A Nintendo spokesperson rebuffs reports that there’s an existing exchange program for new Nintendo Switch owners to swap their newly-purchased units in for the improved model that dropped early July.
A slew of reports emerged late last week indicating that the Kyoto-headquartered manufacturer has been letting users exchange Switch units purchased after July 17 for Version 2, as long as they cover shipping and shipping insurance costs. These reports came after the quiet release of the updated version of the Nintendo Switch, which now boasts a better battery life of up to 9 hours.
However, in a statement to The Verve, a spokesperson for the company says that they actually “do not have a Nintendo Switch exchange program.”
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But, they are welcoming exchange requests
Still, all is not lost. While there is no official Switch exchange program, that doesn’t mean that you can’t get yours exchanged.
These reports of Nintendo allowing exchanges have been corroborated by many users who’ve had a similar experience, with one user saying they even made an exception for him though he ordered his on July 14th, as his delivery date was on the 19th. Additionally, Polygon got in touch with Nintendo’s customer service department and confirmed that they are indeed welcoming such exchange requests.
Even the Nintendo spokesperson’s statement to The Verve seems to hint at this unofficial exchange policy: “We always want players to enjoy their Nintendo Switch systems, and if anything ever gets in the way of that, we encourage them to visit http://support.nintendo.com for support, or to contact our consumer support team.”
Of course, notwithstanding the improved battery life, there’s no glaring difference between the previous version and the current one, according to one review. If up to three hours more of juice is something worth paying shipping costs for – not to mention, being on hold for a long time – it can’t hurt to call them up to see if you can get yours exchanged as well.
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