What Are My Sponsors Hiding?

[@StandardUserFromEarth]

Can't wait till Dennis does a full secret shopper on LTT and Linus one day.

[@sjoerdvanbavel6043]

Oh man, that would be so awesome. Didn’t they kill channel super fun though?

[@pixelmaster98]

I think it would be funnier if Dbrand decided to do a secret shopper on LTT xD

[@Ash-wt2fn]

​@@sjoerdvanbavel6043they did??

[@grimtides]

I thought Dennis was just on vacation. though he would need to hire someone cause there is no way the staff don't recognize dennis

[@JohnS-bi7tx]

That could be good

[@UnbeatenObject]

As someone who's worked in a call center never underestimate human stupidity. Also 3 stars to ASUS was way too generous in my opinion.

[@simoncaspa]

For me to. That's a one star support...

[@navb0tactual]

I don't know what happened with them, my first experience was great and the rest were just outright meh or wtf (I guess some employees wfh because there was a SCREAMING TODDLER in the background lmaooo)

[@ColJonSquall1]

agreed, that's more like 1 star on the part of Asus, lol.

[@Michael-wo6ld]

To be fair to Asus, they had to fix a technical issue rather than some shipping damage. That's a lot harder to train support personnel for.

[@jadespider7526]

@@simoncaspa Nah. LTT's experience here was definitely 3 star. Wish I could ever get that from them. My personal 1 star ASUCKS experience involves a motherboard RMA, lost in shipping, tracking number errors, a pre-approved RMA for a known defect being returned unrepaired, send in a second time, and being told it's now out of stock, and being given (without consultation) a "free equivalent upgrade" to a different CPU chipset that was not compatible with my system.

[@demarcmj]

That Asus score was VERY generous. The first person clearly knew nothing, and even the subsequent people seemed to be getting nowhere until you just told them the answer.

[@lucasbim]

Specially considering the price of the product.

[@maxbls16]

Agreed, they didn’t even resolve anything. 1. You had a hard time finding support on the site. 2. The manual was straight up wrong due to laziness. 3. TWO hour long support calls with incompetent technical support. 4. No escalation when they couldn’t fix it. Each one of those should be at least one star off. They shouldn’t get leeway because their customer happened to be slightly technically competent.

[@NoxiousPluK]

Yea that score was very out of line compared to the others.

[@SocietyNeedsImprovement]

I completely agree. Communicating with the customer how to actually use the product is such a basic requirement. The fact that Asus has been selling products like these for decades and they still don't have a clean process (documentation and customer support) is a clear argument against using Asus products for me.

[@demarcmj]

@@maxbls16 Right. All of that to get a score only half a point lower than Jackery who was very good but took a while to respond. The scoring system is straight out of "Whose Line is it Anyway"

[@subparSamaritan]

Rolling my eyes at the score you gave ASUS. Support was completely incompetent until they were basically given the answer. For such an expensive product, that level of support is just unacceptable.

[@grandetaco4416]

Linus offered some kind of explanation on Wan show for it, but sorry they had to be told the solution by the caller, how often is that going to happen?

[@Edward-Not-Elric]

​@@grandetaco4416I would really love to hear that. It would have to be *some* explanation to excuse this level of BS.

[@Tarets]

A sponsor is a sponsor.

[@alexbvv]

Tbf the score is not as important because he showed everyone what they can expect from Asus so you can draw your own conclusions

[@P.W.R.]

Having knowledgeable support staff over the phone is always a bonus, but I think it is also important for the caller themselves to not be a dumbass. Like come on, what are you expecting from an outsourced call center? Just because they are tech support doesn't mean you get to sit there and do nothing. A support call is a mutual exchange. You need to help them help you. LTT purposefully went in circles to give their support a hard time as type of test. The likelihood of this happening organically when someone just wants to plug in their GPU to the power supply properly isn't going to deliberately give them the run around to get it fixed. This by no means excuses ASUS from the poor customer support knowledge. It just seems counter-intuitive to have an exchange over the phone like this (nearly an hour and two separate phone calls for a flippin' PCIe power connector) to get it properly connected to the PSU/GPU. Even for a layman that knows nothing about computers shouldn't take an hour to plug it in. Eh, what do I know? There probably is some schmuck out there that can't tell his foot from his ass about computers so I guess a situation like this could happen. Just seems unlikely. As for the rest of the other products, LTT was more scathing so I think it offsets his "rating" on Asus. You can give constructive feedback without resorting to the "damn you to hell for your insolence" type of condemnation. It is possible to be critical and fair at the same time, but I forgot about today's black & white era. Its heretical to have a middle-of-the-road opinion without getting shouted at by everyone around you.

[@RymeofDawn]

The ASUS one was so incredibly lenient. I would have them at 2 stars at best

[@bitslammer]

Agree. 3 stars is the lowest passing grade and with the website issues, lack of easy to find phone number and taking that long on the phone asking irreleevant questions is a fail. Had they not been coached into the right answer I doubt it would still be solved.

[@dhkatz_]

How? 2 stars is borderline malicious intent. There was nothing malicious about what they did. The GPU was perfectly fine and they had to invent their own issue.

[@VoldoronGaming]

@@bitslammerutterly unacceptable the asus support individual had almost no knowledge of the product and how to set it up.

[@leogarcia4657]

they dont want to lose their sponser 😂😂

[@trajectoryunown]

2 stars for the effort. Can't blame the support when ASUS hires clueless people and gives them a script to work through. Many businesses do this because its cheaper than hiring knowledgeable people who could knock out problems like a baseball player. Then they'd have to pay a higher rate for the employee and shell out more for refunds and returns.

[@only9letters]

Customer support is not for the people that knows what they're doing, it's for the people who don't. So having skilled people on support is really important, as proven 🙆

[@CreativityNull]

Yeah, but none of these companies want to pay for it, which is really annoying.

[@SuperKendoman]

Can you rephrase what you just said? I'm not getting you. When you say "the people" do you mean the customer? Hence why it's important to hire staff that know what they're doing?

[@pascald.1451]

Basically, mostly people that are clueless will reach out to support. So having skilled people on the other end is a must.

[@carlosn894]

Customer support is very often outsourced. These subcompanies put their guys in a call center for minimum wage and give them a database where they type in the issues the customer states and get pre written instructions from said database for how to fix issues. No one has ever seen or had the actual product in hand.

[@SuperKendoman]

​@@carlosn894yeah, and that's what most small to medium size companies do. For the bigger ones that hire tech support, I think they have 1st and 2nd line of support. 1st line support is mostly clueless and have no idea what they're talking about when troubleshooting with you. Everytime I contact my ISP it's like a battle trying to explain things to the front end support team

[@shanmango]

I'd say Asus support was a fail. They didn't get there Rush had to give them the answer 😂

[@trban8r]

Right, how was that 3 stars?

[@Howtheheckarehandleswit]

And the problem should have been the simplest thing ever! He just wanted to clarify a part of the manual!

[@iyja]

Simple, sponsorship money. The rating was for sponsorship money, not for their customer service which deserved a zero. It's like little Jimmy going to an admission test and scoring a zero, but because daddy gave the school $$$, it's now 60% and he passed.

[@kuroishiPH]

That first rep was embarrassing

[@blaux]

I feel like DBrand can afford that next-level customer service, because their product is generally not expensive to make, so they have huge profit margins.

[@mihalis1010]

What they can afford to do, and what one should expect a company to do are two different things, and I think d-brand did more than what could be expected.

[@hamcha]

Never take anything for granted, Dell Alienware also has insane margins and their support is the worst. Just because the margin can afford the extra support doesn't it's there.

[@Vysair]

@@hamcha more like if they have more profit that means they are more greedy bcuz they cuts corner to hit such level of profit

[@pixxlated_]

not only that but they're just amazing all around. i have a steam deck and pixel 7 pro case, both skinned, and accessories for the steam deck, and it's just so good. pile that on top of their support, and i'm a huge fan

[@sxndwich3395]

Dbrand customer service is great, and honestly, I dont mind paying so much for their skins. Long ago, I messed up really bad and ruined the skin i got for my Nintendo switch. I literally emailed them asking if they had any advice to try and salvage the skin, and instead they just sent me 2 replacements "in case I fuck it up again" and a set of skins for the joycons. Its WILD. I wanted to throw money at them after that.

