Complaints

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• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/09/2024

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  This started around February 2024 I bought a dual WAN router from a retailer called *******. They sell network products for a company called *******. The cost of the router at the time was $500 it is a rout. At the time I was very interested in this router for it's advertised features. This is also known as a "enterprise router" that being said a couple weeks after getting the router I started to have problems with the router, so I started emailing 5gstore to get support eventually it led to IT support from ******* itself. for many months now until probably the end of September this year I was in communication with 5gstore and Peplink and it ended In not solving any issue due to my internet service provider which is ********, so my issue here was that one of the features that Peplink and 5gstore promotes is the STARLINK integration feature which is supposed to work with the router "balance 20x". Frustrated after many months of communication with nothing to show for it they were blaming my internet service provider, which I communicated with as well. I explained to them if nothing can be done is there anyway to get my money back? They refused because it's past the 30 day **** and it's against their policy to do so not only that. During the emailing process they sent me a replacement router that was router sent from ******* and not from the 5g store so they couldn't even take it back because it wasn't theirs to begin with (this was unknown to me at the time until they told me) I tried to see if there was something they could I talked to the people in sales known as ****** and ****. Sales department # is ************. They ended up offering store credit minus a %20 restocking!! Why am I getting charged for the restocking fee!? All they could answer is that "this is all they could do" I have emails to show the communication between Peplink, ******** and 5g store most of the communication towards the very end was handled on phone when they called me. 

