OBiHAI Warranty Period - When does it start? When does it end?
restamp:
Now that (apparently) OBiHAI is going to start requiring a fee for accessing their products from their website to devices which are out of warranty, it begs the question: When does OBiHAI consider the warranty to begin?
I have a 202 which I bought as a backup during the sale last month at Newegg. It's never been out of the box. If I don't use it until I need it, does the warranty start when the device is first registered? It would typically begin on the purchase date, but without supporting paperwork, does OBiHAI have that information? Well, maybe, but does anyone know for sure?
Also, when does the warranty end? The last day of the month? The OBiTalk site only gives the month and year.
Inquiring minds...
OzarkEdge:
Technically, a warranty period begins on the purchase date noted on the sales receipt. Practically, I don't see how OBiTALK.com would know this information, so maybe it defaults to the device add date. As I see it, this ambiguity is part and parcel to the current flawed implementation whereby nobody understands when or why their device might be required to pay up to continue using OBiTALK.com... the 'feature' feels unfinished and unexplainable (not worth announcing). This does not instill confidence in using the service.
OE
arobatino:
Quote from: OzarkEdge on June 16, 2015, 07:44:52 pm
Technically, a warranty period begins on the purchase date noted on the sales receipt. Practically, I don't see how OBiTALK.com would know this information, so maybe it defaults to the device add date.
Is it known if removing a device which is currently labeled out-of-warranty and then re-adding it makes the portal think it's in warranty again? (Of course, they could store the OBi Number even after it's been removed, so it's probably not that easy.)
OzarkEdge:
Quote from: arobatino on June 16, 2015, 11:23:00 pm
Is it known if removing a device which is currently labeled out-of-warranty and then re-adding it makes the portal think it's in warranty again? (Of course, they could store the OBi Number even after it's been removed, so it's probably not that easy.)
It could be that as soon as an OBi is connected to the Internet, it phones home to clock its identity... serial no., MAC address, etc. Commence warranty period.
It could be that OBiTALK.com triggers out-of-warranty consideration only if the device firmware is not current, to impart more significance and urgency to their demand for your money... to make it seem less like 'pay us another $10-20 today just because'. At least they can then follow-up your payment with a firmware upgrade action instead of doing nothing in return.
Obihai says, "you will need to purchase a Support contract to enable firmware upgrades".
They are not selling an extended hardware warranty. Your device will remain out-of-warranty. If it dies, you must still buy a new one.
I think they are selling annual access to OBiTALK.com, disguised as a nebulous Support contract that most users will not exercise beyond the first year of owning their OBi. It's more palatable to call it Extended Support than to simply put a lock on the OBiTALK.com door and tell everyone who has been using it that they must now pay an annual subscription to continue managing their OBi.
Sorry to say, you can not trust the cloud. The hardware warranty ends after it initially expires. Annual subscription to OBiTALK.com ends after you stop paying for it.
OE
ceg3:
This is the response I got when I inquired about the fee. I suspect this will not be popular, but not likely a high enough fee to cause a lot users to move on.
Yes, There is a Support Contract that will allow users with devices that are out of the 1 year Manufactures warranty to receive support and access to future firmware upgrades.
Best regards
Obihai Technology
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