- Report: #8296
Complaint Review: Compaq Computer Corporation - Houston Texas
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Compaq Computer Corporation
P.O. Box 692000 Houston, 77269 Texas, U.S.A.
Phone:
1-800-OK-COMPAQ
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Compaq Refuses to Honor Warranty on Laptops,. This is a ripoff scam
I have a Compaq Presario 1600 XL laptop. When purchased, I was notified that the warranty was good until the "beginning of November, 2001."
In October of 2001, the machine began to experience hardware problems--specifically, the cooling fan had stopped working and the unit would overheat and lockup.
On October 20th, I went to Compaq's website (www.compaq.com) and then to their support section, where they offer a serial number lookup (http://www3.compaq.com/support/warranty_upgrades/index.asp) that tells you when your warranty expires.
My serial number (2V06DCHZ796R) indicates that my warranty expires on 11/4/2001, just as I had been informed when the unit was purchased. I proceeded (that same day) to submit an email support request (as their site requests that you do) to have the unit fixed. Almost immediately, I got an automated return email telling me that they would look into my issue and respond to me shortly.
After a few weeks, and still no response, immediately after Thanksgiving, I contacted Compaq support via telephone to inquire (now about 10 days outside of my warranty).
The phone representative informs me that I am outside of my warranty period. I reply that I am aware of this, but I tell him about my previous contact with support, where I was told they would be back in contact with me, then failed to do so.
He tells me that in order to have this problem fixed, I must purchase an extended warranty, then he will have it fixed under the extended warranty (and tells me he's doing me a big favor by selling me this extended warranty). I ask him what good is the extended warranty if they won't even live up to the one they gave me when the computer was purchased?
He proceeds to tell me that if I raise my voice he will disconnect the phone call. He transfers me to his supervisor, who tells me that in his computer he shows that my warranty ended in September, 2 months before. I direct him to HIS OWN website (Compaq site), and have him verify that in fact the website says my warranty is good until November 4th. He says there is nothing he can do.
I proceed to a Customer Relations personnel (Giovanni Nasetti, 800-204-5010, code #903) who tells me that he will only honor the warranty if I can find the ORIGINAL invoice (now a couple years ago).
To this day, I have had no satisfaction on this issue, and have even been told that contacting the email support team at Compaq doesnt count because they are not hardware support (when the Compaq website offers it as the FIRST line of contact SPECIFICALLY for hardware support).
I have sent over $1M worth of business to Compaq (servers for my companies clients), and am now switching my consulting firm's exclusive recommendation to Dell after this incident.
This is a scam.
In October of 2001, the machine began to experience hardware problems--specifically, the cooling fan had stopped working and the unit would overheat and lockup.
On October 20th, I went to Compaq's website (www.compaq.com) and then to their support section, where they offer a serial number lookup (http://www3.compaq.com/support/warranty_upgrades/index.asp) that tells you when your warranty expires.
My serial number (2V06DCHZ796R) indicates that my warranty expires on 11/4/2001, just as I had been informed when the unit was purchased. I proceeded (that same day) to submit an email support request (as their site requests that you do) to have the unit fixed. Almost immediately, I got an automated return email telling me that they would look into my issue and respond to me shortly.
After a few weeks, and still no response, immediately after Thanksgiving, I contacted Compaq support via telephone to inquire (now about 10 days outside of my warranty).
The phone representative informs me that I am outside of my warranty period. I reply that I am aware of this, but I tell him about my previous contact with support, where I was told they would be back in contact with me, then failed to do so.
He tells me that in order to have this problem fixed, I must purchase an extended warranty, then he will have it fixed under the extended warranty (and tells me he's doing me a big favor by selling me this extended warranty). I ask him what good is the extended warranty if they won't even live up to the one they gave me when the computer was purchased?
He proceeds to tell me that if I raise my voice he will disconnect the phone call. He transfers me to his supervisor, who tells me that in his computer he shows that my warranty ended in September, 2 months before. I direct him to HIS OWN website (Compaq site), and have him verify that in fact the website says my warranty is good until November 4th. He says there is nothing he can do.
I proceed to a Customer Relations personnel (Giovanni Nasetti, 800-204-5010, code #903) who tells me that he will only honor the warranty if I can find the ORIGINAL invoice (now a couple years ago).
To this day, I have had no satisfaction on this issue, and have even been told that contacting the email support team at Compaq doesnt count because they are not hardware support (when the Compaq website offers it as the FIRST line of contact SPECIFICALLY for hardware support).
I have sent over $1M worth of business to Compaq (servers for my companies clients), and am now switching my consulting firm's exclusive recommendation to Dell after this incident.
This is a scam.
1 Updates & Rebuttals
#20
Wed, November 28, 2001
