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Linksys Support Won't Fix "Broken" Router

By Ed Foster, Section Gripes
Posted on Mon Jul 21, 2003 at 12:19:06 PM PDT

A reader reports that 15 months ago, he purchased two Linksys products, an instant wireless access point (BEFW-11S4) and a notebook wireless adapter (WPC-11). Unable to get help from Linksys as he struggled to set up his wireless network, he finally managed it on his own. When his laptop connection recently failed, he had no choice but to try Linksys support again. This time he was at least successful in getting through a Linksys technician who went through a series of diagnostics.

“Finally, she concluded that the router was simply ‘broken.’ No explanation as to how it broke, no offer to replace the product (it is, after all, THREE months past the warranty), no offer to escalate the issue to senior support staff. She simply said it was broken and there was nothing else she could do. I tried unsuccessfully to work through the problem on my own, and finally called the Linksys support line again in the hopes of getting a more experienced support rep. I spoke with another tech, who, though she seemed to be slightly (emphasis on slightly) more knowledgeable, still had the same irritated tone and came to the same blank conclusion: it's simply broken. Again, no further explanation as to how a $200 piece of equipment would suddenly break after only 15 months of use."

The reader then tried to use Linksys’ RMA department, only to be told that was impossible if the product was out of warranty. With no support available for a “broken” router that’s out of warranty, the reader has no choice but to buy a new one. You can bet, he says, it won’t be a Linksys.

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Linksys Support Won't Fix "Broken" Router | 37 comments (37 topical) | Post A Comment

Linksys[ Reply to This ] (none / 0) (#1)
by byelen on Mon Jul 21, 2003 at 02:05:02 PM PDT

Hmm, I had a similar occurence with an Ethernet hub, but in this case Linksys DID replace it. Could the fact that Cicsco completed their purchase of Linksys on June 2, 2003 have any bearing?

[ Reply to This ]

returns on "broken" linksys router...[ Parent | Reply to This ] (none / 0) (#22)
by Anonymous User on Tue Aug 12, 2003 at 12:48:45 PM PDT

i worked 24 years in the computer industry, and i think one thing that may be appropriate to this discussion is that Linksys may have priced the router to market, and the warranty period is also priced into the initial purchase of the product. if you expected a longer warranty, or to be able to return it for repair, which i'm surprised they didn't seem to offer at all, well, that's the "price you pay" for a low initial price. in the market i was in, some customers complained that we didn't offer trade-in or trade-up credits on disk drives. notice that you never see that anywhere? why not? because disks are considered throw-aways, and you have to keep in mind that any money anyone gives you back on a trade-in, whether it's a pc or a car, is being paid by someone. and if nobody's willing to cough up any money for that, you won't see them offering it. it's tough, but so are those markets. toss it and buy a new one, and if there's an extended warranty, buy it! i took my Compaq laptop back for its second repair, one year plus one day after i'd bought it.... with a three year extended warranty.... +af

[ Parent | Reply to This ]

mac soft[ Parent | Reply to This ] (none / 0) (#34)
by Anonymous User on Sun Jul 20, 2008 at 08:19:34 AM PDT

Linksys Routers[ Reply to This ] (none / 0) (#2)
by Mason on Mon Jul 21, 2003 at 06:16:15 PM PDT

I bought a Linksys BEFSR41 about a year and a half ago.. it was DOA. Brought it back to the store for a new one, and that died after a few months -- the "trouble" light came on, power cycling and the reset button didn't do anything, and couldn't connect to it over the wire. Rather than fighting to get it fixed or replaced, I just threw it out and vowed never to buy another Linksys product.

[ Reply to This ]

A different perspective[ Reply to This ] (none / 0) (#3)
by wantobe on Tue Jul 22, 2003 at 05:48:14 AM PDT

I've bought a number of Linksys products over the years and have never had any significant problems with any of them. Setup has always been pretty easy and straight-forward.

I've also bought D-Link products, most recently two wireless routers, that seem to work very well. I haven't gotten WEP working yet, but I haven't had time to mess with it as much as I probably need to in order to get it going.

Just my $.02 US.