[@LunarNeedle]

ASUS got a golden glove treatment from LTT. That was a solid 2 at best. 1.5 would be my ranking, but I'm biased from my own nightmarish ASUS Canada support ticket.

[@NerdyFello]

For real, he even gave them what the problem was

[@fringie4327]

me too, had a few issues with asus.

[@marceldiezasch6192]

They should've just had a consistent methodology. All other support requests were basically "my product was damaged" (in one case lost) and seeing how they deal with that. That's a very straight forward and standard support request.

[@barowt]

Would be a 1 star from me, and I would have been getting very irritated with them.....

[@ichijofestival2576]

It was a Canadian three stars. By American standards, it's a sawed-off goat's head in the CEO's car.

[@SiDroid]

I fail to understand how ASUS received anything but a two star here, with one given for responsiveness. Unless the editing made it unclear, ASUS didn't solve the issue whatsoever. The person reaching out literally had to tell them the answer over two calls and at least an hour on support. By my metrics, that's a two star, and absolutely representative of my own experience with ASUS in Canada.

[@danny208YT]

He obviously didn't want to fracture their partnership. He knows it was a 2 star he's way too smart

[@thespookybanana6007]

All of these are way too lenient. Solving a problem is the bare minimum. Not at all worthy of praise.

[@Hougeki69]

At 2 stars I would say a company is getting into malicious territory. Unless you're doing something to actively hurt my wallet you stay above 2.

[@superslash7254]

@@Hougeki69 They released motherboards that were blowing up CPUs and then pushed out a BIOS update that they then underhandedly denied people's warranties for using.

[@alexdavis9324]

@@superslash7254 they never actually denied the warranty claims

[@roqeyt3566]

Dbrand is pretty amazing with their customer support I told em I messed up on the skins as I have the dexterity of a child, told em specifically I didn't want a replacement but just a link to how to get a skin for that specitic iteration (killswitch compatible) They walked me through the entire purchasing process. They're awesome

[@FreeYourMem]

They are awesome. I once got a case for the wrong phone as a gift and it was the smoothest return and refund experience ever.

[@Ziogref]

I have contacted dbrand twice (I have been using them since 2012). Once my skin went a bit funny after a few months of being on my phone, I contacted them, they only took a day or so to reply but they released a new skin since that I told them not to worry and bought a new design. Another time Aramex (worst shipping company ever) didn't have my house number on the packaging, this was an issue at the time as if a company used Google for address verification it would drop the house number for everyone on my street.... dbrand uses Google. I tried contact Aramex Canada, they told me to contact Aramex Australia, Who then told me to contact my local depot, who then told me they can't do anything until it arrives in Australia. Contacted Aramex Canada again but they wouldn't budge. Contacted Dbrand and they just sorted it. Sent me a new skin. Also I love how all messages I have seen from dbrand are signed off by robots.

[@franchocou]

That's standard

[@charlesakin1908]

I gotta agree, I've had nothing but great experiences with Dbrand. They're products are great too.

[@bakukirby7268]

I had to send in my Joy-Cons in for repairs once, asked if their skins could be reused, and while they said no, they offered to send replacements for just the price of shipping. Passive-Aggressive marketing aside they're really good about customer support.

[@rocortega2064]

I can see why the iFixit and UGreen support ask for some evidence, my sister used to work at a local portal called Linio and scams for extra items and refunds were a real problem. To this day people call me paranoid when I take unboxing vid and keep shipping packaging for 30 days, has saved me 2 times and will keep doing it.

[@Strividia]

yes, keep unboxing video as prove, so it saves me a few time too especially on expensive stuff

[@Vysair]

Since I would make a r eview of product I ordered, I always take photo by habit. I didnt take a vid though because it is difficult to do unboxing with camera in hand.

[@rocortega2064]

@@Vysair unboxing alone is sometimes difficult, I have a small portable tripod (cheapest of the cheap) that I use if there's no help around.

[@Demoralized88]

A good practice is opening expensive, smaller electronics (i.e. Laptops, etc) in the store after purchasing. Especially any packaging that isn't wrap sealed as they're easy to reseal and look unopened. Recording is worth it for shipped used stuff, high-value new from online or packages too big to open in store (TVs, etc.). Higher-end power tools are also commonly swap scammed. You are fcked if this happens to you otherwise and they're almost always going to assume you're trying to scam them. I can't recall being burned badly but I also usually only buy local used for electronics. Celophane-wrapped is far less likely to be a return scam as relatively few have the equipment to reseal decently enough, yet I opened Skyrim for Xbox 360 as a christmas gift to find it empty with no disc despite the seal looking factory perfect and fully wrapped. I vaguely recall exchanging it at the specific Target because I think they had caught some employees resealing the packaging.

[@curtisss]

I have been waiting for this. Im so glad Linus makes sure that we dont end up feeling scammed by a sponsor.

[@tropicalshadow3817]

Even though they’ve scammed us😂

[@BenSwoloest]

manscaped is trash

[@fatigued]

​@@tropicalshadow3817when?

[@acetrainerarcane1755]

@@BenSwoloest The ball shaving company is ok

[@tomchapman128]

​@@fatiguedjust a guess, but probably that water cooled bed

[@sneakyomni]

3 out of 5 for that Asus support? that was... really generous

[@MrHendrikje]

Not really. It was a pretty fair assesment. YOu have to remember that it's a call centre you call that handles support cases for Asus, asus then provides a flow chart of sorts and a FAQ of questions and that is what they are trained on. This is often a department or a group of people that work at a call centre that asus hires. If this were actual asus employees they wouldn't need to guess. you could clearly tell she had little knowledge about tech and felt unsure about it too but she tried her best and that is saying something.

[@NeonCoding]

They still need their LTX sponsor

[@fenixmining]

Agreed they basically gave Asus a free pass here. A real test would have been to actually RMA the GPU but that would have shown just how bad things really are.

[@billystronk4251]

​@@MrHendrikje All of those things are not the customer's problem though. I just want help with the problems I have, I don't care how asus has set it up. If I call asus with a technical problem and there is nobody available with any techincal knowhow that's just bad customer support.

[@SamAsMe]

Totally, thats was not a 3 by any metric, didn't find the number had to get it themselves, had to go through 2 calls the CS agent was 100% clueless and he gave her the answer, how is that a 3 idk. Definitely gave them a free pass.

[@Sadorus]

It would be hilarious if D-brand tried to contact linus’s support 😂

[@animefreak5757]

i mean, if they read this they probably will, or maybe someone will send it if thier twitter or whatever.

[@JordanNeenan]

I've had to contact the LTT store support and it was outstanding.

[@Woah994]

same @@JordanNeenan

[@JKSSubstandard]

Yeah, my LTT screwdriver arrived on fire, can I get a warranty replacement?

[@e21big]

@@JKSSubstandard trust me bro amirite?

[@xxryuhikarixx]

Linus: We do a secret shopper for out sponsors Actual Linus: This is how to scam our sponsors

[@Andytlp]

@@sphinx3r Well it was terrible but they did get the answer... that they gave themselves so i'd rate it about 2 at most.

[@noobhere2176]

it really gets me that Linus actively damage the product himself to “test” customer service, asked for a free gift and got one. This is only encouraging people to do the bad things. I can already see how people brag online saying how they got free gift or refund by lying.

[@Andytlp]

@@noobhere2176 Theres a whole market of scammers and dipshit people like that who buy stuff and claim they never received it in the small chance that the seller ships them another one. Or deliberately break the thing then ship it back for free replacement. Although lately shipping back costs money to discourage this. Or replace the item in the box with something of exact weight so when the item returns to a warehouse and gets weighed no one notices for a long time. Hopefully those huge e tailers check every box... at least scan them with x ray or something. Automate it somehow.

[@CidVeldoril]

@@noobhere2176 True, somewhat. Still, how else are you gonna test customer service and return policies?

[@anonmouse-zr9cn]

New title: "Linus commits mail fraud and goes to jail"

[@deldarel]

You were so lenient on Asus. You only 'got there' because you fed them the answer. 2 stars

[@Deja117]

1 star. If they're going to sell PC components and provide support, train your staff so they actually know how to support customers. I seriously can't be the only one thinking this... If you sell a thing, make sure your support team knows how it works, and that they can walk you through setting it up with their eyes closed.

