HP Warranty Sucks A Million and One Questions

[NETWizz]

This last Friday, for the first time in a long time I actually started getting mad a phone representative.

I called HP for an Office Jet 6000 that some idiot at work bought... They asked what I recommended then bought something 10x cheaper that was DOA. I have two guys out sick and one that asked for vacation (I approved), so I was stuck with this.

1. She calls on the phone and I answer help desk... something I am not used to doing. She says she got a new printer, so I ask what type... Office Jet 6000.

2. They I asked who approved it because ALL approvals are supposed to go through our department, which refuses to support any non-laser... Found out some old person went around our department... doesn't need us until it doesn't work.

3. I asked... Did you install the software before connecting it? Yup.. Did you follow the quick start guide, put in the ink, put in the paper, plug it in and connect it? A: Yup.

3.5 I checked and verified she had Administrative rights to install it... She already did.

Q: When did you connect it?
A: When it told me too.

Me: Alright... and nothing happened?
Her: Nope... Would you like to remote control me?

Me: Not really; you did everything right. Send it back.
Her: Please remote control me.

Me: Oh... Alright... I see your screen ... it says to connect it. Did you do that?
Her: Yeah.

Me: Did you use a USB cable?
Her: Yeah. I used the one from the previous printer...

Me: Did you plug it into the port on the printer that has a USB symbol by it?
Her: Yeah

Me: Plug it into a different USB port.
Her: Okay...

Me: [Sees no difference] Refreshes device manager... it's broken.

Her, Please come and see it.

Against my better judgement, I went to waste my time on this crappy, new $90 printer..

Decided to call HP to see how their warranty department is:

They MUST have quotas for not honoring a warranty or pay commission to people on the phone for wasting time.

What the guy asked:

1. Is this the first time calling?
2. What is your name?
3. Have you called HP before with this problem?
4. What is the serial and model number?
5. How long have you been having this problem?
6. What's your email address.
Me: I don't have one.
Him: HP Values your Privacy; can I get your email address?
Me: I told you I don't have one.

Him: What's the problem?

Me: Have a new Office Jet 6000 that is not recognized by the computer. It is connected, it is powered on, and the ink and paper are loaded.

Him: What driver did you download?

Me: The CD that came with it.

Him: Are there any lights flashing?

Me: All of them.

Him: Are they flashing simotaneously or in a different pattern..

Me: Simotaneously together.

Him: When you press buttons does this stop?

Me: No.

Him: What light is flashing?

Me: Every single one on the printer.

Him: Let me research this can I put you on hold?

Me: Um... Okay.

Him: Turn it off and on.

Me: I already tried that. Had to unplug it because the power button doesn't even work!

Him: Okay then unplug it and let's wait 60 seconds.

Me: We already did that.

Him: Let's do it again!

Me:........ Okay. It is doing the same thing with all the lights flashing.

Him: Will it print a self-test page when you press ____ button.

Me: Nope. I already told you none of the buttons do anything. Listen, we have been at this for 22 minutes. By now, it is pretty obvious this printer doesn't work and is dead on arrival. What is the procedure for this warranty claim?

Him: Let me put you on a 5 minute hold and confer with someone else; is that okay?

Me: No, it's not; I have better things I need to be doing.

Him: [puts me on hold]

Me: Can I speak to a supervisor or someone that can help me? We have already determined this printer is bad.

Him: Sir, we are not done troubleshooting.

Me: What else is left to troubleshoot when you have a printer that obviously has a bad system board and isn't even recognizable nor does its own test sheet print or power button work?

Him: We may be having a power problem. What power adapter are you using?

Me: The one that came with the printer.

Him: How many volts does it say it is on the power supply?

Me: What difference does it make. Presumably whatever it says is the right amount for this printer; since, it came in the box.

Him: Sir, is this plugged into a surge protector?

Me: Yes

Him: Unplug it from the surge protector and plug it into the wall.


Me: No. What is your name?

Him: Jason.

Me: What is your last name?

Him: I can't give that out.

Me: That's fine. I gave you my last name. Do you have an employee identification number?

Him: We don't give that out.

Me: Okay, well let's say I need to contact our representative as a State Agency having a problem with Warranty. How do identify you? Are you the only Jason working for HP?

