As I write this blog, you the reader, are blissfully unaware of the problems crawling over the computer I am currently typing on. Although I have only been around a young twenty-one years, I have never had more problems with any product or company in my life than I have with my HP computer. Before I begin in to my tragic story, let me preface with the fact that I use my computer for only the purposes intended. What I mean by this is that I do not illegally download music or DVD's (which basically invite viruses to ones computer), I also constantly am renewing my anti-virus security system. My problems started the first year of having my laptop and every following year the number of problems increased. Somehow or another, an update had "failed" and I lost my sound drive (this happened many times and still happens), luckily the solution for this problem was the easiest of them all. The following year my internet no longer worked on the computer, being a college student I needed the internet inorder to complete online assignments, etc. I had attempted to contact customer service and they had explained to me how my warranty was up and that the only way they could speak with me was through the internet. Convienent, since I have no internet. I was forced to purchase a product that I could plug in to solve this problem. My motherboard failed and I had to send my computer in to be fixed. Closely following the end of that warranty my harddrive crashed. Because my immediate need for a computer, I paid HP to fix my computers harddrive, with this came a three month warranty. I was almost at the end of my three months when my computer started acting up. I again called customer service and they were refusing to talk to me because my original warranty was up and my current one was just for the harddrive. I finally convinced the agent to help me with my computer and after he assesed my laptop he stated that the harddrive would again fail any day now. Great. Completely disappointed, I thought maybe it was something I had done and asked the agent what I did or how I could have prevented it. He responded that I couldn't have. They reluctantly agreed to fix my computer as a part of the warranty. For a corporate company, I would have expected much higher standards of quality and customer service. I was completely outraged everytime a customer service agent told me that I would have to renew my warranty (which would cost atleast $75) in order to talk to an agent. As a consumer why would I renew my warranty on something that is broken and even if I was to attempt to talk to the agent online, my computer is again, broken. Has this economy become so savage that the simple fact of talking to a representative is going to cost me? Customer service is so important and being in the hospitality industry it is something that has almost been ingrained in me. I wrote a very calm (hand written because I didn't have a computer) three page letter to the company explaining my situation, frustration in their product, customer service, and standards. They sent me a generic letter saying "Thank-you for your concern, to speak with a customer service representative please call our 24 hour 1-800 number". I would have been happy with a letter expressing their concern for my situation, an apology for their fail in product and standards, and how they would fix this problem in future situations. This letter made me more upset and their lack of properly pacifying situation encouraged me to call this rediculous 1-800 number. When I called I continued to remain calm, but yet again expressed my saddness of the whole situation and how they handled everything. The operator added a few, "oh"'s and "I'm very sorry"'s in a very monotone and clearly unaffected voice. She ended with "is there anything else" and I responded "no, because my next computer will be an Apple". I swear I am normally a nice and understanding customer, you have to be when you're already in the hospitality industry because you understand their situation. This was absolutely unacceptable and I honestly believe if they continue to serve their consumers with faulty products and terrible customer service, that they will continue to see a decline in sales. After this situation, I realized the terrible the effects of bad customer service on a company. Not only was I the only one outraged by this company but if one was to search "HP sucks" on google, the amount of complaints about the products and service are rediculously large. Consumers have made websites, videos on Youtube, and Facebook pages dedicated to expressing consumers disappointment with the company and its products.
Here are a few intresting videos of complaints, the first one from someone active in the military:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pD75bwFG528
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_UVx3mhHdo
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