Cisco and others maybe having problems with some hardware

Electronics & Technology
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From an article I read http://www.networkworld.com/article/3170065/router/juniper-facing-fatal-clock-flaw-that-impacts-cisco-routers-switches.html

Not that this is likely to impact the home user but some Cisco and Juniper + others networking products will start to die after 18 mths of runtime.

Cisco will replace their units if they are under warranty or the purchaser has a hardware maintenance contract. The failure rate is expected to increase as the units get close to 3 years runtime. Cisco won’t replace the unit if it is out of warranty or if no Hardware Maint contract is place but they will allow a user to pay for a hardware contract to get the unit replaced.

From Cisco’s advisory “Q: Is the replacement valid for the devices covered with software application support plus upgrades (SAU) contracts?
We would require customers to have a hardware service contract and not just the software support options to obtain replacement product under this program. If the device was under warranty, or part of a hardware contract as of November 16 they can obtain a replacement even if it is no longer covered. Alternatively, the Cisco services team is permitting customers to purchase a new hardware service contract to entitle replacements.”

I am not sure what the other providers will be doing in regard to this issue.

I think these terms above break ACL as the provider, Cisco, is aware the units are defective and they know these units will start to fail. I don’t know what hardware Choice uses but I have a link http://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/support/web/clock-signal.html#~faqs that Cisco provides that allow users to read about the issue and it has a link to a form http://www.cisco.com/c/dam/en/us/support/web/clock_signal/Replacement_Order_Form.xlsx that will identify if a unit is affected by it’s serial number.

Here is a link to a pdf of a list of affected unit types http://www.cisco.com/c/dam/en/us/support/web/clock_signal/Clock_Signal_Impacted_PIDs.pdf

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How have the mighty fallen.

Cisco had, at one time, taken on the IBM mantra - nobody ever got fired for buying Cisco.

But then I suspect that their refusal to replace faulty equipment may be in breach of Australian consumer law.

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They also added the Oracle mantra in recent years. If you are not familiar it is the business practice that the customer’s only role is to provide you with maximum profits so you lock him in and take advantage. A few years back, and probably today, their kit even recognised their OEM parts and rejected anything after-market, even if it was otherwise identical.

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Hi Fred,

I suspect that Cisco might not be in breach of the ACL. It depends on the type of equipment (and the cost of it).

For a business to be considered a consumer under the ACL, they need to be purchasing “goods or services of a kind ordinarily acquired for personal, domestic or household use or consumption”.

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Good point, Scott! Thanks. :slight_smile: