Has anyone had to deal with Netgear?

Question

I bought a Netgear router the day after Christmas. It had a 1 year warranty. It quit working after 6 months. Now they want me to give them my credit card number to even talk to me. I went to the store where I bought it and they tried to help me. Netgear wants to replace their defective router with a reconditioned one, assuming it's a manufacturer defect. And they want me to pay for shipping to send it to them to look at it. They don't even have a local authorized repair place. Why should I have to accept a second hand router when it was a new one that I bought? I expected to have it last at least the full year it was warranteed for--not 6 months and get it replaced with a used one. What do you think?

Apparently Taba works for Netgear. He didn't really read the question. You can't read a warranty before you buy the product. It's inside the box, sealed in plastic. And WHY DO I HAVE TO ACCEPT USED EQUIPMENT IN EXCHANGE FOR SOMETHING I BOUGHT NEW, WHEN IT'S A MANUFACTURER'S DEFECT IN THE FIRST PLACE? AND WHY DIDN'T IT LAST THE ENTIRE YEAR FOR WHICH IT WAS WARRANTEED? I DIDN'T DAMAGE IT! IT JUST QUIT!

Answer 1

Sorry, but if you did not look to see what netgears warrenty policy was before your purchase then I cant fault them. After reading the policy, see below, it is standard and almost verbatum to other companies such as Proxim, D-Link and Linksys. Sorry....

Netgear Warranty Policy

You must obtain a Return Materials Authorization (RMA) number from Customer Support before returning a product. The phone numbers for most countries are in this link. Products returned without an RMA number are not processed and will be returned to you.

NETGEAR itself does not give refunds or offer product upgrades. Refunds come from the place of purchase, only.
Proof of purchase is required to get warranty service.
Return shipping is prepaid by the customer.
International customers may be subject to duties, taxes and brokerage fee. Customers are responsible for fees incurred.
Limited Liability Warranty

NETGEAR products are covered by a limited liability warranty from defects in material and workmanship. This warranty does not apply if, in the judgement of NETGEAR, the product fails due to damage from shipment, handling, storage, accident, abuse or misuse, or if it has been used or maintained in a manner not conforming to product's instructions, has been modified in any way, or has a defaced or removed serial number. Repair by anyone other than NETGEAR or an approved agent voids this warranty. The maximum liability of NETGEAR is the product purchase price. For details, refer to the warranty and owner registration card. You can find if your product is covered by NETGEAR warranty by comparing the duration of the warranty against the purchase date.

Warranty Replacement Procedure

Do not ship your defective product to NETGEAR before contacting customer support.

1. Obtain a Return Materials Authorization (RMA) number by contacting customer support.
2. A customer support agent will do troubleshooting to see if the product is defective. If it is, then this information is required:

Your contact information
Product serial number
Proof of purchase
Credit card information for optional shipping services
3. The Customer Support Representative will provide you with an RMA number and shipping information. Please be sure to write this down.
4. Package product securely. Do not include manuals, softwares, cables, or mounting brackets. NETGEAR only replaces the defective unit and will not return other accessories. Include your contact information with your name, address, phone number, and RMA number inside the package.
5. Send the product to the RMA fulfillment address given by customer support. Clearly write your RMA number on the outside of the package you are returning. Customers are responsible for the freight charges to NETGEAR. We suggest using a carrier that provides tracking information. NETGEAR is not responsible for packages lost in transit to NETGEAR. The replacement product is shipped by ground with shipping charges prepaid. Expedited shipping is available at extra cost.

For status of an already issued RMA, call in the U.S or Canada: [phone] or click here.

All other countries contact your local customer support.

What is the Warranty on my Replacement Unit?

Warranty on the replacement unit continues from the original date of purchase and will be extended for the number of whole days that the product has been out of the buyer's hands for warranty repairs.



Shipping Options

Swap Exchange

This option allows you to return the defective unit to the RMA fulfillment center. As soon as the fulfillment center receives the defective product, a replacement unit is shipped out in one business day via ground services.

Advance Standard (U.S. only)

The RMA fulfillment center will ship the replacement unit via ground before receipt of defective item, based on product availability. Your order must be received before 6 PM Eastern Standard Time. A prepaid shipping label will be included with your replacement unit. You will be charged a flat fee of $16.90 for this service option. You must return the failed product to the RMA fulfillment center within 10 business days of receiving the product. If you fail to return the product within 10 business days, you will be billed the current list price.

