My frustrating encounter with Nintendo customer support

My frustrating run into with Nintendo customer support

Nintendo Switch Online will double charge your family if you don't turn off auto-renewal

(Image credit: Futurity)

If you've ever bought something from the Nintendo Switch eShop, then y'all probably know Nintendo has a very strict policy nigh refunds. In short, they don't permit any returns. However, I recently had a frustrating encounter with my Nintendo Switch Online subscription that resulted in me getting charged twice.

I added my fiancée to a family unit subscription, simply auto-renewal for her individual subscription was still turned on, and so we got charged a yearly subscription ($20) despite her being in the family membership. For context, you lot can't purchase an private membership while yous're in a family membership considering you go all of the same benefits, and then the eShop won't let y'all. We, therefore, assumed this car-renewal must exist a mistake. But it wasn't. Here's what happened when I contacted Nintendo customer support.

What happens when you're double-charged for Nintendo Switch Online?

I explained the situation to the representative who replied, "at that place is no automated way to remove a Nintendo Switch Online'due south automated renewal, fifty-fifty if joining a family group that has a family membership." This was already a red flag because that ways, whether intentional or not, this is how the system was designed. You demand to turn off automatic renewal otherwise Nintendo will double charge you when you join a family unit plan with the aforementioned service.

Epitome one of 11

Image ii of 11

Image 3 of eleven

Image 4 of eleven

Prototype five of 11

Image 6 of 11

Image 7 of 11

Image 8 of 11

Image 9 of 11

Image 10 of xi

Prototype 11 of 11

I then asked the amanuensis for a refund, to which they responded, "per the Nintendo Switch Online Terms of Service, we cannot offer refunds or credits for time left on a membership." And in that aforementioned text, they said they would assist with cancelling my service (as if that would remedy the situation).

I pointed out why that was an obvious upshot, simply they said, "I can provide you with the steps on how to remove the automatic renewal to ensure that it does [not] happen once more in the future for y'all." It then turned into a frustrating back and forth between the agent and myself. It feels as though Nintendo double charged me for a service then blamed it on me because I didn't turn off a feature that should have been turned off automatically.

The amanuensis then tried to explain to me that joining a family membership doesn't end an individual membership, "which is how you can accept two different types of Nintendo Switch Online memberships at the aforementioned time." They continued to re-explicate how this happened to me and wormed out of giving me any bounty, even though consumers can't purchase individual memberships while in a family membership.

However, I continued to press the amanuensis over this issue until they finally said they'd run across what they could do. And then they attempted to offer me two additional months of the additional membership, which is pointless given that the account in question was in a family programme and 2 months free is nowhere near being worth the $20 I was charged. I explained that to them, and suggested the culling of giving me a refund in eShop coins.

Afterward all of that effort, they budged and asked me for my email and console'due south serial number. After a few moments, the agent drafted a text stating that they would frontwards my incident to an administration grouping to come across if anything could be done and that they'd electronic mail me within the next one to two business organization days. However, within minutes, whatever I was charged ended up as credits in my Nintendo account.

Why this is such a huge deal

Nintendo, you lot can't blatantly double-charge people then blame them for not turning off a characteristic that should have been automatically disabled. Y'all demand to set your systems. This is one of the most consumer-unfriendly things I've encountered with Nintendo's services.

My beau readers, warn your family members to turn off automobile-renewal. Nintendo is conspicuously strict well-nigh giving refunds, even to those who clearly need one. If you happen to get double-charged like I did, talk to customer back up and bother them until they give you your money back. Don't be a jerk, but don't let Nintendo swindle you out of your money. This unabridged process and system shouldn't exist, and I wouldn't exist surprised if this happens a lot.

Rami Tabari is an Editor for Laptop Mag. He reviews every shape and class of a laptop besides every bit all sorts of cool tech. You tin find him sitting at his desk surrounded by a hoarder'southward dream of laptops, and when he navigates his mode out to civilization, you can catch him watching really bad anime or playing some kind of painfully difficult game. He's the best at every game and he simply doesn't lose. That's why you'll occasionally take hold of his byline fastened to the latest Souls-like claiming.