@Riley_S Thank you for the reply. I just checked the reset button by depressing/releasing and could clearly hear/feel the button actuate. It does not appear or sound stuck by any means. The router continues to randomly reset to default settings (sometimes daily, sometimes after a couple days, but any changed settings rarely last any longer than that.)
As to your comment about online orders. Please understand that the order was not "online" in the sense that the item was delivered to my home, it was an in-store, pick-up order that is akin to going inside and physically purchasing the item, but they simply bring it to my car. Much like we all were forced to do during the COVID pandemic. So I do not believe this is considered an online order in the way you are inferring. If Wal-Mart is not a 'verified retail' supplier, then I suggest TP-Link stop sending their products to Wal-Mart stores with the "2 Year Warranty" stickers affixed and negligently give customers a false impression of warranty protection.
Please allow me to be clear- I don't know the best way to express how frustrating this process has been. I paid full retail price for this item with the idea that I would be protected in the case of a defect. I have thoroughly enjoyed other TP Link products for many years. The OpenVPN Server feature is absolutely amazing. The only conclusion I can make from this experience is that TP Link does not care about customer satisfaction or legitimate claims of warranty. Do you think I am lying about these ongoing issues? Why wouldn't a manufacturer at minimum want such a product back in order to investigate the alleged defect? It seems this back-and-forth is wasting both your (past TP-Link conversations) and my time in effort to avoid honoring a warranty. Am I missing something here?
Please advise.
Best Regards