Forum Discussion

sauerkirschsaftverkoster's avatar
sauerkirschsaftverkoster
Honored Guest
4 days ago

Quest 3 disabled / blacklisted as “Lost in transit” – warranty shown, then denied

Hi Meta Support / Community,

 

I’m looking for guidance on a warranty/service issue for my Meta Quest 3.

 

Summary

 

  • I bought a sealed / “new unopened” Quest 3 on a marketplace (Vinted) from a seller based in Belgium, I live in Germany.
  • The headset initially activated and registered to my Meta account and even showed a warranty end date (until ~03/2028) in my device/warranty section.
  • After 2–3 days, the right display/lens went dark (left side still works). I tried standard troubleshooting including factory reset, but the issue persists.

 

 

Meta support outcome

I contacted Meta Store Support for warranty service/replacement a couple of times. There were some confusing issues, e.g. the regular replacement form online only allowed me to have the new ones shipped to an adress in Belgium, no option to pick Germany or any other country. One or two days later, the website started showing a text saying  that warranty has expired, despite the same page still showing warranty until 2028. I contacted support on this newly arisen issue,  and that’s when  support told me that the headset’s serial number has been flagged as “Lost in transit” and that the device has been permanently disabled/blacklisted, therefore the claim is marked not covered. In my account,  I’m only offered a paid replacement, but even that is followed by an error notification when selecting the option.
Support also advised me to “contact the seller”.

 

Problem

 

  • The Vinted marketplace refund window is extremely short (48h) and has already passed, and their support does not seem to even read through my complaints and explanations I provided. 
  • The seller can’t provide any proof of purchase and stated he resells these in large quantities.
  • In practice, “contact the seller” does not resolve the situation, he has stopped answering alltogether and the device is now unusable.

 

 

What I’m asking

 

  1. Is there any official process for good-faith second-hand buyers when a device is later flagged “Lost in transit” after activation?
  2. Can Meta confirm whether the “warranty until 03/2028” display is separate from “service eligibility”, and what triggers the change from eligible → not eligible?
  3. If the device is disabled due to a prior loss/refund case, is there any path to review/appeal or provide alternative evidence (serial number, shipping proof, device registration, etc.), even without the original receipt?

 

 

I can provide my case number [CASE ID], the serial number [SN], and screenshots of all chats with Meta support, vinted support and the seller. 

 

Thank you in advance.

3 Replies

  • Maccyb123's avatar
    Maccyb123
    Consultant
    4 days ago

    Unfortunately Meta Support staff are not on this forum. You can contact them through the Meta Horizon app on your phone or the Meta website.. This is only a user forum. You need to check the date of original sale of the headset to check if it's warranty still. Good luck. I hope you can get a good resolution. 

  • Choleni's avatar
    Choleni
    MVP
    4 days ago

    Hi sauerkirschsaftverkoster​ 🙂

    sauerkirschsaftverkoster wrote:

    the regular replacement form online only allowed me to have the new ones shipped to an adress in Belgium, no option to pick Germany or any other country.

    Yes, it's always like that. 

    Meta only sends replacements to the country to which the device was originally delivered, in your case Belgium.

    sauerkirschsaftverkoster wrote:

    and that’s when support told me that the headset’s serial number has been flagged as “Lost in transit” and that the device has been permanently disabled/blacklisted, therefore the claim is marked not covered. 

    sauerkirschsaftverkoster wrote:

    The seller can’t provide any proof of purchase and stated he resells these in large quantities.
    In practice, “contact the seller” does not resolve the situation, he has stopped answering alltogether and the device is now unusable.

    These people buy a new device, sell them as new/unopened and a few days later, they report the device as lost in transit, get their money back(and have the money from selling it to you) and the device is now blacklisted and unusable.

    This is the risk that you always have when not buying from authorised retailers.☹️

    I'm afraid, you've lost your money.

    sauerkirschsaftverkoster wrote:

    Can Meta confirm whether the “warranty until 03/2028” display is separate from “service eligibility”, and what triggers the change from eligible → not eligible?

    The trigger is "lost in transit" or "stolen headset"....... it's a blacklisted headset.

     

     

     

  • steve_40's avatar
    steve_40
    Honored Visionary
    4 days ago

    Vinted is consumer‑to‑consumer sales (private sellers), not business-to-consumer sales, so you don't get much consumer protection, unfortunately. EU consumer law protects buyers only when buying from businesses.