HELP!!!! Zephyurs GM501 Audio Issue & Asus abhorrent customer service

[markarose1979]

Bought a GM501 when it was released, back in April, and had an audio issue where the sound would all-of-a-sudden fluctuate from loud to soft (most times inaudible) and then stay incredibly low and spike a word, here and there, loudly. *It didn't matter if I was gaming or streaming, or whether I was in discrete graphics mode or Optimus. *It would stay like that until I shut the laptop off and restarted, but then would start back up moments after turning the laptop back on. *I took a few videos of the issue and sent it to Asus the first time I sent the laptop in. *Got a couple more vids before I sent it in the second time too.

I sent the unit to Asus for repairs. *They replaced the logic board. *Got the laptop back and the issue started back up again. *Sent it back to Asus a second time, got an email from the service department a week later saying that they were waiting for materials/parts for the repair. *Was sent another email from the service department afterwards stating that they couldn't complete the repairs and are proceeding with a replacement. *Then got an email from Peter Nguyen of the customer service department stating that Asus doesn't give refunds nor is my laptop eligible for a replacement, so they want to try another attempt at repairing the unit. *How the hell is my laptop not eligible for a replacement!? *It's a brand new model!!!!! *They can't fix the problem, and even the service department has confirmed the need to replace the unit! *The hassle and stress of dealing with Asus has been absolutely shocking! *This has been going on for a few months now. *They refuse to replace a factory-faulty unit that can not be repaired properly. *It's disgusting!

Has anyone else come across this issue with their laptops? *Or know of anyone that has this issue?*

[xeromist]

I moved your thread here to the notebook area so if another owner has experienced a similar audio issue they can reply.

I don't own your machine but when you get it back you might try removing the ASUS software and updating the driver. Maybe even look for a newer driver directly from realtek or whoever makes the audio chip. It could just be some enhancement software bugging out rather than a hardware issue. The fact that it delays a few seconds after startup might mean some software is loading and messing things up.

Regarding the RMA, that's fairly typical for laptops. Most laptop warranties say the manufacturer will repair or replace at their discretion and it usually takes several failed repairs before they throw in the towel and replace it. It sounds like the parts were out of stock so they were considering a replacement but ended up finding the part and returned to the repair option. There's not much you can do though since ASUS is doing what your warranty terms say it will do. If you really want to be prepared you can research whether there are any lemon laws in your region. A lemon law requires the manufacturer to replace a product that is excessively faulty. However if you've had a single repair that's not excessive yet.

If you aren't getting sufficient communication from your local facility you can post in the Service Inquiries section of this forum. Someone from ASUS can follow up and get more information. Just make sure to read the sticky rules thread before posting in that section.

[Gravitzone]

Hi,
I had the same problem, this is an issue with sonic studio 3 software plug-in that comes with the laptop. Try removing that from the system. This solved the issue for me. Now what I'm facing is with the side vent lights on the bottom of the laptop , they wont turn on . Tried everything else like reinstalling and things.
Hope this solves your problem.