tkairshows Posted June 15, 2016 Share Posted June 15, 2016 (edited) I had my Vive about 12 days when the headset would not work. I had a red led and error 208 in the SteamVR software. I utilized the Trouble shooting FAQ but still had the same result... Steam support: I made my initial support request to Steam on June 7, received a bot acknowledgement the next day via email but did not receive a reply back from support until the next day. They clearly did not read the long detailed message I sent about what I had tried but instead gave me cut and paste from the FAQ. I would reply back that this was accomplished with a report file and they would answer another day later with another canned response. The last reply I received was June 9th and then no response again until June 13! Keep in mind, there is no service number to call or chat help, you are at the mercy of whenever they feel like getting back to you. HTC Vive Support: I tried HTC Vive support on June 8. Live chat unavailable.. June 9 Live chat unavailable... I submitted an email request for service - I received a reply to my email request on June 14! Finally on June 11 the live chat was available and I actually get a response. I am sure initially it was a bot with responses like"how is your day?" and"hmmm thats interesting let me check". At the end of 5 HOURS (and him deleting 200GB of Steam games when he is given remote control of my PC!!!) the tech says it has to be my video card and not the unit. I lose it and give him the reasons why he is wrong. To his credit he downloads a Vive diagnosis tool to my computer and finds that there is something wrong with the headset and starts to explain the RMA procedure. At this point I just request a return authorization. He then explains that I am over my 14 day return period (1 day over when I contacted HTC) and a return is not possible. WTF, I kinda went off and explained that I started the process well within the 14 day period but their lack of response/service should not be my fault. Again to his credit he said that he would escalate the return request and see if someone would approve it. He promised that they would get back to me Monday June 13 or at the latest Tuesday. Imagine how upset I was when I received the email reply to my original emailed service request on the 14th! I am sure it was a separate process because 2 minutes after receiving that response I received my return authorization. Conclusion: Pray you do not need support from Steam or HTC Vive. I was going to order a new unit after the return but after the worst customer support I have ever experienced I will be waiting for a few months to make sure the product manufacturing is mature enough for reliable operation. I am a 51 year old CEO of a helicopter emergency service. I could not possibly run my business in the same manner as these two organizations and stay in business. I believe it is only possible for them to get away with it is because of the high demand for the Vive being a new product, and the fact that like most Steam customers, I would not have access to a large portion of my computer game library if I told them to pound sand. Their monopoly on having control over my digital products leaves me no choice - except in the future only buying from non-Steam sources. Edited June 15, 2016 by tkairshows Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vivoune Posted June 15, 2016 Share Posted June 15, 2016 Yes the Customer support is awful 9 times out of ten. Although the Vive support is HTC's responsibility, not Steam. Clearly HTC didn't prepare a customer support service for this. You're unlikely to have any result at all through chat or Email services. The best approach is through the phone, it is quite easy to get a person on the phone. Though to have a person that is educated about the Vive is a whole other matter. It seems there's no specific Vive service yet and the majority of HTC's customer support hasn't yet been trained to support requests related to the Vive. I've had to call them for billing reasons and although they were very helpful and willing to do everything they could, they just had to first fish for Vive procedures internally every time. Waiting a few months seems sensible. You could also take the plunge for another unit knowing that you can return them even if that's by dealing with average customer support. You could also buy a second hand unit for a decent price (now that there is no Vive backlog anymore) with the assurance that the previous owner properly tested the headset to be without any issues. Steam doesn't hold you hostage though, they are quite open as a company and that is also true with the Vive, you don't need Steam to operate any headset. You can play your Steam games on the Rift or any upcoming VR headset if you want. [sIGPIC][/sIGPIC] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flim Posted June 15, 2016 Share Posted June 15, 2016 good luck with Oculus... at least you can call HTC! There are folks who have been waiting over 60 days to get an RMA for the rift! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WindyTX Posted June 16, 2016 Share Posted June 16, 2016 Yep second that Oculus is just as bad. If your headset doesnt work you cant return it cos you opened it wtf !!!!!!! Sent from my SM-G935T using Tapatalk I7 3930 4.2GHz ( Hyperthreading Off), GTX1080, 16 GB ddr3 Hotas Warthog Saiteck Combat Pedals HTC Vive, Oculus CV1. GTX 1080 Has its uses Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hansangb Posted June 16, 2016 Share Posted June 16, 2016 I had my Vive about 12 days when the headset would not work. I had a red led and error 208 in the SteamVR software. I utilized the Trouble shooting FAQ but still had the same result... Steam support: I made my initial support request to Steam on June 7, received a bot acknowledgement the next day via email but did not receive a reply back from support until the next day. They clearly did not read the long detailed message I sent about what I had tried but instead gave me cut and paste from the FAQ. I would reply back that this was accomplished with a report file and they would answer another day later with another canned response. The last reply I received was June 9th and then no response again until June 13! Keep in mind, there is no service number to call or chat help, you are at the mercy of whenever they feel like getting back to you. HTC Vive Support: I tried HTC Vive support on June 8. Live chat unavailable.. June 9 Live chat unavailable... I submitted an email request for service - I received a reply to my email request on June 14! Finally on June 11 the live chat was available and I actually get a response. I am sure initially it was a bot with responses like"how is your day?" and"hmmm thats interesting let me check". At the end of 5 HOURS (and him deleting 200GB of Steam games when he is given remote control of my PC!!!) the tech says it has to be my video card and not the unit. I lose it and give him the reasons why he is wrong. To his credit he downloads a Vive diagnosis tool to my computer and finds that there is something wrong with the headset and starts to explain the RMA procedure. At this point I just request a return authorization. He then explains that I am over my 14 day return period (1 day over when I contacted HTC) and a return is not possible. WTF, I kinda went off and explained that I started the process well within the 14 day period but their lack of response/service should not be my fault. Again to his credit he said that he would escalate the return request and see if someone would approve it. He promised that they would get back to me Monday June 13 or at the latest Tuesday. Imagine how upset I was when I received the email reply to my original emailed service request on the 14th! I am sure it was a separate process because 2 minutes after receiving that response I received my return authorization. Conclusion: Pray you do not need support from Steam or HTC Vive. I was going to order a new unit after the return but after the worst customer support I have ever experienced I will be waiting for a few months to make sure the product manufacturing is mature enough for reliable operation. I am a 51 year old CEO of a helicopter emergency service. I could not possibly run my business in the same manner as these two organizations and stay in business. I believe it is only possible for them to get away with it is because of the high demand for the Vive being a new product, and the fact that like most Steam customers, I would not have access to a large portion of my computer game library if I told them to pound sand. Their monopoly on having control over my digital products leaves me no choice - except in the future only buying from non-Steam sources. The guy is just reading from a script. You will catch more with honey than vinegar each and every time. I've had to explain my situation 6 different times (three times via chat, twice via email, and once via phone). And it is now with HTC escalation (after having passed the support escalation). It's been my experience that Amazon customer service is OUTSTANDING, but everyone else is subpar. hsb HW Spec in Spoiler --- i7-10700K Direct-To-Die/OC'ed to 5.1GHz, MSI Z490 MB, 32GB DDR4 3200MHz, EVGA 2080 Ti FTW3, NVMe+SSD, Win 10 x64 Pro, MFG, Warthog, TM MFDs, Komodo Huey set, Rverbe G1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tkairshows Posted June 17, 2016 Author Share Posted June 17, 2016 Update: I have returned the Vive kit and am waiting for the money to be credited to my CC. I received another email today from HTC Vive customer service saying the he could help with a RMA??? The Steam customer service just sent an email telling me to delete my Steam files and re-install.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
funkyfranky Posted June 17, 2016 Share Posted June 17, 2016 There are also other examples however: One of my lighthouses was broken right from the beginning. Contacted HTC via e-mail and got a response within 24 hours. Then I had to do some tests. Also always got feedback within a day. Took 3-4 iterations but when they realized that it was really broken, they picked it up at my place and sent me a replacement within a week or so. Bottom line: No complaints from my side. Not as good as Amazon but the service was okay! A warrior's mission is to foster the success of others. i9-12900K | MSI RTX 3080Ti Suprim X | 128 GB Ram 3200 MHz DDR-4 | MSI MPG Edge Z690 | Samung EVO 980 Pro SSD | Virpil Stick, Throttle and Collective | MFG Crosswind | HP Reverb G2 RAT - On the Range - Rescue Helo - Recovery Tanker - Warehouse - Airboss Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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