Cisco Smartnet Value

So I find myself at a cross-roads, I work on a relatively small network that runs on mostly Cisco Equipment. The switches and Wireless are Cisco, the router isn't (what other people make routers) and it is time for renewal. Now I bought the Smartnet subscription as part of installing the new wireless system. I am happy with the system and to day have had not a single outage even after a pipe burst and filled one of the ap's with water. The thing is, I don't see the value of the Smartnet contract.

I don't understand paying a percentage of the purchase cost yearly for the duration of ownership. Any one see the value that I am missing?

Damn you Hardware Revision

So for a Friday with the boss out on vacation, I figured it was a good day to prep for my busy Presidents day weekend project. I will be replacing all of the switches in one part of the building and installing some cable management to wrangle the rats nest in my network closet. I finished configuring the switches and while putting on the rack ears it dawns on me, one of the Cisco 2970 switches is different, and not just a little. One of the switches is nearly 2x's as thick as the others; so different that there is no way that the rack ears, that work on all of the other switches, will work.

Crap.

Boss is out so I have to ask a Director to approve a Purchase Request for this piece without getting a quote on it first. I am trying to get a quote, but its Friday and even CDW tries to leave early on Friday. In fact my account manager is out all day and his sales staff is being slow to answer the phone, and it is 4:30 local time..

Crap they are on the East Coast I think so now I am praying some poor soul is still sitting at their desk to help me. Why is this important? I don't know, but damn it those 4 switches were all bought at the same time, how the hell did they get an odd one? Worse yet, why are the ears not in the box?