That’s no excuse. An RMA form is something that all their customers are entitled to use. If anyone finds their IP address blocked, even a VPN IP address, then their warranty claim has effectively been blocked for an invalid reason.
The company has failed their warranty obligations.
I think if hosting an RMA form requires 500x more bandwidth than it’s supposed to just because it’s being hammered by bots on VPNs, and this was your company, you’d block them too.
No, I would rate-limit them. OP is getting a non-rate-limited block. If OP has an ISP problem where they can’t access the site, this VPN may be their only option.
I think catloaf’s idea is good, but no tech company accepts RMA requests by paper mail.
I think it depends on where the bottleneck is, and what they’re actually trying to prevent, as to whether or not rate-limiting would actually help anything.
If they are blocking source IP addresses explicitly, it could be for a more specific concern we’re not aware of, like trying to limit the amount of email “spam” that would be sent out from automated requests. A rate-limit wouldn’t fix that issue, only slow it down.
We’re all also assuming any of this is even intentional on their or anyone’s part.
I don’t use VPNs, but plenty of sites using datadome.co will arbitrarily block me at my residential ISP. datadome.co will first ask you to complete a captcha, and upon your success, you are immediately blocked with no recourse. Here’s a typical screenshot: (not mine)
The “contact support” link opens a contact form that goes to a black hole. I’ve filled out dozens, and never gotten a response.
That’s no excuse. An RMA form is something that all their customers are entitled to use. If anyone finds their IP address blocked, even a VPN IP address, then their warranty claim has effectively been blocked for an invalid reason.
The company has failed their warranty obligations.
I think if hosting an RMA form requires 500x more bandwidth than it’s supposed to just because it’s being hammered by bots on VPNs, and this was your company, you’d block them too.
Yup. You can probably do it by mail, if you’re so inclined.
No, I would rate-limit them. OP is getting a non-rate-limited block. If OP has an ISP problem where they can’t access the site, this VPN may be their only option.
I think catloaf’s idea is good, but no tech company accepts RMA requests by paper mail.
I think it depends on where the bottleneck is, and what they’re actually trying to prevent, as to whether or not rate-limiting would actually help anything.
If they are blocking source IP addresses explicitly, it could be for a more specific concern we’re not aware of, like trying to limit the amount of email “spam” that would be sent out from automated requests. A rate-limit wouldn’t fix that issue, only slow it down.
We’re all also assuming any of this is even intentional on their or anyone’s part.
I don’t think this holds in court. “I breached my contract with the plaintiff because other actors inconvenience me.”
I think you assume that there is even a contract, and that if it did exist, it wouldn’t allow this.
Going to court for this would also cost way more than the product is worth.
You must be from the U.S., where there are no customer rights and the law only serves the rich.
Did you try switching your exit point?
I don’t use VPNs, but plenty of sites using datadome.co will arbitrarily block me at my residential ISP. datadome.co will first ask you to complete a captcha, and upon your success, you are immediately blocked with no recourse. Here’s a typical screenshot: (not mine)
The “contact support” link opens a contact form that goes to a black hole. I’ve filled out dozens, and never gotten a response.