not yourself, you can find your warranty voided for a lot less than suspected ESD. I would also argue that this is always true when RMA's get created. Companies can, some more than others, try to take advantage of your ignorance. So do you self a favor and don't be ignorant if you can at all avoid it. Inform yourself because knowledge is power. It is a lot harder for CS to take advantage of someone who knows the ins and outs of the tech they are attempting to get serviced. If you suspect CS is baselessly voiding your warranty, fight it even if it means you need to get a lawyer. They can claim ESD that much is easy...making them prove it is ESD caused by you is exponentially harder.
?
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram