NetApp revising reinstatement policies

OEM extended warranties can often be expensive, especially if organizations experience a lapse in service. Fees associated with service gaps are fairly common in the OEM support sphere, and NetApp recently adjusted its policy to include measures that could make it easier for IT managers to end up paying extra for gaps in service.

In the past, NetApp has given customers a 30-day grace period in which they could experience a gap in service before they have to pay a fee to purchase a new warranty. New NetApp support reinstatement guidelines indicate that the 30-day period will no longer protect clients from added fees for a gap in coverage, meaning that IT managers that fail to renew their warranty with NetApp before their contract ends will face a fine if they try to sign up with NetApp again.

These penalties are fairly common across the industry. HP support customers are familiar with them, as the OEM has a reputation for harsh return to service fees. Service policies from HP mandate that the vendor can not only charge customers a fee if they experience a lapse in coverage, they can also make clients perform hardware or software upgrades at the OEM’s suggestion.

Third-party hardware maintenance offers an alternative to these costs and can free organizations from OEM warranty challenges.