Four days after phoning Nintendo a letter arrived detailing the funeral of the recently deceased Wii. Along with the address label to have it posted off to was a glossy sheet that explained in near Blue Peter style how to box up and send off the faulty console.
The instructions are easy to follow but several additional items are required. So if you find yourself in a similar situation, have the following standing by:
Faulty console
Cling film
The retail box (or suitable size box or jiffy bag)
Newspaper or bubble wrap
A photocopy of your receipt (if still in warranty)
Address details
Tape
This is a slight variation on other companies practices when it comes to returning faulty equipment. Microsoft for example will e-mail you a shipping label in order to speed up the process (once you find the right web site, sign up for an account, create a unique gamertag and make sure they are able to understand your address). It may take up to 24 hours but this is a little faster than the Nintendo approach. Both however leave you with the necessity to find a way to box up the package. The method I tend to prefer is that which Apple opt for: sending you a box to pack the faulty item in then you phone the courier and they pick it up. This has you waiting a similar amount of time as Nintendo, however you don’t need to go to the trouble of finding a box that fits and packing to keep it safe in transport.
So to recap, Nintendo are easy to talk to but take a while to get you an address to send your faulty console to. Although postage is free you may have to fork out for the right stuff to pack it away in.
I’m also going to include a little note explaining how the error occurs, incase the Wii miraculously returns to life on its journey.
Tomorrow I’ll take it to the post office and eagerly await its recovery or replacement.
At least all this gives me a little while to save up for Monster Hunter Tri and Sin & Punishment.
