Blue Yeti Asking Me Too Break Port

[BananaBaiter]

Do you guys think it's a bit off that a Blue Yeti support agent is asking me to rip out the USB port on a microphone that I'm sending back for a warranty appeal? I feel a bit like a child who's being tricked by a twitch chat to toast my harddrives and microwave my mouse.

[Fasauceome]

I'm more curious to see what happens when you send it in without a destroyed part

[BananaBaiter]

1 minute ago, James Evens said:

Guess they don't want it back just a proof of destruction. I think deepcool had the same practices. 

Ah that makes alot of sense, don't want you to be scandalous and geta free one eh?

[Kisai]

4 minutes ago, BananaBaiter said:

Do you guys think it's a bit off that a Blue Yeti support agent is asking me to rip out the USB port on a microphone that I'm sending back for a warranty appeal? I feel a bit like a child who's being tricked by a twitch chat to toast my harddrives and microwave my mouse.

 

If they're telling you to break it on purpose they're probably not having it repaired, and sending you another one. I can think of a number of other tangently related reasons but it comes down to them sending you another one, but you not being able to "lose" sending that one back and turning around and selling it on ebay for parts or something.

 

 

[Touch My Hamm]

send picture of random destroyed usb port...profit? JK you shold ask them it seems funny to ask someone to destroy the product.

[BananaBaiter]

1 minute ago, Tegos said:

Has he given any explanation as to why he wants you to do that? If not, then I wouldn't do anything to it, at least not until he explains why.

Not really originally he asked me too remove the jammed pin from the broken USB cord, which was why I applied for the warranty, but after I did provide the verification he asked for he then followed it up with the image asking me to remove the black portion of the port.

[TheSLSAMG]

1 minute ago, GodSeph said:

send picture of random destroyed usb port...profit? JK you shold ask them it seems funny to ask someone to destroy the product.

It's pretty normal for the industry. Some major keyboard manufacturers require you to cut the cable off if you're RMAing so they can avoid paying the shipping costs. I know for a fact that SteelSeries requires you to break off the left and right mouse buttons if you need a replacement.

[Meganter]

You have the proof that he asked you to destroy it anyway so it will fire back on him.

[minibois]

Be sure to ask them to re-iterate what they said and save that email for sure.

But it's not uncommon for companies to ask people to break their components when sending it back.

 

Just imagine, if I were working at a post office (and in this alternate reality I am also a not so nice person) and I saw a shipment for Blue (or to make it more interesting; Apple!), I could think "oh darn, expensive stuff!" and open it up. That way stuff gets 'lost in shipping'.

But if I knew it would be broken, it wouldn't be worth the effort. (Although they do ship you something working back...)

 

It might also be for Blue support themselves; so they know what to fix. Or for yourself, so you can see they didn't send the same unit back..

[BananaBaiter]

3 minutes ago, Kisai said:

 

If they're telling you to break it on purpose they're probably not having it repaired, and sending you another one. I can think of a number of other tangently related reasons but it comes down to them sending you another one, but you not being able to "lose" sending that one back and turning around and selling it on ebay for parts or something.

 

 

Yea that definitely makes alot of sense now, before I was just a tad bit set off by the request being a bit odd. Thank you though for clearing it up.

[Touch My Hamm]

1 minute ago, TheSLSAMG said:

It's pretty normal for the industry. Some major keyboard manufacturers require you to cut the cable off if you're RMAing so they can avoid paying the shipping costs. I know for a fact that SteelSeries requires you to break off the left and right mouse buttons if you need a replacement.

makes sense. Alot of companies are never going to repair the product so it would be a waste to pay to ship it back just to dispose of the product. 

[BananaBaiter]

Just now, GodSeph said:

makes sense. Alot of companies are never going to repair the product so it would be a waste to pay to ship it back just to dispose of the product.

Funny question that is totally unrelated, aren't USB ports pretty simple to solder on a new one? 

[Touch My Hamm]

1 minute ago, BananaBaiter said:

Funny question that is totally unrelated, aren't USB ports pretty simple to solder on a new one? 

Depends if you know how to solder.... for me I would be lost in a sea of melted metals and terrible mistakes. 

[RonnieOP]

This isnt very uncommon for rmas or recalls. They just want to make sure your not going to get a refund/replacement and keep a product.

 

In order to get a recall check from porter cable i had to send them pics of the power cord cut into 3 sections and promised id dispose of the table saw.

 

Good news is its very easy to replace a cable. So in my case i got the check and i just replaced the power cord 

[RonnieOP]

2 hours ago, GodSeph said:

Depends if you know how to solder.... for me I would be lost in a sea of melted metals and terrible mistakes. 

You could just take a cheap usb cable and splice it on to the yetti. Its not going to look pretty but itll function. When i have something that needs a really long usb cable thats usually what i do since i have a crap load of usb cables just sitting in the shed.

 

No solder needed. Just a lighter and some electrical tape.

[minibois]

3 hours ago, BananaBaiter said:

Funny question that is totally unrelated, aren't USB ports pretty simple to solder on a new one? 

For sure, it's only 4 pins and 2 to hold it to the board

(that is the 'PC side', but still holds true for the other side).

 

But it does set something of a barrier for people who want to 'dumpster dive' (or postal dive I guess ).

