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I purchased (5) of the M5300-52G-POE+ (GSM7252PSv1h2) switches and have been running them in a stacked configuration since installation without an issue. I have ProSupport on all 5 of these switches valid until March-2018, and I have submitted a trouble tickets for each through the my.netgear.com support page without an issue.
My issue is with the actual lifetime warranty that I thought came with these switches, which is why I've kept my ProSupport subscription up-to-date. After speaking with ProSupport they verified that both switches need to be replaced, but they don’t have any replacements in the “warehouse” right now. They tried to offer replacing the (2) 48 port POE+ switches with (4) 24 port POE+ switches, but I don’t have the rack space to do this, plus my (2) existing switches have AX742 24GB stacking modules installed on them, so if I were to go with (4) replacements I would have to purchase (2) additional AX742 stacking modules to get the 24GB stacking speed I currently have.
When I convinced my company go with Netgear and drop the +$11K on all 5 of these switches 19 months ago, I assumed that as long as I kept my ProSupport up to date I would actually get support and assistance replacing these switches when they failed.
Does anyone have any recommendations on how I can get Netgear to honor the warranty and replace the (2) switches that they have already determined ARE eligible to be replaced IF they ever get any more in the warehouse.
I'm on hold with ProSupport again to try and get an update (over 50 minutes now waiting and I havent even reached a live person yet). I'm starting to realize that though these (5) Netgear switches were nearly 60% less expensive than their competition, at least their competition would have taken care of the warranty issue by now, especially since I have proof of purchase and a current ongoing support contract.
I'm in shock that I could pay $2100 for each of these switches, along with ProSupport, and still be left in the cold when I have a legit product failure that is covered by the warranty.
I'll reply to this message as soon as I have an update from ProSupport. Please feel free to comment and give me any advice on my situation.
Thanks in advance,
Ted W.
P.S. - I also need to purchase (2) new switches for another branch location, but I'm now afraid to go with Netgear if their lifetime warranty support won’t actually replace a 19 month old switch when it actually fails. I’ve gone with their competition before, and while they are about 60% more expensive, there were never warranty issues while I maintained the ongoing support, and equipment replacement under warranty was simple and easy. I guess you get what you pay for.
Looks like I'm on the home stretch! I started on Monday afternoon last week with (2) trouble tickets to Netgear ProSupport. Today is the following Monday and one of the two replacement switches should be arriving today, with the other arriving later this week. After contacting my original reseller and getting their assistance to escalate my ProSupport case, the ProSupport team was authorized by management to replace my M5300-52G-POE+ switches with newer current model switches (a step up) since they had no repaired or new M5300-52G-POE+ switches available. It was a bit frustrating to begin with, but now that I know what to expect when doing warranty repairs, I’ll be more prepared in the future.
For end users out there who have dealt or are dealing with a situation similar to mine, here are my recommendations:
End User Recommendation #1: Create a Netgear account at my.netgear.com and register your equipment. When you do this, you will be given the opportunity to attach a copy of your receipt under the “My Products” section by clicking on the product that you’ve registered and then clicking on the “Upload proof of purchase” link. Once you do this you’ll never have to worry about losing your receipt. If you lose your proof of purchase and you didn't take advantage of my.netgear.com and store it online, thats on you and not Netgear's fault.
End User Recommendation #2:Consider buying a ProSupport contract with “NBD” warranty replacement. The lifetime warranty is great, but just the standard warranty on the equipment doesn’t guarantee you’ll get a replacement quickly. If you consider the Netgear equipment you have as mission critical, and your business couldn’t run 3 to 5 days without it, then and extra $300 to $400 for a 3-year ProSupport contract with ‘Next Business Day’ warranty replacement is worth it. Make sure when you buy your ProSupport contract that you are buying the version with ‘Next Business Day’ warranty replacement, because Netgear does offer ProSupport contracts with telephone only support that does not include “NBD” warranty replacement.
End User Recommendation #3:Keep in touch with and reach out to your reseller. If your purchase was from a vendor that your company regularly does business with and you have a repour with your sales person, reach out to them for help if you run into an issue that isn’t getting handles quick enough to suit your needs. This is the recommendation that ultimately helped me out.
I consider my issue solved, primarily because of my End User Recommendation #3. Good luck to everyone on their own warranty adventures.
Well... after being on hold for 53 minutes I did reach a live person and I gave them my existing case number. They placed me on hold for about 5 minutes and came back to me to tell me that the person handling my case wasn't answering his phone, so they would send him a message to call me back and update me on the situation. Once more hour of my life with nothing accomplished. Oh God, If I can just get through this warranty exchange I promise never to go cheap on network switches again. I promise.