[@Kvantum]

Everyone knows Asus support is terrible. That's just a given. None of this was surprising. Great products, but terrible support if anything goes wrong.

[@AlmightyJu2]

@@Deja117 can't agree more. How does 2 calls and still unable to get the answer without being spoon fed it by the 'customer' get 3 stars? Any slightly knowledgeable person would go "Yea you need to connect 3 8 pins into the adaptor then the 16pin into the gpu, the quick start guide is vague". Feels like they don't train their staff and 'fix' issues by frustrating people enough that they go online to forums/reddit for support.

[@Inn0IWNL]

​@@Deja117I think they use BPOs for their tech support. We usually only rely on knowledge articles. I work on mostly software troubleshooting so that's not an issue for me but I understand how that can be frustrating for hardware end users.

[@ShaOryDow]

Yeah I think it would've been more entertaining to have kept the call going until THEY gave the correct answer to the problem.

[@HeroUnit]

I bought an iFixit kit several years ago. Right out of the box, a bit immediately chipped and broke. I contacted them expecting just the replacement bit. They asked for a picture, and upon seeing it, they sent an entire replacement kit. The whole thing. 10/10 customer service.

[@CheezeCracker]

Good to hear... and... I believe iFixit deserves a revised score from Linus. It's standard practice to verify packaging integrity, verify dimensions and weight, if for no other reason than simply it's exactly what the shipping carrier will ask for when filing a claim. Policies exist for a reason and businesses can't just go with an honor system.

[@thomasphillips885]

I mean they also took ages to get back to them

[@CheezeCracker]

@@thomasphillips885 Probably for internal review reasons. The claim was in a gray zone, not cut and dry and LTT dilly dallied withholding complete information (packaging).

[@n_core]

@@thomasphillips885 They probably thought them was a scammer, thus ghosting them to fend them off. You don't want to waste your time on someone that couldn't fulfill your request because of made up reason. Better spent that time to something else, like a real customer that can provide you with what you need.

[@serpico1616]

The high extra premium you pay for the name also includes a warranty

[@MattariOnline]

dbrand is always just so chad of a company, so I'm glad they flew full-stars through the secret shopper experience.

[@ViXoZuDo]

well, when you're charging 5 times what other brands, it's expected to have way better customer service.

[@SKYTRiXSHA]

@@ViXoZuDo I think if you can afford it, paying 5 times more (or well, not 5 times but premium none the less) doing that for great customer service would not be a bad idea :)

[@pebbledinertia]

at least people at happy

[@zwerko]

Given that I generally need a phone skin every couple of years, I can afford their heavy markup. Their products are top notch, and their copywrite is second to none, well, well worth the extra money for the entertainment alone. Trolling LTT is just the cherry on top.

[@smalltime0]

@@zwerko You don't just save some money after spending $1k+ on a new phone by buying a cheap chinese case? In the scheme of things, spending $50 or so on a dbrand case that I know I'll use for a few years is well worth the markup

[@BSEUNHIR]

As someone who works in CS, the Asus call is painful lmao. Also the ratings you hand out are very very generous.

[@impaledmonkiejr1208]

I just assumed they didn’t wanna be too mean to their own sponsors considering those are the BEST they can possibly find lol. But hey I’ve got none so I can’t blame them

[@Iisakki3000]

I thought ifixit would surely get a 5/5, I asked for replacements for a couple worn hex bits in my 64-bit kit and those guys literally sent me a full pro tech toolkit, what an upgrade! They said it was a gift for being a long time customer (all I've ever ordered from them was the original 64-kit, and then the uograded one shortly after it came out). Outright amazing customer service! They did ask me for pictures of the bits though, which is reasonable, as I still had them unlike the packaging.

[@viking9442]

Gives them the lowest rating. The one brand that they happen to compete with hmmmmm.

[@verakoo6187]

​@@viking9442 not to mention they complained about them being overly cautious about fraud, by requiring pictures, while he's doing the exact thing that caused them to have that policy. How u gonna be upset about someone not believing u lost a product, when u had it sitting right beside u. Lol

[@CircuitrinosOfficial]

@@viking9442 ifixit sells a lot more than just screw drivers... That's not much competition.

[@ElFuego35]

@@verakoo6187 Plus, he gave Jackery a 4.5/5, yet they had the same issue in response time.

[@tonyli2918]

​@@verakoo6187 They are doing an EXPERIMENT, simulating what could have happened to customers with missing items in their order. Be honest, do you keep every packaging of items that you purchased ever? If you do, you have a hoarding problem. Your disposition (and possibly iFixit) is every customer is a scam and out to take advantage of you, whereas sometimes it can a genuine, honest mistake. You are not going to get many returning customers if you run your business like that, there are plenty of offbrand tools I can get from vendors on Amazon with much customer-friendly policies.

[@abruptpegasus]

TBH, having experienced ASUS "support" before for a DOA GPU , I feel like that three out of five was incredibly generous. It got RMA'd eventually, but it was nuts. Dbrand is just always awesome in every way... no surprises there.

[@karjihn]

Asus is literally just for frustrating to deal with on support, I sent a motherboard in for a “bios reflash” and they ended up just trying to charge me almost 200$

[@vespermoirai975]

@@karjihn They tried charging me 700$ for advanced RMA/replacement for almost 2 months. For a monitor that has been sent back twice before that. It was a 2 year endeavor, never offered to give a upgrade or even something to make it right. Not even a coupon. It was just a new-old stock version of the monitor I bought 2 years ago. That's it.

[@c6197]

I don’t think I’m ever buying another Asus product. I’ve been a pretty diehard Asus fan, I have Asus monitors, Asus motherboards for my like 5 builds, an Asus gpu, and an Asus laptop. But my laptop really sunk my opinion of them. I bought it from best buy because I needed it fast and easy, and within a few months I had some really wonky issues with the screen that I only found 1 other person online on the Asus subreddit also had. I contacted Asus to start an RMA and they told me to go through Best Buy. I contact Best Buy and they said the warranty is through Asus and to contact them. And I got sent in circles and circles and circles until my coverage ran out. Honestly really sunk my opinion of their brand because up until now all my Asus products have been 100% reliable with no failures. But their RMA process is a nightmare. Maybe it’s better if you bought the product directly from Asus and non a store like Best Buy- but either way it was ridiculously hard to even talk to a representative let along try and start an RMA- which I still never got!

[@lbs3521]

Had many interactions with asus in different countries. Issues are related to software side and I just don’t have the technical knowledge to solve them. What asus supports do is ask you to provide many information and describe the issues, then tell you to send your products to their service points or factories straight away, without any replies regarding the issues. Three out of five is indeed too generous. I remember when I first got my zephyrus 17 and I ask dbrand if they have a plan on making skins for it, dbrand does not ignore my stupid email and actually explained why wouldn’t they do so. It’s just built differently.

[@NoirGK-]

In Vietnam, they are called "Asuck" for a reason too....Many horror stories of them denying RMAs over here......

[@charlespickering]

The way this channel becomes more and more self aware of its relationship with sponsors is amazing

[@caseyboone7018]

agreed it is really good ting the're doing

[@chandlerbing7570]

Prefer no sponsors overall but ok.

[@MasonH24]

Eh, I want them to get paid what they deserve. A short ad, that we can easily skip, is well worth it.

[@Atomsk0192]

@@MasonH24 My brother in christ this whole video is an ad.

[@lukefrahn8538]

meta content is the future

[@Twodog20012000]

I hope you let these companies know what you were up to after the fact. I really hope the person who packed the order at Ifixit didn’t get in trouble for somehow “missing” items in the order.

[@Alcoholic_Nerd]

Knowing Linus he probably told them and paid for the replacements.

[@Twodog20012000]

@@Alcoholic_Nerd yeah, hopefully it wasn’t too late for that person that was just trying to make a living.

[@Alcoholic_Nerd]

@@Twodog20012000 No one would be getting fired for doing their job, even if someone does mispack an order you don't get fired for one mistake.

[@agentnull5242]

If that did happen, that would probably be a good reason to cut ties.

