(Repost w/more pictures & info) Horrible Repair Experience with Steam Deck OLED
So about an hour ago I made a post here about steam support charging me extra for a repair ($130 quoted, $190 actual) and did not include enough information in my first post. To recap over the summer I noticed that the unit would make a loud buzzing sound while completely powered off so swiftly contacted Valve and sent my unit in for repair.
On July 26 I was informed that the RMA was complete and my unit was good to go.
After receiving the unit on July 31 however I noticed that the sound was still there so contacted Steam Support again only to be told it was fine.
In November while I had the unit apart (Right Trackpad was loose at the top and I wanted to fix that) - one of the screws that attaches the Right Back Buttons to the interior frame broke with the post completely stuck inside the frame.
My first instinct was to try ordering a replacement frame online -only to discover that I'd have to purchase another unit for parts to get one.
I then contacted Valve to prepare for sending the unit in but was not ready to send so had to make another ticket (that's why it says follow up in the messages) and they gave me a quote of $130 for the repair and I sent the unit in on November 22 2025.
On December 6 I was contacted by the repair center who gave me a quote of $190 to repair the unit. Skeptical - I decided to investigate only to see that they wanted to replace not just the assembly for the unit - but also the motherboard, screen cable, fan & heatsink.
Seeing this I swiftly contacted Steam Support who told me that all communications would need to be between me and the repair center(despite saying otherwise in the email). The only actual damage to the unit is a broken screw inside the case (Picture 1), and I did test the unit before sending it back to valve (picture 2). Also attached are the RMA from July (Picture 3), the RMA from November (Picture 4) the invoice for the repair (Picture 5), the aformentioned strange spot in the left trackpad board (Picture 6) and my entire conversation with Steam Support as of today (Pictures 7 through 12).
For whatever reason Valve wants to replace the screen flex cable,the motherboard, the heatsink and the interior fan for the unit - all components that are working fine (save for a buzzing noise coming from the unit while completely powered off which I already sent the unit in for back in July but they said it was all good).
(I do have the video from July and have included it here.)
Posted Dec 7, 2025, 11:48 PM UTC