Equipment Issue, We Have to Pay?

Posts: 17 · Vonage Forum Associate Joined: Apr 20, 2005 Posts: 17

Hello,
I have had Vonage since 2004 and was issued the Linksys RT31P2. I have been having issues with the adapter resetting itself every now and then and it is most apparent during a call. I have seen a multi-page thread on this before, so I am assuming I am not the only one. The problems would creep up every now and then, but recently it started becoming frequent. Talking to technical support, they finally determined that there is an issue with the adapter and it would have to be replaced. However, they said it would cost $94 because the device was out of warranty. Seeing as how we never paid for the adapter wouldn't Vonage still own the device? I am not exactly sure what the policy is, but paying $94 for a new adapter to replace one that is not working properly that Vonage owns does not seem to make sense to me. If I do indeed have to pay because that is the policy, then I surely understand that, however unfair it may be. I just do not want to be charged for not returning the RT31P2, because by my understanding I now own the device. If there is a Vonage rep or someone on this board that can help me with this issue, I would be most appreciative.

Thanks

Posts: 216

Vonage TOS wrote:

2.13 Ownership and Risk of Loss.
You will own the Device and bear all risk of loss of, theft of, casualty to or damage to the Device, from the time it is shipped to you until the time (if any) when it is returned to us in accordance with this Agreement.

4.5 Device Warranties (Does Not Apply to Business Plus Customers).
(a) Limited Warranty. Except as set forth herein, if you received a Device from us and the Device included a limited warranty at the time of receipt, you must refer to the separate limited warranty document provided with the Device for information on the limitation and disclaimer of certain warranties. Remedies for breach of any such warranties will be limited to those expressly set forth in such documentation.
(b) No Warranty. IF A LIMITED WARRANTY DID NOT COME WITH YOUR DEVICE, YOU ARE ACCEPTING THE DEVICE 'AS IS'. YOUR DEVICE IS NOT ELIGIBLE FOR REPLACEMENT, REPAIR OR REFUND AFTER THE MONEY BACK GUARANTEE PERIOD.
(c) Retail Customer Limited Warranty. For Retail Customers only, we will provide a limited warranty on the Device as to manufacturing defects only for a period of one (1) year from the date of purchase. This Retail Customer limited warranty does not apply to any defect or failure other than a manufacturing defect, and, without limiting the generality of the foregoing, does not apply to any defect caused by damage in transit, retailer handling or Retail Customer handling. A Retail Customer's sole remedy for any breach of this Retail Customer limited warranty is to obtain a repaired or replacement Device, by following the return procedures set forth in Section 2.10. Retail Customer must include with the returned Device a letter stating that the Retail Customer is returning the Device for warranty repair or replacement and stating the nature of the defect. The Retail Customer limited warranty will also apply in lieu of the limited warranty included with the Device if such included limited warranty is less favorable to Retail Customer than that contained herein.
(d) Disclaimer. OTHER THAN WARRANTIES AS TO THE DEVICE EXPRESSLY SET FORTH IN THE DOCUMENTATION PROVIDED WITH THE DEVICE AND THE RETAIL CUSTOMER LIMITED WARRANTY EXPRESSLY SET FORTH HEREIN, WE MAKE NO WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, AND SPECIFICALLY DISCLAIM ANY WARRANTY OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS OF THE DEVICE FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, TITLE OR NON-INFRINGEMENT OR ANY WARRANTY ARISING BY USAGE OF TRADE, COURSE OF DEALING OR COURSE OF PERFORMANCE OR ANY WARRANTY THAT THE DEVICE OR ANY FIRMWARE OR SOFTWARE IS 'ERROR FREE' OR WILL MEET CUSTOMER'S REQUIREMENTS. THE FOREGOING WILL NOT BE DEEMED TO LIMIT ANY DISCLAIMER OR LIMITATION OF WARRANTY SET FORTH IN THE DOCUMENTATION PROVIDED WITH THE DEVICE. DEVICE WARRANTIES DO NOT APPLY TO BUSINESS PLUS CUSTOMERS.

It looks like you might be SOL.

Posts: 17 · Vonage Forum Associate Joined: Apr 20, 2005 Posts: 17

Ah so it's a policy issue. Thanks

Posts: 423 · Vonage Forum Evangelist Joined: Oct 03, 2005 Posts: 423

Yes it is a lousy poilcy, but I had a guy tell me that he got his rt31p2 replaced by Linksys, and was told by their techs that they warranty their devices for 3 years (36 times longer than Vonage devices.)

