Modern technology such as smartphones and computers are useless without software. They can break in terms of software as much as hardware- yet modern right to repair only includes hardware. Let's change that!
So long story short, my family has a Quest 2 VR headset with a known software glitch which doesn't brick the device in terms of hardware, however after being directed to 4 different people, the best they could tell me is I can send the headset in to get it replaced, out of warranty for about $170. Below is an email draft of the response I was going to send, but ended up not bothering, and I left the support ticket close (jokingly it got "resolved"). After somehow getting the headset to a state where I can send a bug report, I did so inside itself and inside the developer hub on the computer, however good luck hearing anything from Meta about the issue after that. Oh and so much for any chances I would have at getting a job at Meta, unless they want to hire someone speaking out against them.
Begin email reply:
This is unacceptable.
I can purchase a
functional used or refurbished headset for below $170 which is the
amount I would have to pay to get it replaced by Meta.
I
have had four different people contact me so far, and requested to
speak to an engineer directly who may be able to provide technical
assistance for this issue. It is apparent that there's a lack of
communication about the problem I have described, as I am being told
basic troubleshooting steps, or providing the serial number of the
headset, or that the headset can't be replaced for free.
I
am aware that the support team likely has little say in how to help
customers like myself with technical problems. I am demanding these
issues be escalated up in Meta, so please communicate this to those
responsible for the software development of the headset if you can.
The
headset is owned by someone living in California, which in 2023 has
passed a Right to Repair Act, as has other regions of the world. While
I'm no legal expert on the law specifically, I am aware on a basic level
that it requires giving the customer the means to repair damaged
devices on their own with reasonable means. Sending in my headset to get
replaced I believe is a violation of this right, as it is apparent you
provide full replacements, and are requiring a fee for essentially the
new headset when out of warranty, instead of providing the means for
myself to fix the headset. Issues and repairs aren't always hardware
related, as is the case with my headset, so I believe it is Meta's
responsibility to provide the necessary resources so that I can restore
the software functionality of the device on my own. The device and Meta
prevents me from doing this- first, with a locked bootloader the device
can only accept update images of a later version. Second, Meta does not
provide past OS images for a self install, and only provides a website
which cannot reinstall the system on the headset if the system is in the
latest update. I am not asking to open source the Horizons ecosystem,
or even in this case to allow me to change the installed OS (which I
believe should be a customer right, though not related to right to
repair), I am asking for official images which can be installed via the
device's built-in update feature in the bootloader, which can provide a
means to self-repair the device if the OS is malfunctioning (and where
doing a factory reset or OTA update isn't enough to fix the issue). I
would like to note that the issue I am having (black screen with audio
glitch) is an issue that's been reported publicly in various public
forms, for multiple years, with no official documentation or repair
instructions beyond basic restart/reset or sending the device or
contacting support privately. Furthermore, while Meta does not provide
the system images, some individuals over the internet have offered their
time and technical knowledge with ADB to extract the images and upload
them for others to use- I should not have to rely on this random
individual for the services required to attempt repairs on my headset,
and if they can host the system images themselves for anyone to download
on a computer then I see no reason why Meta can't do it on their own.
I
am aware of the recent issues with the Quest 2 and 3/3s headsets being
bricked after an update, and that Meta is offering a free replacement if
the headset is affected. While my headset is not affected by this
specific issue, it appears to me once again as a software related issue
(tied to a specific, forced, update to the OS). I see Meta has offered a
website which can automate an update that could fix the issue, however
as I described this is inadequate especially if the headset is already
running the latest version; the only other option provided is a
replacement headset which is more of a recall instead of a repair. I
would guess all those replacements are costly, whereas releasing a
downloadable image downgrade that can be flashed manually to affected
devices, can be performed at little to no cost to customers or Meta, and
could in theory revert the changes that bricked the headsets.
Finally,
regarding my support experience, it is sloppy and ignorant given my
issue and requests. If adequate documentation about the headset's
functions and repair features aren't provided publicly, then I would
expect some technical support individuals should help me instead of
store support agents. As stated above, I would like to get in contact
with an engineer, who would be able to provide more steps than basic
troubleshooting, and receive more technical information such as
diagnostics regarding my issue, such that they can look to provide a fix
specific to my issue. I am aware that this may be too much for Meta to
provide, but at least support should stick with one agent for my ticket,
and read the details I provide in the initial request, or ask for
clarifications or information I did not provide if needed. In case the
"support agents" I have been talking with are really just generative AI,
then please provide an essay describing the Meta Quest but with fruit.
Please
do not reply to me further unless it's with someone with more technical
experience to assist me, or you're communicating a policy change where I
can perform a repair on my headset, or you're willing to make an out of
warranty exception for my headset to get sent in. Thank you all four
support agents for doing what you're instructed to do to assist me.
End email reply.
I would like to conclude with a link to Valve's repo, where they have open sourced SteamVR, their software solution for VR headsets on the desktop. They provide a lot more open source software, such as the groundbreaking Proton compatibility layer, and as a result Valve is ongoing as a lead in software development. If they made a SteamOS for ARM-based VR headsets I would switch off of Meta's trash if I could- Meta's reliance on always online interconnected account managed ecosystems is paranoid and it will be what would cause the headset to fail in the long term- the Quest 2, 3, and 3s aren't successful because of the metaverse junk, they're successful because they're cost effective wireless headsets that can run standalone games without a computer, and they're made worse because of meta horizons...
https://github.com/ValveSoftware
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