Gripe

[ExcelChampion]

Bought a new laptop a month ago from a company that shares the same initials as Harry Potter. It has been a nightmare since...

1. Received the computer. During initial start up it crashed. Recovery partition is blank and cannot create backup DVD.

2. Took out the remote control from the Express34 slot and noticed a big scratch on it. Looked inside the Express34 slot and noticed two broken wires hanging down.

This is where the nightmare begins...

3. Call HP. Spent FOUR HOURS...YES, that is 4 hours with numerous different people and quickly got no where. Each person telling me to press F11, and/or run Recovery Manager (and mind you, these are people with English as a second language trying to help a dim-wit like me with technical stuff) but nothing happens and don't have Recovery Manager installed, respectively.

4. Finally told that a box would be sent to pick it up to go back to Oz to be fixed. Never received box.

5. Call back a week later, put in another claim because they say my name is not in the system. They tell me to wait for a Senior Rep to call. But, after 6 days, never heard anything.

6. Call back again. This time the guy tells me he'll send me the recovery DVD to fix the software problem and that a Senior Rep will call to work out the Express34 slot issue. Then he tells me to call him back in a day so that he can ship the DVD to me. I call back, and I get thrown into a cue. When I finally get someone they tell there is no guy by the name of the guy that helped me there. Probably because the guy that helped me was on the other side of the world.

7. The guy calls ME back and says because the model is new there are no recovery disks for aftermarket consumption (yeah, right.)

8. Another week goes by and still no Senior Rep. I call back. The guy tells me that my case was closed. why? Because after 48 hours of no activity the case automatically closes and that is why a Senior Rep hasn't called in the last couple of days. So, he sets up another case for me. He also tells me that my name was spelled wrong in the system and this was most likely the cause for a lot of the miscommunications.

9. Well, it has been over 48 hours and no call from a Senior Rep which also means my case was automatically closed again.

If you value your time, money, and insanity, do not buy from this company. I know I won't ever again.

PS, no kidding, besides all of the issues I've had with a month old computer, I forgot to mention, buttons are falling off of the keyboard. They literally just fall off as if they were never attached.

 

[Lewiy]

I have had my HP laptop for nearly a year now and have had no problems with it whatsoever (thank god if that's the kind of customer service you get). All the keys on the keyboard are in full working order with no sign of them disassembling themselves and I have overall been very pleased/impressed with the product.

Funny how people can have such different experiences with the same company. I am just praying now that I never have to go to them with a problem cos it sounds like you've had a real nightmare there. Hope it gets sorted for you soon.

 

[ExcelChampion]

The sad thing is that the concept of this machine is really cool. The screen swivels and you can use it like a tablet PC. It's small and compact. It's got the lightscribe, which is neat.

But, as mentioned in my original post...

 

[Richard Schollar]

That is a nightmare

I really don't like having to talk to people over the 'phone on support matters whose first language isn't my own - in my experience it frequently leads to misunderstanding often from a failure to appreciate the nuances of the language.

You would hope that a company with a strong brand would test their products before they sell them. That level of after-sales support is truly despicable.

 

[erik.van.geit]

Hi, ExcelChampion,

To put some pressure on the case, you could write a letter ("signed for recieved": don't know how this is in english) with the link to this post and a printout. (I'll edit this post if you want )

Attach proof of your phonecalls.

kind regards,
Erik

 

[steve case]

I have an HP printer which is worthless. It's supposed to be a send and receive fax, scanner with little slots for memory cards, copier and oh by the way print things.

I did manage to get it to print out a batrch of wedding invitations that turned out very nice and so in that regard it paid for itself, but currently it doesn't work and I'm tired of fooling around with it everytime I want to print something. It's much easier to load my file on a memory stick and use the printer on my wife's machine. No I am not going to try to link them.

 

[Lewiy]

It's got the lightscribe, which is neat.

I thought Lightscribe was a cool concept too, until I discovered the Lightscribe discs are significantly more expensive than regular ones so I’ve just stuck to the old marker pen method.

 

[ExcelChampion]

Thank you Erik, but I think I'll give them one more shot before writing a letter.

I can understand items being defective, but what I cannot understand is the customer service. I've always liked my HP products and I've never had to call customer service until now. I'm very disappointed by all of this. It especially bothers me because, like I said, I really like HP products and this new laptop is really cool (if it weren't broken), but when something goes wrong like receiving a defective product and I can't even get in touch with someone to correct it, it really is just so disappointing.

Richard, just for the record, I've spoken with HP reps born and raised in Canada and the U.S. as well as India, so the language barrier was only a small part of it. The real issue is the lack of commitment to keep commitments, like calling back within a 48 hour period.

One other thing, not everyone I spoke with worked for HP. Some people did, others worked for a call center. I really don't know how HP keeps track of it all...oh wait a minute, it is obvious that they don't!

 

[ExcelChampion]

It's got the lightscribe, which is neat.

I thought Lightscribe was a cool concept too, until I discovered the Lightscribe discs are significantly more expensive than regular ones so I’ve just stuck to the old marker pen method.

Yes, they are more expensive. I bought a pack of 15 DVDs though for $20 . I didn't think that was too bad.

 

[Lewiy]

It's got the lightscribe, which is neat.

I thought Lightscribe was a cool concept too, until I discovered the Lightscribe discs are significantly more expensive than regular ones so I’ve just stuck to the old marker pen method.

Yes, they are more expensive. I bought a pack of 15 DVDs though for $20 . I didn't think that was too bad.

That's not bad at all, but if you want dual layer they're more like a pack of 20 £30-£35 which I guess is about $50. Not so economical!