Comment by neilv
2 days ago
> We understand this change may disrupt your routines, and we sincerely apologize for the inconvenience.
Empty apology, for an act that legislators, regulators, and the market shouldn't tolerate.
> If your Wemo product is still under warranty on or after January 31, 2026, you may be eligible for a partial refund. Refund requests will not be processed before that date.
Someone needs to lead a class-action suit, with a settlement that is many multiples of whatever the company thought they gained/saved. Get it publicized for well-deserved brand damage. Make it hurt enough that shareholders are angry at the CEO and board.
I agree this sucks, but what would the cause of action be? They're offering partial refunds for items purchased within the warranty period (though you have to have proof of purchase, which of course practically no one will have).
I don't think companies can be sued for discontinuing cloud services that are required for older devices to keep working, otherwise Google would have surely been sued over their Nest security system shutdown, among other things. Maybe a shareholder derivative lawsuit could make sense, but Belkin isn't publicly traded, and presumably whoever owns them is OK with this decision (and wouldn't want a costly lawsuit).
The fact that the refund is only partial seems pretty unreasonable to me. If they are reneging on their side of the deal then they should return the money that they took.
Yeah, especially for devices that have to be installed by an electrician, which can double the cost. I think I paid around $50 for dimmable switches and $50 for each to be installed. Fortunately most of them work with HomeKit, but one of those suckers is only controllable via the Wemo app...