Netgear not honoring hardware warranty on NV+ -case#17101444

[jthomasson]

I have an NV+ with over 2 years left on my hardware warranty. Here is the information on my NAS pulled directly from the my.netgear.com website:

- Hardware Warranty: Available till 20/Jan/2014
- Free Installation Support Warranty: Expired on 21/Apr/2009
- Power Supply Warranty: Expired till 20/Jan/2014
- Accessories Warranty: Expired till 20/Jan/2014

I opened up a case online for a failing hard drive and was assigned case #17098813.

I called the support number included in the email and was given a new case # of 17101444. The technician answered the phone and immediately told me how many days I had left on my warranty. He then asked me to send all of my log files to him to verify the status of the hard drive. Once he received the log files, he said my hard drive was definately bad, and that they would process the replacement.

The technician then requested a copy of the original proof of purchase. This device was purchased and registered over two years ago, and I unfortunately do not have a copy of the receipt. The technician said they were not able to help me even though the device is registered to me and has over 2 years left on the warranty. He also said there was nothing else I can do without this receipt.

I am reaching out to the community here to find out if there are any ways I can get the warranty honored for this NAS. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[chirpa]

Where did you purchase the system from? Can't get a copy of the receipt from them?

[mdgm-ntgr]

Well it's understandable they require proof of purchase. Contact the reseller and see if they still have a copy of the receipt which would be from around the 20th Jan 2009.

Edit: beaten.

[jthomasson]

I have been trying to get a copy of the receipt from the reseller. However, I don't understand the point of registering a product for warranty if they still require the original receipt and acknowledge that the device is currently under warranty.

[mdgm-ntgr]

For all NetGear knows the NAS unit you have could have "fallen off a truck" or whatever. Proof of purchase helps them to identify that you are the legitimate owner of the unit and that you purchased it when you said you did.

[sphardy1]

Sorry but this is a joke - right?

So we're saying Netgear now has a policy of assuming all their products in customer hands - even if properly registered - are stolen unless the customer can prove otherwise? Wow!

I have an NV+ which had the power supply replaced under warranty. I was never asked for proof of purchase - everything was done on the basis of my registration. Why was I treated differently?

I agree with the OP - if the product is properly registered then the warranty should be honored else there is no reason to have to register the product in the first place

FYI - other companies do not work this way. I just had my Xbox360 repaired under warranty - all done online including status tracking, airway bills etc and *no proof of purchase needed*. Easiest warranty process I've ever come across as in fact *I* didn't even register it, it registered itself on first boot up.

[mdgm-ntgr]

I was just guessing as to what their reason might be. I guess there could be a legal reason why they need that paperwork or some other requirement. If I remember correctly the warranty information did say that you need to retain proof of purchase.

[sphardy1]

BTW proof of purchase doesn't prove the unit wasn't stolen - just that you as the purchaser didnt steal it.

And don't Netgear track serial numbers so that reported stolen units can easily be identified? Worked that way at companies I've worked for.

[PapaBear1]

This is about a hard drive failing, not a chassis failure. Shouldn't the OP request an RMA from the manufacturer of the HD?

[sphardy1]

Not if he bought the NV+ populated with disks, which I would presume based on the statement "Once [Netgear] received the log files, he said my hard drive was definately bad, and that they would process the replacement"

[jthomasson]

sphardy wrote:
Not if he bought the NV+ populated with disks, which I would presume based on the statement "Once [Netgear] received the log files, he said my hard drive was definately bad, and that they would process the replacement"

You are correct. The NV+ was purchased with two 500GB hard drives installed.

I have found the original quote and purchase order, and I am attempting to get a copy of the receipt from the reseller.

I am still frustrated with Netgear's warranty service. I do not agree that a hardware warranty should be void if I do not have a copy of the receipt even though they have confirmed the warranty is valid and not expired.

[chirpa]

Registration does not have any verification process, you could have entered any purchase date. When there is a warranty challenge (RMA), proof of purchase would be requested to verify details.

Also in this case, the system was registered as an NV+, not against the model (RND4450), so they couldn't even take a guess that the system came pre-populated with drives without verifying against the invoice.

If this was an RMA for PSU/etc from the chassis, it would have been honored without invoice. But since it was for a hard drive that may or may not have come with the system, they had to do an extra check.

In days since the NV+ (Pro,NVX,Ultra,etc), the factory is more integrated with the support system. These days, when a product is registered, all info is known on that system via the factory (hard drives,memory,etc); but back then, we could not tie that data together.

[sphardy1]

A better explanation Chirpa - thank you

But it does suggest the OP may potentially be penalized due to Netgear's past inability to track product appropriately. I sincerely hope not

[chirpa]

The OP should not be penalized over it.

[PapaBear1]

If he can't get a copy of the invoice, would a photo of the plate on the back with serial number and model number suffice?

[chirpa]

I don't know, he will have to work with Support and see.

[jthomasson]

After speaking with multiple technical and customer support representatives, I was finally able to get them to replace the hard drive under warranty.

I work for a large company, and we have special departments that do purchasing. I spoke with the purchasing department about getting a receipt, but all they could provide was the PO for the device. They thought this would satisfy the proof of purchase requirement for Netgear - it did not.

Anyways, thanks to everyone for your feedback on this issue. I really hope I do not have any further issues with this device. It has been a great piece of hardware. I just feel the support side is a little lacking.