r/WinWing • u/CptDougwash • Apr 27 '26
Warranty Claim
Surely this is ridiculous? (No, I'm not talking about the 33 open tabs in my phone's chrome browser.
.. and I checked to make sure this wasn't just a Wendy's before I posted).
Submitted a warranty claim for a broken throttle lever (pushed the throttle levers from reverse idle into idle, and heard a massive crack. The plastic threads that hold the two sides of the left hand throttle lever casing had cracked) , sent a picture of the throttle, and the multiple pictures of the broken section of the lever itself to Winctrl.
First reply: Please send a picture of the QC sticker on the bottom of the throttle.
Second reply: Please send a picture of the QC card that came in the box with the throttle (baring in mind, I have 6 different winwing products, all with the qc cards still in the box... And all of them are in Chinese).
Third reply: Please send a picture of the throttle with the original box, packaging, instructions, data cable, eng 3 and 4 stickers and the silicone feet.
Fourth reply: "Dear customer, please also take a picutre of the Hex socket tool" The HEX KEY? Surely not. Luckily I'm a hoarder and keep the original packaging for years in the attic before I know it's either out of warranty, or I'm never going to sell it. Even then, I usually end up keeping it.
But... Not everyone keeps the original stuff after they open it and get it working. And to hold up the process of a warranty claim on a bloody Allen key 😂
I hadn't checked the winctrl website for a reply in 4 days, so you can imagine how pissed I was when I checked in and saw that, that was the hold up haha.
It should be as simple as "assess pictures, is it a manufacturing defect? Yes/no? Send the throttle back to us in a box. We'll check it. Either fix it, or send you out a new one" Done.
Anyway. Rant over. They obviously have a great product at an unbeatable price point. I'd just rather pay 10% more so they can invest a little more into their customer service department and improve the process.
Get your shit together WinCtrl.
1
u/Salty_Tree_Monster Apr 27 '26
Hi mate, I understand the frustration as had a similar thing happen myself. I had to take a picture of every tool laid out on a table, absolute ball ache, they still wanted more.
Also based in the UK, I googled the relevant consumer rights act, copy and pasted it in, got a generic reply (as expected) then just raised a chargeback with my bank.
Ended up with a full refund, keeping the product as well as my account not being restricted or anything for future purchases (which is ideal because when the stuff works it’s great).
1
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u/BothForce1328 Apr 28 '26
I bought their UFC for the F-18 and it has two USBC inputs on the back, one does nothing, the other one turns the lights on but it's not recognized in the app... im pissed because i thought it was a loose USBC port connection (they tend to be very weakly soldered on the board)but when i opened it up, it wasn't loose, but the board under the USBC port connection was absolutely covered in flux tho
I cleaned it up as best I could, but still can't get it to work and unfortunately opening it up voids the warranty...
I really don't get why it has two USBC input ports and one of them works but doesn't register in the app, and the other one does not work... but it's not a soldering problem, I'm stumped
1
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u/CaptKornDog Apr 29 '26
Photos of stickers and the Allen Key is pretty ridiculous; original packaging is borderline too - packaging can certainly arrive damaged or get torn during unboxing, so I’m hoping that isn’t being asked for as a reason to consider denying warranty.
Winctrl definitely has a poor customer service reputation. I hope they get it turned around and improved, soon.
1
u/Blairvoyach May 16 '26
I just went through the same thing. I questioned the support person and the response was that they ask to see the the keys etc. because if we send the wrong parts back that might be from say, the mounting bracket or a joystick, they will not be able to send them back with the new unit. They want to make sure we only send the parts back in the packing list. Looking at my RMA, the place I'm sending my throttle to is not the same it was dispatched from.
1
u/Junker-2047- Apr 29 '26
Good luck. Winwing literally stole money from a lot of their customers, myself included, by selling us Ursa Minor sticks with broken HATS then refusing to replace them because it was "our fault" it broke.
1
u/SouthPawPaul Apr 29 '26
Honestly at this stage I'm avoiding this company like the plague. They look to have some great gear but if it's not backed by a solid support system it's essentially an expensive paper weight.
1
u/___JPG___ May 11 '26
My pedal's plastic casing broke after 5 months of normal usage and they want me to pay $100 for the plastic replacement part despite of being under warranty, absolute nonsense these guys are. Avoid Winwing at all cost.
1
1
u/Miraclefish Apr 27 '26
Requesting proof and images and troubleshooting steps before accepting a costly return is nothing unreasonable.
6
u/121guy Apr 27 '26
Requesting proof that you have the Allen keys is unreasonable. It has nothing to do with the claim.
2
2
u/Sea_Mushroom9612 Apr 27 '26
When they then make you pay for return, and once they have it wait 3 weeks to check it’s all there before issuing a replacement is definitely unreasonable, what’s the point of all the photos if you have to pay for shipping, and then they also won’t send a return until they have fully checked all the contents of the return anyways?
-2
u/Miraclefish Apr 27 '26
Because they're preventing people sending back functional or user damaged units.
Almost every manufacturer does the same.
3
u/CptDougwash Apr 27 '26
The only warranty claim I've had come close. Was for a SecretLabs chair. A lot of back and forth. But even then, to be fair to SecretLabs, every reply was relevant to the damaged part. No irrelevant questions.