Advance Priority (U.S. only)

For extra cost, Advance Priority allows you to receive the replacement unit the next business day, based on product availability. Your RMA number must be issued before 7 PM Eastern Standard Time. Along with the replacement unit, a prepaid shipping label will be included. Use the prepaid shipping label to return the defective product to the RMA fulfillment center. You must return the defective product within 10 business days of receipt of replacement product. If you fail to return the product within 10 business days, you will be billed the current list price. When your replacement part is shipped, your credit card will be charged for the amount below.

Advance Priority Service Cost For Shipments in the U.S:

Network Cards, Power Adapters, Accessories $25.90
1, 2, and 6 Series (I.E. FS116, CM212, RP614) $29.90
3 and 8 Series (I.E. MR314, MR814) $36.90
5 and 7 Series (I.E. DS516, FS726) $39.90

These credit cards are accepted:

• MasterCard
• Visa
• American Express

"Out of Warranty" Products

If your product is not covered under warranty, we offer Repair Services for a fee. NETGEAR warranty only covers failures due to defects in materials or workmanship. Warranty does not apply if, in the judgement of NETGEAR, the product fails due to damage from shipment, handling, storage, accident, abuse or misuse, or damage that is attributable to acts of God, or if it has been used or maintained in a manner not conforming to product manual instructions, has been modified in any way, or has had any serial number removed or defaced.

Procedures for Repair Services

(Repair Service only available to customers in the U.S.)

1. If you want service, you need to contact customer support. The agent will verify your warranty status based on the proof of purchase date and the unit's serial number. See the price guide for non-warranty repairs. If you wish to obtain service, customer service will ask for:

Contact information
Serial number
Credit card (MasterCard, Visa, American Express)
2. Customer service will give you a Repair Service Order (RSO) number and shipping information. Be sure to write this down.
3. Package the product securely and do not include any manuals, softwares, cables, or mounting brackets. NETGEAR only replaces the defective unit and will not ship back any other accessories. Include your name, address, phone number, and RSO number inside the package.
4. Send the product to the Repair Center address given by customer support. Write your RSO number clearly on the outside of the package. We suggest you using a carrier that provides tracking information. NETGEAR is not responsible for any packages lost in transit. International customers are responsible for any duties, taxes, or brokerage fee.

Policies for Repair Service

• Products for Repair Services are covered by a 1 year warranty from invoice date.
• NETGEAR products are covered by a limited liability warranty from defects in material and workmanship.
• Invoice of Repair Service from NETGEAR will be required to obtain warranty service.

Answer 2

Netgear Rma

Answer 3

About 5 years ago I stopped using any Netgear product. You are seeing today exactly what I saw then. They rush product to market before they are ready and refined. They fail in the field in large numbers. They deny there is a problem. They rush through numerous versions of firmware. They end up stopping the product and come out with new and improved or a new product number and it is absolutely no better.

This company makes trash and it continues to fail. They never get their act together. Ultimately they will fail but they will take many down with them.

Unfortunatley in the home market people want cheap goods. No maker of cheap home market routers and switches makes a product I feel is worth using. Netgear however has taken the cake when it comes to trash.

By the way, the FVS 318 8 port switch + router which came out in early 2002 and sold for $450 was my last dealing w. Netgear. They promised me a working unit and to date, I am still working.

As an installer, I decided then to look elsewhere. I use 3 Com and Adtran for my needs.

Frankly, I hope Netgear executives contact me in regards to my writing. I will send them a string of e mails from 2002 where they promised me a repair for the FVS 318 - and to date they have yet to deliver.

I foresee a "quality first" house clean their clock. I suspect it will be a Japaneese company - much like we saw in auotmobiles - do just this.

Answer 4

Network hardware is all standards based. We have hardware from Cisco, Netgear, Dynex, HP, Linksys, Juniper and others on our enterprise network. It all works fine together. A Netgear and a Linksys switch should be similarly priced, all else being equal. Be sure that you are comparing apples to apples. A switch and a hub look the same but are not the same inside. (Though for 5 ports, the difference is probably irrelevant.) Also match up speeds; a 10/100/1000 will be more expensive than a 10/100 will be.

Answer 5

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RE:
Has anyone had to deal with Netgear?
I bought a Netgear router the day after Christmas. It had a 1 year warranty. It quit working after 6 months. Now they want me to give them my credit card number to even talk to me. I went to the store where I bought it and they tried to help me. Netgear wants to replace their defective router...

Answer 6

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