I have finally received my new HP 6625Ca laptop. It is a slight upgrade for me and I am very happy. It works exactly as it should and hasn't frozen yet.
Good job HP, finally you deliver.
Monday, February 25, 2008
Sunday, February 10, 2008
Update #3: The end nears
On Wed (6th Feb 2008) I received a phone call from a Sr. Quality Case Manager at HP Canada. He must have got my number and information from the CEO's office. He apologied about the service I had received and asked me a few questions about the problem I was having. I gave him the information he wanted and told him that I had just received the laptop from the second repair and it still not work correctly.
He requested that I email or fax him my proof of purchase as soon as possible. I did this at night and two days later I called him to ask about the status of the issue. He offered to replace the system with a slighly better one(brand new), I gladly accepted the offer. Within 24 hours I received my authorizaation to return the unit to HP Canada. I will do this on Monday morning.
I will update this blog once my new dv6625CA arrives or if something else occurs.
He requested that I email or fax him my proof of purchase as soon as possible. I did this at night and two days later I called him to ask about the status of the issue. He offered to replace the system with a slighly better one(brand new), I gladly accepted the offer. Within 24 hours I received my authorizaation to return the unit to HP Canada. I will do this on Monday morning.
I will update this blog once my new dv6625CA arrives or if something else occurs.
Thursday, February 7, 2008
Update #2
Two days ago I received my computer after its second trip to the repair centre. I wish I could say it has been fixed, but I can’t. This time around, the technicians have replaced the battery. It leaves me shocked and disassociated that these technicians are unable to resolve these hardware issues. I also fail to understand how they came to the conclusion that my battery needs to me replaced? During the first repair they were able to reproduce the freezing condition while my battery was at home, then somehow they replaced the hard drive and RAM (which were working perfectly according to the bios). This time they were able to reproduce the freezing condition (according to the customer repair receipt) also while the ‘faulty’ battery was at home. This is illogical and leaves me slightly bewildered. How could the battery be faulty if both times it was at home and with another battery at the repair centre the laptop kept freezing?
For the second repair a new ticket number was allocated to me, it is 800 773 2077 and the service order was setup such that it referred to the previous repair and service ticket. (According to the support agent I spoke to)
I am now completely out of patience and I hope HP replaces my computer as soon as possible so that I am able to forget about this terrible episode. It is also in HP’s best interests to take my laptop back and look at it in detail at their labs to determine the cause and to ensure it does not affect future devices. This is just my opinion on this situation, in the next few days we will know HP’s perspective.
For the second repair a new ticket number was allocated to me, it is 800 773 2077 and the service order was setup such that it referred to the previous repair and service ticket. (According to the support agent I spoke to)
I am now completely out of patience and I hope HP replaces my computer as soon as possible so that I am able to forget about this terrible episode. It is also in HP’s best interests to take my laptop back and look at it in detail at their labs to determine the cause and to ensure it does not affect future devices. This is just my opinion on this situation, in the next few days we will know HP’s perspective.
Friday, January 25, 2008
Update #1
January 25, 2007
Email to CEO:
I have written an email to Mark Hull, CEO of HP describing the manner in which I have been treated. A link to this blog was also provided in the email together with all the ticket information.
7th Call:
I called HP this afternoon and informed that that the “repaired” computer they had send was in fact defective just as before. The representative was very good and realised that there was a major issue on hand. He had me upgrade the bios and briefly describe what was going on. He organised for another box to me sent to me so that the laptop could be returned for further repairs. A new CSO number was also provided.
Email to CEO:
I have written an email to Mark Hull, CEO of HP describing the manner in which I have been treated. A link to this blog was also provided in the email together with all the ticket information.
7th Call:
I called HP this afternoon and informed that that the “repaired” computer they had send was in fact defective just as before. The representative was very good and realised that there was a major issue on hand. He had me upgrade the bios and briefly describe what was going on. He organised for another box to me sent to me so that the laptop could be returned for further repairs. A new CSO number was also provided.
HP dv6607NR Nightmare (First Post)
Detailed Summary of Communications with HP:
January 03, 2007
1st call:
A support agent called Chris talks to me about the issue and has me run some tests which include running the computer with and without the battery. Also, I described to him the tests I had done and what the results were. (HP Recovery, Windows Updates, and various updated device drivers from the HP website) We spent about 45 min doing these tests which included battery calibration, numerous restarts and so on. He assigned me the ticket number 800 678 2956 and asked me on hold while he updated the system. The music started and I patiently waited, after a few minutes suddenly the call was dropped.
