Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!husc6!bloom-beacon!gatech!mcnc!decvax!mandrill!neoucom!wtm From: wtm@neoucom.UUCP (Bill Mayhew) Newsgroups: comp.dcom.modems Subject: Re: Telebit TrailBlazer Warranty Information Message-ID: <1161@neoucom.UUCP> Date: 9 May 88 01:34:55 GMT References: <282@telebit.UUCP> <3725@cbmvax.UUCP> Sender: wfd@neoucom.UUCP Organization: Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine Lines: 32 Keywords: Standard and Extended Warranty pricing and information Summary: I agree with George; $225 seems like a lot. I agree with George that $225 is kind of pricey for the Trailblazer extended warranty. I think I'll just hedge my bet that the thing keeps working indefinitely, and then ante up the money if/when it breaks. It is my understanding, as George said, that the warranty coverage costs the same regardless of when you buy it. In that case, the way to go is to buy the warranty when the modem gags, then send the beast in. There really isn't much to go wrong in the trailblazer. About the only item subject to mechanical stress is the line realy, but that ought to last years. Even the "standard" Trailblazers with the fan are pretty rugged. As a torture test I disconnected the fan for several hours and put the cover back on; the modem got only a little warm. Naturally, I don't advocate disconnecting the fan as a matter of routine! Closed up in a confined space may make the fan an imparitive; I conducted the torture test with the modem on a bench top. Now, if the service contract included a clause to ensure that the most current firmware were installed.... I just might bite. By the way... Several people have mentioned that the level 3 --> level 4 firmware upgrade seems expensive. It really isn't all that bad. I just had to buy some 27512 EPROMs (same type as used in the Trailblazer). The best price I got was $10 each. That means, that $20 of the upgrade is parts! Given that, the price seems in line, as it is about the same cost as going from DOS 3.2 --> DOS 3.3 on an IBM PC. --Bill wtm@neoucom.UUCP