[@Jonvon65]

​@@Twodog20012000I've been on a tour of iFixits HQ in San Luis Obispo and they're definitely not the type of company to 'punish' someone for making a mistake. They have a really good work culture and they take care of their employees even though they are a small company.

[@vxbosskroniksxv6267]

Even internationally, dbrand is incredible for support, even when it is clearly user error they are still so helpful

[@iyelawolf2196]

I knew DBrand would be good, kinda nuts how far they went. Didn't expect that at all

[@rengg1441]

makes sense cause their products come at a cost

[@mataskart9894]

@@serceband He announced it after they already filmed it, this was months ago and they had no way of knowing (that's the point), other than it seeming fishy for someone to be that clingy for free stuff.

[@JesseBrohinsky]

I had a display failure on my Z flip, and after forwarding them the RMA confirmation they sent me a replacement skin for free. They have some of the best customer service I've ever seen.

[@Reptilectrik27]

@@jayeh1443 nah, dbrand customer support is truly great.

[@dinosoup]

Fun fact: I always request a drawing with my order and they give me one everytime.

[@Grossmond]

Really hoping to see a "Sponsors React" video to see what they have to say about their own customer support.

[@MrToastyYT]

Pretty easy to predict, it'll be a very corporate "this is OUTRAGEOUS, we will fix this AT ONCE" and nothing will happen

[@randomghost1080]

@@MrToastyYT Except dbrand. I am pretty sure they will end up pranking Linus.

[@sinni800]

@@randomghost1080 Dbrand will probably order something at LTTstore and be majorly douchey at the support people, claiming their water bottle that was run over by a truck needs replacement for free, but the DBrand HQ will be in the background so they troll linus like "the writing was on the wall lmao"

[@eirgel38]

there's not much for them to do, what would they say other than some corporate apology like the other guy mentioned, or make excuses which would just make them look worse.. no reason for them to

[@AustynSN]

@@randomghost1080 dBrand will probably make a point of firing somebody for giving Linus good service.

[@UD503J]

iFixit asks for a picture of the packaging, because if an item is missing because the box was damaged, they can file a claim with the postal carrier (for instance, in the US, UPS automatically covers the first $100 of the value of a parcel, even via Ground service.) Source: I used to work a UPS & DHL shipping counter in a retail store. EDIT: this isn't a justification of the service that you received, the lack of communication and slow response times weren't great, just telling you how the policy might work on the fulfillment side.

[@AuraMaster7]

It's still an incredibly bad policy. People throw away packaging if there's nothing left in it, and "please send us a picture of your packaging or we won't resolve your issue" is not a common policy, so most people wouldn't hold onto that packaging for the sake of customer service requests. I would bet there is a decent number of ifixit customers that got basically scammed out of their products because something was missing but they threw out the empty box everything came in.

[@pixxlated_]

I think it's a decent policy provided they provide AMPLE warning that you should keep any packaging in the case something is missing before ordering. @@AuraMaster7

[@adityagawande8142]

Something that I can tell from experience, a lot of my classmates actually scammed amazon and various other merch stores by claiming missing items. This happened approx 4 years ago, and they each scammed the websites for hundreds of dollars. Since then, it has become a kind of rule here in India that you must record yourself unboxing anything and everything to be able to claim warranty or returns.

[@Artcore103]

that's messed up. not as much of an issue in north america / europe.

[@watsonage]

It's very commonly done but the profit loss to places like amazon is so minimal that they should just suck up the cost if that means generally better customer service. In Europe they definitely can't make you do those things anyway because of consumer protections, luckily.

[@SirVer51]

Amazon India still doesn't require unboxing videos, but smaller sites definitely do

[@theultraplant]

Amazon basically does the same thing. When somebody orders a package and something is wrong with it like it cant be delivered and no return address or some shit idk they have these fat ass palletes with like 200-300 packages that they just sell to people. Like not stuff they offload to a DSP, actually just lost and found packages just loaded up on palletes and sent off to whoever buys it. I imagine they just tell the company it was 'lost' or something and then either the insurance covers it or the company sending the item just has to eat the cost and send another. Or the customer is just fucked

[@e21big]

@@Artcore103 it's a fairly common practice in Asia, China especially, I wouldn't be surprised if Ugreen will expect you to do some sort of that for warranty claim

[@mr.peanut2096]

I feel like a lot of these scores were VERY generous. Companies that were unable to help after 1hr on the phone, or that make it extremely difficult to even connect customer support should not be getting 3+ stars

[@ligametis]

Maybe most people from US are expecting no questions asked from amazon. But for others this seems fine. In my country this would be even great 😅

[@Quivex1]

@@ligametis Yeah as a fellow Canadian I think some people just have unrealistic expectations when it comes to basic customer support when dealing with 90% of companies lol. Yes, Amazon will do their best to just please you however possible (especially if you're a prime customer) but that's not realistic of everyone else. You have to give ratings based on realistic customer support experiences, not idealized ones that almost never occur (although I will say Dbrand really did seem to manage A++ support, going WAY above and beyond, so I'm guessing their margins are so high it really doesn't matter to them). All the ratings seemed relatively fair to me, and pretty inline with various support experiences I've had, both with companies in the video and companies that aren't. I think the *consistency* of support quality would also be interesting to test, for example I've had multiple support tickets with the same company and some experiences were excellent while others were just okay - despite the issues being almost identical.

[@broakroze]

Ditto

[@Alice58302]

If it where to be an only "certain county" producer i would expect quick responses but international corporations? Idk feel like i would give them more time to response

[@Themiddleman416]

It's getting worse and worse over the years in Canada. Consumer protection is basically non-existent other than in Quebec. CAA for instance is killing me right now. I moved out of province and apparently signed up for auto renewal and set a pin up on the account. They make you call to make changes to auto renewal and won't let you remove a credit card online. Call them and they demand a pin number I don't remember setting up, without it I can't cancel renewal or remove my credit card, I have to show up to a CAA location in person to do so now. I'm over 3000KM away from the closest CAA. I'm literally pulling my hair out 😭🤣

[@etyrnus]

Linus, from my time in a call center years ago, I spent an hour and a half explaining a four piece curtain rod bracket (wall mount, adjustment plate, nut, and bolt) to a customer. Your comment on "This really can happen" is absolutely spot on.

[@Lana_Warwick]

Yes, but but how easy would your/our job have been if you/we said to customers (or info supplied with the product). If you go to their website, there's a video tutorial. Like a young child, everyone learns from pictures easier than trying to absorb, interpret speech or text.

[@etyrnus]

@@Lana_Warwick this was literally a 4 component bracket, including the nut and bolt. There were picture instructions included with them, and during training every employee had to go through the install process of the products. Keep in mind, my point is that these situations DO happen, across all industries. I worked with that customer until she had the mental "click" and understood. The call center used that call in training for new hires as an example of staying calm and patient with customers instead of getting frustrated for over a year after.

[@Lana_Warwick]

@@etyrnus I get it, but even I have a hard time (especially now I'm very old), keeping up, comprehending, most who've explained something so many times, it rolls out their mouths so fast, I can't mentally keep up, like some of these tech youtubers, 100mph (linus, nexus). Thankfully with a video, I can turn on subtitles, replay. Flip-side - I've been building PC's for ~30yrs, recently installed a cheap tower cooler for someone, screws didn't line up with the plate, was ready to throw it, flame online. Sitting down having something to eat, I realised there were instructions on the other side of the paper (initially thought it was another language), realised I was following intel for an amd install. So regardless how simple it seems...

[@maniacalskipper]

Hey Linus explain why you can secret shop but someone reviewing you and your company has to get in contact first. Seems like you dont practice what you preach

[@haniffaris8917]

Different goals, secret shopping is to find out what's the consumer experience is like, telling them first would defeat the idea, while GN's video have a more investigative/analytical approach, contacting the person of interest is crucial to get information, obviously don't take it at face value, the journalist should expand on the answers given, and find out whether it's accurate, skewed, or a straight-up lie, it could also give missing context to present data.

[@maniacalskipper]

@@haniffaris8917 in the end they both have the goal of accountability, my point is that it isn't the reported on parties right to be contacted first, it may occur for additional context or content but it isn't guaranteed.