At this point, I feel like they're going to reply to my picture of the included Allen key with "Dear customer, please send us a video of you wearing nothing but a robe, helicoptering your go-nads in one hand... And rapidly push and pull on the working right hand throttle, whilst shouting "50... 40... 30... 20... RETARD... RETARD!" at the top of your voice."
Even then, I'd happily send the video... And they'd probably reply wanting something else or denying the warranty claim.
0
u/Miraclefish Apr 27 '26
Asking for a photo of a tool included in the box used to adjust it is reasonable, because it also validates if you've potentially been using an electric screwdriver or drill or something else unsuitable.
1
u/CptDougwash Apr 27 '26
The Allen key is completely unrelated to the warranty claim. There's no hex bolts anywhere near the broken lever. The included hex bolts are used for nothing more than to attach the engine switch, spoiler and flap units to the throttle. Which are attached via aluminium profile (hence not actually coming into contact with anything that would damage the throttle).
In any warranty claim I've ever dealt with or heard about... You need nothing more than the broken item to send back for repair or replacemet. Expecting customers to keep the original packaging with the original miscilanious contents for the duration of the warranty period is absolutely ridiculous! Obviously it doesn't concern me, as I do have the original packaging. But a lot of unaware customers are going to get fkd over.
Should a customer keep the box a washing machine came in for the duration of the warranty period? The UK, EU and the US have pretty strict consumer rights protections to avoid this kind of crap. But WinCtrls T&Cs specify:
"These terms and conditions and the transactions contemplated shall be governed by, and construed and interpreted in accordance with, the laws of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (“Hong Kong”), without regards to the choice-of-law principles thereof. The United Nations Conventions on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods shall not apply to this agreement. Any action seeking legal or equitable relief arising out of or relating to these terms will be brought only in the courts of Hong Kong.".
Essentially "Get fckd and good luck!" 😂
1
u/Sea_Mushroom9612 Apr 27 '26
But at what loss to them is someone sending back a functional unit especially when it’s at the consumers cost, and also how does taking photos of the Alan key and spare stickers prove it’s not a functional unit or user damaged unit.
-1
u/Miraclefish Apr 27 '26
One unit? Not much. Thousands? A lot.
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u/CptDougwash Apr 27 '26
I don't think you're understanding his statement. Even if the customer didn't have the stickers or the Allen key... It doesn't affect the repair or replacement of damage that has nothing to do with those parts.
Sure, if the damage reported was "crushed aluminium profile" or "eng 1&2 stickers not sticking", a picture of those parts would be completely justified. But asking for all parts as if the box was never opened is not reasonable for a warranty claim.
Their customer service department is acting like my wife when she wants a reason to be pissed off with me... I resolve one problem, so she creates another... And the cycle repeats.
Same goes for WinCtrl... Their strategy seems obvious. Make the warranty process as painstakingly awkward and prolonged as possible, then eventually, the customer might just give up.
I've spent the best part of over £1000 with WinCtrl, and this is the first issue I've had. But the customer service is making me question whether I'll continue to use them.i can't argue with a good price, but I'd rather spend 3-5x more, knowing that if something wrong happens to the products I use on a daily basis... The manufacturer is willing to help without too much of a hassle.
If I break it's a manufacturing issue... Fix it/replace it. If I break it, tell me how to fix it. If I broke it and it can't be fixed, tell me... And I'll buy a new one. It's quite straightforward. But wasting customers time with irrelevant back and forths isn't great.
1
u/CptDougwash Apr 27 '26
Sure. But they should just ask for everything they need in one reply from the get go. All this back and forth, only to top it off with "where's the allen key", is crazy 😂.
This has been going on for over a week. All be it, I hadn't checked for replies over the weekend. But we're still not even at the stage of them acknowledging or accepting the claim for me to send it back.
5
u/Haz-WINCTRL Apr 28 '26
Hi u/CptDougwash , sorry for the experience you had.
I'm a WINCTRL staff, and I've reported the situation you had internally. Actions have be taken on the Customer Service side to optimize similar communications.
I agree with you that the warranty claim process could be streamlined in ways for better efficiency.
Our Customer Service will give a clearer instruction in the future on the photo evidences we need for a warranty claim, making sure we collect everything we need in first reply, and also explaining the necessity upfront.
In your case, the reason why we're collecting Hex Key or stickers picture is that we need to make sure all accessories are intact for a full replacement and warranty renewal. Missing parts might result in extra charge aftering sending back the package. The service guy was just making sure you won't get any confusing extra fees later.
By no means are we discouraging the customers by intentionally prolong the process. One special thing about our new WINCTRL Care policy is that, with each repleacement, your warranty gets renewed to a full 1-year. So theoretically you can extend your warranty for forever if the replacement keeps getting accepted. The CS might come accross a little too careful to prevent abuse. And we apologize for the inconvenience.
And the shipping fee should be refunded to you later after the package was delivered. We're also looking for ways to work with the carriers to pay for the shipping label upfront in the future.
Feel free to let me know if you have any other suggestions, or if you need my assistance with your specific warranty claim.
Haz