Netgear Customer Support - UGH!
Posted: Mon Feb 16, 2009 9:51 am
Long post, but contains info about my qualifications to make a pretty accurate diagnosis of the problem, Netgear's (mis)handling of it, and the main two reasons that I am very, VERY upset.
Me: Former Network Administrator at a BIG state university. Lotsa hardware knowledge. Built (meaning "built," with a soldering iron and taking weeks, not merely assembled from plugging together sub-component assemblies) my first computer, a SWTPC 6800 in December 1975. In short, I know what I am doing, and I know how to trouble shoot.
Problem: Netgear WGR614 wireless router has worked just fine since purchase, December 26, 2008, almost two months ago. This past Friday, it began mildly mangling (sorry for the oxymoron) data. Must be some kind of small error that is not being caught by the network error detecting protocols and therefore not triggering a resend of the affected packet. Pictures would only partway show up, or they would show up with a colored mask effect over part of the picture. Sometimes a page's text would get mangled into something that looked like the source code, but in a language not known on Earth.
Configuration: Embarq (our local phone co.) 660 DSL modem (a Zyxel 660, with the Embarq logo on it) is connected to the WAN port on the Netgear WGR614. 614 connected to the server via Cat. 5e cable, to the laptops via 3Com wireless card (one laptop) and built in wireless cards in the other two laptops.
The problem shows identically on all four computers in the house. There are three wireless laptops, and one wired server. The computers use different versions of Windows, some with XP sp2, some with Win2000, sp4, one with XP sp3. Browsers used were Firefox 3.1 beta 2, Firefox 3.0, Netgear Navigator 7.X, and possibly IE 6. Symptoms all the same across all OSes and browsers, wired or wireless.
Troubleshooting: There were NO problems when connecting directly to the DSL modem. Nor were there any problems with any computers when I put our old Netgear MR314 wireless router in place of the WGR614. Kind of narrows it down to the WGR614, doesn't it?
The offending WGR614 v9 has the latest firmware in it, and has worked flawlessly for almost two (wow, gee whiz) months.
After giving Netgear "Technical Support" all of the above facts, they put me through reflashing the firmware in the 614, resetting it via the reset button on the back, and reconfiguring several settings. All to no avail. Again, really points to a hardware problem in the WGR 614 doesn't it? At that point I had been on the phone for over 45 minutes.
Where they lost it: After all of this, they tell me, via clearly reading from a script, that they would escalate the problem to their headquarters "to the degree possible," that I have a unique problem that will require laboratory testing, and that is that. I asked whether or not I will get a call back from them. They simply repeated the above mantra, and added that I could always call in to them and inquire. Even after pressing them they did not say that they would call back in a certain time frame, 1 day, 3 days, 5 days, etc., further, they did not even to commit to calling me back at all. They kept referring to the script that they had and telling me that I could call them and check up on the case number.
They did not answer me when I asked how they were going to do any laboratory testing if they don't RMA the faulty router back to them to do the testing on! They simply repeated that they would, "to the degree possible," escalate the case to their headquarters, and that I had a unique problem, and that it would require them to do laboratory testing, etc.
When pressed about whether or not I would ever hear from them again, they simply repeated the above script, along with the apology in the next paragraph. They not only evaded committing to if they would call me back, never mind the time frame, but they had a canned response that intentionally made it clear that I might never hear from them.
They also kept repeating the part of the script that required them to say that they were "sorry for the inconvenience that may have been caused." This was basically their only response to any indication of irritation on my part. They kept repeating this hooey frequently along with thanking me for my patience.
Note that previous contact with Netgear support may have been less than wonderful, but when something was escalated they used to give a commitment to call back in 24 hours or less. And, they kept the commitment. My troubleshooting, based on my knowledge and years of experience, were acceptable to the escalation engineer and the guy or woman issued an RMA immediately. Problem solved.
This is particularly irritating because the poor guys and girls that handle the calls are in India or China, and they are given absolutely no latitude to handle customers. If you are not dumb enough to accept their malarkey and go away without bothering them, they back themselves into a non-ending repetition of nonsense. Even when you point out, politely, the shear non-logic of their nonsense.
The bastards at Netgear corporate, and probably the execs at many other companies, have put these poor people in much poorer countries in between irate customers and a company that simply does not want to deal with problems. Thus causing the irate nature of some customers.
Thus Netgear is screwing up on two levels. First by not supporting their product properly and committing to a call back or RMAing a clearly defective product. And, second, perhaps most ghastly, by exploiting the populations of poorer countries and putting them in the middle of what can not be a pleasant situation.
Please note that I did not blow up at the poor girl and guy I spoke to, as I understand their plight. But tomorrow, when Netgear's corporate office in San Jose is open again, I'm gonna get someone on the phone and let those guys have it with both barrels. Including finding out whether or not the jerks have ever heard of the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act.
