MAdacatz Te quality control c*R*a*p rant/question

Tech Talk
1

Been lurking on the forum for a while tying to learn how to make my own SF4 stick thanks for all the great material everyones been posting.

I been palying SF for what its seem to be like forever now, but just brand new to SF4. Meaning i suck, the game is the same but so different in so many ways and so hard to learn how to play it well compared to the older versions. All and all im must say its very addicting.

I had went through many joysticks from the Mayflash, Wrestle Pro figting stick and a qanba before investing in what I heard and though was suppose to be the best in SF4 controls.

The Madcatz SF4 TE what a diappointment. Straight of the box the joystick sqeaks when you pull to the left or down and there where four scratches on the coners of the white outer casing. I ended up bringing it back to the store i purchased it at for an exchange thinking that they must have gave me the floor unit. The sale guy told me that they can only exchange it once for me and if the new one i get has the same type of scratches he would not be able to help m out agian ( not very promising )

So i got home with my exchanged brand new TE stick and to my suprise the stick squeaked, same scatches on the four coners, and as a bouns a 2 chips on the white casing, a scratch on the black metal casing, and the weld on the black front casing is not totally flush:xeye::xeye::xeye:

Pretty much i exchaged a brand new imperfect controller for a brand new imperfect controller in worse condition. Just wondering if anyione else has this type of problem with their madcatz joysticks?

seriously the cheap china brand joystick that costed onle $50 dollars didnt have these problems, with all of them the cases were mint…

For a $200 dollar what is supposedly a collectors item the MAdcatz TE is a Horrible FAIL

Worse part is that i cant even go back to the store to get my orginal stick back since the guy said he will only exchange it for me once ( probably more problems to that one too just didnt examine it a closely as i did with the new one )

what a ripoff $200 hundred dollars for a brand new stick that comes straight out of the box in used condition

2

Dude, I’ve got a shopping list of gripes about the TE’s, but you’re flinging your hate at the wrong people here.
#1, TE’s have been $150 or less new. If a store would only sell you one for $200, well, not the most reputable thing to do.
#2 You didn’t open up your replacement in the store? Some tells me there’d be no exchange on something I buy, I’d be field stripping that sucker right in the store and not leaving until I was sure it was perfect.
#3 You couldn’t exchange it, but a refund was out of the question so you could buy from someplace reputable? Oh, and save $50 in the process.

Yes, MadCatz has some QC issues with the stick. Yes, there are some design issues with the stick. But your livejournal post suggests more about the perils of buying from shady ass retailers and the idea of caveat emptor.

3

no the stick was suppose to be $179, so close to $200 after taxes and with the price match i did from another retailer i got it for $168 after taxes.

At the time i brought it into the store it was pretty loud in there the tech and I couldn’t hear the stick squeaking and for a store to take back the stick they have to resell it at a disount cause it become a open box item. So i understand why he told me that if the new stick had scratches he could not exchange it for me agian. I did ask if i could examine the stick to make sure it was free from defect before taking it, he said yes sure but he will not be able to exchange that one if it had the same scrach like the first. So pretty much i was stuck with either keeping the once i had, taking a store credit, or taking a chance with a new stick. The guy at the store even brought out the shipping box to make sure i knew i was getting a brandnew stick, so i didnt bother opening it up. Seriously you dont expect brand new products to be in used condtion straight out of the box

My beef is that well Madcatz is charging an arm and a leg for these joystick but are not assuring the consumers the quality of there products. Like i stated earlier all the cheapass sticks i purchased before had never had these problems

4

If you purchased anything from madcats previously you would see they have poor quality products…but the arcade stick for having sanwa parts and so many modable features is not bad for $168. You can always get a custom made stick or make one yourself.

5

Your problem has more to do with the poor customer service at whatever store you’re shopping at than Madcatz.

When an employee tells you “ok, I can exchange it, but only once, even if the new one is defective”, that’s when you tell him to fuck off and give you your money back.

6

^This.

7

Dude, the only place where I saw a TE for $200 was here in EBGames Canada. Where the hell are you buying yours?

8

Amazon had them for $149.99 when they were brand new for instance.

9

true in a sense but for every stick that they exchange for me they have another stick that the company has to sell at a discount cause it considered an open box item afterward. The store is just trying tyo make a small profit from reselling these sticks, but madcatz mass produces them and should keep an eye on their QC

10

no i didnt pay $200 for mine if that is what your asking, i meant the sticks retail for around that much after taxes and it pissing that the company has crap QC.

If you are asking were i foung mine for 150 i found it on newegg.ca for that price and did a price match with a local chain called ncix.com so i could pick it up myself an save on the shipping

11

Take this beef up with the store you bought it from. Madcatz makes some of the most shittiest products but the TE is pretty solid imo.

If all else fails can’t you just use the 90 day warranty?