We deeply apologize for the inconvenience. Replacement products will still depend on the availability of the device. It seems that you already have an ongoing case of our support team, please keep us posted so that the community will also benefit from the solution that you have.
Also note that I like your avatar of "Flash" from Zootopia! It made me smile, because that seems to sum up the sense of speed and urgency I've been getting from Netgear ProSupport.
A: Per NETGEAR standard hardware warranty, product that fails after it has been discontinued will be replaced with a new unit, a refurbished unit, or NETGEAR will refund the purchase price of the unit, less a reasonable usage charge.
What I would really like to know is, since Netgear has stated to me that they cannot replace my unit at this time because of no stock in the "warehouse", how long do they make a customer wait before offering the refund -minus usage charge option, and how do they calculate the amount of refund they are willing to give on a product that they cannot honor the lifetime warranty for?
I can't simply tell my company VP and upper management staff "Sorry, with Netgear lifetime warranties, even if you have a ProSupport service contract on the equipment, you have to wait until they have something in stock... open ended... with no other options... That's just the way Netgear does business." A statement like that is, of course, absurd and would be the last thing I would ever say to the management team that expects me to get this issue taken care of.
The whole reason I carry support contracts with all of my equipment from every vendor I buy from is so that I won't get jerked around or blown off during times of crisis that involve warranty replacement.
Has Dell ever done this to me while under a support contract with them? No
Has HP ever done this to me while under a support contract with them? No
Has Cisco ever done this to me while under a support contract with them? No
Has Lenovo ever done this to me while under a support contract with them? No
Has Netgear ever done this to me while under a support contract with them? YES
I have now resorted to contacting the reseller that we originally purchased this Netgear equipment from, and who we still to a great deal of business with, and have asked them to intercede with their Netgear contacts on my behalf to help resolve this issue. The reseller that sold me the equipment was actually shocked when I showed them the support ticket and reply from Netgear ProSupport, and they've vowed to do everything in their power to get assistance from their Netgear contacts in order to make this right.
Thank you for sharing that with the community! The refund time will be a case to case basis as it will still undergo investigation. Let them know your concern about this matter so that they can forward it to our Customer Care Team as they are the one who handles these cases. I'm really sure that they will still be providing you a replacement for your unit as it is just a coincidence that there are no stocks from our warehouse. They may even upgrade the unit if there is really no replacement. But it will still take some time for that.
I have since received word from the vendor that originally sold us the Netgear equipment. They have contacted a member of the NetGear Rapid Response Team and have had my support tickets escalated. I will be sure to update this post with the final outcome of this situation.
Again, thank you for your patience in allowing me to vent my frustration in this forum. I'm sure this is not the norm for Netgear ProSupport and that my issue will ultimately be resolved to my satisfaction.
Looks like I'm on the home stretch! I started on Monday afternoon last week with (2) trouble tickets to Netgear ProSupport. Today is the following Monday and one of the two replacement switches should be arriving today, with the other arriving later this week. After contacting my original reseller and getting their assistance to escalate my ProSupport case, the ProSupport team was authorized by management to replace my M5300-52G-POE+ switches with newer current model switches (a step up) since they had no repaired or new M5300-52G-POE+ switches available. It was a bit frustrating to begin with, but now that I know what to expect when doing warranty repairs, I’ll be more prepared in the future.
For end users out there who have dealt or are dealing with a situation similar to mine, here are my recommendations:
End User Recommendation #1: Create a Netgear account at my.netgear.com and register your equipment. When you do this, you will be given the opportunity to attach a copy of your receipt under the “My Products” section by clicking on the product that you’ve registered and then clicking on the “Upload proof of purchase” link. Once you do this you’ll never have to worry about losing your receipt. If you lose your proof of purchase and you didn't take advantage of my.netgear.com and store it online, thats on you and not Netgear's fault.
End User Recommendation #2:Consider buying a ProSupport contract with “NBD” warranty replacement. The lifetime warranty is great, but just the standard warranty on the equipment doesn’t guarantee you’ll get a replacement quickly. If you consider the Netgear equipment you have as mission critical, and your business couldn’t run 3 to 5 days without it, then and extra $300 to $400 for a 3-year ProSupport contract with ‘Next Business Day’ warranty replacement is worth it. Make sure when you buy your ProSupport contract that you are buying the version with ‘Next Business Day’ warranty replacement, because Netgear does offer ProSupport contracts with telephone only support that does not include “NBD” warranty replacement.
End User Recommendation #3:Keep in touch with and reach out to your reseller. If your purchase was from a vendor that your company regularly does business with and you have a repour with your sales person, reach out to them for help if you run into an issue that isn’t getting handles quick enough to suit your needs. This is the recommendation that ultimately helped me out.
I consider my issue solved, primarily because of my End User Recommendation #3. Good luck to everyone on their own warranty adventures.
