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If you have Joy-Con issues, it looks like Nintendo will fix for free

Ode to Joy-Cons

If you have Joy-Con issues, it looks like Nintendo will fix for free
24 July 2019

Mere days after Nintendo faced a class-action lawsuit for the dreaded problem of Joy-Con drift, the company has decided to be a bit more generous with its repair policy, according to Vice.

According to an internal memo leaked to the site, “customers will no longer be requested to provide proof of purchase for Joy-Con repairs. Additionally it is not necessary to confirm warranty status.”


It adds that if the customer has paid for repairs in the past, they should get a refund if they ask for one. “If a customer requests a refund for a previously paid Joy-Con repair […] confirm the prior repair and then issue a refund.”


The memo seems to be a direct response to the class-action lawsuit, as it mentions the company is aware of “recent reports” and aims to “quickly handle these questions to restore consumer smiles.” Indeed, the memo provides customer service agents with a stock answer to provide if asked about the lawsuit: “we have nothing to announce on this topic.”


Nintendo has, unsurprisingly, not publicly confirmed or denied this policy shift, but a Vice employee with Joy-Con drift was able to confirm the policy worked – at least for him. The first call offered some calibration advice, and when that failed the second call resulted in a pre-paid shipping label being dispatched.


So that’s good news for Nintendo fans. If you’re yet to try the magic of the console for yourself, here’s our list of the best Switch games you can buy.