Hewlett Packard ripoff and horrible service support Palo Alto California
I purchased a Hewlett Packard Pavillion desktop at the end of April 2005 and spent almost a $1000 for the system with printer. I have had problems with random reboots and shut-downs since the very beginning. In August the situation got to the point where I could not even get on the internet anymore. After many phone calls to tech support ( with technicians I could barely understand half of what they were saying due to very thick accents)Hewlett Packard techs decided I needed an in home technician, at a cost of $30 to me.
This technician replaced my NIC card, my computer worked 1 day, then same old problems. I then was instructed by tech support, after a multitude of tests including a destructive recovery, and re-installing Windows that I now needed to ship my computer back to them for repair. After 4 months of use???? what is wrong with their product? I shipped it back twice in August with the result of it working about 1 to 2 days before breaking again.
Next step, technician tells me I need to take my computer apart and fool with the NIC card to make sure it is in place properly. Why on earth didn't they do that sometime during the entire month of August that they had it? Now I've had to do this 5 times in the last 5 days just so I can get online and they tell me; quote" internet issues aren't that big of a deal". WHAT? How many people buy a computer that don't want to go online? That's 90% of what I use it for. Their service is lousy, the techs don't care at all, and I really believe that they hung up on me most of the time and blamed my cell phone for dropping the calls. yeah right, it seems my cell phone only drops their calls, what a conicidence. I am now fighting for a replacement, but not holding my breath for it of course.
Anita
Ridge Manor, Florida
U.S.A.
3 Updates & Rebuttals
S.
Potts,Pennsylvania,
U.S.A.
BUYERS BEWARE
#4Consumer Comment
Thu, March 16, 2006
I am doing my best to spread the news. BUYERS BEWARE! I have posted another thread with RipOff Report regarding Hewlett Packard's Notebooks. I want to add to your thread just in case my thread is missed.
My son and I own HP Pavilion Notebooks. My son's notebook has had multiple hardware failures. I have just experienced my first hardware failure. To add insult to injury, we have had to deal with Hewlett Packard's customer service which is nonresponisve for the most part and inept.
I have opportunities to present professionally to large groups of computer scientists and graphic designers who teach at international institutions of higher education. In turn, these faculty members teach thousands of students who are potential HP customers. I plan to share the personal experiences I have had with Hewlett Packard with as many people as possible.
Anybody who thinks that the mistreatment of one individual customer is not that important, is sadly mistaken.
Anita
Ridge Manor,Florida,
U.S.A.
I appresciate being informed
#4Author of original report
Sat, September 10, 2005
Thanks Nicole, I appresciate being informed to ask for the "case manager". I've been asking for the supervisor in charge, but I think they just give me the guy sitting next to them. Also, the fact that the case managers can actually speak the language of our country is a great bonus. I'm off to go back to the battle with them.
Nicole
Sitka,Alaska,
U.S.A.
ahhh....good ol' HP random shutdowns, being left in factory mode after service, no working fan
#4Consumer Suggestion
Sat, September 10, 2005
I have one too. I feel your pain.
Mine is a Pavilion ZV5000 series laptop. Retailed at nearly $2000 brand new, by itself. Within one month I had HP replace it. Two months later, another replacement, and now nine months into the warrenty and three repacements we are trying a new series (a much better computer that retails at nearly $3000). All of this has been at no cost to me, other than the loss of use of my laptop for three or four days at a time.
My issues were random shutdowns, being left in factory mode after service, no working fan on ANY of the laptops (series issue, I guess), and the date kept resetting to 2405 (windows date only not BIOS - weird, huh?)
Now, is HP good? yeah, they are good. Are they great? No. If you want a GREAT computer build it yourself or have someone you trust build you one. Are their tech support people good? NO.
Demand a "case manager". You will recieve a different phone number and a personal case manager (not an American, but close enough they are in Canada - and Canada is better than "Katherine" from India) who is authorized to do much more than tech support. Random shutdowns sound like a virus or spyware. Run a virus scan in SAFE mode. while you are at it run a spyware one too. Good luck, it can be hell, but the case managers are GREAT! They can do so much more for you, and they even speak English, which is always a plus, at least for me!