 

[Kisai]

6 hours ago, RonnieOP said:

This isnt very uncommon for rmas or recalls. They just want to make sure your not going to get a refund/replacement and keep a product.

 

In order to get a recall check from porter cable i had to send them pics of the power cord cut into 3 sections and promised id dispose of the table saw.

 

Good news is its very easy to replace a cable. So in my case i got the check and i just replaced the power cord 

Guys, please do not suggest ways of committing warranty fraud, it's ideas like that result in this kind of situation in the first place.

 

They want him to write in marker/pen on the device so it's not claimed as broken multiple times. They want him to make it inoperable so that it's not just sold to someone else or something.

 

To a certain extent, I believe in the 3 R's (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle) but that also includes Repair as part of Reuse, and if a manufacturer is not going to repair an item, they should reimburse you for the cost of recycling it properly. Not simply dumping it in the trash. They can either pay the $20 to ship it back to them or the $10 it costs to have someone recycle it (BC charges a recycling levy on electronics.)

 

 

[RonnieOP]

53 minutes ago, Kisai said:

Guys, please do not suggest ways of committing warranty fraud, it's ideas like that result in this kind of situation in the first place.

 

They want him to write in marker/pen on the device so it's not claimed as broken multiple times. They want him to make it inoperable so that it's not just sold to someone else or something.

 

To a certain extent, I believe in the 3 R's (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle) but that also includes Repair as part of Reuse, and if a manufacturer is not going to repair an item, they should reimburse you for the cost of recycling it properly. Not simply dumping it in the trash. They can either pay the $20 to ship it back to them or the $10 it costs to have someone recycle it (BC charges a recycling levy on electronics.)

 

 

im confused on what your getting at here about warranty fraud.

 

Porter cable are not going to pay me the recall check and another $100 or so dollar to ship a table saw to them. Sure i could take it to the dump...but why?

 

Its not my fault they sold me a product that they later find out has a safety hazard. So in this case i get my money back and when this saw dies i can use it towards a new table saw. but since my saw hasnt died why take it to the dump? I guess i could have someone recycle it but they are just going to put a new power cord on it and use it.

 

Whats the difference between taking it to a recycling facility (where theres a good chance it wont actually be recycled. but thrown in a land fill depending on your area) or fixing it and using it...is that not the exact same thing that would happen if you recycled it?

 

This policy wasnt put in place because of warranty fraud. its pure profit driven.  itll cost them more money in shipping and having a technician repair it then they would get if they sold it brand new.

[Kisai]

2 hours ago, RonnieOP said:

 

Porter cable are not going to pay me the recall check and another $100 or so dollar to ship a table saw to them. Sure i could take it to the dump...but why?

 

 

It's up to you if you want to try fix it yourself, but the matter-of-fact is, if they told you to break it, you were not supposed to turn around and jury-rig a fix to it while still getting a replacement. This will be seen as warrany fraud. https://i-sight.com/resources/what-is-warranty-fraud/ , and could backfire on you.

 

As I said, please don't suggest people casually warranty exchange things and then repair the damaged good once they're shipped a new one, because people get it in their head that they can get free stuff by buying things by having the company ship them a replacement and then sell the temporarily broken one.

 

Do what they ask, and nothing more. If they don't tell you to ship something back, that's on them. However if you're required to pay money to dispose of it, and they're not willing to cover such costs, you're within your right to zero your cost by finding someone who wants it for parts instead of paying someone to dispose of it.

[RonnieOP]

15 hours ago, Kisai said:

 

It's up to you if you want to try fix it yourself, but the matter-of-fact is, if they told you to break it, you were not supposed to turn around and jury-rig a fix to it while still getting a replacement. This will be seen as warrany fraud. https://i-sight.com/resources/what-is-warranty-fraud/ , and could backfire on you.

 

As I said, please don't suggest people casually warranty exchange things and then repair the damaged good once they're shipped a new one, because people get it in their head that they can get free stuff by buying things by having the company ship them a replacement and then sell the temporarily broken one.

 

Do what they ask, and nothing more. If they don't tell you to ship something back, that's on them. However if you're required to pay money to dispose of it, and they're not willing to cover such costs, you're within your right to zero your cost by finding someone who wants it for parts instead of paying someone to dispose of it.

Its not warranty fraud unless you lie about it being damaged in the first place.

 

If the item is in warranty and has a legit issue that is covered under warranty then the company has to repair/replace/refund the buyer.

 

Now if said company doesnt want the item back thats on them.

 

There is no law (atleast in my country) that demands you cannot fix a broken product and reuse it or even resale it. 

 

So no. Im not encouraging any sort of fraud at all. Im assuming in his that his yetti was legit broken so hes legally well within his rights to do whatever he wants with his property if the company doesnt want it back.

 

In my case it wasnt anything to do with warranty. It was a safety recall. Anyone with the effected table saw no matter where they bought, if it has a valid warranty, etc  they are entitled to a check for the recall. Porter cable do not want the saw back. So its mine and legally i can do what i want with it. Be it fix and use it, burn it, throw it in the landfill, or use it as an expensive crappy table.

 

Its really disingenuous to say that i was encouraging warranty fraud when ive factually and clearly done no such thing.