Compaq Support - Combined **13** hours on hold, can't get a person to answer.

[Crimson]

I am absolutely ready to get a machine gun and start mowing down Compaq executives.. I was on hold for 2.5 hours on Saturday, only to be transfered to the wrong number, to wait on hold another 45 minutes and be hung up on.. Called back, waited 30 minutes, transfered, hung up on.. called back, waited 45 minutes, hung up on..

Tried again today.. I've been on hold for over 3 hours, can't even get a person to answer..

I am seriously ready to get an attorney and sue them for my lost time. This is INSANE.. My laptop is dead as a doornail, under warranty, and they will absolutely not let me get an RMA issued. How long must I wait? I don't care about the stupid blaster virus, they are only paying their foreign "tech support" people 10 cents a day anyway, they can hire more.. They need to answer the damn phone..

What can I do as a consumer about this? I already own the laptop, so I can't take it back.. I've had it 10 months.. I can't even ask to speak with a manger.. I can't get a human! They simply do not answer! There must be some recourse for me here.

 

[OldSpooky]

The simplest recourse would be to swear off Compaq (or HPQ) laptops entirely. You might want to post this in the Small Form Factor, Notebook, Pre-Built forum with the model type and exact problem.

It sounds like your notebook simply won't boot though, in which case we can't help you much with the RMA.

 

[Crimson]

It won't post.. no lights, no nothing.. completely 100% dead..

The ironic thing is, I am a System Admin for a company that is very heavily Compaq/HP.. 100's of servers and Compaq/Tandem mainframes.. I can't wait for the next time they come in here pushing a product on me.. $500,000 backup system? Sorry.. I suggest we go with someone else..

I can definitely cost them money.. tons of it by my recommendations.. But that still doesn't help me get this laptop fixed now..

 

[n0e5cape]

I was thinking about buying a Compaq Laptop of the NX series. Can you tell me which model you are using?
After hearing this, I am seriously reconsidering.

 

[Crimson]

I have a 900Z.. its actually not mine, my personal one is a Dell.. but this is my cousin's which I purchased for her.. what a mistake..

Yesterday I was on hold for 4 hours, and had to drop off to leave work..

Today, I started at 9:30am, its now 2:15pm.. still on hold.. not a person answering. Can't get to a human.

 

[Nebor]

That is ridiculous.... I bet a letter from an attorney would get them to call YOU though.

 

[gsaldivar]

1. Never again purchase HP/Compaq.

2. Open your yellow pages and call the nearest tech support firm that can get you up and running.

(or)

Post your location, and the specifics of your problem here on Anandtech - some of us are probably close enough to help! (Maybe even do something for you on-site...)


Good luck!

 

[magomago]

Make them feel the pinch - I hate waiting for 15 minutes... :evil:

 

[Pocatello]

I've heard rumors that HP is moving to India, so I think you have to be patient while HP is setting up shop over there and start to train folks.

 

[WarCon]

When dealing with high-wait time Tech Support, there is a trick that sometimes works especially if you work for or are a high volume dealer of their product.

Don't call Tech Support, call Sales. Explain that your a volume user of their product and have wasted X number of valuable hours trying to get ahold of tech support and that this alone might effect future volume purchasing as time is money to a business. If all they do is apologize and transfer you to the waiting list for tech support, hang up and call that sales person right back and ask to speak to a manager through that same sales person. Usually a manager will recognize the difference between a business related dealing and a consumer and patch you right through to a tech or even start the RMA process themselves.

Mind you this doesn't always work, but it at least lets you vent your frustration.....

BTW, most big companies have online RMA processing and most have online tech (not sure they aren't bots, except they make spelling errors..... ) chat support that can handle the RMA process and they are usually pretty quick about answering their page.

Here is the page to go to online chat for Presario Notebooks.....http://h30135.www3.hp.com/bus-nacons/caller/chat_pilot.asp

 

[zephyrprime]

Maybe you should try email. Yeah, your situation sucks.