[@MrUtada]

I'm 100% sure that DBrand knew that LTT were going to do something like this and decided to pull a fast one on them

[@helloukw]

Plot twist they sent them the broken glass protection in the first place.

[@tinsucevic]

Dbrand is actually really really good at support. I got a free replacement (and upgraded to the newer version) grip with the skin for a phone they didn't even sell cases for anymore. After 2 years of usage.

[@Butterbean32]

@@tinsucevic can confirm they have good support. I bought their first gen screen protector years ago, and they sent me a replacement no questions asked because the plastic protective layer wouldn't peel off and it ruined the protector

[@hendrikseemann8407]

sure = could be? How would they know?i mean one might know, but they are more than just one customer service person. idk

[@iMidnight_]

@@hendrikseemann8407 yeah dbrand are always generous with replacing damaged items

[@AdmiralTymothysLootChest]

The iFixIt ghosting is... strange to me. I got the Pro Tech kit and I actually broke the nylon-tipped tweezers by mistake. I sent an email to support, and almost immediately had a response. All they asked for was a photo of the kit and a photo of the broken tweezer tips.... they promptly sent out TWO PAIRS of replacement tips, AND a brand-new pair of tweezers. I was thoroughly impressed with the customer support. Of course I probably dealt with a different support center because I'm in the states.

[@Soundwave142]

Unlike Linus, you sent your picture sooner.

[@yugas42]

I really do think they went about the iFixIt order wrong. I'm a computer hardware tech and I have used a ProTech kit as my daily tool set for years. My original driver that I bought in 2018 came apart a few weeks ago; I opened a ticket, they asked for my original order number, which was in my email inbox still, and they wanted a picture of the broken driver. I sent those, and three days later I had my new driver. Their website specifically states not to throw away packaging until you're sure you have everything, that's a pretty simple request. iFixIt was just following policy at that point since it's already stated online.

[@Woodie-xq1ew]

That’s probably because you didn’t loose anything. Like Linus said if they’ve been having problems with people not checking their packaging properly then asking for a picture of the box gives them a way to ask you to check the box without implying that you can’t look in a box properly

[@twiggsherman3641]

Find yourself someone who looks at you the same way Linus looks at his sponsors.

[@Oaisus]

critically and with suspicion?

[@michaelcorcoran8768]

Yeah although he gave Asus a three out of five when they couldn't solve his problem at all for an hour and eventually the person who called just answered it for them. If that's a passing grade then I don't get the point of all this

[@BobSentell]

Umm...

[@jasonlast7091]

@@michaelcorcoran8768 Just looking at how some of the others were handled I think it's an overall score but they're just focusing on the support factor more in the video. Conveyed a bit weird but probably to do with how the video was pitched and written. You're right though, that support was muff cabbage.

[@nymesisnemesis9329]

You mean how he looks at 0:12? 😂

[@Alphax36]

This video didnt age well lmao

[@glucio]

Dbrand support is amazing. My grip case was falling apart after about 7 months of use and sent them a question wondering if maybe I could get a replacement or discount to rebuy it. They not only sent me a replacement for free but they also included a replacement robot 2.0 skin because that's what I had on the case!

[@tudalex]

Is the replacement better or the same? Was looking to buy one, but saw a lot of posts on their subreddit complaining that it falls apart in a year.

[@jeffthekilla41]

my skin was lost in shipping and they sent me another one, their support is actually very nice

[@thetravelingdad]

I'm from Indonesia and it's a policy in most online shops here that you have to record an unboxing video to have your complaints processed. It's quite inconvenient but we get used to it. It's so refreshing to see someone from a first world country get surprised over that policy lol.

[@kaimojepaslt]

what is indonesia? is it india?

[@nuclearicbm]

@@kaimojepaslt how hard for you to google a single word?

[@rengg1441]

@@kaimojepaslt it's a little village in vrindavan

[@dannyx5125]

@@kaimojepaslt ain't no way this man does not recognize a whole ass country

[@AlexRonai]

​@@kaimojepasltNo. It's just... Indonesia.

[@Aphoticaffinity_]

They need to do a secret shopping for their OWN product, where no one in creator warehouse knows it's them and then manufacture a problem and see what the response is.

[@jeremydale4548]

Uhm, they don't need to do that. As it makes absolutely zero sense.

[@mataskart9894]

If there wasn't a major conflict of interest issue that'd be a great idea, but the community would roast them if they did well because they obviously faked it, and roast them if they did poorly for obvious reasons.

[@sanc3375]

That's an... Awful idea, not because it actually makes no sense for a self assessment and self rating, but it would backfire quickly

[@TheAssirra]

Nah, that is something GN should do for the Linus products. You can't investigate yourself after all.

[@gamerdweebentertainment1616]

Don't give Europeans more ideas, we have regular check ups at stores as is, with a bonus at least though.

[@dexgaming6394]

What are *_you_* hiding?

[@ENDESGA]

I had an issue with my dbrand case ages ago, and support was unbelievably nice. The contrast of how they act online externally vs the lovely support internally is quite amusing.

[@ibexl8631]

Hey you're the color palette guy

[@quantumxp]

Yea I didn't realise I bought a skin at dbrand and not a case and they were really nice and just let me buy the case for the normal additional price instead on a complete new order

[@j.d.8593]

They are sassy on social media but they do really love their customers and always find a solution for any problem you have with them, even if it's your own fault.

[@MHWGamer]

I mean you pay for that. The plastic sticker is vastly overpriced but in return you get excellent service

[@svm2787]

i guess you can do quality support if your product has 500% markup

[@keaton_m]

I had to go through dbrand customer support once and it was by far the best support I have ever received. Glad to see they haven't changed

[@HectorHernandez-pg4iy]

Same my order got lost in shipping they just sent over the replacement skin no questions asked

[@pancak3]

I had to go through dbrand customer support once and it was by far the best support I have ever received. Glad to see they haven't changed

[@nopucks]

glad for you my experience with them was dogcrap :D

[@pancak3]

@@nopucks I lied

[@keaton_m]

@@nopucks What happened to you?

[@mt-ze7bd]

All I can say is good job dbrand because they did it super good. Make me want to give them money just because of that.

[@sireuchre]

I was completely unsurprised to hear that dbrand does so well for customers. It really had no reason to be that nice to a whiny entitled person, but they were. Knowing dbrand, though, they'll take this and find a way to prank Linus in the future based on it. I look forward to it.

[@mt-ze7bd]

@@sireuchre yeah they will, lol I didn’t even think of that

[@gregorytremain4086]

@@sireuchreoooohhhh, I’m waiting with baited breath.😂😂😂

[@amunak_]

It helps that they sell products with insane margins and really cheap shipping. If anything I'm more surprised about Jackery; like, sure they didn't really have many other options but holy crap it gets expensive fast to ship heavy crap like that around the world.

[@abruptpegasus]

a dollar spent on good customer service gets you more customers than a dollar on good advertising. Word of mouth gets you way different/better customers with a higher propensity to spend.

[@Deadinternetzero]

This HAS to become a series forever. Thank you.

[@WoobsBallJesse]

Definitely. Things like this and GN's pre-built 'secret shopper' videos are absolutely invaluable for consumers.

[@collisw8302]

Yeah Linus just needs to be honest and transparent, unlike how he was with Asus.

[@bilboswaggings]

Dbrand valuing the consumers happiness to make sure they keep him as a customer Be more like Dbrand, I just feel bad for them now when everyone will be asking for something extra

[@costafilh0]

DBrand products have huge profit margins, allowing them to spend a ton on sponsorships and handle customer complaints well. That's common for these types of companies.

[@1206549]

My favorite thing about Dbrand is they call themselves overpriced and call their customers idiots for buying their overpriced stuff. Does that discourage me from buying their stuff? Hell no. Also, they are very easy to work with.

[@drinkwoter]

​@@1206549lol imagine paying like 3 times for the product, you wouldn't buy a gpu for paying 3 times over just to have great customer support experience in case of a faulty product

[@syth-1]

@@drinkwoter put it into perspective, a GPU doesn't need to be triple in cost to also pay for customer support staff, it could be 10-15% of a top of the range GPU, (if even that, these are bs numbers) On the other hand, a skin that has a low MSRP compared to the GPU, needs a higher profit margin to pay for customer support, So no I wouldn't pay 3x for gpu's, but would pay for a premium skin,

[@smellysox1567]

​@ellasoderstrom5407 you just reposted the comment.

