Netgear wins Laconicsax's "worst customer service ever" award.

[laconicsax]

Late June 2007: My partner and I decide to set up a wireless network at our place. Our local ISP sells us a Netgear wireless router.

Early July 2007: We start having problems with the router (it was overheating) and call tech support, which is useless. We then take it in to our ISP for their technician to look at it. He has the same problem with it so he calls tech support as a vendor and an hour later, hangs up in frustration. The owner/manager then calls Netgear and an hour later, tells them to go to hell. He suggests to me that since Netgear wouldn't take it back from them, I should send it back as defective to get a new one.

Late July 2007: We get the replacement router and within one hour of setting it up, it's overheating and causing our network to go kaput. I call Netgear and get no help whatsoever. By using ice packs and fans, we're able to keep the router from overheating for hours at a time.

Early August 2007: I go back to the ISP and state the problem. The owner is a total shit and won't let me return the router for a refund because it wasn't the same one I bought in the first place and it was past the 30-day return window. I argue with him for a while, he tells me to try getting a refund from Netgear and if that doesn't work, to come back and see if we can work something else out. I go home and call Netgear, spend a while getting transferred around to different offices and am finally get a hold of a supervisor who gives me the number for returns/refunds. I call that number and leave a message every day for a two weeks but get no response.

Mid August 2007: The owner of the ISP refuses to refund my money, or even take back the router in exchange for a different brand. I call him some choice names and storm out of there. I keep calling Netgear twice a week, once to leave a message and once to try to get transferred to whoever was supposed to be returning my calls. I go into town and buy a different brand of wireless router and have had no problems with it to this day.

September 2007: I write a letter to Netgear expressing my frustration and toss the defective router in a closet.

December 2008: My partner and I decide to move elsewhere and the router gets taken to an electronics recycling center.

February 26, 2009: I get the following e-mail from Netgear:

NETGEAR Support case #-------
From: Netgear Support ([e-mail])
Sent: Thu 2/26/09 7:05 AM
To: [e-mail]

Dear -------,


This contact is regarding your Netgear Service Case number --------.

NETGEAR would be glad to assist with the issue. However, your product has lapsed the free software warranty period so we are not in a position to fix this issue over the free voice support...etc.