[PLUG] Netgear GS116 warranty
Alan
abc1 at bbimedia.com
Fri Sep 9 15:32:11 UTC 2011
My GS116 switch just died 5-days ago, altho I had a similar Netgear
giga switch die about 6-months ago. Not to mention the power supply
to my Infrant-Netgear NV+ file server going up in smoke about 2-months ago.
Netgear does a great job of making it hard to use there warranty, but
eventually come thru. First you should make sure your device is
registered at there website. Then you need to call they're hard to
find phone number 888-638-4327 (use extension #4 for tech support.)
You'll get an operator who will give you a case number then put you
into a queue to talk to an support engineer. Recently when I got to
this stage they're hold system timed out after 15 minutes and put me
into voice mail where I left my number and email. After 4-days of no
response I had to call again, this time a was able to describe the
problem to an engineer, after following the previous process. The
engineer approved my failure and but me on hold to speak to the RMA
specialist who after verifying serial number, name and address, case
number etc again and another on hold period, gave me the RMA number.
He waited on the line while I confirmed the confirming email he sent
me and the I got to select one of three RMA programs, from free
(after I send back the unit with the specified documentation to a
next day air delivery of a replacement unit and pre-paid return for
about $50. Since I had already replace the unit with a Trendnet
TEG-160WS smart switch in the intervening time, I went with the
cheapest approach for about $12.
A similar winding path to replacement was experience with Netgear on
the fired power supply with the NV+ except I paid the big bucks for
the next day air. I've notice that a lot of warranties, including the
lifetime GS116 don't include the power supply, which under normal
condition it the most like part to die, altho a well designed unit
should last more than ten years. Cheap capacitors from China seem to
have cut that lifetime to less than half. Hopefully cap quality will
increase with manufacturing experience and buyer demand.
Good Luck
At 09:54 PM 9/8/2011, you wrote:
>I just discovered that my Netgear GS116 has a lifetime warranty. Or so
>Netgear's website leads me to believe.
>
>I do want a 24-port switch, and because of my experience with the
>Netgear I had figured "any brand but Netgear." I may have to rethink
>that reasoning.
>
>Meantime, the Trendnet and SMC switches that have been suggested have
>only a one-year warranty. In fact, looking on Newegg and Dell is where
>I discovered that Netgear offers a lifetime warranty, which is hard to
>find in anything else short of $1,000+ units.
>
>I'll call Netgear tomorrow and see what they say.
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