Wrap-Up: HP Sucks

Hopefully this will be the last time I post about the saga of my malfunctioning HP Presario V3000z.

Thanks to a compassionate FedEx driver, I was spared the drive to Montrose to pick up my computer (see my last post). He made the arrangements to bring the box to me himself. What a guy!

The Presario appears to work. When I shipped it to HP, the machine wouldn’t boot. The LEDs would light up, and the disk would spin for a second, but then nothing else would happen. I knew it was the motherboard that was the cause because 1) HP has a recall program for this problem, and 2) I was able to backup my disk by taking it out and copying the contents to another machine.

The machine now starts up without a problem. And surprisingly HP didn’t wipe the drive as they told me they would. Which means I should be able to copy my email and a couple other documents from my surrogate machine and be on my way. That’s a relief.

Although the Presario is a bit low on disk, so I’ll probably have to upgrade it before long.

So, all in all, the problem is resolved. It took almost exactly 1 month to get from A (HP providing me with a return ticket) to B (HP returning the notebook in working order).

If anyone from HP ever reads this, here are my recommendations.

1. Train your customer service reps (CSRs) properly. HP’s reps never really had the information or training they needed to get the job done right. Their English was poor and they tended to go from script more than using their heads. I can’t tell you how many times I had to explain my situation because the CSR couldn’t absorb information that didn’t fit their script.
2. Provide accurate information. The time estimates for the repair started at 7-10 days. Soon it was increased to 15 days. Then, when several days had passed and HP hadn’t even sent me the return packaging, the CSRs blamed FedEx for the delay. It was obvious that HP was having a major problem with repairs, but the CSRs waited until I was shouting at them before they’d admit there was a problem. And worse, ALL of HP’s email correspondence points the customer to an online status page. During the first week of my ordeal, the status page wouldn’t even come up! And even when it finally did actually show up in my browser it was never anywhere close to showing an accurate status. The online status page was worthless.
3. FIX YOUR SYSTEM. It’s great that HP acknowledged the problem with several models of their computers and repaired my notebook for free. If HP had handled this better, I would be singing their praises. But the experience was painful and infuriating and I will never buy another HP computer again. I also will not likely buy any of their other products.

If anyone who’s having trouble with HP reads this, here is my advice:

1. Let go. There is nothing you can do or say to make HP follow through on their promise faster than they are. Plan for the process to take 3 or 4 times longer than what you’re told. Go on with your life and try not to think about it.
2. Use email instead of the phone. This saved me a lot of headaches and high blood pressure because I didn’t have to wait around on hold to be given inaccurate information or bad news. Additionally, emails provide a "paper" trail.
3. Have your order and ticket number ready if you do call. This will save you time because the CSR can read your history instead of making you repeat it.

Good luck.

Tags: hp sucks, motherboard failure, presario v3000