Of course, I did have to have tier3 add the MAC address, but he didn't pay no 94 dollars to get it replaced.

I would check and see if this is possible, to get a replacement from Linksys, and what their warranty is.

Posts: 2257 · Posted: Thu Jan 19, 2006 12:11 pm Post subject:

Phoenix wrote:

Ah so it's a policy issue. Thanks

Well, sorta. When you signed up, they gave you the adapter. It's yours to keep, free of charge with their compliments, once you have completed a year of service.

Of course, to keep people from signing up then canceling, they DO charge a $40 cancel fee in the first year, and you do generally have to send back any adapters they gave you (either outright or by rebate).

Your best bet, if you don't mind changing your phone number, would be to cancel your current account, toodle on down to your local retailer (or use the Vonage web site - preferably using a link here so Dan gets a commission and helps pay for the bandwidth around here!), and get yourself a brandy new device with a fresh warranty, either free or free-after-rebates.

There's no way to transfer your phone number to the new account, though. At least none I've ever heard of.

Posts: 17 · Vonage Forum Associate Joined: Apr 20, 2005 Posts: 17

Thanks for all the replies, I wasn't expecting responses this quickly.

Here is an update and happy resolution to my situation:
Left a message on Mr. Citron's voicemail and got a return call from someone over at Vonage today. They are shipping out a RTP300 today, free of charge, I just have to pay for shipping to return the RT31P2. So it pretty much worked out.

For anyone that has had both devices how is the stability of the RTP300 compared to the RT31P2 when hooked up directly to the modem? (All internet issues aside) Also will I be able to connect the RTP300 out of the box, or do I have to call Vonage first for them to provision it with the telephone number?

Thanks again

Posts: 1715 · Posted: Thu Jan 19, 2006 3:35 pm Post subject:

Other than being inside hotels, I've never used the RTP300 directly connected to the internet connection...BUT, back when I was swapping out the RT31P2 for the RTP300, it was a true plug & play. The BEST advice I can give is to follow the instructions which come with it.

To paraphrase:

1) Unplug your cable/DSL modem, leave unplugged for at least a minute. This will usually clear out your ISP's record of your MAC address and makes life easier.

2) Connect the RTP300 to the cable modem. DON'T connect anything else to it yet. Power up the modem & RTP300. Let it sit for about 10 minutes. During this time, it'll be blinking and doing all sorts of fun stuff. What it's really doing is dowloading its configuration file from Vonage, then downloading any firmware updates which are available for it, etc. Screwing around with it during this time can give you tons of problems down the road.

3) Hook up everything and you should be back in business again, with better sound quality than you had before.

The RTP300 still has a few little bugs left in it, but Vonage seems to be very close to getting them solved.

Posts: 2257 · Posted: Thu Jan 19, 2006 3:39 pm Post subject:

Phoenix wrote:

Thanks for all the replies, I wasn't expecting responses this quickly.

Here is an update and happy resolution to my situation:
Left a message on Mr. Citron's voicemail and got a return call from someone over at Vonage today. They are shipping out a RTP300 today, free of charge, I just have to pay for shipping to return the RT31P2. So it pretty much worked out.

For anyone that has had both devices how is the stability of the RTP300 compared to the RT31P2 when hooked up directly to the modem? (All internet issues aside) Also will I be able to connect the RTP300 out of the box, or do I have to call Vonage first for them to provision it with the telephone number?

Thanks again

I'm glad to hear that it worked out for you. Great news!

I suspect that Vonage will have to adjust your account to have the new MAC address of your RTP300. But, first, give it a try. If it doesn't work out, then call CS and they should be able to make the swap pretty quickly (especially since, in theory, they already have your new MAC address on file (grin)).

Posts: 2257 · Posted: Thu Jan 19, 2006 3:44 pm Post subject:

Oh, and I hope this goes without saying, but I'll say it anyway.

PLEASE remember to ship back the old unit using a tracking-capable company like UPS, and get delivery confirmation, and hold on to your tracking number and delivery confirmation data.

This is old news, and I haven't heard it in a long time so I think Vonage has resolved it - but a few months ago the Vonage receiving dock was badly backed up and they were having delays processing returns, and they were charging people's credit cards erroneously. I never heard about a case they didn't resolve instantly, but of course you do have to prove you shipped it on time....

I doubt this will happen to you, since no one has posted about it in a while. But any time you ship a pricey piece of equipment that you will be charged for if it's not received, you want to KEEP THAT TRACKING NUMBER. Wink