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What is No Fault Found (NFF)?

No Fault Found (NFF) — also called No Trouble Found (NTF) — describes a product that is returned, sent for repair, or dispatched against, but turns out to have nothing actually wrong with it. The item works as designed; the “fault” was a setup mistake, a misunderstanding of how to use it, or a configuration issue the customer couldn’t resolve alone.

NFF is one of the most expensive hidden costs in consumer electronics and appliances. Accenture research found that roughly 68% of consumer-electronics product returns are “No Trouble Found,” with only about 5% genuinely defective and around 27% buyer’s remorse — and that non-defective returns cost the industry an estimated $17 billion a year. Crucially, about 65% of those returns happen after the customer struggles with setup, installation or first use (Accenture).

Why No Fault Found returns happen

  • The product is fine, but setup or installation is confusing.
  • The customer can’t describe the problem accurately over phone or chat, so the agent can’t fix it remotely.
  • It’s easier to return or demand a service visit than to keep troubleshooting blind.

Every one of these is a problem a remote expert could solve — if they could see what the customer sees.

How to reduce No Fault Found returns

Letting an agent see the product live through the customer’s phone camera — with visual remote assistance — turns “I’ll just return it” into “let me show you.” The agent guides setup with on-screen annotations, confirms the product works, and resolves the issue on the first contact, avoiding both the return and any unnecessary service dispatch.

Learn more about VSight

See how appliance and electronics brands cut returns and truck rolls with visual support.

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Frequently asked questions

What does No Fault Found (NFF) mean? No Fault Found (NFF) — also called No Trouble Found (NTF) — describes a product that is returned, sent for repair, or dispatched against, but turns out to have nothing actually wrong with it. The item works as designed; the fault was a setup mistake, a misunderstanding of how to use it, or a configuration issue the customer couldn’t resolve alone.

What is the difference between No Fault Found and a genuine defect? A genuine defect is a real hardware or manufacturing fault, whereas a No Fault Found return works exactly as designed once the setup or usage issue is understood. Accenture found that only about 5 percent of consumer-electronics returns are genuinely defective, while roughly 68 percent are No Trouble Found.

Why do No Fault Found returns happen? They usually happen because setup or installation is confusing, the customer can’t describe the problem accurately over phone or chat, or it feels easier to return the product than to keep troubleshooting blind. Accenture found that about 65 percent of these returns happen after the customer struggles with setup, installation or first use.

How does VSight help reduce No Fault Found returns? VSight is an AR remote assistance platform that lets a support agent see the product live through the customer’s phone camera and guide setup with on-screen annotations. By confirming the product works and resolving the issue on the first contact, it turns an I’ll just return it into let me show you, avoiding both the return and an unnecessary service dispatch.