I should’nt be named HP Service Center, but instead call it:

HP PC Talyer.

Hehehe.

I recently brought my Compaq Presario 2244AP to HP service center at Buendia Makati City (last May 06, 2008). It was already out of warranty and to cut the long story short, it started to flash a “beginning memory dump” message with a blue screen.

A day after I brought my laptop to HP service center, one of their representative called home and left a message saying that my CPU fan was defective and it’s causing the problem.

I didn’t hear from them until May 16, when they e-mailed me the repair-price quotation (an Adobe Acrobat PDF file attachment). I was shocked when I saw the total amount of P43,222.00! Based on their report, I need to replace my 40GB Hard disk drive, Lithium-ion battery and system board (motherboard). Wait a minute…I thought it was the CPU fan? Ok, so based on further testing, their tech people found out that these were defective…really?

The night before I brought my laptop to this greedy HP service center, I made a THOROUGH DISK SURFACE TEST for its Hard disk just to rule out any possibility of a failing hard drive. It turned out to have NO BAD SECTORS after a few hours of testing. Also, 2 days before my laptop started to have problems, my Lithium ion was still in working condition even long after the “memory dump” error message started appearing on the LCD screen. It was still able to power my laptop for a full one-hour.

So I get this repair-price quotation indicating that I need to replace its Hard disk and Li-ion battery pack as well? C’mon, I’m not ignorant HP service center people!

They diagnosed my laptop to have “KEYBOARD ERROR” (yes, this is their diagnosis as indicated on the e-mailed quotation).

Now I’m not a 100% “techie”, but I’m fairly well-read, well-versed about PC hardware. In fact, I’m an active member of and continually post in different PC hardware forums for the last 12 years, both locally-based and internationally-based. At least, I can say that with this “Keyboard error” diagnosis that they gave me points to a possible motherboard problem. Granted then that this is a motherboard problem, WHAT does the 40GB HDD or even the Li-ion battery have to do with it? Why would HP service center want me to replace parts which were functioning properly BEFORE it was brought to their lousy, greedy (and possibly corrupt) service center.

With that total amount of P43,222.00 repair price quotation, I could already buy a new laptop BUT DEFINITELY NOT an HP or Compaq laptop.

As part of my contribution to increasing the awareness of consumers or buyers, I’d be more than willing to disseminate this information and properly inform people of how HP Service Center “milks” money out of people who bought HP/Compaq laptops. Rest assured, my colleagues in the medical profession, even my students, my friends, family members and relatives would hear of this money-making scheme and I would DEFINITELY help them choose a laptop OTHER THAN HP/Compaq…thanks to some lousy, greedy, manipulative HP Service Center people.

ANYTHING BUT HP/COMPAQ PLEASE…You have been WARNED.

After chasing the customer service on the phone for updates on the delivery of the system board (which I was told was requested already 4 days ago), they told me that the system board already arrived and will now be fitted on my DV2200 unit.

So i asked them how long will it take before I can get my unit. I got a nerve-pinching “it will still take several days” because of the burn-in test they have to conduct. I do understand the need for the burn-in reliablity tests but just couldn’t take that generic answer. I told them that I will call again in the afternoon and I expect a specific answer from them.

After a few hours, I got a call from my wife, notifying me that the HP service center called our home and wants to inform me that after replacing the system board, they noticed that the HD drive was noisy and had to be replaced. I almost fell off my seat coz I was thinking of all the files in my disk that i may have lost - Oh, my God!!

My wife continued that she spoke lengthily with the caller. (You see my wife used to work as a CS Manager - Not IN HP). In just a few minutes, she was able to assess the weakness of their (HP’s) CS systems and procedures. My wife blew her top when the caller made a comment that “‘yun naman pong mga sira ng unit eh dahil na rin sa gumagamit”.

“Iha, who’s training you to answer that way to a customer? 9 months pa lang ang unit na ‘yan, nasisira agad. Product nyo ang may problema!! Let me talk to your manager.” And since it’s their CS procedure not to escalate the issues to their boss, the CS got a mouthful from my wife.