Him: We don't give out any personal details.

Me: Alright. I want the case details. What is the case number.

Him: Case # ***********

Me: Great. I can pass on that I dealt with Jason with Case # *********

Me: So now what do we do?

Him: I need you to do this because it might not be getting enough power.

Me: It is not a UPS that it is plugged into; it is getting enough power.

Him: Our engineers say that a surge protector should not be plugged into a surge protector and have one built into these printers. They should be plugged directly into the wall.

Me: Then why does the quick-start guide say to plug it into a surge protector?

Him: I think it is a problem with the building's power through your surge protector.

Me: Then why did the last printer work, the LCD monitor, the computer, and every other devices at my 20+ sites that are all on exactly the same sure protector?

Him: Can you plug it into the wall?

Me: Sure... It's doing the same thing.


Him: Let's run the HP Diagnostic software on it.

Me: You have got to be kidding. That isn't going to do anything. Not when the computer doesn't even detect the printer.

Him: I can't replace the printer until you do.

Me: Okay, fine where do I get this useless tool?

Him: ... [gives me some URL for HPPDU.exe] http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/...printer_diag/&lang=en&softwareitem=mp-91788-1

Me: Okay... I am running it.

Him: Okay, select the printer. It will diagnose and fix the problem.

Me: As I suspected, there are no printers in the list. It says "Select Printer" but there aren't any.

Him: Let's try re-seating the cartridges.

Me: We already did that 45 minutes ago.

Him: What I need you to do is replace the cartridges.

Me: We don't have any replacement cartridges.

Him: You should have bought replacement cartridges. You really should order some and test it. Can I call you back in 48 hours?

Me: No, that will be Sunday.

Him: Can I call you on Monday or Tuesday.

Me: No. I hope to never hear from you again; since, this is the worst support I have had in years.

Him: What are the cartridge numbers? How are you sure they are compatible?

Me: Because they came in the box packaged with the printer.

Him: There seems to be a problem with your USB or your USB cable.

Me: No. Everything USB including the last printer, mouse, and keyboard work... and we tried different ports.

Him: No, no. The USB cable is bad.

Me: No, it worked for the last printer.

Him: Okay, then I will get you over to our "special case" department.

Me: What do they do? Make good on warranty or ask more questions?

Him: You may hear some clicks, beeps, and tones... Don't worry; I will try not to loose you.

Me: I am confident. I am sure you are going to loose me.


Then I get Maggie a case manager who says she needs to replace the printer.. Horaye

Then more clicks, tones.. and stuff and we are in a three-way call. Jason just wants to make sure everything is going well. I assure him it would be better without him.

Somehow, the call gets disconnected. One hour of my life lost.



What they don't know is that I was just sticking with it at some point to see how much time they would waste and how crappy their support really is.


After words, I wrote our HP rep a letter citing Jason, the case# of the call, and that it was very unsatisfactory... and due to lack of support, my area we will no longer be using HP for the reminder of 2011 - that I am removing HP as a vendor in our system until January 1st, so that no more POs can be issued. Furthermore, I informed that I want to cancel my order for the 15 Color Laser CP4025dn printers we placed. I sent an email to Purchasing and Fiscal Servies to revoke the PO on that too.

I indicated that their support is not up to our standards, so we can't buy any more of their products... and to please review the call longs for case # ******* with Jason.

 

[sassenach]

There seems to be a huge gulf between the customer service on HP's business and domestic equipment.

Our old all in one had a well known paper feed problem that somehow made it impossible to get a feed through if there was more than one sheet in the tray at a time. Customer service on this was useless and went round in circles and we ended up binning the machine.

Our 26xx colour laser had a magenta cast problem that a bit of research told me it was a "known problem" that HP recognised. One phone call, an explanation of the problem stating that it was "known" and was asked to have the printer ready for replacement the following day. The courier would uplift the old one at delivery time. Could not have asked for better service.

 

[RichmondTech]

I feel for you, but this conversation could be duplicated for any large company. The call rep doesn't know you, but they do know the type of person that typically calls in and has to compensate for the lowest common denominator. Each company has to find their balance between what the customer wants (a replacement machine with only 5 minutes on the phone) and what makes good business sense (not shipping out a bunch of machines when a good percentage of them can be fixed over the phone).