2nd call:
I immediately called HP and explained to the new agent that the call was dropped. The agent said they were having problems with their phone lines today and HP apologises for the inconvenience. I gave him the previous ticket number and he said they have NO record of it. How is this possible? I can only think that the previous agent had no idea of the issue therefore he put me on hold then hung up on me. This is completely unacceptable in my opinion. A new ticket number was assigned to my case, the number is 800 681 7210.
Anyhow, I again explained starting from scratch what my problem was. I explained to him what the tests I had done with the previous support representative and their results. He had me run some more tests to try determining the problem. These tests showed how incompetent the technician was. He was simply following a flow chart or script of some sort. I had already done 3 HP Recovery’s which completely restores the computer to its original factory state therefore this rules out any software error. (Unless HP is shipping computers with software errors from the factory)
He finally determines that there is something possibly wrong with the battery or hardware and decides that a new battery will need to be shipped to me. He takes my mailing address and telephone number and enters them into the system. He says he is “escalating” the case so that it can be processed and a supervisor will call me back in 20-30minutes once it has been processed. Apparently his supervisor was too busy to take on my problem right now, this does not reflect good customer service. Never the less, I thank him for his services and then hang up.
3rd call:
After waiting for two hours I call HP back and talk to another associate. This time a lady answers and takes my information. Once again I give her my name and computer information(S/N and P/N). I then explain to her my situation and give her my service ticket number so she can help me. She brings up my information however she is unable to help because it has been escalated to “supervisor level.” I ask if she could do anything however she says she cannot even access the detailed information. She apologises for the inconvenience and assures me someone will call me back as soon as possible. I told her that the previous agent had said something similar to me (About calling back) and no one called back. She apologies again and assured me someone would call me within 24hours. I accepted her apology and hung up as it seemed I had exhausted my telephone options for the time being.
January 04, 2007
4th call:
After waiting for 24 hours and the weekend just a few hours away I decide to call HP my self instead of waiting for the illusive supervisor. I go through the routine with the support agent of providing my information and laptop details. I inform him that I was promised that a battery would be shipped to me and a supervisor would call me when this was done. He informs me that he doesn’t see anything on the case other than an unresolved issue with the laptop battery. I bring him up to speed on the situation and all the tests I had performed with the other representatives and on my own accord. We again embark on some tests which include rebooting the computer and reproducing the freezing condition. After the computer freezes he asks me to click on the Start button and shut down. I kindly inform him that this is impossible because the computer is frozen and unresponsive to all input. I restart by holding down the power button as this is the only option. The representative then asks me to select “last known good configuration” to restore the computer. This is when I put my foot down and tell him how pointless his tests were. I explain to him that a full HP Recovery has already been done 3 times and if there was anything wrong with the software then the restores would have solved the problem. He replies that I don’t have to do what he says and that he does not know what else to do.
He says I should hold while he transfers me to “level 2 support”. As I hold, the music plays and I patiently wait. The agent returns and informs that he was having a problem making the connection; he requests I continue to hold while he retries the connection. I continue to hold while the music restarts. The support agent comes on the phone and informs me that it will be impossible to diagnose the problem on the phone and therefore the system will need to be returned for service. That is a very quick change in tone, either he had been instructed to do this or he had no idea what the problem was. However, I am happy that something is happening and my computer will be repaired soon. He asks me to remove all passwords and personal data from the computer prior to shipping. He informs me that he will have a box sent to me immediately; I would have to put my laptop inside and return it to the service centre. He puts me on hold for a few minutes so he can input the information to the computer system. I wait patiently. After a few minutes he comes back on the line and asks me to hold for a few minutes more while he processes the order. I hold for a few more minutes. He comes on the phone again and tells me their system is updating and he will make the order once the update is complete. He tells me he has all the information he requires and I could call back after 30 minutes to get a tracking number. I thank him for his help and hang up.
1st online chat:
After a few hours I decide to use HP’s online chat to tool find out my tracking number for the box HP was going to send me. I give my ticket information to the associate and explain to her that I need the tracking number for a box that is being sent to me. She informs me that I will receive and email when the box is dispatched which will contain all the pertinent information. She also tells me she cannot see the information and that I should call HP Phone help. I thank her for her help and leave the chat service.
January 06, 2007:
5th Call:
With the weekend almost over, I decide to call HP again to enquire about the status of my issue. It seems that nothing has been shipped out and no repair has even been ordered. I explain to the associate what her previous counterpart had told me, she says there is nothing she can do other than re-escalate the issue to a Case Manager. She informs me that all possible troubleshooting routes have been exhausted and there is nothing more she can do. I ask her if she can transfer me to someone who can help, she puts me on hold. After waiting for a few minutes she comes on the line again. She tells me she has talked to her supervisor and assures me the issue is being handled. She says I will receive a phone call in 24-48 hours from a Case Manager who will assist me further. I ask her if I could speak to her supervisor right now, she says he is too busy but he will look into the matter as soon as he gets time. Again she assures me that I will receive a call within 24-48 hours and my problem will be resolved quickly. I am now very frustrated with the level of support I have received. I thank her for her time and hang up.
