F02 error on APC unit and fun chat with support


jeff.lebowski

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About 10:45 last night, I walked into my "server room" (aka the laundry room) to hear Limelight's UPS clicking and the server off. That's odd. The display was flashing and the power button was not functioning. I pressed the reset button on the back of the UPS. There was a couple pops as I frantically reached for the power lead to remove it from the wall. Cue the magic smoke smell.

 

I take it out to the garage and the alarm won't stop. I finally get the battery disconnected. No more alarm. Fast forward to today and my chat with APC. We got through the above details and she drops a bomb:

 

Mouna:  I will create a request for your unit in our system and the request will be processed within the next couple of days.

Mouna:  Once the unit is sent out, you will receive it with in next 3-5 business days.

Mouna:  You will receive a RMA # and replacement instruction in your inbox within one business day.

 

What? I may be just a SOHO user, but that's ridiculous. She adjusted the shipping so it will arrive Monday. I didn't get upset. I just stated that's too long.

 

Bomb #2:

 

Mouna: You will receive a "pre paid return shipping label" only if the unit is defective within 30 days of purchase. If the unit is defective after 30 days of purchase, you have to pay for shipping the defective unit back to APC.

Mouna:  Do you want the chat transcript?

 

I like the quick jump to asking about the transcript. 8)

 

And the rest:

 

jeff.lebowski:  Hold on a second. I have to pay to return the current unit that is defective?

Mouna:  Yes, you would have to pay for that. We will pay for the replacement unit that will be shipped from our end.

jeff.lebowski:  Okay. I'm not going to do that. You can cancel the replacement.

Mouna:  You don't us to send you the replacement unit?

jeff.lebowski:  Not if I have to pay for shipping YOUR defective unit. That's unheard of.

Mouna:  jeff.lebowski, in this case I will create a prepaid shipping label and email it to your email Id.

Mouna:  Is that okay?

Mouna:  Now you don't have to pay for shipping.

jeff.lebowski:  Yes, thank you. I appreciate the concession.

Mouna:  No problem :)

 

Ahhh, what fun. Regular person shipping rates are so expensive for something that weighs 27 pounds. Plus, the warranty expires in two months. If I was going to pay for return, I would rather just get another UPS.

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APC make total junk now.  The SmartUPS 750 I have is just over 4 years old, and it was dumped out of work.  I replaced the two batteries, but it still said the batteries were failed.  I took the UPS apart and discovered a number of leaked capacitors.  I got some new caps and swapped them out, and now I have a fully working UPS.

 

£20 for a pair of batteries (hint, buy wheelchair batteries and not UPS batteries, you get the exact same batteries at quarter the price) and 40p worth of Panasonic caps off eBay, and a lot of effort - these things are not built to come apart easily, and the leadless solder is a nightmare to desolder.

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... He sent it promptly. :)

 

:)

 

... Did you read (or send him) the transcript from your chat with Mouna ?    I'd think that by itself would have been rather compelling.

 

 

Didn't even have to. I stated what Mouna had offered me, he left for a conference with his supervisor, and then came back to tell me all was good in the hood.

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I suspect they may have simply looked at their own copies of Mouna's transcripts regarding your issue and "found" what they had said they didn't have ("... The agent insisted no notes were left in my account ...") ... perhaps not in your account, but certainly in their history of Mouna's chats.

 

In any event, all worked out well.

 

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