R7960P firmware not upgrading

So … time to say it all out.
A few days ago I receive a PM from a moderator asking if I was interested in a replacement router. After verifying whom this person was, I responded with my information. The person asked me not to discuss any of this in the community as it needed to be handled on a case by case basis. I just got off the phone with another Netgear person, she said her name was Amy, who asked me the steps I took to assure that the router couldn’t be upgraded, after she listened to what steps I had taken to attempt to upgrade/downgrade the router she informed me that I qualify for the replacement program, and if I decided to go with the program, I would be getting a router directly from the factory which ensures that I would have the latest firmware installed. Great but what about the next firmware upgrade? She stated that at that point it would be escalated again, in my mind I’m asking myself "to what end”. Her solution was to have her supervisor contact me to send me an RMA after obtaining collateral.

At this moment in time I have lost faith that the issue can be resolved. They might “select” you as a qualified candidate for the program. My recommendation, like many others here … return it. If you want you can give Netgear another try, another model of course, or you can go with another brand.