Asus South Africa - Cracked Stylus, No Support, and Terrible After-Sales Service

I purchased an Asus Zenbook Duo 2025 in June 2025 from Incredible Connection. The stylus was cracked - clearly a manufacturing defect - and I reported it to Incredible Connection as soon as I could to avoid any suggestion that I had damaged it. I contacted Pinnacle Micro directly (Asus's local service partner) to avoid booking in my laptop, which I rely on for academic work. Despite the stylus being visibly damaged and my laptop being fully functional, I was told the stylus could not be replaced unless the laptop was booked in. During my visits to Pinnacle Micro, I was handed replacement styluses - but they were also defective. It felt like an attempt to avoid ordering a new stylus or escalating the issue properly, since they insisted the laptop had to be booked in first. This approach wasted my time and failed to resolve the problem. I logged a formal complaint with Asus South Africa and received a request ID. However, the call centre experience has been appalling. One consultant refused to repeat his name and abruptly ended the call. Another, despite lacking full information and refusing to escalate my query or provide an email address, claimed "everything has been done to assist me". This was in response to my request to speak to a senior manager or the head of the complaints department - which he said could not be done. I was told the only way to escalate is through the online email submission form, and that even my initial submission would take days before I receive a response. I had my laptop with me during each visit to Pinnacle Micro but made it clear I could not hand it in due to academic commitments. As a result, the laptop was not inspected - however, it is brand new and fully functional, and the fault lies solely with the stylus. I've already taken time off from work and studies to try and resolve this, and Asus has offered no meaningful solution. I made three trips to Pinnacle Micro - two successful, and one where I got stuck in traffic due to an accident and had to turn back. Each round trip is approximately 96.6km, making this a costly and time-consuming process, especially given that no resolution has been offered. Despite the multiple visits to Pinnacle Micro - including two successful trips and one aborted due to a traffic accident - Asus insists the stylus cannot be replaced without booking in the laptop. Pinnacle Micro has now stated that they will book in the laptop to create the Asus ticket/RMA required to proceed with the stylus order. They've said the unit will be returned once the initial required test is completed. However, this still means handing in a fully functional laptop - which I've repeatedly explained I cannot do due to academic commitments. The stylus is the only defective component, and this process continues to place unnecessary burden on me as a customer. I cannot make yet another trip just to place an order for a stylus - especially when the fault is clear and the laptop is brand new. It's a ridiculous requirement that shows no regard for the customer's time or circumstances. I've now escalated the matter to the Consumer Goods and Services Ombud. Warning to other consumers: Asus's after-sales support is shockingly poor. If you value responsive service and accountability, I strongly recommend choosing another brand. Photo's of the cracked stylus and faulty one (half of the charging port is visible when opened to charge the stylus) provided by Pinnacle Micro is available and can be provided upon request.