It seems as if ASUS's online RMA checker isn't working much at all. When I put in my information it says there's no record of my RMA request, despite the fact that before they received it, it said "we have not received your device yet." Now that they received it, as I said, "we have no record of your request." Hmm, k.
I did have a much happier ASUS experience this afternoon. No cigar quite yet, but I called to see if I could get some indication as to where ASUS stands in regard to these repairs. I was transferred over to the escalations department and I spoke to somebody about this issue. I expressed my frustration with exactly how and why my screen got cracked and brought up the issue about other users reporting the same thing. For once, I spoke to a human being. He was extremely down to earth and in some ways sounded a little shocked at what degree of evidence I provided him which reflected the dynamics of the issue. He concurred on a lot of the same stances I had and told me that there is a truckload of notes in my account that previous reps have taken down. He told me that the notes clearly highlight my frustration with the design flaw I notated as well as the time ASUS takes to analyze and complete these repairs, as well as the extreme dissatisfaction I've had in regard to what other users have experienced (for those of you out there who ASUS sent you a 170 dollar repair bill).
Considering the fact that my account is full of those notes, I hope that it'll reflect on my unit getting successfully fixed under warranty. I told him even if my unit gets fixed, I could almost care less, as I'm still reading reports of users who are experiencing random cracking and ASUS is still sending out repair bills. He said he understood my frustration level with that, but indicated ASUS's stance has never changed. If the unit appears damaged like it was dropped (containing scuff marks, etc) then they won't repair it under warranty, but if it indeed looks like it came from a manufacturing defect, it will be fixed. I said that's great, but that doesn't explain the lack of ASUS's care on the matter in regard to prior units that came to ASUS with cracked screens that ASUS didn't fix. He said right now I can really only represent my own tablet, and that if ASUS notifies me saying I need to pay to repair it, I can have my dispute with a number they provide and go from there. He said it's very possible I may get it reversed, but at the same token, I don't see the morality behind having to fight for a warranty issue that's clearly defined by the law in the first place.
At any rate, the rep I spoke to today was extremely friendly and seemed very understanding. He did not sound like a robot like, well, all of the prior ASUS reps I spoke to did. Considering the fact he clued me in on what previous notes were taken on my account, it gave me a minor boost in confidence that things will be taken care of properly. That being said, it doesn't really change what I think will inevitably happen, but it does make me feel a little more patient on the subject.
Granted, my last 9 calls were pretty much failures, but you received a +1 today, ASUS. Let's not get too carried away now.
