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ReadyNAS Ultra 4+ D.O.A. AARRGGHH!!

rwolfe12
Aspirant

ReadyNAS Ultra 4+ D.O.A. AARRGGHH!!

Dear Netgear,
I purchased a ReadyNAS Ultra 4 Plus to use as a media server for my home. I also purchased a pair of 3TB drives, all totalling a couple nickels shy of a grand. I did my homework - read the manual, mounted the disk, cleared up some very vague documentation questions on the forums and got ready to go with a "factory reboot" procedure.

Disk mounted - check.
paper clip on reset button - check
Press Power - .....

nothing
no blinky lights
no spinning drive sounds
no fan spinning

changed to a different known working power strip
changed to a different known working power mains cable

No joy

You know for $600 you would think that simple things like QA would be performed, but it seems perhaps not. :x

I am very disappointed in my experience. Back it goes and I may just decide to take a refund instead of an exchange and try another brand.

I have historically purchased Netgear products because I compete with Cisco and refuse to buy Linksys. This looked like an exciting new product that does a lot, but that turned out not to be the case.

Yes, this will get posted on the Amazon site as well, and if it gets resolved to my satisfaction, I will post that as well.

Ron
Aurora, CO
Message 1 of 3
PapaBear1
Guide

Re: ReadyNAS Ultra 4+ D.O.A. AARRGGHH!!

Ron, that is certainly disappointing. The only additional thing I can think to try is another power cord. I have had some that in the molding process did not have a complete connection.

As to the QA, I do hate to break it to you, but this is not the 1980's when everyone burned in computers and appliances before shipping. It could be in the cord (purchased from 3rd party), the power supply (purchased from a 3rd party), the mother board (designed by the ReadyNAS team, manufactured overseas) or other component. Just like many of the other computer manufacturers, the products are probably assembled by the company from components acquired from other companies. Apple laptops are manufactured in China by Foxcon. My HP laptop was manufactured in China by Foxcon.

Last fall my microwave died after only 3 years, just like the one before it. So, remembering the one I had that lasted over 10 years, I went over to my local Sears store and bought a new Kenmore microwave. I brought it home, unpacked it, pulled off all the packing and tape, set it in place and plugged it in. Nothing. DOA. I boxed it back up took it back and they gave me another. The very last one of that model they had in stock (there was a sale on). Brought it home and it so far has been one of the best I have ever had.

Do not judge to over all quality and functionality of a product by one failure. You researched and studied and made the decision (one that I think was a good one, but with three ReadyNAS units, I could be prejudiced). There have been members who have asked about comparison with other brands, and I have looked at them on line, and come away with the convicition that the Netgear ReadyNAS is the best out there. Not perfect, but then none are.

You should be able to get an RMA from Amazon without a problem. If you get another ReadyNAS, it will mean a few days delay in getting set up, in light of the years of service that is not a disaster, just an irritation and aggravation, IMHO.
Message 2 of 3
rwolfe12
Aspirant

Re: ReadyNAS Ultra 4+ D.O.A. AARRGGHH!!

Hi PapaBear,

Amazon absolutely took care of me, and I will have my replacement either today or tomorrow. I take good care of them and they take good care of me. That's the way business should work.

As for the troubleshooting, I did try a different power cable (often called a "mains cable" - particularly outside the US). That cable is a known working cable. I knew that if I didn't do that, the "script readers" in tech support would want me to try that. I do realize that from time to time things don't go as planned and I accept this as an example of that, but I am very frustrated by the mentality that we should accept lower quality goods from China as a fact of life. I do business in China as well as the rest of the World, and I am in the technology manufacturing business. Oddly enough, service providers in China are very demanding, and we did well there because Chinese manufacturers could often not meet the technical requirements.

I changed jobs recently, going back to a former employer. We build optical transmission equipment for broadband telecom, and we build it all here in the US. We not only QA every active unit we ship, but we burn them in at temperature, which has our infant mortality rate at virtually zero. And yeah, we have to compete on price against the likes of Hwawei and ZTE. And we kick their ass. I outright reject the notion that quality must suffer to compete on cost. The problem is that management at virtually every public company is under ridiculous pressure from investors who want EPS at the exclusion of all else. I suspect that the institutional investors who are celebrating Netgear's record performance have NEVER asked about the company's quality program unless it was to question why expnses were up. My company is private and we have investors who understand that quality matters. From Netgear's most recent quarterly earnings report ...

(RTTNews.com) - Networking solutions provider Netgear, Inc. (NTGR) reported a profit for the fourth quarter that nearly doubled from last year, reflecting improved margins and 20 percent revenue growth. Both adjusted earnings per share and quarterly revenues topped analysts' expectations. The company also provided revenue guidance for the first quarter, in line with Street view.

Nowhere in there does it mention that those record profits are made possible because the people who used to make sure products work before they leave the factory are now unemployed.

I hope you are right, and that when my replacement ReadyNAS arrives it will perform flawlessly for years to come. I know this is more of a rant than I set out for it to become, and I don't consider Netgear evil, or in any way worse than much of their direct competition. I'm just disappointed that not even the simplest quality measures are deemed important anymore.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts and experiences. Now I have to go figure out why my fancy new laptop seems to be the only device in the house that cannot successfully execute a DHCP request. and so it continues ... :wink:

Ron
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