BestBuy - OK, HP Getting Better

[ChrisK]

Title edited as HP rises above the primordial level of customer service slime. Fair is fair.

Geez, some companies (HP) really don't give a damn.


HP wasted my time today, big time.


They wanted me to further waste my time to troubleshoot my laptop, for their known issue, even though it's already into BestBuy for service.

I called to get a recovery disk. I found mention of a BIOS issue for my machine (dv9428nr). The machine has the issues, apparently related to a known fan under cooling issue (a design Fault). The machine often failed to boot Windows unless Task Manager was first invoked. It's always been flaky.

The primary hard drive failed, likely from overheating as the machine runs hot. I found out about this BIOS issue while looking at how to order a system recovery disk at my expense.

Apparently, having a second hard drive already installed in the machine at the manufacturer didn't trigger the fundamental thought within HP engineering of having redundant system backup capability even though the system documentation alluded to it, although HP has NO TROUBLE taking time to install vast amounts of crap-ware on its machines.

So here I am; I can drive back to BestBuy, retrieve my laptop, personally run BIOS tests to determine and install a BIOS (hopefully down-loadable at no cost). Then, after I buy a system recovery disk, drive back to BestBuy, have them replace the hard drive under extended warranty (I had learned to buy them for the HP machines that I'd bought until my family migrated to Dell for everything since this machine). After over 40 minutes on a phone call, with the customer disservice technician arguing with me and telling me that I didn't understand things and telling me to essentially figure out/fix things myself (Robert, he had no operator/technician number that he was willing to disclose), I hung up.

At a minimum, I get to buy a system recovery disk, wait for its arrival, drive to BestBuy, and have them replace the failed primary hard drive. With the substantial MTBF of modern hard drives, it is statistically slim that this failed other than through a design Fault (the known BIOS issue under-running the cooling fan). (I tend to capitalize legal terms.)

There is a good probability that things will fail again from overheating.

This type of Fault is a quality issue.

This type of service is a quality issue.

You may rest assured that I will always and honestly share my experiences with HP with any and all that will listen. After all, there are substantial reasons why my employer uses Dell.

FWIW,

ChrisK

[quarry]

HP has a contract with FedEx (my day job) so their customers can ship machines that are still under warrenty back and forth between customer and HP Service Center...

Well, I see a LOT of HPs going back and forth each day! Seems they're very problematic (both laptop and desktop, but laptop a bit more so... ).

The computer is personal, again... (as in, "sounds like a personal problem to me".... )

[cynical1]

Ever since HP and Compaq merged the depot, or Service end of the business took a header. I had several occasions where they sent me depot FRU parts...and they were bad. One was returned on an RMA to them and they put it back in Warranty stock and sent it out to me...it had 4 bend pins in the CPU socket...

IBM used to have the best depot and service of all of them, right in front of Dell. Once IBM sold everything to Lenovo their depot fell apart as well...but not as far as HP.

I still run an old Dell Lattitude and it's a brick #%&%house.

None of the new laptops are worth the coin they charge for them. Service is a novel concept and it rarely speaks English as a first language or exists in the same hemisphere that I do.

Lesson is, if you want a laptop - buy used, or buy disposable. Do your homework and live with the model from 2-3 generations ago. If it's a work laptop, who cares... The new laptops have had issues with bad motherboards, BIOS and 3G. Buy cheap and plan on pitching it once the warranty is over.

I've been doing this for over 20 years and am appalled at what passes for a professional grade laptop these days. If you need functionality and horsepower from a laptop, buy a killer desktop and use Remote Desktop from the laptop to access it.

Happy Trails

cynical One

[ChrisK]

I called HP back today to order the system recovery disk. It costs $28 for something that they should have included, and not alluded to as being part of the second hard disk already in the machine.

Anyway, while I do have to pay for this, BestBuy will fix/replace the failed hard disk for free due to the extended warranty on the machine.

However, the HP customer support guy that I got today was great (Kory, in the great midwest U.S. somewhere). He confirmed that there was a known motherboard fault issue with the machine, that it would be replaced for free, and would send me a shipping box (it's all a ploy to keep quarry gainfully employed).

So, when I get my system recovery disk, I go to BestBuy, they fix the disk, I send it to HP, and we see what happens.

Or, I'm still asleep.

[ChrisK]

Well, I got the system recovery disk today. The last customer service guy (Kory - he actually cares a lot about what he does)) came thru. I got notification that the return box to HP for the motherboard replacement has shipped.

I'll run the system recovery disk down to BestBuy and have them restore things.


In a fit of I don't take shite from humans, I'd emailed HP's board of directors about my first experience (no, it's a secret how and I keep these things such). They called (well, some congenial person called) and wanted to know how things work out when they work out.


Dang!

[ChrisK]

So, BestBuy called and sez that my laptop is repaired.

(Of course, their automated customer annoyance system has called me almost daily, starting with the evening of the day that I'd dropped it off, indicating that the machine was already finished and that I had 5 days to pick it up (they didn't say what would happen if I didn't).

They put in a new primary hard drive, and said that the secondary was corrupted. Hmm, we'll see what we got (which hopefully includes MY $30 recovery disk)

The HP return box came Wednesday.

I'll take some pics of the HP as I recall some red goop coming out under the Nvidea graphic processor (it's a 6150 (class 5) so its most pedestrian and of the integrated graphics performance level.)

This red stuff is usually SMT placement goo, but there's a lot of it. I've seen this stuff cause solder paste contamination. This is a BGA component (Ball Grid Array) that requires an X-ray machine for ball solder joint inspection.


BTW, if one actually cares aboot mobile GPUs,

www.notebookcheck.net/Comparison-of-Graphic-Cards.130.0.html

www.notebookcheck.net/Mobile-Graphics-Cards-Benchmark-List.844.0.html

www.notebookcheck.net/Computer-Games-on-Laptop-Graphic-Cards.13849.0.html

[ChrisK]

Well, BestBuy didn't have a 120 GB hard drive, so I guess that I'll just have to be content with the free 500 GB primary drive warranty replacement.

At least I still have the 120 GB secondary drive..... ;D ;D

www.allpowerful.com indeed.

[ChrisK]

Well, HP called me yesterday and asked if they could reinstall the OS. I said sure.


Hmmm, meybe they really are going to replace the motherboard.

I noticed that there was a lot of (red) SMT glue around the periphery of the Nvidea GPU (well, its a low, low end integrated GPU).

This tends to pollute the solder paste and cause BGA reliability issues (uh, like the ones described on the HP web site). I know, I've seen this vendor fault in action as we produce many $billions of electronic stuff yearly.

I didn't mention this to HP as it likely would seriously confuse them.

Let's just break one thing at a time.

[ChrisK]

Yow, I got it back from HP today. It works.

D-d-d-dang!

It would have been nice to get an email indication that it had been shipped.


There is some/less red goop around the periphery of the Nvidea graphic processor on this motherboard as well, so maybe it's not an issue.


Hmm, I guess that I'll test it a bit.