Rob Miles
--
There are 10 kinds of people in the world; those who understand binary and those who don't.
[ Reply to This ]

An obvious fix...[ Parent | Reply to This ] (none / 0) (#15)
by Anonymous User on Thu Jul 24, 2003 at 07:41:10 PM PDT

Easy fix:

1. Buy product from wherever you like...
2. Product breaks...
3. Buy replacement from LOCAL retailer (Best Buy, Circuit City, etc.)
4. Replace old product and return for refund.

"No Harm, No Foul"

[ Parent | Reply to This ]

No harm??[ Parent | Reply to This ] (none / 0) (#21)
by kamnet on Thu Aug 07, 2003 at 05:54:13 PM PDT

This is completely dishonest and it punishes the vendor with a chargeback for something that wasn't their fault. Why can't you take it back to the store you bought it from, along with your receipt, and request a refund or replacement? Why is it necessary to have to screw with good, legitimate vendors?

This practice only helps to sour the customer service experience and it does nothing to correct real issues. You might as well just walk in and shoplift a new machine.

[ Parent | Reply to This ]

yes[ Parent | Reply to This ] (none / 0) (#30)
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[ Parent | Reply to This ]

Linksys Routers work for me[ Reply to This ] (none / 0) (#4)
by sabshire on Tue Jul 22, 2003 at 07:02:00 AM PDT

I have not had any issues with any linksys products. We have a linksys router as well as a Linksys WAP here at our office and both have been functioning fine now for more than a year. At home, I recently got a linksys router/WAP combo, and so far, it has been fine.

[ Reply to This ]

edfg[ Parent | Reply to This ] (none / 0) (#33)
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[ Parent | Reply to This ]

LINKSYS!!! {Scream it like Marilyn Manson would}[ Reply to This ] (none / 0) (#5)
by Anonymous User on Tue Jul 22, 2003 at 10:46:55 AM PDT

Bought a wireless PCI card (WMP11). It claims to have full compatability with Windows 9x/ME/2000/XP, etc. The problem is, in order for the card to work, it needs to start a configuration program.

That's fine if you're on a single user system, but the problem here is, I run a domain. You can't authenticate on the workstation unless you have a connection first, and with this Linksys card, you can't connect without logging in first!

What to do? Call Linksys. Well, it was obvious that their tech support was almost worthless. It took three people and almost TWO HOURS of my time to find out that - NO - the card won't "work that way". WHAT WAY? You mean like EVERY OTHER WIRELESS CARD??!!! I wanted to scream. Actually, I think I might have.

With every other wireless card, you at least have the option of running a service at startup that starts the card and physically connects it to the network. I am still beside myself about the fact that Linksys doesn't think this is an issue! :O

[ Reply to This ]

You mean like a little girl?[ Parent | Reply to This ] (none / 0) (#6)
by wantobe on Tue Jul 22, 2003 at 11:24:50 AM PDT

"You can't authenticate on the workstation unless you have a connection first, and with this Linksys card, you can't connect without logging in first!"

What operating system are you using that you can't authenticate on the workstation unless you have a connection first? I've been supporting NT/2000 Workstations and Servers for 5 years now and have never run into this. When you first install the above, you setup an administrative account with a password that allows you to log into the local domain (i.e. the machine itself, no network.) Admittedly my experience with XP is more limited, but I believe it does the same thing. Same with Linux, Mac OS X, Unix, etc...

Honestly, I can understand why Linksys doesn't think it's an issue; it's really not.

Rob Miles
--
There are 10 kinds of people in the world; those who understand binary and those who don't.
[ Parent | Reply to This ]

Er.. Let me restate this for you...[ Parent | Reply to This ] (none / 0) (#7)
by Anonymous User on Tue Jul 22, 2003 at 10:54:35 PM PDT

Perhaps I was not clear in my original post. I need people to log INTO THE DOMAIN - not the local machine - from the workstation in question.

Because there is no physical network connection at the time of login, authentication TO THE DOMAIN cannot be established. Sure, I can log on locally; so what? I want my users to have mapped drives, home directories, etc. sent to them by the domain controller. That can't happen without authentication and THAT can't happen when there is no physical network established first.

True, I could create an initial administrative account locally, or any number of accounts for that matter, but I don't feel like creating a profile for all 185 of my users.

And I have been supporting NT 3.51-2003 networks and also have NEVER seen anything like this. Unreal.

