Topic: My 3DS XL broke

[Adrock]

I played Mario Kart 7 Thursday night and it was fine. I tried playing Mario Kart 7 about an hour ago and the L button was pressed in and wouldn't come up on its own. There was no "clicky-ness." I could lift it back up, but it just sticks if I press it.

I tried cleaning my 3DS even though it wasn't dirty and I don't use it with dirty hands. When I'm not using it, I leave it in the Club Nintendo pouch. I called Nintendo and ultimately, I was told that the system could be sent in to be repaired for $144. The warranty doesn't cover physical damage. I laughed then said, "No, thank you," before hanging up. I called back to ask why the cost was so high and they explained that they read it a bedtime story or something (in addition to repairing the damage, they do a full service check and its given a new 12 month warranty). They pulled up my Club Nintendo account and I ended up getting the price reduced to approximately $70. I'm pretty sure I could have held out for more because first they said they could drop the repair cost $35 then $50. I got it cut in half so I'll just deal with it.

I have no idea how this happened. I haven't dropped it between Thursday and today. There's a chance that I might not get my original unit back, but she made it sound like that would only be the case under extreme physical damage. Instead, I could end getting a blue refurbished 3DS which would be kind of lame considering how long I waited for the all black 3DS. All in all, a pretty crummy day. The lady I spoke to on my second call was nice albeit kind of scatterbrained. If nothing else, at least she wasn't being a dick.

[Mop it up]

I feel for you, I had a Wii mess up twice and it's certainly not fun. $144 is a pretty ridiculous price though, good thing you could talk it down. If I couldn't talk it down then I'd rather buy a whole new XL and just transfer my stuff over, $144 is only $16 less than what I paid for mine.

EDIT: Oh, and I also wonder if this is really user-inflicted physical damage or if it's the result of some sort of defect. I guess I don't know what it looks like or what might cause it, but it does sound like it could be some sort of defect so it's too bad they're not willing to at least examine it first before deciding that you did it.

[Adrock]

It was about $30 less than I paid for mine. If they didn't budge on the repair cost, I would have just purchased a new one. I asked them about inspecting it first, but they don't do that.

I hope this isn't a defect because it would suck for a lot of people. I've barely used the XL. I haven't bought a game for it since Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D.

[Adrock]

According to the Google, the jammed L button is a thing. It might be a hardware defect. Unfortunately, I already sent my 3DS XL to Nintendo so it's probably too late for me to argue this with them. I don't get charged until they complete the repair; I just can't imagine them saying, "Sure, no need to take money from you."

[BranDonk Kong]

Yes, it is a thing. Have one right next to me at work, can't find replacement parts anywhere.

[Stratos]

I"ve always worried about the L + R buttons on the 3DS. They felt frail to me. And depending on how you hold the unit a lot of unneeded pressure is put on those shoulders. That and the mechanic that holds the screen up is wobbly on mine. Not too bad and it holds well enough but it is a concern. If I shake my hands suddenly the screen can fall all the way forward. I'm worried it could loose that hold permanently. It happened to my sister's regular 3DS.

[Khushrenada]

Yes, it is a thing. Have one right next to me at work, can't find replacement parts anywhere.

Interesting. I was debating whether I should get an XL with the Zelda release coming and upgrade from my original 3DS but maybe I will hold off for awhile instead. Plus, there's nothing wrong with my system so it's a bit of a pointless expenditure really.

[Mop it up]

Interesting. I was debating whether I should get an XL with the Zelda release coming and upgrade from my original 3DS but maybe I will hold off for awhile instead. Plus, there's nothing wrong with my system so it's a bit of a pointless expenditure really.

I've heard of it being a problem with the normal 3DS also, so I wouldn't let that turn you away from the XL. The XL is leagues better than the original model, you won't regret the upgrade. And if it's a money thing, you could sell your old model. With the holiday season coming up, you could probably get a nice sum of money for it, and then the upgrade won't have cost you much. This is how I switched to an XL at least.

[BranDonk Kong]

Hmmm...I just got 2 3DS (Pink and Purple) for $50 each. Giving the pink one to my daughter for Christmas, maybe I'll sell my Aqua Blue and the Purple (why to I capitalize the colors?) and get an XL.

[lolmonade]

I have an unreleated issue with my XL
 
On the lower half of my 3DS, the plastic case backing seems almost as if glue wore off, as I can easily pull back one side of the case away from where it meets the black inner-half of the bottom portion.
 
Anyone experience anything similar to this?  I've taken pretty good care of my system overall, so it was a bit of a surprise to encounter this.