It's a crappy situation for both the caller and the call rep.

 

[FoolishTech]

I feel for you, but this conversation could be duplicated for any large company. The call rep doesn't know you, but they do know the type of person that typically calls in and has to compensate for the lowest common denominator. Each company has to find their balance between what the customer wants (a replacement machine with only 5 minutes on the phone) and what makes good business sense (not shipping out a bunch of machines when a good percentage of them can be fixed over the phone).

It's a crappy situation for both the caller and the call rep.

Agreed. Having worked for Gateway phone support, even knowing what a problem is right off the bat, we were still required to go through a certain troubleshooting process every single time. Skipping the process, or even a single pointless step, and (if the call was being monitored) then you're in trouble.

Also, the first tech a client would get on the phone didn't have authorization to replace anything; that tech would have to transfer, conference in with, or otherwise somehow consult a senior technician for approval.

This is understandable. The company not only has to ensure that it's customers aren't just going to get away with demanding new parts for issues that don't require them; but it also has to ensure that the entry level techs working for them don't replace parts that don't need to be replaced, due to the potential for their ignorance and lack of knowledge/experience.

Your real complaint should be that HP has a fairly convoluted process of diagnosis, not that your experience with a particular technician was poor.

I didn't read your entire post, but trying to run a software tool for printer diagnosis on a PC when the printer isn't even recognized. That's just bad policy. Unless the tool addresses Windows USB issues (hah!) and not HP printer issues.

Even at Gateway, the process of troubleshooting made more sense than that. We didn't have to try msconfig on PCs that didn't boot, for example. The processes were more tailored to the actual problem...

But the bottom line in any case is, play along with the tech on the other end until you get what you want. It's simply the fastest way to get what you want.

 

[ATTech]

You seem to have been ****** off before even talking with him and it certainly showed in the way you talked to him. He's given steps to take before being able to send a device out for warranty, because it's likely that a majority of issues are resolved without having to send a replacement. Think of all the people who "know a lot about computers" when you're trying to help them. That's you to him; he has no way of knowing you're any different, so trying to circumvent their procedures just because you do know what you're doing is pointless. There aren't too many companies where you conversation goes like this:

You: Hi, your device doesn't work so I need a replacement
Rep: Well, we can troubleshoot it first to try and get it working.
You: No, I know what I'm doing, just send me a replacement.
Rep: Ok, on it's way.

That seems to be what you were looking for.

 

[Paul Rodgers]

HP just doesn't get it anymore. I had to have a tablet sent back two separate times for screen issues and both times they sent the warranty box to the wrong address. It was like pulling teeth to get things fixed.

My brothers Dell laptop had a harddrive issue. After diagnosing the issue myself they still wanted to charge $125 because it was a software issue. I finally found their built in diagnosis program that their tech forgot to use to make their diagnosis. After they agreeded to replace the drive they thought it would be funny to send the drive and the stupid trim piece that goes on the end of the drive caddy in separate boxes shipped on different days.

I'm assuming that like Dell, HP has good techs for their business lines. The problem is that they hire minimum wage people that speak broken English and give them a script that they are not allowed to deviate from for their home lines. If the problem can't be solved by the script then the customer is screwed.

 

[NETWizz]

You seem to have been ****** off before even talking with him and it certainly showed in the way you talked to him. He's given steps to take before being able to send a device out for warranty, because it's likely that a majority of issues are resolved without having to send a replacement. Think of all the people who "know a lot about computers" when you're trying to help them. That's you to him; he has no way of knowing you're any different, so trying to circumvent their procedures just because you do know what you're doing is pointless. There aren't too many companies where you conversation goes like this:

You: Hi, your device doesn't work so I need a replacement
Rep: Well, we can troubleshoot it first to try and get it working.
You: No, I know what I'm doing, just send me a replacement.
Rep: Ok, on it's way.

That seems to be what you were looking for.

+1 I agree. All that said, I was not loud or aggressive with him. I was, in fact, very polite for the first 20 minutes aside from refusing to provide my email address.

