Deceitful support practices

This router was consistently dropping connections with no clear root cause. I had to troubleshoot the issue myself as Netgear wants their customers to pay to resolve issues claiming these are configuration not hardware problems. I did receive great feedback from the user community but the problem was hardware related.

Eventually it became clear to me something was wrong with the router. After speaking with customer support and arguing about the cost, they agreed to refund my money within a two week period if it was determined that the problem was product related. When we moved forward to execute the paid contract, the support rep conveniently neglected to mention that there was a 3 month option. When I asked why they didn't reveal this, I was told, oh this isn't as valuable an option so they don't mention it as they are looking to provide the best offer.

After moving to a level 2 support technician, it was determined my model had bad hardware. There was a known issue with the version I had dropping connections. I was then told a replacement router would be sent from the factory overnight and provided shipping information. When no router arrived the next day I called and spoke to Dhanush. Dhanush told me that I had to pay $30USD to receive a router the next day, and that if i sent my router back, i could wait for them to receive it and send a new one back at no cost. I have two kids in public school which is 100% remote and i have to work remote. This is absolutely ridiculous. Most companies will send a replacement unit and then only charge if they don't receive the unit.

However, Dhanush told me he read the notes from my previous call and would generate a waiver but needed a supervisor. He guaranteed me he would call in 14 hours when the supervisors were available.

Guess, what he never called and I have heard the same excuse from Chengodi and others.

Guess, what a supervisor will never get on the phone and you will never get their name. Oh, and all my cases were mistakenly closed. Can you guess how these call center reps are measured?

Bottom line Netgear is abusing their customers and practicing deceitful and zero transparency during a pandemic when consumers livelihood relies on internet access. Can you imagine your elderly grandmother or parent dealing with these idiots.

Finally, do you know how bad Netgear Net Promotor Score is? It is a miserable 14. https://customer.guru/net-promoter-score/netgear-inc Amazone is 62, Netflix 68. Even if you ignore my experience, the NPS says it all.

I submitted a complain to the better business bureau this evening.

David Henry and  Michael Werdann your customers deserve better.