HP Laptop Customer Service, the ultimate oxymoron

Dear Bill & Dave,

First let me say for the past 30 years, I've loved the company you created. Working there was a wonderful experience, and in those days the HP Way was something to be proud of. But I have to tell you, things are seriously broken. It's not in the hand-held group. Ken Dobbie there is doing a great job. He solved my iPAQ issues professionally, quickly and successfully, winning me back as a fan of the iPAQ. From the time he heard of my problems to the time he solved them was exactly 24 hours. That is responsiveness the HP Way.

Then there are the laptop folks. You need to know that I've been buying HP printers, ink, paper, handhelds and laptops ever since I worked there. As it happens, I bought this HP Pavilion dv6000 laptop because we were working for HP and they wanted us to use their products. I can only imagine how you guys would have reacted if I'd told you that the the report you commissioned from me would be three weeks late because the product that you designed, produced and sold me didn't work. The good news is, I'm no longer working on the HP account, so I guess it doesn't matter.
But you really would be appalled by how they respond to loyal customers these days. First they told me via email it would be back on July  27th. They lied. On July 27th as I waited in the office until dark thinking that maybe FedEx would come, they emailed me to say that it would ship August 3rd. On the 3rd, I once again made arrangements to ensure that if Fed Ex were to deliver the laptop, someone would be there to sign for it, only to find out that no, they lied again. It hadn't been shipped at all. And in fact, due to screw ups in logistics, no one seems to be able to tell me when it WILL be returned.  The obvious truth is that they bought  bad parts, should have recalled them or at least ordered more replacements, and when they started to fail in large numbers, got overwhelmed in support and are now in utter chaos. I know that this is NOT the HP WAY you had in mind. And it probably isn't the HP that Mark Hurd envisioned either. But its a bit hard to say that he inherited these guys....  The problem is that this does seem to be the new HP Way. I"m clearly not the only one with this kind of problem.
I know what you would have done. You would have taken a new working laptop, put my old hard drive in the new machine and sent it back to me. Their latest email to me indicates that someone will contact me in the next three working days to let me know what is up. Of course by that time I will have bought a new Dell laptop and HP will have lost a die-hard fan of some 30 years. Sorry Bill and Dave.

Comments

[Plumbing]

Great post!
We need to be aware and knowledgeable every time we will encounter laptop problems. Always consult to a professional one.

[used computers]

The idea of a portable device for reading newspapers and magazines has been kicking around for nearly two decades.

[cheap computers]

It is unfortuante that HP doesn't look after their customers better than this but this will be the last product from HP or Compaq from me including all of their product line.

[cheap computers]

I do think they are honestly trying to fix things that happened before Mark Hurd took over.

[social bookmarking]

good job

keep it coming

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[laptop battery]

thanks for your sharing ,but my HP laptop battery are not well

[Cheap Computers]

[...]I am sorry but dell is hell... and dell's laptop is really a cheap and useless laptops in the World.... when i was buy a dell new laptop its become a hang and cant working at all... and after some days its become a burn i waste my 249$..Shame Dell...!!!!and now i am used a Hp laptop and its doing go job ... keep it Up Hp...!!![....]
http://www.electrocomputerwarehouse.com

[Dell optiplex]

We have purchased refurbs from Apple several times and wouldn't
hesitate to buy more. A guy from Apple once told me the refurbs
go through a more stringent Q/A process than factory machines do.
Plus, they come with the standard Apple warranty
and are still eligible for AppleCare within the first
year should you so desire.

[Raj]

Alright, I bought my Laptop DV6025 a year back from HP. The laptop started giving me problems of the screen dimming out, which is quite common thing with HP laptops. I finally send in the laptop for service and those morons say that mositure in the air somehow leaked into the laptop and hence the warranty doesnt cover the liquid spillage. First they sell these defective technology to us and then they squeeze the customer for full service fee. In fact, Ive had problems with their cameras, printers. I am wondering their level of technology and their commitment. I would never want to recommend for anyone to buy any HP products and their service SUCKS big time......

[Katie Paine]

Tracy,
to be fair to HP, they are listening. After I posted about my recent problems, I got a call from the Executive offices who are now sending me a new Pavillion 6000. I do think they are honestly trying to fix things that happened before Mark Hurd took over. You might want to check out VendorRate (www.vendorrate.com) where customers can rate and share opinions of vendors directly

[Tracy Esau]

Thank you for the advance warning. I really appreciate that you are creating public awareness about such topics

[KDPaine]

Jonathan, among the reasons I bought an HP was that my experience with Dell was like yours. We would place orders and have them canceled without ever being notified. So we'd have employees waiting for equipment with nothing to do. And the HP is a great machine, don't get me wrong. I won't buy Lenovo because of the China connection, so the choices are limited.

[Jonathan Joestar]

I'm sorry to hear about HP, as I was seriously considering them for my new laptop; I appreciate the warning!

As for Dell, I wouldn't go there too quickly if you're looking for good customer service; While I was perfectly happy the last two times I bought a computer from them (1999 and 2004), my recent problems with them have made me never want to buy from them again.

I tried to purchase a refurbished Dell a week ago, since it was a great buy for the configuration. All was well until this morning when I noticed that my order had been canceled without any notification!

When I called the customer support number, they said that I hadn't authorized the charge (I hadn't received any email or phone notification prior), that the order was cancelled, and I wouldn't be able to get my computer.

When I asked to get a replacement coupon for the one I used, they transferred me to 4 different "representatives" over a period of 80 minutes. Ultimately I was told that since I didn't actually pay for the system, they could not authorize a coupon.

I guess the "award-winning customer service" they brag about in Dell TV ads won an award for "Company Most Likely to Treat You Like Dirt."

I guess the bright side is that had I bought the computer and had a problem, I probably never would have gotten it fixed with the kind of half-baked customer service they offer. Buyer beware!!!