HP, the worst tech service i ever experienced?

[Lord Banshee]

Well let me tell you a little story

Last week my HP PSC 1510 stop working. Great thats all i need is for my printer to work and i have papers to print for last week of school. So i went online to HP's website and there was the online chat support.. So i decided to try it. This session didn't help me other than the guy says i need warranty work done so register the product if you haven't already and get back with us and he gives me a session ID. Great

So i went to the store and picked up another printer (HP Photosmart 7850). When home DOA, there was some issue and it thought there was a paper jam even though i could feed paper 100% no problem. So i return it and i got it at circuit city they said 15% restocking fee for try another, So hey why not try another one. Ok well this one works.

Now that school is over i decide to finish up this warranty check with another online chat session as the first one went well all things considered. Here is where the fun beings.
I get in and tell the tech to i have this ID session number and i would let to finish it up. So she asked me explain the problem. (the original problem was the printer would not come on completely the LCD light would flicker and no buttons had any response to the printer). So she tells me to plug it in (she wants to redo the step of the other guy, oh great what a waste of time). Well i be damn now the printer is working.. how weird, maybe the power supply has an issue getting too hot or something.. not sure. The tech disregrades this information. Tells me to scan something (i guess to see if the printer comunicates with the computer) well it scans fine with MS scan wizard and photoshop, told the tech and they go on and on about i need to use the HP software blah blah blah... 10 minutes later i try to explain that the original issue has nothing to do with software, the printer scans fine. So she tells me to explain the problem "AGAIN!" well i do.

Then she asks for my serial number, give it to her wait a second. Then she tells me my warranty has expired. The product says 1yr why do i not have it, i ask. She states our record shows you bought the printer on June 16th 05. Hmm i know for a fact i didn't as i didn't buy the printer until a month after i moved i didn;t move till Aug 10 05. So i check my bank register and i see the purchase was made on Sept 13th 05.. So i ask the tech where did you get this date of June 16th as i know it isn't true. Then she asks me if "I had proof i.e. receipt". Well i know i didn't have the real receipt i don't keep any receipt that long, now i know i should i guess... never had this issue with other manufacturers". But i tell her nothing about i do not have it, i tell i see it in my bank register and it says 9/13/05 but she doesn't this is ok. She gives me a e-mail and a fax number and tells me to e-mail or fax a the proof of purpose to update my information... well i was pissed and left it be for now, told her she can not help me anymore and i left the chat.

Well this my rant about how i will not buy any HP product anymore i thought i would share lol

But i wonder, where did HP get this imaginary number of June 16th... seems old to me.

 

[bruceb]

You might have gotten a unit that was sold & returned
Possibly the first buyer had registered the unit with HP

As to HP quality they are one of the best out there
I have a Lexmark .. not really top notch, but for only
occassional use & the fact that it came Free with the
pc not a bad deal .... expensive for ink at $29 & $33
for the cartridges

A lot of people like the Canon Priinters .. haven't used
on myself as yet, but they do have individual color
inks and if you get the correct one and modify it slightly
it can print on a Printable CD

 

[RebateMonger]

A few years ago, both HP and Compaq (before the merger) were consistently at the bottom rank of Customer Service, based upon consumer feedback. I don't know if they've improved or not.

 

[dfuze]

My coworker wanted me to build him a pc since his 1.5 year old Dell was dying.
Since I couldn't offer any official "warrenty", his wife wanted him to buy from a regular company. So they bought an HP. Not even a month goes by and it starts having issues (going real slow, reboots, ...). Finally it dies. He calls up and they want him to spend $160 to send the thing in! One month old... and he also bought the extended warrenty. It wasn't until he bitched up the suporvisor chain of command and wrote letters to any HP exec he could find did he get to send it in without charge. I'm very glad I build my own pc's and don't have to deal with any of that crap.

 

[lenjack]

Be aware that tech support from other prebuilt pc's is no better. Look at http://forums.us.dell.com/supportforums/board?board.id=cc_general

 

[jadinolf]

I have to agree. When 98 first came out, I had a serious problem printing envelopes on all four of my HP printers.

I called HP tech support back in the days when long distance calls cost big bucks.

Long story short, the young lady asked what program I was using to print my envelopes and I answered "Word".

She replied that she was unfamiliar with Word and would have to refer me to someone else.

 

[Steve]

Should have bought a Canon printer

 

[SilentRunning]

Come on, everyone knows to keep the original and a copy of the receipt (because some originals fade) with their warranty paperwork.

The June 16th date is probably the date of manufacture, because barring proof of purchase (the receipt) warranties will be assumed to start from the date of manufacture.

Do you really think HP would know if you bought the printer 10 days or 1 year after it was manufactured without some kind of proof?

Unless of course you purchased it from a non-authorized source.