All of Nintendo of America’s repair centers are closed, effective immediately, due to the spread of COVID-19. That means players can’t send in repairs of Nintendo Switch consoles, controllers, or any other hardware.
The announcement appeared on the customer support page for Nintendo of America where it cites “federal and local guidelines” regarding coronavirus preventative measures as the cause for the closures. Many states have enacted shelter-in-place orders, calling on all non-essential businesses to close.
No notice was given on when repair services will resume, but players should not send in any hardware for repairs as it may be “sent back as undeliverable.”
So what happens to existing orders? According to the FAQ, orders in transit will likely be sent back to customers. However, if your order was already received by Nintendo at one of the repair centers, it will “remain there until repair services resume.”
Since there is no telling when that might happen as the coronavirus continues to spread, players could go without their Switch or Joy-Cons for an unknown period of time.
Orders that were already opened will remain so for the next 180 days, roughly six months, so many people won’t have to open a new order. Nintendo of America will also honor any warranties that expire during the repair service closure.
In the meantime, players who encounter problems with their hardware or the annoying Joy-Con drift issue should wait patiently for the service to open up again.
The repair closures are exclusive to North America, but Nintendo warns that the coronavirus pandemic may delay the service and shipments.
“We are working hard to maintain high customer service standards during the current challenging times, but please understand that there may be delays in responses to messages and processing repairs,” Nintendo U.K. stated.
It could take up to three weeks for repair orders to be completed in the U.K. However, Japan already saw production shortages and delays of the Animal Crossing: New Horizons-themed Switch and other hardware. So far, the same hasn’t happened for the North American or European regions, and Nintendo hasn’t said it expects that to happen.
Related Posts
I’ve played every major Zelda game, here’s what The Legend of Zelda movie needs to get right
In terms of iconic pop culture heroes, Link is up there with Luke Skywalker, Frodo Baggins, and Superman. While Benjamin Evan Ainsworth has proven himself capable enough to lead The Legend of Zelda's cast, adapting Link’s character for the big screen is a challenge. For much of the Zelda franchise, Link is depicted as a silent protagonist who serves as a stand-in for the player. However, that doesn't mean Link isn't a unique character. Each version of Link has a distinct story, but they are all known for their incredible courage, loyalty, and dedication to protecting the innocent. However, he has also shown many times that he can be silly, reckless, rageful, guilty, and tempted by greed. Link doesn’t necessarily have to speak in the film to appeal to audiences. However, he just can't be a one-dimensional fantasy hero. We have to see how multifaceted a person Link is as he grows and reacts to everything, carrying such a heavy burden as the Hero of Hyrule. Zelda should share the adventure with Link
PlayStation 5 can technically be a CD-player, if you’ve got a tinkerer’s heart
But a creator behind the YouTube channel Will It Work? decided to test that limit with a clever workaround. Using an unusual optical drive, he managed to trick the PS5 into reading CDs as if they were USB storage devices.
Blizzard finally gives you a date for WoW: Midnight, and you’d better start getting ready
Midnight launches at 10:00 a.m. Pacific / 1:00 p.m. Eastern, and servers will open simultaneously across regions.