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When last we spoke, I had ill news of my Nintendo Wii. I’m so happy to return with good news of the Nintendo Customer Support. Not only will I get my Wii replaced, free shipping - he’s going to replace my DS Lite.

Interlude:

I bought my DS Lite on launch day, 11 June 2006 and I’ve been very happy with it. Then… the hairline crack. Among the first batch of Lites, there was an epidemic of cracking hinges. Nintendo at first denied any flaw from their part. They claimed that these DS’s were breaking due to recklessness. But when the number of cases started piling up, always the same: a hairline crack on the back left hinge, Nintendo retracted their statement, and agreed to replace systems. At the time, I thought “That’s great, but it doesn’t affect me. I take great care of my DS.”

Time passed. My DS hinge cracked in that exact same spot. I did some digging, and found theories that the actual case was cranked too tight, which was causing these early machines to pop. It starts with a hairline crack, then two cracks, then the piece between falls out. Then hell breaks lose, and you have two halves of a DS Lite.

I felt sick to my stomach. My one year warranty was up, and I had a terminally ill DS. I put it on the shelf. I literally stopped playing it so much, thinking that every time I opened it was one play session closer to the end. I blamed myself for some reason.

Back to the Present

When I called about my broken Wii, I was pleasantly surprised to get a really awesome, friendly service rep. I was very calm, patient and friendly as he began entering my file. While waiting on the line, I asked off-handedly if he got many cracked DS Lites, and if Nintendo was still helping people out. He was careful with his words, claiming that most broken DS’s are because of physical abuse.

“Now, don’t give me that,” I say. “I know there was a huge problem with the first batch of DS Lite’s breaking.” I explained that I had an old Lite, with a crack, and I was curious what the policy was. He took the serial number of my system. “Eeee, that’s not covered under warranty. I’ll see what I can do. I can probably get you a discount on a refurbished model.”

That is not what I’m interested in. I don’t have money to drop on another DS, and if I did, I’d wait a little longer for rev 3, which is probably somewhere around the corner.

Again, I’m waiting on the line while he fills out my claim form. I mentioned that the Wii had also been making very loud fan noises. (I tried my Nintendo Fan Service joke about Brawl, he didn’t really laugh.) He then started telling me how he doesn’t play Brawl, he mainly plays Medal of Honor 2, which has this awesome 32 player online experience, etc.

“Is that really a good game?” I ask. “I used to love first-person shooters. I played the snot out of Goldeneye, but never had an Xbox, and so never experienced the whole Call of Halo Splinter. He was stunned that I played Goldeneye. “Man, that’s classic old school. That was a long time ago.”

“Listen, son. Goldeneye may have been a while ago, but it was 3rd gen. I’ve been around since just shy of Game and Watch. I’ve owned them all but the *shudder* Virtual Boy.”

I realize that I should inquire the cost of fixing the DS. He mentions bundling it with the Wii shipping for repair. I really don’t want to spend extra. And I hope that I’m not sitting on the phone while he fills out a double claim that I am going to not want to pay my share of.

“You’re going to tell me how much the DS repair is, right?”

“I’ll make you a good deal. Don’t worry.”

Waiting some more. Seems to be going on like this post. Finally: “Nintendo appreciates that you have been such a loyal customer. You can pack up your Wii and DS, and we will fix or replace them both at a cost of $0.”

That’s super. I told him he was a sweetheart, which he didn’t seem to know how to respond to. I got off the phone super excited. All that guilt and remorse I had been carrying around with my lemon DS was gone. V asked me who I was talking to on the phone. “It sounded like you were talking to an old friend.”

Indeed.

New Wii, new DS: it warms the cockles.