12

Wrong. An open box item is something someone returned that can still be sold as working.

A defective (as you describe it) product is sent back to the manufacturer to either be refurbished or to get a credit for.

You’re saying he told you even if it was defective like the first he can’t take it back. That’s absurd, and honestly, if you go talk to his manager, he’ll probably agree.

13

^This, don’t let some underpaid retail slave treat you like a fool.

The store’s profit isn’t your problem, if you get a defective item, return that shit - let them deal with getting credit from the manufacturer.

^Exactly, open box items are usually because of the item was a display model, returned due to buyer’s regret or returned simply because a customer wasn’t happy with the item’s features; NOT beause it’s defective.

14

Newegg is selling TE’s for 129.99, so you got ripped off. The squeeking noise coming from the stick is a pretty common thing. Most if not all of my sticks that have JLF’s produce the squeeking noise. If the noise is bothering you that much buy some shinetsu grease, take apart the JLF, and apply the grease on the conical piece that’s located on top of the JLF’s base.

15

I’ve been down this road before myself, so I’ll try to contribute to the discussion.

You are correct, every one of these returns results in less profit for the store, because it adds to the number of price-reduced sticks that the store has to sell.

Where your thinking is faulty (at least on this specific topic) is that you feel some sense of obligation to help the store’s profits by keeping your returns to a minimum, were you allowed to do multiple exchanges.

It is very considerate of you to sympathize with the store in this plight, but you can’t really do that, because A) you have to stand up for yourself as a customer and B) the store has no business being in business if it can’t handle situations like this in a professional manner.

If it’s any kind of a legitimate store (and it really seems like it isn’t based on what I’ve read so far), a massive number of returns/exchanges due to new sticks being in less than pristine quality would result in the store sending the sticks back to either the distributor or MadCatz, rather than dealing with the headache of a dozen sticks reduced in price.

You as a customer have to cover your ass, and you can’t have any sympathy for the store. Frankly, in this situation, they are the enemy. It’s fine to place blame on MadCatz for having these problems, but don’t absolve the store simply because it’s trying to make a profit and it’s not their fault that the sticks are besmirched. Any other store worth its salt would allow you to do more than one exchange under these circumstances, definitely Amazon and Newegg (I’ve actually done an exchange on my stick with them for even less severe reasons).

While the store is allowed to make a profit, it’s this very motive that’s put you in a crap situation with a crap stick. So I’d recommend that you show no mercy.

I don’t think you’re totally screwed yet, however. Considering the amount you paid, I suspect you used a credit card. I don’t expect most people to be walking around with two Benjamins in their wallet. If you did in fact purchase this with a credit card, you can and you should file a dispute with your card over the issue of services not being satisfactory regarding damaged merchandise. You’re protected under the credit card from buying any items that are defective and being unable to return them. If you explain the situation and say that you simply wish to return the damaged stick, and the store won’t let you, you’ll most likely get your money back. You might have to return the stick, or you might not, but what matters is that you’d get back your money. Just make a list of the pertinent details (the name of the employee who handled your return would help, but isn’t crucial) and be ready to explain the situation as clearly as you can.

Then after all that you can go to a real store and buy the stick, at a much cheaper price. That’s assuming you even want the stick, and wouldn’t be heading straight to Amazon to preorder the upcoming HRAP.

16

No.

If the product is in fact defective, the store won’t take a hit (unless we’re getting into small details like the minutes lost by the employee doing the return, and bs like that).

The manufacturer will reimburse for something that is defective before it hits the shelves.

Where a store (sometimes) takes a loss is from people returning items that they think are defective, when in fact they’re perfectly fine. Or when someone returns something just cause they simply don’t like it. And even then, that doesn’t normally matter.

Trust me on this one, if a store can repackage a product and put it back on the shelf and sell it as new, they sure has hell will.

Anyone who has worked in retail knows how this works. It’s very common practice to take a return, re-wrap it, and put it back on the shelf and call it brand new.

The store is losing very little money in the situation the OP is describing.

The stick he brought back the first time was probably given a glance over, put back in the box, and now it’s being sold to someone else for the same price he bought it for originally.

edit and yeah, the points in the above post about being able to return it are alright. You can take it back.

17

My TE Stick came with a cosmetic issue, it was for the PS3 but had the headphone jack port of a 360 TE inconspicuously covered. Thankfully, everything else worked fine and I didn’t need to return it!

18

All PlayStation 3 ones are like that Jayar.

19

My TE stick has the 4 corner scratches on the white outer casing, its my second stick too. The 1st stick had the same 4 scratches and lots of scratches on the faceplate and 2 of the buttons had deep scratches on them.

20

thanks for all of the input guys. figured i was being too nice worrying about the store profit margin. gonna harass the stores head ofice till I either get a mint stick or my money back.