Steelseries "Support" as they like to call it, themselves.

[Rudolph2109]

I am writing here to share my story with anyone interested in reading it.
As the title hopefully suggests, I've just had a very unfortunate experience with Steelseries and their "support"-team.
Here is what happened: about 6 months ago I purchased a Steelseries Rival 650 wireless gaming mouse. I've been quite satisfied with it for the entire time that I've had it! It's in general just a really great product! That is... Until about a week ago when Steelseries released a firmware update for it.
I was at the time of the firmware update sitting and doing some hobby-related work in Blender, when my mouse just suddenly stopped responding! The LED's on the mouse had started to pulsate in the "Steelseries-Orange" color, which to those that don't know, is an indicator for 'No Connection' to the dongle. I tried re-pairing it at first, which of course didn't work, then I brought out my USB-cable for the mouse to plug it into my PC directly, activating the mouse in it's 'wired mode'. This worked!
Alright then, troubleshooting process could now begin. The first thing I did was go and see whatever troubleshooting steps (that never works) was issued out by Steelseries themselves, do those steps very meticulously 3 times, to find out that, no of course they didn't work either. Eventually I found that someone else in the past had experienced an unrelated issue with the firmware on his mouse  by the same model as mine, and that he'd been sent a 'Firmware Recovery Tool' particularly for the Rival 600/650 mice which he had then been so kind as to upload for anyone else who might need it. "Alright! Awesome!" I thought. But as it would then turn out, even that didn't do a thing! The dongle is unresponsive no matter what steps had been taken in order to restore it's functionality, leaving me with no other choice than to attempt to contact the Steelseries Technical "Support" Team, which I obviously did. Spoiler: This is where Steelseries pissed me off, to put it bluntly! 
This is a straight up copy/paste of the e-mails going back and forward between Steelseries and myself. I copy/paste it in order to not make this story biased when retelling how they would reply to me.

Steelseries:
Hi Rudolph2109, 
 
Thank you for reaching out .
My name is ***** and I will gladly assist you!
 Please try the following:
 

1. Unplug any SteelSeries devices from your computer.
2. Hold left click + right-click + CPI button and plug in your Rival 650 while holding them down.
3. The SteelSeries logo on the Rival 650 should start blinking. If not, unplug the mouse and try step 2 again.
4. Run the _RECOVER_RIVAL_650.bat file to recover the mouse.

 
Please let me know if this does not work, or if you have any further questions. 
 
Thank you!
 

Have a great day!

ME:
Hello.

Unfortunately this does not work. I've done those steps multiple times before reaching out, and one more time now again, just to make sure.
My mouse is as I mentioned usable in wired mode only, and the firmware can be updated on the mouse easily and within seconds. But as soon as I update the firmware while the dongle is plugged in too, it takes 10 minutes or more, until it is finished, and when it does finish, it will be a failed attempt. that won't make a difference.

Steelseries:
Hello,
 
Let's kickstart your journey into our warranty replacement program.
 
Upon successful completion of the process, you will be issued a coupon to order a like-for-like product from our web store free of charge.
 
This warranty is exclusively for someone who bought the product firsthand in their own country. So, if you happened to have purchased it from a third-party SteelSeries reseller, kindly get in touch with the regional distributor for your warranty needs. Otherwise, we've got you covered!
 
The length of the warranty is as follows:
 
All countries outside the EU/UK/Australia: 1-year warranty from date of purchase
EU/UK/Australia: 2-year warranty from date of purchase
Spain: 3-year warranty on most products from the date of purchase.
 
 
The warranty is non-transferable. 
It is only valid to the first-party in the country of original purchase. If the product was purchased from a third-party SteelSeries reseller, please refer to the regional distributor for warranty services.
To kick off this warranty claim, we'll need some proof of purchase, so please bear with us. 

 

Me:

Dear Steelseries Support,

 

I am writing in response to your recent communication regarding the warranty replacement program. While I appreciate your quick response and the offer to initiate the warranty process, there appears to be a significant hurdle that I need to address.

 

The issue at hand is that I acquired the Steelseries Rival 650 Wireless mouse through a second-hand purchase, which unfortunately means I do not possess a store receipt. Under normal circumstances, I understand and respect the policy of requiring proof of purchase for warranty claims. However, the crux of the matter lies in the nature of the problem I'm facing.

 

The malfunction of my mouse's dongle was directly caused by a firmware update issued by Steelseries. This update was applied to the mouse irrespective of its purchase history. Therefore, it seems to me that the malfunction is a result of an update rolled out by Steelseries, rather than any action on my part or a defect inherent to the mouse at the time of its original sale.

 

Given these circumstances, I believe this situation warrants a reconsideration of the usual warranty requirements. The essence of my concern is not the warranty of the physical product per se, but rather the responsibility for a malfunction directly linked to software provided and applied by Steelseries.

 

Thank you for your time and understanding. I look forward to your response and am hopeful for a positive outcome.

 

Steelseries:

Hello,
 
Unfortunately, the receipt is needed in any warranty replacements, I will be more than happy to assist if you'll have one.
I fully understand you as a person, but I need to follow the policy which is as it is.
 
I am sorry. 

Have a great day!

Me:

So you policy is that is that you can break people's things without consequences. Got it!
Corsair it is then. No more Steelseries products for me.

Steelseries:

Hello,

I am sorry, but I have no power to do otherwise. 

 

Have a great day!


So just to summarize it up.
In case someone is thinking of buying a Steelseries product. Don't do it.
In case you lose the receipt for any given product of theirs, or plainly just don't have it for one reason or the other, then Steelseries Company Policy will **** you in the *** and help you with absolutely nothing, after they've effectively made your product unusable, or at least gotten close in doing so.

[da na]

On the one hand, it sucks that a mandatory firmware update caused your mouse to break. On the other, though, proof-of-purchase is a very standard thing for customer service to ask for.

[Rudolph2109]

I know it is.
But I fail to see how a lack of documentation for a given purchase, gives them the right to directly refuse taking any responsibility for a ruined product directly caused by an update they themselves issued out!

[Slottr]

2 minutes ago, Rudolph2109 said:

I know it is.
But I fail to see how a lack of documentation for a given purchase, gives them the right to directly refuse taking any responsibility for a ruined product directly caused by an update they themselves issued out!

You would very likely see this with any RMA request. This is not a steelseries issue, its an issue with buying used. Just the caveat you'll have to bear 

[Rudolph2109]

6 minutes ago, Slottr said:

You would very likely see this with any RMA request. This is not a steelseries issue, its an issue with buying used. Just the caveat you'll have to bear 

So what I am reading you saying here is that, buying a used product opens up the option for the manufacturer of said product to ruin it for you? 

[dizmo]

I think this can be boiled down to:

You didn't give them any money, so they don't owe you any support. You are not their customer.

 

It's common sense that you won't have coverage if you buy items used. You got a deal, and anything that happens after that is on you, not the manufacturer.

 

It's unfortunate that it bricked your mouse, but that's why there's a warranty. Shit happens. It's not like it's a widespread issue. If it was, and every mouse was bricking, then perhaps you'd have more of a leg to stand on.

[seanondemand]

Warranty support always requires a receipt. That’s the thread.