I did not tell him who I am or that I know what I am doing knowing he probably hears it all the time...

All that said, I expected to be off the phone in 10 to 20 minutes after getting someone. I mean it doesn't take too long to determine if a device is bad - there aren't that many variables especially for a printer that when it powers on none of the buttons including the power button work & it can't print a self-test page right out of the box when paper and ink are loaded... That is a definite sign the printer is bad.

 

[NETWizz]

HP just doesn't get it anymore. I had to have a tablet sent back two separate times for screen issues and both times they sent the warranty box to the wrong address. It was like pulling teeth to get things fixed.

My brothers Dell laptop had a harddrive issue. After diagnosing the issue myself they still wanted to charge $125 because it was a software issue. I finally found their built in diagnosis program that their tech forgot to use to make their diagnosis. After they agreeded to replace the drive they thought it would be funny to send the drive and the stupid trim piece that goes on the end of the drive caddy in separate boxes shipped on different days.

I'm assuming that like Dell, HP has good techs for their business lines. The problem is that they hire minimum wage people that speak broken English and give them a script that they are not allowed to deviate from for their home lines. If the problem can't be solved by the script then the customer is screwed.

Yes; I found that out. The guy on the phone did not have broken English though for a change, but he was not going to deviate from the script. Again, if they would have followed the approval proper process at work, they wouldn't have ever bought an Office Jet of any kind... but everybody wants their own damned color printer. Even if they have a color laser, they can't walk 15' to pick up a document from a network printer.

 

[Frank]

I understand that they are supposed to follow a script, but I find it very frustrating when they don't even listen to what you're telling them.

Just one of the examples from the OP:

Him: Are there any lights flashing?

Me: All of them.

Him: Are they flashing simotaneously or in a different pattern..

Me: Simotaneously together.

Him: When you press buttons does this stop?

Me: No.

Him: What light is flashing?

Me: Every single one on the printer.

 

[angry_geek]

This is just another reason I have avoided HP more and more as time goes on. My big problem now is finding another brand of business class printers. I've had good luck with Samsung, but I've never had to deal with their customer service.

Sent from my DROID BIONIC using Tapatalk

 

[Paul Rodgers]

This is just another reason I have avoided HP more and more as time goes on. My big problem now is finding another brand of business class printers. I've had good luck with Samsung, but I've never had to deal with their customer service.

Sent from my DROID BIONIC using Tapatalk

Look into brother also. They seem to have good quality and you can drop the machines off at a authorized repair center if you have a warranty issue.

 

[angry_geek]

Look into brother also. They seem to have good quality and you can drop the machines off at a authorized repair center if you have a warranty issue.

I've had a lot of problems with brother. I'm just not impressed with their build quality or the life of their fusers and drums. At least with Samsung, maintenance kits are easy.

Sent from my DROID BIONIC using Tapatalk

 

[maclaptech]

The problem starts and stops with "HP Printers" they suck balls, their software is written by some monkey overseas, their support is provide by some monkey overseas, not that supports by monkeys here are any better...

I don't even provide support of HP printers anymore... if customer calls, I tell them I charge $95 an hour for HP printer support with one hour minimum weather it is fixed or not. First hour is none refundable.

I charge flat fee for everything else.

 

[angry_geek]

The problem starts and stops with "HP Printers" they suck balls, their software is written by some monkey overseas, their support is provide by some monkey overseas, not that supports by monkeys here are any better...

I don't even provide support of HP printers anymore... if customer calls, I tell them I charge $95 an hour for HP printer support with one hour minimum weather it is fixed or not. First hour is none refundable.

I charge flat fee for everything else.

I hear you, but those old 4000 series machines refuse to die. I can't tell you how many of them I see in my clients' offices. Their new stuff, though, is crap.

Edit: I have a fairly large business client that just ordered 3 refurbished 4250's "just in case our current machines die". They're also hoarding toner, regular and micr. The owner got scared after our experience with one of the latest P4000's.