[@ITOUTLAW]

This is true, their product is relatively inexpensive and easy/cheap to ship . However - they don't have to provide good customer service. There are plenty of companies out there that provide horrible service, even with products that are inexpensive. So I say credit where credit is due.

[@epicterminater]

The packaging thing with IFixit is likely to do with them claiming their costs with the delivery partner.

[@SillyNamesAreSilly]

Could also be the weight to see what was in the package.

[@devonwilliams2423]

seems like when trying to claim a warranty UFixIt

[@Jehty_]

But that's still a 💩 response. If they just asked for a picture and if you don't have the package anymore they still help you, then that wouldn't be a problem. But refusing to help you without the picture is just 💩

[@JocheProHD10]

@@Jehty_ but linus didn't have any proof of the ordered items actually missing. should the company just blindly trust the customer at all times and send out replacements?

[@Jehty_]

@@JocheProHD10 the only way to proof that an item is missing is by making unboxing videos. IFixit didn't want an unboxing video. They wanted a picture of an empty package. What exactly does that proof? So the company either has to require every single customer to make an unboxing video (I would never order from a company like that) or just accept that some customers are lying. And the latter one is what every good company is doing. They don't make their customers jump through hoops. They just price the products accordingly.

[@vailant]

My experience with dbrand was awesome. I lived in Canada and Indonesia, and they treat customer support the same. I forgot what kind of support I needed, but I remembered they were awesome at handling whatever problem I had. They sent me a handwritten Post-it note of a quote, "Sometimes happiness is a feeling. Sometimes it's a decision."

[@lsksniper1936]

DBrand is the goat I can’t remember which mail carrier it was but they folded one of the larger skins instead of using our overnight documents slot on the mail box and I reached out to them they had a replacement for that and a new one of my iPhone one I had ordered in the past shipped out with some stickers and a hilarious note mocking me that said “don’t get all bent out of shape” in less than 3 hours. In the email I had asked if they thought I could salvage it and they said “it might require a higher intelligence life form than you :)”

[@OfficialSamuelC]

Can't fault dbrand. I have always loved their customer support. When I made an order, I tweeted them about having serious cardiac issues and in the order they sent a hand drawn picture or a broken heart and note saying: "F**K YOU - Don't take this to heart" and the note was NOT censored, only doing it for YT comments haha. Loved it, as did my wife. Think I even tweeted a pic of it, I know I still have it as I just need to search the full f u in my iPhone photos search and it brings it up lmao

[@PatrikTheDev]

They fucked my order up 6 TIMES (I wish I was kidding) but the support was great the entire time, refunded me the whole amount, accidentally sent me 6 extra skins in the process, sent me a pack of microfiber cloths and shipped me a Tesla Roadster art made from scraps of skins (including discontinued ones). While I was disappointed, they made it right

[@carlangelo653]

I can definitely agree, even when it was my fault for ordering the wrong skin, they swapped it for the correct one, no questions asked. Top tier customer support. iFixit support has also treated me fairly well. Luckily I didn't throw the packaging. But it probably has something to do with their internal processes.

[@jaku86]

Pretty damn excited about this, and hoping it goes past LTT sponsors.

[@ogs5276]

That was an idea mentioned on WAN show, but said it depends on if the video does well or not

[@apaxtoa]

I mean they already have a secret shopper series of some prefab computers aswell.

[@jaku86]

@@ogs5276 That's what I'm hoping for. This is overall a solid idea.

[@KyrosX27]

The best recent memory experience regarding customer support I've had was with dbrand. I bought a skin for a laptop and was missing the microfiber cloths (of all things) lol. I told them that, but also added after inspection that the top skin had some weird adhesive issues (it wasn't bubbles - the bubbles went away after a day). they said they'd normally replace the skin for free sans cost of shipping which was already cool enough but since I was also missing the microfiber they'd just send it all for free. I was expecting the cloth and top skin but they pretty much replaced my entire order. also, they said my death will be swift when the robots finally take over the planet. woot!

[@UranTCG]

If you continue with this series in the future I would really prefer to see only aesthetic products judged by responses to aesthetic issues. I don't as a consumer care if Ugreen cares about whether my wall wort is scratched. I want to know if they'll help if it doesn't work and I still don't know

[@pasananthony]

Honestly I think Ifixit deserves better. Customers can be total Karens sometimes and even try to outright scam the company. The fact that they sorted it out immediately after he sent the picture shows that they're just being cautious. If anything, people should be educated not to throw away packaging and anything that could confirm their purchase at least until they've tested the product.

[@DanCojocaru2000]

In some countries, not having packaging is not a valid reasons for refusing warranty. iFixIt deserves a bad score for the ghosting and the requirement. Receipts exist for a reason.

[@tbuk8350]

​@@DanCojocaru2000The packaging was apparently because some carriers pack things into the same box, so apparently people have thrown away some products on accident in the past. Still though, they should just send one no questions asked, I can't imagine it would be a huge cost for them.

[@Coz131]

@@tbuk8350 Sounds like a problem with the packaging not being obviously containing items.

[@PHIplaytesting]

There's nothing wrong with them asking about the packaging but if you threw it away you threw it away. Them outright refusing to provide service if you didn't keep the packaging isn't reasonable.

[@guhbe385]

Maybe because you can buy it from so many places they want proof of recent order but makes no sense could of asked for the receipt or proof of order so idk. Overall probably an average company warranty responses.

[@m.devellis]

7:22 5/5? more like 15/5 tf? Common dbrand W.

[@m.devellis]

Also love Asus's products but fuck their customer support.

[@willie69420]

That was actually the best sponsor transition ever. I always see them coming but this one was outta left field and was funny

[@christophejergales7852]

I skipped it immediately because I am a loser.

[@delayedcreator4783]

not really

[@Deltarious]

My biggest problem with the dbrand one is that it basically shows the bullying the support staff gets better results/more free stuff. It would be much better if they were firm but fair with this type of customer and instead if you were a very kind and easy customer they bent over backwards to help you and send you stuff to encourage this type of behaviour. dbrand is the type of company with the 'marketing attitude' that they 100% would see a brand benefit from firmly encouraging kind behaviour from their customers

[@swagatrout3075]

my respect for d-brand has skyrocketing after watching this good word you guys

[@Majezfeld18]

I'll also vouch for dbrand's stellar customer service. I had an atomic grip case for my S22 Ultra for over a year and it started warping and didn't fit properly on the phone anymore. I opened a support ticket, sent photos and they immediately gave me a coupon worth the full value of the case as they no longer produce that specific case anymore. I used it to order a new case from them. Stellar customer service and I definitely recommend them.

[@alifkaputra]

That unboxing thing is actually very common here in the local marketplace in my country. It's somehow become a "standard" if you want a refund. Almost every store has that policy, like maybe 99% of them, including the official store.

[@thechosen29_]

lmao not to mention your warranty is off if you rate the seller other than 5 stars

[@gryg666]

Which country?

[@liwaun]

Pretty much SEA things, I guess.

[@thechosen29_]

💯

[@SamuelLing]

Also you need to keep the box, people told me how stupid I am until they have to claim a warranty because seller wont accept returns without boxes.

[@Boiadeee]

I hope you removed the protective film before starting the tests... 🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@TheThirdPrice]

Hmm. Not sure how I feel about this one. I think some of the issues presented being so minor (like a scratch on the charger) and then being upset it wasn't a priority weren't shown in the best way. Asus really should have gotten a lower score (they literally didn't solve the problem) and the whole setup felt kinda icky. I feel like if you want to test customer support, test the on things that really matter, ask for assistance setting up a device, ask for help swapping parts or getting a refund for something that ACTUALLY doesn't work (not just something that was scratched). Overall a good concept, just feel like the execution wasn't all there. Keep at it!

