Here ya go folks. Add this one to your books. I purchased a New Compaq Presario 6350 for Christmas of 2002. I was attempting to start up a personal home bussiness. Maybe not the the best pc to do that on but hey, I was just learning.
Anyway, I after the first run every time I shut down I kept getting a memory error. Same sector every time.
Finally after about two weeks one day it just wouldn't start at all. I called Compaq, "THE NEW HP" and got shifted to about 30 different people that I couldn't even understand. Or were very rude.
I also found out that my support calls were being forwarded to Afganistan or Pakistan. This explains the lack of communication. And the words that I could piece together I still could not make much sence out of so it wasn't helping at all.
I also had to keep going through all my information over and over each time I called. I called repeatedly in hopes to get someone I could understand, which turned out to be about 60 dollars worth of Hassle with Support and the Executive Office's Answering Personel (Support on these computers is not completly free! You still have to pay your personal phone bill charges.)
Then I was told to take my Compaq to an authorized service center. So I did. Only to get another run around from good ole Radio Shack.
They had my pc for weeks, and each time I called the parts were never in. I was told by the Compaq tech that it was a memory card problem but the Radio Shack tech insisted it was a mother board.
Well, After weeks of being put off, I had to get more firm about the situation. Only to find out that Radio Shack had never ordered my parts!
Needless to say by this point I was spitting nails. I called Compaq/"THE NEW HP" trying to get through to someone who could get me a replacement pc.
I was very upset because I was putting perspective customers on hold through this whole ordeal.
I demanded something be done now. Well I'm not even sure how long it took for a case manager to get back to me but when he did at first he seemed rather nice.
I thought finally I got someone that knows what they're doing and can help me. Well he turned out to be a real joke too. He would rarely return my calls. Toward the end he never returned them at all. Some Case Manager.
Here I thought I was speaking to a professional bussiness man only to find out he was he was more then likely the janitor or something like that, concidering the way I was treated. (not that there's anything wrong with being a janitor, because Compaq/HP has alot of cleaning up to do these days)
I had no way to contact him. I called HP executive offices and found some very nasty women there also. Except for a nice man named Randy (who also informed that HP would pay for my phone charges due to my inconvienience, this still remains to seen. (I'll be sure to let you know when I recieve my money back for the 60 sum dollars in phone bills made to call my case manager who refused to let me contact him directly)
I did get a chance, eventually, to talk to two very nice ladies who also helped a great deal, since my case manager couldn't do his job properly or professionaly.
Everyone there was questioning me as to why my Case Manager would not give me a direct contact to him when this is supossed to be a standard procedure.
This just tells me there was a something shifty about the whole situation and apparently he had something to hide, like lack of work ethic or maybe he was ashamed of himself for being less then honest about a few things.
He rarely returned my calls and left me hanging wondering what was going on with the status of my complaint and what was being done to resolve the situation many times.
I felt like I was getting no where and just pushed off. I finally got tired of not getting my phone calls returned and went to the Better Business Bureau site and found a lady by the name of Francesca Rude (Ru-day) (She works for The NEW HP) and emailed her with my complaints.
She then transfered me to a nice lady named Paula. She was very nice and helpfull also. She totally agreed with everything and sided with me. I told her I had every reason to be upset and also questioned the fact that my case manager (or whoever he is, some people said they knew him and other's had no clue) wasn't returning my calls and I still had no way to contact him.
It was so obvious that he was lieing to me for his own incompetent reasons. When I did finally hear from him he told me a new pc was sent out. Happy to hear this, at this point I was willing to put all this behind and keep a positive attitude about HP. So I sat waiting. And waiting... And guess what. NO PC!
So I called again, and this time I was told by my trusty case manager it was just sent out that day. (meaning the day I made this exact phone call) I then asked for a tracking number to verify it was acctually sent this time. He could not give me one at that point but said he would call when he got one. Which said gee, another Case Manager lie because if it was shipped you always get a tracking number right away.
Needless to say I never recieved that tracking number or a call back either. I was left hanging again.By this time I had to send my potential customers elsewhere because they couldn't wait for HP to come through and do the only fair thing there was to do, send me another pc. (concidering I only was able to use the one I just bought for about 3 weeks then it wouldn't run anymore)
So needless to say I gave up on the home bussiness idea. I feel I lost alot more then just a computer. It's more then that. I'm upset at the lack of respect. I also got the impression that just because I was trying to start a home bussiness that made my complaints less priority.
It seemed they could have cared less that through all the lies I was told by my case manager contributed to me losing the chance at starting my own business. I think when they relayed my messages to my case manager he lied to them also. Because I found it very funny that they could get in touch with him directly but I couldn't. And I was always nice to him so there was no reason for this.
So I truely don't think I got a fair shake. However, there is some good news, after all this aggrivation I did recieve another computer about a week later, however I'm scared as hell of it failing me just like the last one. I refuse to spend anymore money on Compaq or HP again. So calling their underdog support is out of the question. So if any of you call Support and get someone you can understand or that acctually treats you like a respected customer no matter how big or small, concider yourself lucky.
It seems through my experience that the people I couldn't understand treated me nicer then the ones that spoke clear English...
Just think, if we could mix the nice ones with clear speakers Compaq/HP might have something going there. Lol. Go Figure.
Oh yea, that same week Radio Shack returned original PC and said was fixed. As soon as I started it up it shut down due to a fan malfunction, and I also got the same memory error when I tried to run it again. And the work order on it. Ha, well that was a joke in itself.
None of the specs on the work order matched what was supposed to be in my computer. When I inquired about this I was told their equipment isn't updated enough to pick up the newer components. Well, how on earth can they say it was properly repaired if they are using outdated equipment.
Personally I think I was being handed a line because they assumed I didn't know much about computers. Well we all know what ASS U ME means huh? I was born at night but not last night.
So, I returned the faulty computer to HP. I only hope they really do look into what is wrong with it for future reference.
I lost so much due to Radio Shack, Compaq's and The NEW HP's carelessness. And after the way I was treated. I think the public should be warned and fully aware that this Company does not respect and honor the customers that got them where they are today.
Then again maybe the public is becomming aware of it because I'm hearing of more and more people ditching Compaq/HP and going with Dell or others. At least Dell has been awarded many times for their customer satisfaction. So I think that's where I'm taking my future computer needs.
The public needs to be aware and all of us need to get what is rightfully due to us. And to also help and warn those people who are only beginning to experience this horrific ordeal.
Even if all we get is the RESPECT we deserve, At least we got something. Fight for what is right! Remember, they don't have the upper hand, We do as the consumers that give them their millions. And if no one buy's their faulty products or deals with their ignorance they lose not us.
Dawn
Reading, Pennsylvania
U.S.A.
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