Last September when my daughter started college we bought her a new HP laptop. In November she broke the on/off button putting it in her backpack. I lent her mine, trying to get hers fixed but ended up buying her a new one with the thought of either my wife or myself getting her broken one fixed. Long story short, I contacted HP today. Waited for about 35 minutes to speak to someone. I was told that because of the virus, no one was working where they repair computers and call back in a few weeks or more. I understand the virus has affected operations, but try back in a few weeks does not give me confidence in HP.
Before waiting for a customer service person I was told that online I could text a service rep for $1.00. Screw that, pay to ask to send in my computer and get my dollar back when it gets repaired. No thanks. The repair will be out of my pockets (rightfully so) since my daughter broke it and not Covered by warranty. So, $750 for the computer that I can't get fixed. Local repair shop had it for a month early on and then told me it was too new to get parts.

Between 1996 and 2003, I was the Computer Department for the local school system. Hardware, software, purchasing, infrastructure...the whole ball of wax. High School and 4 grammar schools.

HP wound up on my HELL no list almost immediately. Printers yes, computers no way, no how, no time. Loaded with bloatware, and their "support" was somewhere between glacial and non-existent.

They have always sucked ass in the customer service department.

I haven't since and will not buy another HP product.

My experience with an Apple store last year makes me rethink their product line. Daughter's cat knocked a Pepsi onto the keyboard of her four month old Macbook Air. Killified the machine at once, completely dead.

Long story short, they contended that the machine was toast, tried to upsell her (me, had to loan her the money) but she found the exact replacement at Best Buy. The salesperson showed me the photos that were purportedly taken of the inside of her machine, full of pop and all the boards corroded.

Later that night I lifted the lid, the thing lit up! Saw the battery was low, charger did not work though. Next day I took it to our local guy, he said I was better off taking it to another independent who worked on Apples. So I went to Ann Arbor, one of the suggestions he gave. Once I got there, he fired it up and verified the only thing was the charger port was now inoperative. In front of me he took the back off to inspect it. I told him what they said originally, full of corrosion. He pointed out the only spot of corrosion was in the charger circuit board, no other damage was found. He took it apart in front of me, something the Apple store did not do.

Independent fixed a "totaled" Air for one hundred and eighty dollars. Still working over a year later. I'll let you draw your own conclusions, I have mine.

The only HP product I have success with are their large, office printers. We had a dozen big color laser printers that were pretty much bulletproof. Any of their consumer grade printers and computers would not be in my house.

I have had good luck with Dell computers and Brother printers.

HP is amongst the lowest in my preferred brand list. It’s in the same tier as Chinese brands.

Why would you want to repair a Hewlett Packard product. Not only is they customer service non existent their products are absolute CRAP. The last straw for me was a printer that used more ink in cleaning cycles than by printing on paper.

My last desktop computer was a HP Pavilion Elite with Windows 7, purchased 10 years ago. I just replaced it with a Dell small form factor desktop with Windows 10 from B+H, primarily to start using Windows 10.

Many here do not like HP but I never had a problem with this computer for 10 years, hence I never had to contact HP service. I think 10 years is a good service life for a home computer. When I took it out of service 2 weeks ago, it was still going strong.

I spent $750 last September. I can't just say screw the money and toss it. She broke the button, nothing wrong with the system or operation. My wife just had to purchase a new computer to aid in teaching her math classes. It looks like I will be the one that will get the laptop when it is repaired.

It is not just HP! Having worked with or on many major and minor brands and dealt with 'customer service' from all, it is not in their interest to provide a service if you are not willing to pay for it. Paid support is KEY to their profits! They are in the game for profit, not customers. While they tout a concern for repeat customers, they use Foto Mat principles as their business model!

I'm just trying to send it in for repairs. Having read on their site, most repairs are in the $300 neighborhood. Just give me a shipping label is all I want.

HP computer customer service has sucked, bottom to top, since at least the early 90s.

After working on my in-laws’ HPs nonstop for several years I finally told them not to buy another damn thing with the letters H or P on it.

quote:

Originally posted by Excam_Man:
They have always sucked ass in the customer service department.

Not always. Back in the day when HP made top-notch test equipment and what many argue were the best calculators ever made, H-P customer service was excellent.

Never did think much of any computer they ever made.

Their home printers were, once-upon-a-time, the inkjet printer to have. That became untrue quite a long time ago.

Their larger office printers used to be bullet-proof. We had H-P LaserJet 4MV printers. They were like tanks. Same with a 5si we had. Round about the late 90's, I think it was, even their business printer products began to suck.

I've seen on-line network geek colleagues swear their H-P network switches were great, only to later see them swearing up a storm about them and vow never to have H-P network gear on their networks again.

I still have operational H-P 15C (engineering) and 16C (computer science) calculators. That's the only H-P product in this home, other than an H-P 970Cse colour inkjet printer that finally bit the dust that I haven't yet gotten round to disposing of.

Wait... Come to think of it: I bet my good ol' H-P 29C scientific/engineering calculator is still in some corner of some box or drawer somewhere in the house. If I could replace the battery, I'm sure it even still works.

quote:

Originally posted by PHPaul:
HP wound up on my HELL no list almost immediately. Printers yes, computers no way, no how, no time.

I used to think that way, but then I found enlightenment. HP's all 'Hell No' now, as of maybe 10 years ago.

I can give a long story of why/how enlightenment dawned, but the short story is the last straw was a fairly new printer going to the junkyard because HP put diagnostic codes into the printers that their tech support knew nothing about, and their tech support people claimed 'no supervisors were available' when I asked to talk to one about this.

To add to my Apple story.

They were trying everything possible to sell her a new notebook, well actually me as I had to front her the money, she was in the middle of a divorce and was cash poor.

My more insidious conclusion that deals with the purported photos of the insides full of pop and corrosion. I'm no computer whiz but that much corrosion in the space of one hour I find hard to believe. I really think that they were first hoping that I would buy another notebook that night right there and then and then just give them the "totaled" one and walk away from it. And someone in that store would have resurrected it that night and had a free notebook.

quote:

Originally posted by shovelhead:
To add to my Apple story.

Sorry to hear of that result, my experience has always been amazing with them.
For example... My grandson knocked my maxed out $$$$ MacBook Pro off a table and stepped on the screen, destroying the screen, in an attempt to catch it as it fell

Took it to the Apple store, explained exactly what happened and requested an estimate... $650. OK, sucks but the value of the laptop makes that worth it so I signed the authorization to repair.
Week later I go to pick it up and I pull out my credit card to pay... Guy says forget it, It was an accident, don't be too hard on the kid, NO CHARGE, have a nice day!
Also got a brand new iPhone X once when the screen went out on my old one. They had replaced the screen once under warrantee and when it went out again a year later, out of warrantee, they just handed me a new phone, no questions ask. And no I didn't have the extended Apple care on either device.

quote:

Originally posted by trebor44:
It is not just HP! Having worked with or on many major and minor brands and dealt with 'customer service' from all, it is not in their interest to provide a service if you are not willing to pay for it. Paid support is KEY to their profits! They are in the game for profit, not customers. While they tout a concern for repeat customers, they use Foto Mat principles as their business model!

Ever call Apple Customer Service? If you have you'll understand why Apple customers are a strong fans of the brand. BTW, Apple doesn't charge one thin penny for their customer service. Because they understand that good customer service generates RETURN CUSTOMERS.

To be blunt, charging for customer service is BULLSHIT.

My work issued laptop is a newer HP elite book and it's super nice. No issues at all. I would buy one for personal use but they seem pricey so I would probably go with a surface pro.