 

[NETWizz]

The Laser Jet 4

Laser Jet 4M

Laser Jet 4000

Laser Jet 4050

Laser Jet 4100
&
Laser Jet 4150 are all VERY reliable

They tend to last 10+ years without a single fault... and keep going and going.
_________________________________________________

Laser Jet 4200

Laser Jet 4250

Laser Jet 4300
&
Laser Jet 4350


are all RELATIVELY reliable. They have an occasional problem grinding the gears near the fuser or jamming continuously... They tend to last about 5 years without service.

 

[angry_geek]

The Laser Jet 4

Laser Jet 4M

Laser Jet 4000

Laser Jet 4050

Laser Jet 4100
&
Laser Jet 4150 are all VERY reliable

They tend to last 10+ years without a single fault... and keep going and going.
_________________________________________________

Laser Jet 4200

Laser Jet 4250

Laser Jet 4300
&
Laser Jet 4350


are all RELATIVELY reliable. They have an occasional problem grinding the gears near the fuser or jamming continuously... They tend to last about 5 years without service.

^ +1

I manage to keep most of the 4250's going with regular maintenance kits and cleanings. The 4000's and 4150's are pretty much bullet proof as long as you go easy on the trays. Most of the problems I've seen with all those machines are with the duplexers and people using cheap and/or refurbished fusers.

 

[Cornerstone Technologies]

There seems to be a huge gulf between the customer service on HP's business and domestic equipment.

I think this is the key to getting proper support. Consumer support is really dumbed down to the average idiot who buys the typical inkjet printer that is on sale at Staples. Business support is much better in my experience, even when in regards to printers.

While I fully believe your encounter, you fully expected it to be a massive time-suck and frustrating beyond comparison. On an organization level, you went ahead and supported a device that you say is unsupported. Office politics aside, you went above and beyond for the employee who disregarded your advice in the first place. Once you cleared the issue not being related to user error, you could have saved yourself alot of aggravation by insisting that the employee be responsible for returning/RMAing the dead printer. Seems a bit extreme though to give your HP rep a hassle because of a consumer-side failure. That said, no one ever faulted anyone for voting with their dollars.

Its an interesting anecdote anyway. +1 for the older Laserjet 4 series and 4000 series of printers. Built like tanks and nearly indestructible.

 

[Tony_Scarpelli]

It is no more fun to wait on the phone with these guys, as an out sourced tech but at least I get paid well to put up with the crap.

Still I prefer doing something else.

I had a terrible problem with a dell issue and the tech was in India and asked me how much I was billing the client, he then put the client on and told him that I was ripping him off, that for $179 I he could be an service agreement with Dell(him).

I tried to call Dell to lodge a complaint and they said to contact the legal department.

So I sent out a communication to all my 4000 clients that Dell was going through some very difficult service issues with their over see's (Indian) warranty provider and they couldn't guarantee the warranty service. I recommend not buying a Dell any time soon, while this was going on.

I like to think I cost them a sale or two.

So I take any chance I can to tell people of my opinion of Dell's value, quality, warranty and service since they raced to the bottom of the pack in quality.

 

[NETWizz]

It is no more fun to wait on the phone with these guys, as an out sourced tech but at least I get paid well to put up with the crap.

Still I prefer doing something else.

I had a terrible problem with a dell issue and the tech was in India and asked me how much I was billing the client, he then put the client on and told him that I was ripping him off, that for $179 I he could be an service agreement with Dell(him).

I tried to call Dell to lodge a complaint and they said to contact the legal department.

So I sent out a communication to all my 4000 clients that Dell was going through some very difficult service issues with their over see's (Indian) warranty provider and they couldn't guarantee the warranty service. I recommend not buying a Dell any time soon, while this was going on.

I like to think I cost them a sale or two.

So I take any chance I can to tell people of my opinion of Dell's value, quality, warranty and service since they raced to the bottom of the pack in quality.

Wow. I can't believe the Indian man had the audacity to tell your customer you were ripping him off. He must be like Rajive in [outsourced]

 

[Tony_Scarpelli]

Wow. I can't believe the Indian man had the audacity to tell your customer you were ripping him off. He must be like Rajive in [outsourced]

I've not watched outsourced but this is a true story and hit happened about 4 years ago. Dell has been my arch enemy since. They don't even know I am alive but I know that I am costing them sales at every opportunity that I can. Dell is not the friend to any other IT company.