[ Parent | Reply to This ]

Still do not see the problem here...[ Parent | Reply to This ] (none / 0) (#8)
by Anonymous User on Thu Jul 24, 2003 at 09:27:41 AM PDT

Log on to the local domain (PC) as the administrator (there's your authentication), configure the card, install drivers, reboot, and log on to the network (now that the card has been configured and is working). What's the problem?

[ Parent | Reply to This ]

You don't seem to understand NT authentication.[ Parent | Reply to This ] (none / 0) (#10)
by Anonymous User on Thu Jul 24, 2003 at 10:33:53 AM PDT

First off, when you log into a local workstation, you log on to the local PC, not a local domain. Second, logging onto the workstation won't authenticate your user credentials TO the PDC for a domain account. Third, I've seen this "phenomenon" of the wireless nic not starting up until after the user logs in to the machine. If you don't have a cached account on the pc, you won't be able to log into it to start up the service that runs the wireless nic. (which by the way is how I worked around this problem for my much smaller LAN - I hooked up the pc normally via CAT-5, had the users log in to create cached accounts then they were able to log in using these so the NIC could start-up! Definitely a kludge!)

[ Parent | Reply to This ]

I think the problem is...[ Parent | Reply to This ] (none / 0) (#11)
by Anonymous User on Thu Jul 24, 2003 at 11:23:33 AM PDT

I have over 150 possible users to 'log in' with more that arrive every other week or so. I can't possibly create a profile for each of these for just this ONE machine.

Thanks to the previous poster for 'getting it'. ;)

[ Parent | Reply to This ]

yes[ Parent | Reply to This ] (none / 0) (#31)
by maderikapapa on Fri Jun 27, 2008 at 07:31:49 PM PDT

Silly me...[ Parent | Reply to This ] (none / 0) (#18)
by Anonymous User on Fri Jul 25, 2003 at 11:28:10 AM PDT

1) Funny, I thought I understood NT authentication well enough. If logging on to the local workstation is not logging on to a local domain, you might want to coordinate with Microsoft so they stop calling the local PC a local domain. Since they can not seem to get their terminology straight, it makes it difficult to follow your line of thought.

2) I absolutely agree that logging on to the "local PC" does not authenthicate credentials on a network domain through a network domain controller.

3) If the "service" that runs the NIC does not start up until someone logs on, then it would seem that either it is not really a service at all or the service is not setup to autostart under a system account.

[ Parent | Reply to This ]

You've got it![ Parent | Reply to This ] (none / 0) (#19)
by Anonymous User on Sat Jul 26, 2003 at 12:24:29 AM PDT

That's right - it's NOT a service. That's what I've been trying to say. It's a program that gets put in your 'Startup' directory which is only run after a login.

I agree, M$ has butchered the meaning of domain.

[ Parent | Reply to This ]

Someone is not listening[ Parent | Reply to This ] (none / 0) (#13)
by Anonymous User on Thu Jul 24, 2003 at 11:37:24 AM PDT

We run multiple domains here, and yes, for the end user to log into the domain you need to have a connection before the login. FireDaemon might solve the problem though, if it is running on NT/2K/XP. /www.firedaemon.com

[ Parent | Reply to This ]

Works for me[ Parent | Reply to This ] (none / 0) (#17)
by Anonymous User on Fri Jul 25, 2003 at 09:01:26 AM PDT

I'm using one of their wireless cards on my laptop. I have no problem logging into a Novell server with it. This is 98SE rather than NT or a derivative, though.

[ Parent | Reply to This ]

Run Linksys as a service[ Parent | Reply to This ] (none / 0) (#25)
by Middknight on Sun Dec 12, 2004 at 07:42:01 AM PDT

I have used the Microsoft NT Resource Kit SRVINSTW and SRVANY utilities to run the Linksys Configuration program as a service instead of from Startup, have it authenticate using the Local System account, and by this means start the wireless card and have it connect before any user logs in. For example after a restart I can use VNC to access the machine and log in remotely. CP

[ Parent | Reply to This ]

yes[ Parent | Reply to This ] (none / 0) (#29)
by maderikapapa on Fri Jun 27, 2008 at 06:52:47 PM PDT

It IS a problem - from another user[ Reply to This ] (none / 0) (#9)
by Anonymous User on Thu Jul 24, 2003 at 10:24:04 AM PDT

My experience with the wireless G Linksys cards in my Windows 2000 PCs is you have to have Administrator authority (at least on the local machine) for the program that starts the card to connect to the network. This is not a one-time deal, it has to happen every time the PC boots up. The card does not connect until after the program runs, which it will only do if you have Administrative authority. Not something that I found in any literature, it is something Linksys tech support finally told me after many frustrating hours trying to get it to work. They said there is no way to make the card work without Administrative authority. If I had known that before I bought the equipment......