[@olotocolo]

Well there are problems with that, their sponsors are very varied. How could you ask for assistance setting up o swaping parts on dbrand skins? Or ifixit? You could do different things with each sponsor but my guess is, the idea for this video was to be unified in method of testing and that meant only missing parts or minor broken things. But yeah it was kinda skimming the surface and it almost looked like they do not want to test them too much. Manscaped has mechanical devices, why not test them, say they broke or something? Is it reasonable to actaully damage working jackery? I mean yeah it's not reasonable to just order them until one is faulty but... It looked wasteful. My biggest gripe is that it's only their customer service. When secret shopping pc's they tested and compared them on many fronts. Is manscaped worth the price, arent they overpriced? Many people say dbrand is heavly overpriced (that's why they have so easy time sending extras) so maybe they should be tested on durability? Has jackery any rivals, do they do things better? And I don't even know how to test ugreen when they have many many different products. I don't know, customer support does not sound that much important for me, not more than getting actually good product.

[@enb3810]

This is one of the only ltt videos I have thumbed down in >10 years

[@rx97_mc]

But they *did* try things that were relevant to the products, like jackery's customer issue was a problem that people had been dealing with.

[@soup-enthusiast]

Damn, dbrand really went above and beyond. Glad to see they're not just funny but also pretty decent.

[@gameguy1337]

dbrand getting the pass to mess with Linus harder in the future

[@3nertia]

@@gameguy1337 I expect that sort of high-level thinking from the people over at dbrand xD

[@C4M-]

I'd like to give a huge shoutout to Linus' team for actually practicing what they preach. I opened a support ticket about my LTT screwdriver, and the support rep sent me a new screwdriver within a day, no questions asked, and it arrived 5 days later. Absolutely a 5 star support experience from me and I cannot wait to order my backpack from LMG in the next few weeks.

[@mataskart9894]

Same, noticed my water bottle was missing the LTT logo a few days after I got it and after messaging support expecting something like the ugreen's 5$ discount they instantly offered a full refund or free shipped replacement while keeping the one I got, A+.

[@antonyjharper31]

Used mine yesterday it’s a cracking driver!

[@exkonos32]

I never realised how much I took for granted that LTT does their own stock footage until I saw LTT using actual stock footage from a library 🤣

[@sxvij]

Every KZbinr should do this! Also having BestBuy as the sponsor of this video is hilarious.

[@LiamNajor]

Can't wait for them to absolutely DESTROY Best Buy

[@joshua41175]

​@LiamNajor it's weird because I've always had decent experiences with best buy, but I primarily use their mobile services like the screen protector installation.

[@studentlogan]

Worked at best buy for years, for in store it can be wildly inconsistent. You may get someone who knows their shit, a person mostly focused on selling you something, or a kid just working there for beet money. All depending on the region, the store, the time of year, the time of day, etc. They've also largely scaled back their training process so it's even worse these days as far as what you might get on a given visit

[@thejunkman]

@@studentlogan I remember never having enough money for beets in college.

[@busomite]

Not having beet money is country poor level. Rough.

[@eskat0n]

I think for global brands like ASUS the quality of the support varies greatly by country. I live in Japan and had an issue with my Z13 and ROG Mobile. I filled out the Japanese repair request form in English and a guy came to my home with packing materials to pickup both devices after 2 days. The estimated repair time was 7 days, but in 2 days they delivered my device with the mobo and battery completely replaced.

[@Crawfishness]

An actual person came to your home to pick it up instead of just having you send the old devices through the post? That's honestly the most Japan thing I've heard in a long time. Wish we could have that kinda service over in the west.

[@fgsaramago]

@@Crawfishness thats very normal here in Portugal...

[@Spectron2077]

​@@Crawfishnessdell also does that

[@goofy851]

That's Japan for you. There isn't any other country where you would get that kind of customer support because Japan is the last country on Earth where they value their customers.

[@koopatrpa]

What's interesting about LTT's sponsor expectations, is it actually makes sponsoring their videos more valuable. If you can trust that LTT does not put up with crumby sponsor products or support, you are more likely to spend money with the sponsors.

[@noobliterally2145]

What's interesting about LTT's sponsor expectations, is it actually makes sponsoring their videos more valuable. If you can trust that LTT does not put up with crumby sponsor products or support, you are more likely to spend money with the sponsorz.

[@forcer2229]

What's interesting about LTT's sponsor expectations, is it actually makes sponsoring their videos more valuable. If you can trust that LTT does not put up with crumby sponsor products or support, you are more likely to spend money with the sponsors.

[@vipedoesstuff]

What's interesting about LTT's sponsor expectations, is it actually makes sponsoring their videos more valuable. If you can trust that LTT does not put up with crumby sponsor products or support, you are more likely to spend money with the sponsorz.

[@scorcher117]

Ideally that should be the case with all sponsorships from content creators.

[@PSYCHOV3N0M]

Maybe they're hiding the Billet Labs prototype that you auctioned off?? 😂😂😂

[@corbinxtitus]

I've had to go through dbrand support TWICE, and both times they were incredibly helpful. Loved their support

[@a_d3mon]

For reasons like this... this is why I've taken to recording my package opening... So that I don't have to fight with much customer support about packing and all that.

[@CustardCream22]

Great idea!

[@bahamutlightbringer486]

i think it's common practice now and it's a good way to protect the company from unnecessary waste of time and resource (instead of spending time and money supporting on call/emails and giving away free items to scammers) you can easily filter out those dubious ones and focus on supporting actual customers with actual problems just by asking for the packaging/unboxing detail. not like those are fortune 500 companies that has a ton of money to waste. i would actually rate them a bit higher.

[@KarrasBastomi]

Indonesian sellers do that too. There's just too many bad apple who scam at online retailers.

[@dparks256]

Asking customers to film the unboxing of their products is ridiculous.

[@n_core]

@@dparks256 If you haven't experiencing the worst kind of online scam tricks, you would say it's a bad thing. It probably rarely happens in your region part of the world. But there are other regions in this world that are just the worst, and businesses do this to prevent that. Some measures are necessary, including recording the unboxing.

[@VigilSerus]

As a note, package insurance companies typically ask for photos as proof so the seller can recoup costs in the event of damage or missing goods. They'll want to see package conditions and etc to appraise the validity of a claim.

[@FAQUERETERMAX]

Are you really expecting customers to film the unboxing and not throw away the packaging? No company ever asked me for this. This is bullshit and they deserve lower scores

[@BlueCollarBachelor]

So we should judge a company based on its response to criticism? LOL

[@ThrashBandicoot666]

The iFixit customer service interaction is exactly WHY i always keep my packaging for new tech for...probably way too long.

[@nah95]

I still have the box my Nokia 5310 came in. Just in case...

[@b00psn00t]

you're only going to get asked for photos of the packaging if something is missing.

[@katrinarose2210]

Ok, i have to give it to you Linus, the segue at the beginning of this episode was triple S tier awesome, do more like that please

[@buzkie314159]

You should do a roundup of how easy it is to contact support for major brands. It is impossible to find on some websites.

[@paulm6447]

Labs ... but for customer support. +1

[@Tomazack]

Best to check customer support before sinking big bucks into a product. Don't give money to companies that are clearly making it difficult to help with what they've sold you.

[@rebootweb]

Companies have been getting worse and worse over the last 10 years with hiding contact details. But since the pandemic they have got a lot worse and their services and support have really deteriorated.

[@Keptains]

Im wondering if DBrand has stupid crazy margins on their prices or if they just know the value of customer satisfaction

[@Mikkel94]

They have very high margins, bought 5 skins on easyskins for my s23 ultra for the same price if 1 dbrand skins, quality of the skin is basicly the same. But i also think they value a good relation with the costumer

[@Baxtexx]

It's skins. Probably cost pennies.

[@olotocolo]

that sounds liek something to test - durability of the skins vs competition, strenght of the adhesive

[@PatrikTheDev]

Both. Their margins are extremely high and they aren’t shy about it (the CEO calls it expensive electrical tape) but they also care about customers a LOT

[@itsasadbunny]

Yea with DBrand its more expensive, and crazy margins. But they put that money to good use, with S tier packaging, styled cleaning clothes, quality skins and good support. You can easily find cheaper skins, but I only buy them for skins for this exact reason. They've built a solid reputation that I don't even consider other brands.

[@BitGladius]

For IFixit, I had no problem (or charge) getting a bit replaced when I broke it trying using force as an alternative to thread locker. The replacement even came with stickers. This was years after purchase.