January 09, 2007
It is now 36 hours since I last spoke to a technical support agent. As expected, the illusive Case Manager or supervisor has not yet called.
6th Call:
I call HP Phone Support again to enquire about the status of my problem. I am pleasantly surprised that the representative is speaking fluent English and not following a script this time. I explain to her my experience and she asks me to wait for another 24 hours. At this moment I tell her that I have had enough of this waiting game and demand to speak to her manager right now. She agrees and puts here manager on who sympathizes with my situation and instructs the agent to organise a repair for the laptop. The manager leaves the call and the agent apologies for my experience and assures me that this is not the way customers are handled by HP. After a long wait she processes my product return and provides me with a CSO number (G06326 – 01) and guides me to through the process of tracking my repair. This was my first positive experience of HP support and the agent was truly professional and helpful. I thanked her for her service and hung up.
January 14, 2007
Morning: I received an empty box with a UPS prepaid sticker to return my laptop in.
Evening: UPS collected the box with my laptop for return to HP Canada.
January 15, 2007
HP receives the defective laptop for repair.
January 24, 2007
The repaired laptop is received by me at home. After turning on the computer and going through the Windows Vista first run setup everything is going fine. Once the computer is setup and battery fully charged I test to see if the problem has truly been repaired. Within 5 minutes of the computer being unplugged from AC it freezes just as it did before the repair. I am able to reproduce this problem again numerous times. Clearly, the computer has NOT been repaired.
The Product Repair-Customer Receipt shows that the Hard Disk and Memory have been replaced, these components were working fine according to the system BIOS tests. I am out of ideas on how to deal with HP Customer support so I then decide to write and email to the CEO of HP and create this blog.
January 03, 2007
1st call:
A support agent called Chris talks to me about the issue and has me run some tests which include running the computer with and without the battery. Also, I described to him the tests I had done and what the results were. (HP Recovery, Windows Updates, and various updated device drivers from the HP website) We spent about 45 min doing these tests which included battery calibration, numerous restarts and so on. He assigned me the ticket number 800 678 2956 and asked me on hold while he updated the system. The music started and I patiently waited, after a few minutes suddenly the call was dropped.
2nd call:
I immediately called HP and explained to the new agent that the call was dropped. The agent said they were having problems with their phone lines today and HP apologises for the inconvenience. I gave him the previous ticket number and he said they have NO record of it. How is this possible? I can only think that the previous agent had no idea of the issue therefore he put me on hold then hung up on me. This is completely unacceptable in my opinion. A new ticket number was assigned to my case, the number is 800 681 7210.
Anyhow, I again explained starting from scratch what my problem was. I explained to him what the tests I had done with the previous support representative and their results. He had me run some more tests to try determining the problem. These tests showed how incompetent the technician was. He was simply following a flow chart or script of some sort. I had already done 3 HP Recovery’s which completely restores the computer to its original factory state therefore this rules out any software error. (Unless HP is shipping computers with software errors from the factory)
He finally determines that there is something possibly wrong with the battery or hardware and decides that a new battery will need to be shipped to me. He takes my mailing address and telephone number and enters them into the system. He says he is “escalating” the case so that it can be processed and a supervisor will call me back in 20-30minutes once it has been processed. Apparently his supervisor was too busy to take on my problem right now, this does not reflect good customer service. Never the less, I thank him for his services and then hang up.
3rd call:
After waiting for two hours I call HP back and talk to another associate. This time a lady answers and takes my information. Once again I give her my name and computer information(S/N and P/N). I then explain to her my situation and give her my service ticket number so she can help me. She brings up my information however she is unable to help because it has been escalated to “supervisor level.” I ask if she could do anything however she says she cannot even access the detailed information. She apologises for the inconvenience and assures me someone will call me back as soon as possible. I told her that the previous agent had said something similar to me (About calling back) and no one called back. She apologies again and assured me someone would call me within 24hours. I accepted her apology and hung up as it seemed I had exhausted my telephone options for the time being.