[ Reply to This ]

Yes..[ Parent | Reply to This ] (none / 0) (#12)
by Anonymous User on Thu Jul 24, 2003 at 11:29:26 AM PDT

I can't believe how much time I spent trying to convey this to them either. This is NOT a minor issue.

I mean sure, if you're at home it's probably not a big deal, but in business or school systems where shared public access is needed then this ability is critical.

For those who still don't get it, imagine this for a second. Forget the fact that it's wireless - that's just the physical connection anyway. Pretend for a moment that it's a CAT-5 connection.

Have you ever seen a NIC that requires you to LOG IN first before the NIC starts up? Well, if CAT-5 NIC's start as a service then why don't Linksys' cards? As far as I know - they're the only ones with this problem and it's a big one.

If they would've stated on the outside of the box - not for use in NT/2000 domain environments then I would've stayed away from it.

Maybe Cisco will straighten this out... Or perhaps not. :P

[ Parent | Reply to This ]

Do they care?!![ Parent | Reply to This ] (none / 0) (#16)
by Anonymous User on Thu Jul 24, 2003 at 10:54:53 PM PDT

I wouldn't count on it. They seem to be only concerned with getting hardware support right.

I have no doubt the hardware is great - in fact, upon testing it in single-user mode it seemed terrific.

However, I'm kind of in a state of shock that they still don't recognize this as a serious issue.

[ Parent | Reply to This ]

yes[ Parent | Reply to This ] (none / 0) (#32)
by maderikapapa on Sat Jun 28, 2008 at 02:53:06 AM PDT

Linksys Support - a misnomer[ Reply to This ] (none / 0) (#14)
by Anonymous User on Thu Jul 24, 2003 at 12:22:24 PM PDT

I have purchased several Linksys products and have been fortunate that they all still work. That said, I will not buy any more products from Linksys because of the poor quality of support I have received. This includes:

- not receiving promised call backs on more than one occasion

- support personel that are not knowledgeable about the product they are supporting

- denying an issue existed twice over an interval of more than six months, then fixing it less than a month later (firmware upgrade)

- not shipping orders placed at noon (their time) for 24 hours when the order was to be shipped 2nd day air AND not warning me that it wouldn't ship until the following day (I didn't mind waiting an extra day as much as I minded waiting for a delivery on the wrong day) - when I complained about this, I was told this is their SOP

[ Reply to This ]

3 months after warranty[ Reply to This ] (none / 0) (#20)
by Anonymous User on Sun Aug 03, 2003 at 01:06:46 PM PDT

the product was 15months old, right. hopefully you realize that the product was purposely designed *not* to work very much past its one year "lifetime".

[ Reply to This ]

Not as bad as Dell and D-link[ Reply to This ] (none / 0) (#23)
by jsjohnson1 on Mon Sep 08, 2003 at 07:43:31 PM PDT

My sytem kept freezing up on me. I called D-link and they blamed Dell. Dell told me I had to reformat my hard drive and wipe out my entire system. Just on a whim I removed the d-link card before I reformatted my drive. Guess what, it was the card in the first place... and the geniuses at Dell thought it was windows! Now I know why they are on Ed's list.
! !
[ Reply to This ]

Won't Fix "Broken" Router[ Reply to This ] (none / 0) (#24)
by mstrugar on Sun May 09, 2004 at 08:58:20 PM PDT

Right on. i bet he wouldn't make that same mistake twice!

[ Reply to This ]

Buy Belkin Instead[ Reply to This ] (none / 0) (#26)
by Anonymous User on Wed Jun 15, 2005 at 01:12:49 PM PDT

At least with their lifetime warranty they try to solve problems for you & replace the kit if they decide it's "Broken", Cheers, Nick

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mac soft[ Parent | Reply to This ] (none / 0) (#35)
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