I hurriedly called HP again to confirm the HD problem. They confirmed the problem and that they have to replace the HD. Luckily, the data is still recoverable. But, they will again have to order the parts. And i told myself, “OMG, not another parts delivery cycle!!” I was told to call again the following day to confirm the HD spare delivery date.

The next day, somehow something changed with them.
The CS told me that a HD spare was already available in the repair center and that I could pickup my unit in the afernoon.”Are you sure????”

Everything went smoothly. Never mind that hour-long wait. I was able to get my unit with a new system board. I was able to get my old files and transferred to the new HD. But I have to reload the programs and drivers. I could live with that.

Now on my way home, carrying my repaired unit, I got a call from a guy who introduced himself as HP Customer Service. So I thought, “Wow!! Maybe the guy will conduct a Customer Satisfaction survey.”

“Sir, this is Greg of HP Service Center. I’d like to inform you that the Hard Disk for your laptop had arrived. But it’s already Friday afternoon. You will have to wait until next week before you can get your unit.”

WHAT?????!!!!!#### GGGRRRRRRRRR!!!!!

DON’T EVER BUY ANY HP PRODUCT.

In fairness to HP service center staff, I think they treated my case professionally although it took another 4days to replace the system board, at-least, I didn’t pay anything. My laptop works fine until now.

Btw, my laptop is HP Pavilion dv2081ea or commercially known as HP Pavilion DV2000 which is 1 year and 6 mos old.

The problem of my laptop actually is that when you open it, it beeps 3 three time and won’t boot up. It just suddenly happened one day in school. I panicked and I asked the people around me what could be the problem, they told that it might be the memory, it just needs tightening. I kind of panicked because I had a very important deadline next week. I brought my laptop to the HP service center in buendia. My ticket is #1 after the 100 customers they’ve entertained. I saw a lot of HP Pavilion laptops released and it made me think that my laptop’s model might be a low quality model (proved to be true). I got nervous actually. After 2 hours of waiting, finally, I got called, I told the receiver that it might just be the loosened memory part. He said that the 3 beeps is not an indication of that kind of problem. He said that, most probably it’s a hardware problem. I asked him if that is the case, how much will it cost me. He said with all the confidence that a price of the part depends because sometimes it has to be imported abroad.. A part would cause more or less 20K. That part made me cry in front of him. I told him that nothing happened to my laptop, I didnt bump it somewhere or drop it. I’ve never reached 2/3s of its memory, how can it happen. He didn’t provide explanation, he just offered me a box of tissue paper. And continued typing or whatever to his low-quality-HP-laptop. He told me that it will take 3-5 working days to repair it. which was a LIE.

After 3 days, I called them up, they said that my laptop is still in isolation, after 2 days of that phone call, they said that it’s still in isolation. After a week, it’s still in isolation. I made my mom called this time to pressure them. My mom called and pressure them for answers. They got scared I think that they said that it took them that long because they’ve waited for the laptop’s blueprint or whatever the hell is that. I know it’s just an excuse. That’s when my mom panicked, she told me that maybe they’re dissecting and changing all the parts. She got mad at me for bringing my laptop to the service center right away. But what choice do I have? It’s not like I can bring it to a repair shop in Gilmore or Greenhills. After 2 days, I received the quotation in my email. I actually found it in the spam folder.

And so, I don’t what to do. Neither my parents. 37,284 pesos? Will you ever pay that amount to get your laptop fixed? I think there’s something wrong with HP Phils. Service=ultimately poor, product=ultimately poor.

My advise, if ever you bought your laptop abroad, bring it to the HP service center of that country. Whatever you do, don’t take it to the HP service center here in the philippines.My laptop was bought in Doha, Qatar. After I get it from the service center on Monday, I will send it to my father in Qatar. He will bring it to the service center there Let’s just see what will happen. To make life easier, don’t buy any HP products anymore.

I’m so mad. I can’t even explain it. My thesis is coming up and it feels like it’s my fault when I didn’t do anything wrong with that laptop. My parents are mad at me. Please, just pray for me.