 

[Crimson]

I've tried their chat response.. and yes, they are all from India.. they CANNOT do RMA's online.. the ONLY option for an RMA is to use the 1-800-OKCOMPAQ number..

I do go online every couple hours and just make fun of them.. its the only thing keeping me sane right now.. Just a couple of minutes ago I copied and pasted their "canned" response to my complaint to the screen before they said it.. I don't think he understood the humor in that.

 

[WarCon]

You really should try their sales department as a route to get to someone.

 

[SpeedFreak03]

I have an older Compaq laptop, from around 1998 (Presario 1240, 266MHz Pentium MMX, 64MB SDRAM). Anyway, I had a similar issue with getting an RMA (the CDROM drive died), but i eventually was able to connect. Now this was around 1999, before they were bought by HP. But I definitely wouldn't recommend compaq ANYTHING, but I have had only good experiences with HP (I dont own one, but friends and family do).

 

[Sunner]

I don't know if phone support just generally sucks in the US or something, but my experience with HPaq's phone support has never been anything but excellent.
But, that might be cause I call their corporate support, I have no clue about the Presario/"whatever else their home PC lines is called" support.

Have you tried calling as "Mr Sysadmin for a company that uses alot of HPaq gear" as you would if one of your servers broke down?
Might be an idea.

 

[JustAnAverageGuy]

I never had a particularly outstanding solution to ANY of my problems from HP or Compaq.

It was every single time came to "reformat the drive".

Even obvious things like update your drivers were never part of the support theme.

The only tech support that I've even found to be worth ANYTHING, to be taken with more than a grain of salt, and not just 'skip to the next customer, tell em to reformat the drive' tech support is...

*wait like 8 seconds*

Microsoft

*8th sign of the apocolypse*

Sadly, it's true. Even if the tech support is slightly automated, and the answers pre-prepared, atleast they are informative and tell you how to do it without the just reformat and start over again.

However, It has been quite a long time since I've had the need to ask TS anything.

 

[Tab]

Compaq has Customer Support! Holy crap! I didnt think they had any

On the compaq topic anyone know the BIOS Key for a DP4000 5166MMX? Yes I know its old

 

[kaizersose]

call then up again but just remember these few rules:
-write down the name of everyone you talk to
-before you ever let them put you on hold, ask how long you will be on hold for and how you can get directly back in contact with them if you are hung up on
-immediatley ask to speak to a manager, dont take "no" for an answer
-be an a--hole if you have to. you have earned the right and it helps them move you along

 

[SilentZero]

I feel your pain! I spend countless hours on hold with compaq in the past years, and they not once helped resolve the problem. I will never spend my money on a compaq again!

 

[Crimson]

On hold for, count it, over 6 hours again today! Just hung up on after that... dialed in again a few minutes ago.. on hold for 20 minutes.. dialtone after someone picked up the phone, fumbled around a bit, hit some buttons on their phone... etc..

Don't buy a compaq.

 

[EXman]

sounds Like Abit for me. Fockers

 

[Crimson]

Hey! I got through to a person.. who barely spoke english.. who transferred me to desktop support, who transfered me to printer support, who transfered me back to the lady who didn't speak english who hung up on me after promising to transfer me back to laptop support..

Quality service here folks..

 

[Crimson]

OMG! I got through! I got an english speaking tech who actually supported notebook computers! Oh my god!! ITS A MIRACLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Praise Allah, Yahweh, Buddah, and whomever else may help me!

 

[John]

I was trying to get a part number and price quote for a Compaq 700 series notebook hinge that I was repairing last week. I called the parts dept. and was told the wrong part # after I was able to verify it with the HP spare parts website? I called back to parts and was then transferred to sales. Sales told me they couldn't help and transferred me back to spare parts. I now get new information that I would have to purchase an entire LCD screen to get the hinge at a modest price of $811.00.

HP/Compaq can KMA