Product: ASUS Zenfone 2 – ZE551ML
Problem: Screen tearing, malfunctioning GPS, no audio on phone calls, blue patch on screen
Resolution time: 50 business days; July 3, 2016 – September 13, 2016
July 3, 2016 – Screen tearing issues
The bottom half of my ZenFone experiences screen tearing issues / screen glitches.
Example videos found online that show the same problem: Video 1, Video 2
In order to start the RMA process with ASUS, you need to create a support case with them using their RMA Submittal Form. By completing this form, you are NOT getting back an RMA number. Instead, you get a case number which you can then use to contact their CSR’s via chat or phone to get an RMA number.
July 5 – Received RMA number
I wasn’t aware that the case number was different from an RMA number so this resulted in a slight delay in the Advanced RMA process. However, I contacted their chat on July 5th to get an update and was informed that I needed to create an RMA which I promptly did.
July 13 – Received 1st replacement phone
Problem solved? Or so I thought.
July 18 – Malfunctioning GPS
After using the phone for a few days, I noticed that the GPS was having issues locking onto my location. It would be okay when I wasn’t moving at all (ex: in my house). However, whenever any movement was involved or if I left the house, the phone had trouble using the GPS. As a result, I contacted their online chat again and set up another RMA.
July 27 – Picked up 2nd replacement phone from service center
Problem solved? Or so I thought.
July 28 – No audio on phone calls, received Zenfone 2 Laser
I had a work call in the morning and I, unfortunately, could not hear anything the other person was saying. Thankfully, I had a set of headphones with a mic readily available to use. Otherwise, I would’ve had major issues communicating with the client.
At this point, I was pretty annoyed that I’ve now had to go through 2 replacements and I still didn’t have a working phone. I also had no way of contacting ASUS directly so I decided to message ASUS_Ann on reddit to see if I could get a direct response from a live, human being. To my surprise, she replied quickly and she was able to escalate my issue with the ASUS Canada Service Center.
A CSR at the service center e-mailed me and informed me that I could drop off the phone for another swap and that it would take about 30 minutes.
About ten minutes later, I received an e-mail from the CSR informing me that they don’t have any units left and that they would be offering me “an upgraded model, the Zenphone 2 Laser instead.”
Feel free to read the later section on the differences between the Zenfone 2 (ZE551ML) and the Zenfone 2 Laser (ZE551KL).
I accepted the “upgrade” because I didn’t want to be without a phone for however long and they didn’t mention how long it would take for them to receive new phones.
August 1 – ASUS Global Service Experience Survey
I received an automated e-mail to fill out a survey regarding the “service and support” that ASUS offered. I filled it out and I thought that was that.
August 10 – Follow up to my survey results
Someone at the ASUS Canada Service Center contacted me regarding the results of my survey.
Since my responses were fairly negative, they asked me how things were going and to let them know if I had any more questions or concerns. The phone itself was fine but I wasn’t particularly pleased with the entire RMA process thus far.
I sent them a somewhat lengthy e-mail regarding my entire experience and, in response, they offered me, in my opinion, a measly form of compensation and that was to offer an additional “90 days warranty extension as an alternative solution.” On top of that, the e-mail mentioned that “a brand new upgrade model Zenfone 2 Laser was provided to you.” I wouldn’t call the Zenfone 2 Laser an upgrade exactly but I digress. In any case, I accepted the 90 day warranty extension and I thought that was it. However, I was then informed that, by servicing the phone through ASUS’ service center, I would already be getting a 90 day service warranty from them. As a result, the 90 day warranty extension that they wanted to offer me was essentially useless because the service warranty would last longer than their extension. I’m not even sure why they would even offer it then.
August 28 – Noticed blue patch on screen
I noticed a blue patch (as shown in the red circle) on the screen and I sent off an e-mail to the CSR that I’ve been contacting about the warranty extension. She informed me that I could drop off the phone at the service center and ask for same day service. They would have to do an inspection and potentially replace whatever was messed up. I notified her that I would be away in the US for the following week so I wouldn’t be able to drop it off.
September 12 – Dropped off phone at service center for repair
September 13 – Picked up phone with new screen
They completely replaced the screen and everything has been working fine so far. *fingers crossed*
Zenfone 2 (ZE551ML) vs. Zenfone 2 Laser (ZE551KL)
For those of you that are unaware, the Zenfone 2 (ZE551ML) and Zenfone 2 Laser (ZE551KL) are two different phones with similar names. The Zenfone 2 that I had had the following features/specs: Intel Z3560 (1.8Ghz), 2GB RAM, quick charging, and dual band WiFi capabilities. The Zenfone 2 Laser, on the other hand, has a Snapdragon 615 (based on the posts I’ve read, performance is generally the same or maybe slightly better than its Intel counterpart), 3GB RAM, no quick charging, no NFC, and no dual band WiFi capabilities. The Laser does, however, have a removable battery and a special “laser” to help it auto focus quicker.
The two major features that I miss the most are quick charging and dual band WiFi. Quick charging allowed me to charge my phone to an acceptable level in a span of 15-30 minutes. The extra 1GB of RAM in the Laser does help though.
Conclusion
I think ASUS really dropped the ball in handling this case. They could have easily made up for it with some kind of compensation or even an ACTUAL upgrade on the phone but they didn’t. Instead, I was offered a warranty extension that isn’t even longer than their service warranty and I was given a phone that is essentially a side-grade. I even had to purchase a new case and screen protector for the Laser since it has a slightly different layout than the Zenfone 2.
In terms of improvements, there really needs to be an online ticket system where you can check the status of your support case. There’s really no reason why I have to chat with online chat representatives to get the status on my ticket. If I could check on my status online, it would, at least, free up the online chat for people with actual problems.
One important thing to note about all of this is that all the staff that I spoke with, especially at the ASUS Canada Service Center, were extremely helpful and pleasant. They just weren’t able to do anything outside of their role (or maybe they chose not to). ASUS_Ann was probably the most helpful in this regard as I wouldn’t have been able to contact ANYONE at the ASUS Canada Service Center without her help.
In the end, I’m glad that I have a working phone but I’m not impressed with all the work that I had to do to get to this point.
Leave a Reply