Switch owners who have broken Joy-Cons in some territories within Europe will now be able to have them repaired by Nintendo for free.
As originally spotted by Nintendo Life, Nintendo’s support page leaves a statement regarding the free offering. Specifically, it refers to the “repairs for responsiveness syndrome relating to control sticks” which comes at “no charge” within the EEA (European Economic Area), including the UK and Switzerland.
Although the United States and some other countries were already having the free service for a while now, following lawsuits against the giant Japanese company regarding the so-called “Joy-Con Drift,” it is a complete first for Europe.
Another noteworthy aspect of the updated policy is how the free repair service applies even to Nintendo Switch Joy-Cons that had been subject to wear and tear, and even after the warranty has expired or beyond the 24 months since the controller or console has been purchased.
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While the step is a clear display of Nintendo’s maneuver to owe up to its faulty product, it is more so as a result of a UK watchdog’s push to have the consumers refunded for the defective controller. However, the offer does come with a few caveats.
First, the free repair service is only valid in cases when Joy-Con manifested its defect on its own through normal use and not caused by a third-party accessory. This is similar to how the console’s warranty did not cover the bricking issue caused by a third-party dock that ruined Switch consoles previously.
Secondly, the free service is not applicable for damages resulting from negligence, such as accidentally exposing the Joy-Con to damage-causing harmful elements. Lastly, there must not be an attempt to crack open the controller by the consumer for the purpose of fixing the issue themselves.
Let’s hope that Nintendo brings the Joy-Con free repair service to the rest of the world soon.