  Business Response

  Date: 10/11/2024

  Hello,
        On 2/11/2024 the customer placed their order for one **********************, independently, through 5Gstores website. During the checkout process all customers are prompted to acknowledge I agree to the Return and Conditions and Privacy Policy as a checkbox before being allowed to proceed and complete the purchase (attached image of checkout process). Links in that prompt bring a customer to our Returns and Conditions which can also be viewed here: ***************************************************. Our policies listed there included our 30 day return window from the date of shipping and our standard restock fee of 20%. The customer agreed to these policies from IP Address ************ when they placed their order. The customers order shipped 2/12/2024 and was delivered 2/14/2024.
        Shortly after receiving the unit the customer called our support line and spoke with a Sales and Support (S&S) representative regarding some settings and set up questions. The S&S representative noted that they also discussed with the customer on 2/19/2024 the bonding process and why they would not see faster speeds bonding Starlink and cellular connections together. The **************** being used was not sold through 5Gstore. Only the router being used in this application was purchased through 5Gstore.
        About a month later, on 3/17/2024, a support ticket with the manufacturer, *******, was opened by the customer, support ticket #********. Both ******* and 5Gstore worked with the customer to troubleshoot, identify potential solutions, review diagnostic reports and screenshots, and communicate with the customer. There are nearly 200 messages between 5Gstore, Peplink, and the customer on the support ticket. On 6/27/2024, the customer requested a replacement unit (image attached). This request was approved by the manufacturer and, as this was more than 4 months past the purchase date and outside of 5Gstores return policy, a manufacturers warranty replacement was initiated. ******* sent the customer the return shipping directions to send the defective unit back. Typically these are sent to 5Gstore and we return defective units to *******. Once the defective unit is received in, the manufacturer, *******, then sends a replacement unit which can be new or refurbished per their policy. With standard manufacturer warranty replacements, as the replacement unit was not sold or shipped by *******, the manufacturer will handle any issues or concerns with the unit from there. On 7/17/2024 ******* notified the customer that they had shipped the replacement unit and provided the item information, including the Serial Number, and tracking information (image attached).
        In early August the customer reached out on the existing support ticket to state the same issues were occurring. Peplink continued to troubleshoot the issue via the ticket and in September had remote assistance activated for them to further test and review. During this process 5Gstore remained involved and provided communication and support where able to assist and promote continued efforts of testing and troubleshooting. On 9/15/2024, ******* deemed the issue was not hardware related. They confirmed that the issue lay with the service provider the customer was using, ********. They determined this by communication provided directly to the customer from Starlink (images attached). Peplink repeated their findings, that they could not duplicate the issue the customer was having and that the root cause lay with ********. The customer responded that the ********************** involving Starlink were not preferred (image attached).
        On 9/23/2024, the customer escalated the issue with ******* and asked to speak to a manager to seek a refund. As the Director of Operations I personally called the customer and spoke with them for nearly 10 minutes on 9/23/2024. We discussed how they were dissatisfied with the manufacturer's response and refusal to provide a resolution that was satisfactory to them. I reviewed with the customer, in detail, why ******* cannot provide a simple refund and described what further steps we would take. I provided a detailed explanation of our standard *** policy and that even if we were to consider an exception we do not have the Serial number of the unit the customer is currently in possession of in our system to do so. As the unit was a warranty replacement it was never sold or shipped by *******, nor is it in our system at all, as it was provided directly by the manufacturer. I reviewed how in standard manufacturer warranty replacements it is not the reseller who provides escalated support or resolution as the unit came from the manufacturer directly. However, as I understood the frustration and challenges the customer was facing I offered to pursue further resolution with the manufacturer directly to continue exploring potential resolutions. I did so via the support ticket with internal notes pushing for the manufacturer to do more or even to work with 5Gstore to provide an exception solution if they would not consider any type of reimbursement or refund (images attached).
        On 9/29/2024, Peplink responded to my request for additional consideration of exception options that due to Starlink admitting the issue lay with their standard subscription and not being a fault of the Peplink hardware they would not consider any type of refund or reimbursement (image attached). On that same message they put the **** on 5Gstore to provide the resolution and wanted us to handle any refund or reimbursement. This is not a standard practice and ultimately not a responsibility the reseller should shoulder when the unit is a warranty replacement and the manufacturer is not offering to work with us even to match any refund or reimbursement we might consider offering. However, despite being asked to step in to make things right when the manufacturer was refusing to do anything further, 5Gstore empathized with the customer and did not agree with the manufacturers handling of the situation. Therefore we asked the customer to send in images of the unit for an exception *** to be considered by 5Gstore.
        This was not a straightforward return or ***. The model, BPL-021X-LTEA-US-T-PRM, was a discontinued, End of Life unit. Meaning, that unit was no longer being manufactured or sold. In fact, our last sale of that item was in April of 2024. This was listed as While Supplies Last on our website to notify customers. There would also be additional communication and labor involved in coordinating with the manufacturer to have the *** designation they placed on the replacement serial number removed and the item manually added to our inventory for resale. Also, as the unit had been installed, tested, and used, it could only be sold as open box at a discounted price. Lastly, this falls outside our standard return policy that the customer agreed to at the time of checkout. Despite all of those hurdles, hardships, and challenges, ******* chose to help make a difficult and frustrating ordeal right for the customer. Although a full refund could not be provided due to the previously mentioned reasons, an exception *** and reimbursement option was presented to the customer. On 10/3/2024, S&S representative, ****, called the customer to relay the exception *** solution 5Gstore could offer. He reviewed that we could offer an exception *** with a refund back as a store credit minus our standard 20% restocking fee. The customer agreed. A short time later the customer called back and stated they changed their mind and would not be moving forward with our exception *** solution and would be keeping the hardware.
        At this time the customer is in possession of the hardware. There is no defect with the hardware per the manufacturers confirmation. There are solutions available with the customers service provider if they chose to move forward with what ******* suggested they do with ********. If the customer would like to work with ******* we could explore our exception *** offer of a refund as store credit minus restocking fee. We want all customers to be satisfied with their purchases and seek to work within the parameters of both our, and the manufacturers, policies and procedures to do so.
  
  

  Customer Answer

  Date: 10/14/2024

   
  Complaint: 22400352

  There is a partial understanding of the situation i understand 5g store policies but they essentially sold me a product adverting that it has starlink intergration. I would not bought the product if i had known i would have to upgrade my supcription to starlink in order for it work which i spent months communicating with peplink just for them to tell me that in the end with nothing else to show for it. I originally wanted the router to work which is why i stayed communicating for as long as i did in the hopes that the peplink router would work im not sure if its incompetence or unethical practices that 5g store is doing.This is the problem. there is absolutely nothing in your store that is of interest to me for store credit. So their solution to "fix" this peplink router issue is to upgrade my subcription with STARLINK in order for the peplink router to work? How is that even remotely close to a "fix"?  Someone has to be responsible at this point When you clearly advertised that the router has starlink integration? The only communication 5g store had during the months spent emailing was to make sure if either the problem was resolved or if an email is being responded to until I ended up getting them involved towards the end. Their solution to refund with a minus %20 restock is a lack of taste  on thier part and does not resolve my issue. 

