Netgear Offers Open Source WGR614L > more of

reply to i1me2ao

Re: more of

Personally, I will never buy Linksys again:

This all started because I had switched ISPs from Verizon DSL to Comcast Cable. Purchased a NEW Linksys WCG200 ver.2 combo modem/router/wireless. I kept getting bounced and contacted Comcast support. They ran some report and the WCG200 had auto-self-booted 60 times in the past 7 days. Time to contact Linksys for a replacement -or- a flash for the firmware on my unit.

The results of contacting Linksys's useless support/RMA departments follows...

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Discussion Thread
Customer (Rex Basham) 06/26/2008 09:31 AM
To Whom It May Concern:

Your USED QA Passed replacement unit is being returned via the RMA you gave me for the original defective WCG200 ver.2 and is being shipped C.O.D.

(i.e. You pay the shipping because it is your malfunctioning piece of equipment, not mine.)

I have instructed my credit card company to not pay ANY charges from Linksys Corporation.

The original defective WCG200 ver.2 with the bad firmware unit is being returned to Amazon.com and my credit card will be reimbursed in the full amount of the original purchase. They have already sent me the UPS RMA with the shipping charges covered.

I have replaced your defective unit with a Motorola cable modem and a Netgear WPN824 wireless router. I will NEVER purchase another Linksys product and I will strongly recommend that no one else does either.

This situation could have been easily remedied had your RMA Department provided me with a NEW replacement unit which had the current firmware installed -or- you had provided me with the flash utility and the updated firmware flash file.

Your RMA support department is useless. I got bounced around to four different Level 1 support reps yesterday, 2 different supervisors, and a Level 2 rep. I spent over 3.5 hours on the phone with your useless RMA staff attempting to resolve my situation to no avail.

The ticket number was 080625-003626.

The support reps/supervisors badge ID's that I wrote down follow:

#16900 (can't recall the name, Level 1)
#29447 (Jay, Level 1)
#16340 (Pia, supervisor)
#27181 (Sarah, Level 2)

The last support rep I spoke with (unfortunately) I did not get her name but she is totally useless.

She kept me on the phone for 45 minutes repetitively going over information I had already covered with 3 other support reps (and a supervisor and a level 2 rep) and she adamantly refused to get me a supervisor during this entire time. Pia had already told me to call back and request her
specifically after I contacted my ISP (Comcast). This idiot first told me all the supervisors were in a meeting. I told her to interrupt the meeting and get Pia on the phone. Elevator music. She comes back and now tells me Pia had stepped outside. I demanded that she get another supervisor -or- Pia's manager. She still refused.

Finally she decided that the only additional statement she was going to hear from me was "GET A DAMN SUPERVISOR ON THE PHONE NOW!"

Since she was obviously having a difficult time understanding this extremely simple ENGLISH (Philippine support center) request, I spelled it out for her:

"G-E-T A D-A-M-N S-U-P-E-R-V-I-S-O-R O-N T-H-E P-H-O-N-E N-O-W P-E-R-I-O-D"

More elevator music and she finally comes back a supervisor named Mary. I do not have Mary's badge number but it should be in the ticket. I told Mary that I wanted a NEW (aka not used) WCG200 ver.2 with current firmware shipped immediately, overnight, and Linksys should pick up the charges. She rattled some crap about blah blah blah, we can't do that.

At this point, the telephone conversation is over and I hung up. I had already wasted enough of my day with your uncooperative and unresponsive RMA un-support staff.

As soon as I hit the send button on this email, your defective WCG200 ver.2 product is powered down and shipped back.

Have a nice day, WMFOOMA!

Succinctly,
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If you are interested, WMFOOMA is a wonderful support rep, William (Bill) Fooma:
aka "When Monkies Fly Out Of My A**!"

Linksys? Not even if they were paying me to take their equipment! The Netgear 824 has not so much as burped since I fired it up and I get twice the signal strength on the wireless (4 bars vs. 2 bars). Just FYI.

Think that's bad. We have new routers from Cisco that some parts are worth more than my house. They break in a month or two (Infant mortality) and they send us refurbs. And that's on a multimillion support contract.

reply to rexbasham
Man, you're a real prick, dude. Some people sure are real badasses on the phone when they're not dealing with someone face-to-face. All this over a $40 router? Cheap ass.

eyekahn

It is attitudes like yours that have lead to customer service being like this. Linksys (Cisco now) sold the $40 router. It should work. If it does not work they should take care of the customer. Since it was obviously a new router that failed, it should be replaced with a new working router, not somebody else's rejects. Having the attitude that it was JUST a $40 router encourages companies to just give everybody the run around. If it is cheaper to give people the run around than to replace the product, and nobody says anything, that is what they will continue to do. If companies get away with it on a $40 item they will slowly move to more expensive items. You go pick up your new car, drive half a block and the engine ceases. The dealer brings out a used car with 20K miles on it and says here is your replacement. Will you accept the second car?

reply to rexbasham
I'll add my 2 cents.

Linksys used to be a fairly small company that made affordable gear that worked. This is why they became very popular. Enter growth and Cisco acquisition, now they are part of a huge company with little concern for the consumer.

I don't really have much bias towards a particular manufacturer. I've used most of it and for the most part, the devices work fine.

I won't get into details, but I had a similar experience with Linksys and have also switched over to Netgear for my own personal network.

Since installing my Netgear WPN802 access point, wireless range and signal strength have been more than double what they were with the two other APs I had tried. One Linksys and one was another brand.

So out of all of them, I'd say I've had the best experience with Netgear's equipment. It has all been "install and forget", meaning it just works. I don't have to reset or reboot any of it, which is how it really should be.

reply to eyekahn
Sprechen zie Deutsch? Ich werde Sie ficken!

It was $114+ (and that was at amazon.com's discount price)

If you don't know what you are talking about then STFU!

reply to eyekahn
Actually, no, I'm not a real prick.

I am a very successful technical support rep (level 1 & 2) and have been for over 25 years on mainframes, Windows, Unix, Linux, etc., etc., etc.,..., ad infinitum.

Rule 1) The customer is ALWAYS right.
Rule 2) Be happy they are having problems and calling.
It keeps you employed.

reply to rexbasham
BTW, that last post of mine was directed to eyekahn (I think, the bozo can't put his name in and goes by an alias) who implied that I am a prick for wanting to be supplied what I paid for.