Chromebook 516 GE - Ethernet cable won't latch

I'm sorry, but this answer is unacceptable. I purchased a device with a certain number of ports. I expect to receive functionality for every single port I paid for. As you may know, USB ports are at a premium on most notebooks, and there are only 2xC and 1xA on mine. I use all of them. I have many working Ethernet cables, they all have crisp and springy latch tabs, and I have 1GbE switch and network here, and there is absolutely no call to spend money and put a dongle which blocks a port up.

(Errata: I wrote "latching tab" in my OP but I meant to write "latching ridge" — the ridge is the bit on the jack whilst the tab is on the plug.)

the hardware works, do you understand this? The Ethernet connection is fine, the pins and eletrical connections are all in perfect order, and my connection is great while the device is immobile. Why should I replace a perfectly working, perfectly acceptable device because it has a minor annoyance? Do you know how slow and inefficient USB-A is?

Thanks for the suggestion. Do you have any Amazon affiliate links for us.

Absolutely if the Ethernet broke entirely and was unfixable, then I would need to purchase a dongle. That would be the first item on the shopping list, of course. Well, my WiFi works really great, so it wouldn't be an urgent purpose. I also have USB tethering available, so if I want to use mobile data, I could do that too.

All I want is to repair the latch tab on this machine so that it clings nicely to the plug ridge. Or figure out which type of Ethernet cable would be compatible with this. That should be a straightforward and simple job.

turn the Wi-Fi off from within Win-11 Settings

What are "Win-11 Settings"? I am afraid I am confused by this reply. I assure you that the WiFi was off. In fact, I am mistaken about it self-activating, because having tested it just now, it appears that it stays off when I disconnect Ethernet, but that the icon in the ChromeOS corner screen looks like a WiFi reception icon with no reception, to signify no network connection. And I can't say that I recall it spontaneously connecting to my WiFi in these cases.

I am also confused by your assertion that "you need to spring the center latch open" before inserting. This is a physically silly design if it truly requires two hands every time there's an insertion, and furthermore that method of operation is not mentioned anywhere in manuals, help files, or support. So for the repair guys to say that I voided my warranty by inserting a cable would be reprehensible, and I would probably just proceed to discuss this with my attorney. It's awful design: if a hinge needs to be manually opened first then it should not be possible for it to move before the human manually activates it. This hinge just swings open and shut as it pleases.

Have you ever examined a VHS tape and its machine? The VHS has an ingenious design whereby there is a lid on the front end which protects the tape and mechanisms, and the lid cannot be simply flipped open by a user; it takes two hands because there's a button on the side which is designed to be mechanically activated. That's the failsafe. If I recall correctly, there's also a failsafe for locking the reels, and they cannot move until that switch is activated as well. VHS are quite bulletproof from ignorant dorks mucking around with them, and if a Chromebook (that's used by young children in middle schools and by gamers) can't withstand a simple cable insertion, that's negligence.

I would welcome StevenGen and anyone else to prove me wrong by linking to the documentation of that port.

I mean, my last big issue was the trackpad not detecting two fingers. If you can also tell me in the documentation that those fingers must be on the same hand or the trackpad doesn't work as promised, I'd be thrilled!!!

You seem to imply that I've damaged the port so much that it's nonfunctional, but I'm not sure where you're getting this idea. The pins all work, the eletronics are fine, and the mainboard isn't damaged by any stretch of the imagination. A mainboard replacement at this point would prove the incompetence of Acer tech, and cement my opinion of their unworthiness to provide products which I depend on every day for work and important business.

My fatal mistake here, I must confess, is being scammed by another deeply-discounted big box purchase. Best Buy had this model on display on the floor, and there was an actual Googler there representing Best Buy in sales. I thought the thing was sleek and ideal for my use cases, and I loved it at first sight. It had all the right specs.

But it's turned into a support nightmare and while absolutely nothing is a deal-breaker, or show-stopper for daily work, it's just one after another glitch and annoyance and bad design.

I already knew this old story, because I purchased a Corsair gamer's keyboard also at Best Buy for a deep discount, and I found out why the discount: the hardware was permanently defective (perhaps hard and firmware both) and after 3 RMAs of them sending me the same exact thing that crashed the same exact way, I threw it in the recycling but destroyed it violently first, for a cheap thrill.

My Windows 10 Lenovo is a peach; I've never had a single quibble; the purchase experience was magnificent and they allowed me to preconfigure the hardware to my heart's content. I ran Fedora Linux on it, too, absolutely flawless performance.

Chromebooks are low-spec and lightweight, so theoretically the prices should be lower for comparable experience. I obviously should not pay less than $1,200 for a daily driver if I expect it to be designed and built properly by experts. And I certainly had better not choose an Acer.