[@Alaster-]

I've had same great experience with iFixit: 3 torx bits, tweezers, and pry bars all replaced years after purchase under their lifetime warranty, including shipping US to Australia (was close to 7-8x the cost of parts total). Parts were basically worn out due to daily use. Provided photos and new parts were on their way!

[@miipa]

Tbh, this really shows how easy people can scam these companies. Sure they have money to send you a replacement but it’s so messed up to say you didn’t receive an item and basically force the company to send another.

[@monsterhunter445]

They didn't get scammed they just did it because it was good business. They probably suspected it didn't break during shipping but still wanted to make the customer happy.

[@conduit64]

What's even worse is that honest people end up paying for those scams. Businesses have to assume they're going to lose money to theft and take it into consideration when determining their markups on products.

[@matjer2800]

I agree; the iFixit assessment is not fair. While the other item is broken, it makes no sense for scammers to intentionally break things and then ask for a replacement. Not receiving items that were ordered is a common scammer practice, which is why if I were iFixit, I would do the same. They should get a 5-star rating for still providing the replacement.

[@n_core]

​@@monsterhunter445 It's not a good business if you do that in some developing countries. Because online scammer are rampant, and you can ended up losing money by innocently providing replacements to customers. These checks (packaging, unboxing video, etc.) are measures to prevent that from happening. It's an inconvenience for genuine customers, but that's the thing that you kinda have to accept.

[@poochyenarulez]

@@matjer2800 Also, as a business owner, no joke, 99% of the time customers tell me they didn't receive an item, they end up finding it within a day or 2 later.

[@TylerRolloGuitar]

"Operating with integrity, and putting the needs of our community first. Unless of course theres something shady going on of course". Well this aged like milk.

[@jb_labs]

It is Linus's and LMGs transparency and high standard of accountability that makes it one of the best and most respectable channels on YT. Thank you LMG for putting the community first

[@2Fast4Last-91]

Imagine being on a level you get to choose who’s on your shit. This video is the biggest flex of all time in a good way. It’s using your power the way you should. Your looking out for your people who got you here. Your the best Linus!

[@Sam-nd7sl]

This is the sort of content we need more of (and the last "starting at" video) Accountability is quite rare in the online space, it sort of puts a huge gap between companies and consumers. They get away with promising the heavens but deliver shit. We need big channels like this keeping em on their toes. Great job fellas!

[@Tamerleine]

Ltt screening sponsors for ethics and integrity while they themselves lack it 😂 nothing more disgusting than the "Holier than thou" types of Hypocrites

[@ecoyac6458]

Regarding Framework, I recently had an issue where the laptop died after months of use. It had a dent in the shell because of a much earlier fall, unrelated. After some troubleshooting they sent me a mainboard and I sent back the old one. They didn't deny the warranty using the dent, I was pleasantly surprised. And the laptop now works perfectly.

In the EU it wouldn't even be legal to deny the warranty based on an unrelated dent if they cannot prove that the dent is connected / cause for the damage to be repaired under warranty. I think this should be something we as a customer can expect

[@accidentalmeme5327]

@it’s illegal in the USA too. Unfortunately it’s all to common that companies try to weasel out of their warranties. Apple is well known for using water contact stickers and refusing to service machines if the stickers have come in contact with water. This is even if the damage to the machine was not water related.

[@Walker_96365]

You should totally do a black and blue ifixit version of your screwdriver. It would look sick!

[@dizuko_]

No one gonna comment on Best buy being the sponsor? Austin has showed us plenty of times that their processes have alot to be desired

[@GamerErman2001]

Aw come on Asus didn't even solve the problem. Your staff person literally gave them the answer after Asus wasted too much of your time! And like you said the 4090 comes with an adapter that has 4 8-pin plug but it only needs the fourth one for overclocking so it's not ridiculous for people to think they don't need all three plugs for a 4080!

[@szeptaczsprezarek]

To be honest that iFixit request isn't so bad. If you get a chinese knockoff you may not get the packaging at all, or the difference in the quality may be very visible (and it usually is). I kept mine out of sentiment but now I know I'll need it for warranty (:

[@EliteProductions3129]

I bought a replacement screen kit for the Pixel 6 from iFixIt about a year ago. When I installed the new screen, it had super spotty touch response making my phone nearly unusable. They sent me a replacement kit and, from what I remembered, covered shipping. It was a pretty painless experience.

[@RowingFrontal5]

It was quick and easy because you didn’t submit a false claim

[@LimPu]

About iFixit: I totally get where they are coming from. In most cases, people who just try to squeeze something out of it, usually give up once they get ghosted. I mean 70% that is. Hence when you started sending pictures, they went all over the place to make sure you are satisfied. 100% agree with them and that's exactly what we are doing with a very good success rate.

[@PsRohrbaugh]

Yeah but packaging?? It's pretty normal for me to get home, open my packages, throw the boxes down to trash chute, then get comfy and start working with the contents.

[@RannonSi]

Eh, I know a couple of people how'd give up if ghosted, even if they're in the right, unless we're talking about a noticeable amount of money. And I know people who'd have trouble getting away pictures. Besides, what do they want with the pics? To see if a scammer is dumb enough to take a picture of the items they say aren't there, or a picture of the package, lacking the items the customer said they didn't receive?

[@amunak_]

@@PsRohrbaugh I mean sure, but you don't throw away the packaging when you're missing items, at least not mindlessly (and this gives you another reason to keep it until it's resolved). Same for damaged items.

[@Hikari_Mavio]

​@@PsRohrbaughsame here, especially nowadays the packaging is so secured that I have to break the whole packaging into trash. Luckily I use platform that can reject payment of the product if there is any missing items if no replacement is send in time.

[@n_core]

@@PsRohrbaugh Packaging is important as it might have something unique on it, like a serial number of something. The only way for them to make sure you're a legit buyer is to cross check if you actually bought it. I'm sorry to say this, but there are other parts of the world that are rampant with online scammers which makes these companies resorted to this kind of thing. So I understand about the iFixit thing. They have a pretty good process dealing with it.

[@tombickers]

We're more interested in what LMG is hiding.

[@Tonio_onair]

DBrand you guys need to sell more than what sell. You're a fun and trustworthy company and we need more than that

[@beckbats]

I mean, it probably helps that margins on phones cases and skins are pretty generous.

[@Tonio_onair]

@davidbeck-macneil6042 yeah, they would need to find something that would generate the same profit margins while maintaining the same quality.

[@unseeninja]

I had to deal with iFixit, it was a fantastic experience. A bit broke, 100% my fault and I even told them that. But they sent me two replacements and a few extras that I didn't ask for.

[@Morpheus-pt3wq]

3:32 poor call center employees... Most of them have no idea, what they´re talking about and only have written guides.

[@Nobe_Oddy]

WHOA WHOA WHOA LINUS!!!!- @ 10:37 - "Sorry to hear you CAN'T HEAR IT" ?????? wth does that mean???? lol :D

[@zozodj2r]

He should do this for Square and the charges they have hidden. Or squarespace for the price increase and difficulty in getting updates - yes I'm a ticked off user who left squarespace after 5 years

[@Collin_J]

My partner has had recurring charges going on intermittently for the past two years after cancelling a subscription. They seem worth a closer look 👀

[@bryanellis459]

I wonder if dbrand are going to see an uptick in "shipping issues" in the near future? At least IFIXIT seems to be a family operation, even if Reginald I Fiksit couldn't help without packaging

[@antho2935]

Imagine that. Having challenges with a large scale corporations QC and information accuracy.

[@SuperTort0ise]

I know right! These Corpo should(n't) take a page from ltt imo.

[@kibako666]

I wonder if Chat GPT would have gave a better answer or solved the ASUS power cord problem faster then the tele-tech support

[@boxhead6177]

Probably not, cause most major customer service portals have a knowledge base tied to a chat/search bots of some type for several years now, its why customer call centres ask you to "speak to a robot" before a human, so it can already give the customer support person the possible answers. Large language models won't add much more to small enterprise solutions already available.

[@Jehty_]

"Do you know what a RTX4080 is? ChatGPT As of my last update in September 2021, the RTX 4080 was not a known or released product. However, considering the naming convention of NVIDIA's graphics cards, it is possible that they might release an RTX 4080 or a successor to the RTX 30 series in the future." I doubt that ChatGPT will be helpful.