called the support desk for help, fee of $49.99

[Amalie]

I've had my Arlo for a year now and have had no issues. It was simple to setup and easy to use. Suddenly three days ago, I could not access my "free" cloud videos. I also could not view live feed due to a "base station error -1."

I called the support desk for help. They logged into my computer to figure out the problem. The problem was that 21 errors from my e-mail were received. (What does my e-mail have to do with my security camera???) Apparently someone was trying to hack into my camera...per the technician. How can the problem be fixed? Money of course! The technician asked me if I had a paid subscription....hmmm why is that relevant? I said no. The technician said that for a fee of $49.99, a third-level specialist "has the tools" necessary to remove these mysterious 21 errors and suddenly my Arlo would work again.

I instantly grew suspicious. Is this how Arlo gets you? If you choose to just buy the camera and use their "free" rolling 7-day cloud storage, here's how they get their money back...Let the customer buy no subscription. But we'll get them later by creating these errors. But don't worry, the customer is likely not technically savvy enough to understand that the errors are fake. We will then instill panic into the customers by telling them that someone is trying to hack into their camera. We will then charge these non-subscription-paying customers to remove the errors. Customers will either a) pay the $49.99 fix fee or b) buy a subscription.

Well I don't buy it, and I smell something rotten in this practice. I choose c) stop using the product and spread the word about Arlo's unethical business practice. I demand a full refund of the purchase price. I'd also be happy to send the product back in exchange.

[jguerdat]

Maybe you shouldn't have Googled for support but used the free services here:

https://www.arlo.com/en-us/support/contact.aspx

I'd scan your system deeply for trojans and malware since you allowed a scammer access to your computer.

[Amalie]

I retrieved the number from www.arlo.support

The support representative remoted in to view my machine with me watching, like help desk support at work.

[hokeysmoke]

That is a fake site.  There is no "Fort Away, Indiana", and I am pretty sure these people are in no way affiliated with Arlo.  If you want real Arlo support, click on the Support link above and scroll down to the "contact support" button.

I strongly suggest reinstalling your operating system, as you have been scammed and likely still are.

[jguerdat]

Why would you think that a .support domain woud be anything but a scam? There's nothing useful that isn't an arlo.netgear.com address:

https://www.arlo.com/en-us/support/contact.aspx

I would strongly urge you to scan your system thoroughly to remove malware. A complete rebuild may be in order.