January 04, 2007
4th call:
After waiting for 24 hours and the weekend just a few hours away I decide to call HP my self instead of waiting for the illusive supervisor. I go through the routine with the support agent of providing my information and laptop details. I inform him that I was promised that a battery would be shipped to me and a supervisor would call me when this was done. He informs me that he doesn’t see anything on the case other than an unresolved issue with the laptop battery. I bring him up to speed on the situation and all the tests I had performed with the other representatives and on my own accord. We again embark on some tests which include rebooting the computer and reproducing the freezing condition. After the computer freezes he asks me to click on the Start button and shut down. I kindly inform him that this is impossible because the computer is frozen and unresponsive to all input. I restart by holding down the power button as this is the only option. The representative then asks me to select “last known good configuration” to restore the computer. This is when I put my foot down and tell him how pointless his tests were. I explain to him that a full HP Recovery has already been done 3 times and if there was anything wrong with the software then the restores would have solved the problem. He replies that I don’t have to do what he says and that he does not know what else to do.
He says I should hold while he transfers me to “level 2 support”. As I hold, the music plays and I patiently wait. The agent returns and informs that he was having a problem making the connection; he requests I continue to hold while he retries the connection. I continue to hold while the music restarts. The support agent comes on the phone and informs me that it will be impossible to diagnose the problem on the phone and therefore the system will need to be returned for service. That is a very quick change in tone, either he had been instructed to do this or he had no idea what the problem was. However, I am happy that something is happening and my computer will be repaired soon. He asks me to remove all passwords and personal data from the computer prior to shipping. He informs me that he will have a box sent to me immediately; I would have to put my laptop inside and return it to the service centre. He puts me on hold for a few minutes so he can input the information to the computer system. I wait patiently. After a few minutes he comes back on the line and asks me to hold for a few minutes more while he processes the order. I hold for a few more minutes. He comes on the phone again and tells me their system is updating and he will make the order once the update is complete. He tells me he has all the information he requires and I could call back after 30 minutes to get a tracking number. I thank him for his help and hang up.
1st online chat:
After a few hours I decide to use HP’s online chat to tool find out my tracking number for the box HP was going to send me. I give my ticket information to the associate and explain to her that I need the tracking number for a box that is being sent to me. She informs me that I will receive and email when the box is dispatched which will contain all the pertinent information. She also tells me she cannot see the information and that I should call HP Phone help. I thank her for her help and leave the chat service.
January 06, 2007:
5th Call:
With the weekend almost over, I decide to call HP again to enquire about the status of my issue. It seems that nothing has been shipped out and no repair has even been ordered. I explain to the associate what her previous counterpart had told me, she says there is nothing she can do other than re-escalate the issue to a Case Manager. She informs me that all possible troubleshooting routes have been exhausted and there is nothing more she can do. I ask her if she can transfer me to someone who can help, she puts me on hold. After waiting for a few minutes she comes on the line again. She tells me she has talked to her supervisor and assures me the issue is being handled. She says I will receive a phone call in 24-48 hours from a Case Manager who will assist me further. I ask her if I could speak to her supervisor right now, she says he is too busy but he will look into the matter as soon as he gets time. Again she assures me that I will receive a call within 24-48 hours and my problem will be resolved quickly. I am now very frustrated with the level of support I have received. I thank her for her time and hang up.
January 09, 2007
It is now 36 hours since I last spoke to a technical support agent. As expected, the illusive Case Manager or supervisor has not yet called.
6th Call:
I call HP Phone Support again to enquire about the status of my problem. I am pleasantly surprised that the representative is speaking fluent English and not following a script this time. I explain to her my experience and she asks me to wait for another 24 hours. At this moment I tell her that I have had enough of this waiting game and demand to speak to her manager right now. She agrees and puts here manager on who sympathizes with my situation and instructs the agent to organise a repair for the laptop. The manager leaves the call and the agent apologies for my experience and assures me that this is not the way customers are handled by HP. After a long wait she processes my product return and provides me with a CSO number (G06326 – 01) and guides me to through the process of tracking my repair. This was my first positive experience of HP support and the agent was truly professional and helpful. I thanked her for her service and hung up.
January 14, 2007
Morning: I received an empty box with a UPS prepaid sticker to return my laptop in.
Evening: UPS collected the box with my laptop for return to HP Canada.
January 15, 2007
HP receives the defective laptop for repair.
January 24, 2007
The repaired laptop is received by me at home. After turning on the computer and going through the Windows Vista first run setup everything is going fine. Once the computer is setup and battery fully charged I test to see if the problem has truly been repaired. Within 5 minutes of the computer being unplugged from AC it freezes just as it did before the repair. I am able to reproduce this problem again numerous times. Clearly, the computer has NOT been repaired.
The Product Repair-Customer Receipt shows that the Hard Disk and Memory have been replaced, these components were working fine according to the system BIOS tests. I am out of ideas on how to deal with HP Customer support so I then decide to write and email to the CEO of HP and create this blog.
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