Me: Former Network Administrator at a BIG state university. Lotsa hardware knowledge. Built (meaning "built," with a soldering iron and taking weeks, not merely assembled from plugging together sub-component assemblies) my first computer, a SWTPC 6800 in December 1975. In short, I know what I am doing, and I know how to trouble shoot.
Problem: Netgear WGR614 wireless router has worked just fine since purchase, December 26, 2008, almost two months ago. This past Friday, it began mildly mangling (sorry for the oxymoron) data. Must be some kind of small error that is not being caught by the network error detecting protocols and therefore not triggering a resend of the affected packet. Pictures would only partway show up, or they would show up with a colored mask effect over part of the picture. Sometimes a page's text would get mangled into something that looked like the source code, but in a language not known on Earth.
Configuration: Embarq (our local phone co.) 660 DSL modem (a Zyxel 660, with the Embarq logo on it) is connected to the WAN port on the Netgear WGR614. 614 connected to the server via Cat. 5e cable, to the laptops via 3Com wireless card (one laptop) and built in wireless cards in the other two laptops.
The problem shows identically on all four computers in the house. There are three wireless laptops, and one wired server. The computers use different versions of Windows, some with XP sp2, some with Win2000, sp4, one with XP sp3. Browsers used were Firefox 3.1 beta 2, Firefox 3.0, Netgear Navigator 7.X, and possibly IE 6. Symptoms all the same across all OSes and browsers, wired or wireless.
Troubleshooting: There were NO problems when connecting directly to the DSL modem. Nor were there any problems with any computers when I put our old Netgear MR314 wireless router in place of the WGR614. Kind of narrows it down to the WGR614, doesn't it?
The offending WGR614 v9 has the latest firmware in it, and has worked flawlessly for almost two (wow, gee whiz) months.
After giving Netgear "Technical Support" all of the above facts, they put me through reflashing the firmware in the 614, resetting it via the reset button on the back, and reconfiguring several settings. All to no avail. Again, really points to a hardware problem in the WGR 614 doesn't it? At that point I had been on the phone for over 45 minutes.
Where they lost it: After all of this, they tell me, via clearly reading from a script, that they would escalate the problem to their headquarters "to the degree possible," that I have a unique problem that will require laboratory testing, and that is that. I asked whether or not I will get a call back from them. They simply repeated the above mantra, and added that I could always call in to them and inquire. Even after pressing them they did not say that they would call back in a certain time frame, 1 day, 3 days, 5 days, etc., further, they did not even to commit to calling me back at all. They kept referring to the script that they had and telling me that I could call them and check up on the case number.
They did not answer me when I asked how they were going to do any laboratory testing if they don't RMA the faulty router back to them to do the testing on! They simply repeated that they would, "to the degree possible," escalate the case to their headquarters, and that I had a unique problem, and that it would require them to do laboratory testing, etc.
When pressed about whether or not I would ever hear from them again, they simply repeated the above script, along with the apology in the next paragraph. They not only evaded committing to if they would call me back, never mind the time frame, but they had a canned response that intentionally made it clear that I might never hear from them.
They also kept repeating the part of the script that required them to say that they were "sorry for the inconvenience that may have been caused." This was basically their only response to any indication of irritation on my part. They kept repeating this hooey frequently along with thanking me for my patience.
Note that previous contact with Netgear support may have been less than wonderful, but when something was escalated they used to give a commitment to call back in 24 hours or less. And, they kept the commitment. My troubleshooting, based on my knowledge and years of experience, were acceptable to the escalation engineer and the guy or woman issued an RMA immediately. Problem solved.
This is particularly irritating because the poor guys and girls that handle the calls are in India or China, and they are given absolutely no latitude to handle customers. If you are not dumb enough to accept their malarkey and go away without bothering them, they back themselves into a non-ending repetition of nonsense. Even when you point out, politely, the shear non-logic of their nonsense.
The bastards at Netgear corporate, and probably the execs at many other companies, have put these poor people in much poorer countries in between irate customers and a company that simply does not want to deal with problems. Thus causing the irate nature of some customers.
Thus Netgear is screwing up on two levels. First by not supporting their product properly and committing to a call back or RMAing a clearly defective product. And, second, perhaps most ghastly, by exploiting the populations of poorer countries and putting them in the middle of what can not be a pleasant situation.
Please note that I did not blow up at the poor girl and guy I spoke to, as I understand their plight. But tomorrow, when Netgear's corporate office in San Jose is open again, I'm gonna get someone on the phone and let those guys have it with both barrels. Including finding out whether or not the jerks have ever heard of the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act.