  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***** A *******

  Business Response

  Date: 10/16/2024

  Hello,

  
  We appreciate the opportunity to address the concerns raised against 5Gstore. However, we must reiterate that the router currently in the customers possession is functional and has been deemed, by the manufacturer, *******, not defective. The BPL-021X-LTEA-US-T-PRM model is compatible with ******** as advertised by the manufacturer. Any advertisement, features, or specs of the router listed on ******** website are pulled directly from the manufacturer. We do not have anything specific regarding ******** on our website for this model. Other customers have successfully used this model with their personal Starlink setups satisfactorily. Nothing on 5Gstores site, nor anything that could be found on the manufacturers website mentions compatibility or specific features by ******** subscription tiers. If the customer has concerns with the level of service provided by ******** they should be directing those concerns and issues to the service provider. 
  As the ******** subscription was not purchased via 5Gstore, and the router is functional and not defective, any further concerns, issues, or requests should be addressed through the manufacturer or service provider. ******* has worked diligently over the past few months to support the customer, raise their issues with the manufacturer, work with the manufacturer, and attempt to resolve the customers dissatisfaction with the router performance. We have even offered a resolution, far outside the parameters of our standard policy and procedures that the customer did agree to and acknowledge at the time of purchase. As the unit currently in the customers possession was provided through a manufacturers warranty claim any further support or requests for refund should be directed to them.

  Thank you

  
  

  Customer Answer

  Date: 10/22/2024

   
  Complaint: 22400352
  

  I am formally rejecting this response for several reasons. It is essential that 5GStore either escalates this matter directly to senior management at *******, providing a comprehensive explanation of the situation, or elevates the issue within their own organization to identify an appropriate reimbursement solution.

  
  The proposal of store credit with a deduction for a restocking fee is inadequate and unacceptable. It is perplexing why I, as the customer, should bear the cost of the restocking fee, particularly in this context. Moreover, regardless of policy considerations, I found that both 5GStore and Peplink support failed to provide the necessary assistance. The prolonged period spent attempting to convince me that the issue originated from my endwhen it was, in fact, related to Starlinkrepresents a significant inefficiency that could have been better utilized in facilitating the return of the router and expediting this process.

  
  Additionally, I was not informed prior to initiating the *** that this would result in a restocking fee due to the part number not being available in 5GStore's inventory. This conversation included interactions with ******, which further complicates the matter. It is also concerning that, had I initiated an *** within the 30-day policy, Peplink would have dispatched a replacement router, but I would have ultimately received the same communication regarding the impossibility of reimbursement due to the router's origin.

  
  To resolve this issue fairly, I propose that I receive a full reimbursement in the form of store credit without the application of a restocking fee, or alternatively, a complete reimbursement issued via check.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***** A *******

  Business Response

  Date: 10/24/2024

  Hello,

  
         For the past eight months 5Gstore worked closely with the customer and the manufacturer, *******, regarding the customers requests and concerns. We have offered a potential resolution that is an exception and well outside our standard return policy, which the customer acknowledged at the time of their purchase. However, the customer has rejected that proposed resolution. At this time we recommend any further questions, inquiries, or requests be addressed to the service provider, ********, or the manufacturer, ********
         As previously provided through documentation on this claim, and in the customers most recent comment, ******** acknowledged that the issue lies with limitations in the current tier plan being utilized by the customer. Both ******** and ******* acknowledged that upgrading to a different plan with the service provider would resolve the issues the customer is claiming to see. Additionally, the current hardware unit the customer is in possession of is not defective and is in working order. That unit was provided as a Warranty Replacement through the manufacturer, *******. Based on this, any further issues or requests should be directed to Starlink or Peplink.

  Thank you