Gen 3 8 zone controller won’t reconnect to WI-FI

My Gen 3 8 zone Rachio controller will not reconnect to my WI-FI. It looks like there was a power outage or firmware update and the controller will not reconnect. I tried to recycle the controller. I did a factory reset, except I did not remove the device or delete the account, like it warns you not to do. Rachio Support says the controller will have to be replaced and it is out of warranty. The unit is 3 years old. My question is, before I get a new unit why not remove the device and delete the account and try a completely new install? What would happen to my existing account? Will the unit still have all the old information in its memory when I try to reinstall it?