Netgear Routers (and other stuff) - A word of caution

[stevenrw]

I've recently bought a Nighthawk R7000 router and it was easy to set up and not bad value for money.
However I have had a recurring issue with frequent drops in connection. I thought this had been fixed but its started again.
However...
That is not the purpose of this post.
In deliberations with Netgear Tech Support (who, it has to be said, were not bad at all..) it transpires that Netgear only offer "Complimentary" Tech support for 90 days from date of purchase.
Then you gotta pay for their GearHead "Premium" support!
True, Netgear's support pages are "International" but is this even legal in the UK?
I just thought it was worth putting out there in case anybody was thinking of buying a Netgear product. Nothing wrong with their kit, but this potential early curtailment of tech support may be an issue, and its not evident until you need it.

[zappaDPJ]

That's often complained about but probably not illegal unless it could be demonstrated that Netgear are operating in such a way that it interferes with your rights as a consumer. I've read that their tech support will try to sell you expensive firmware upgrades to fix issues. That probably would put them in violation of UK consumer law if the item was still under warranty.

[Technical Ben]

AFAIK you get a warranty. "Support" is answering setup and other questions, so an additional service.

Most companies like their customers paying and buying their products, so provide setup for free... others know they can rake it in by selling a server with "50% discount!" at £20k, and the suprise monthly support for £2k per month if you actually want it working and not hiring someone for the same costs (totally made up figures)...

Well, that and the advice that stops a customer from exploding the device/missing that work deadline due to a dead device are usually "priceless".

[Wolfy]

In the Uk The Consumer Rights Act 2015 gives you 6 months to get a full refund if purchased goods are not up to spec.  You need to do this through your retailer.

[nowster]

In the Uk The Consumer Rights Act 2015 gives you 6 months to get a full refund if purchased goods are not up to spec.  You need to do this through your retailer.

It's always the seller's problem first, and you shouldn't ever get fobbed off with them referring to the manufacturer's warranty. Amazon are very good at forgetting this.