Elite e9150t Feezes/Locks up [ Edited ]

[eots]

Contacted HP support again and told them it's been 72 business hours and no call from a Case Manager.  Their response was to escalate the issue to a Case Manager again and wait another 48 hours for them to call.  What a load of crap!  I've already waited 3 days for a call I should have had after 2 and now they're telling me to wait yet another 2 days, I won't hold my breath for that call either!  Canadian support is obviously much worse than the US, I was so fed up with HP support that I took my computer back to the store and they're sending it back to HP for warranty repair, which will take a MONTH!  At this point they could give me a gold plated computer with everything working perfectly and they will still NEVER get my business again, nor will I ever recommend anyone else to buy an HP and I work in the IT field.  I was even tempted to tell customers at Future Shop who were looking at the HP systems to steer clear and buy a Dell.

Future Shop customer service was very good and they were going to give me a new computer on the spot, but since mine came from the same shipment they were all 1.03 motherboards!  I'd like to see every large retail chain that sells these HP systems send them all back and flood HP with returns.

Message Edited by eots on 08-05-2009 07:42 PM

[skinny_sc]

Is there really a difference between Canadian support and US support? I ask because I have to say, the people I talked to are in no way in the US. If anyone has seen the movie Outsourced (I highly recommend!), that's all I could picture when talking to the support people I talked with. The Indian call center guy was so new to the process that he continuously forgot to place me on hold, so I could hear everything going on around him as he set his phone down on the desk. But don't let that make you think his help was bad, it was actually outstanding. He may have had to run and ask a question to a manager every 5 minutes, but we got everything settled great. It was always funny to hear someone come up behind him and ask the question "is he on hold?" then here the music come on as he realized I wasn't actually on hold, I was just sitting there with his phone on the desk

[eots]

There is a difference when it comes to warranty service, computers purchased in Canada are repaired in Canada not the US.  Apparently Canadian repair times are much slower.

[Cee-Cee]

The place where the HP computers are repaired are probably different in the US versus Canada, but the call centers are the same.  One of the times that I called one of the call centers, the guy sounded American (though probably gay).  Surprised at the fact that he did not sound Indian or Pakistani, I asked him where he was, and he mentioned some U.S. city.  So, apparently some call centers are not outsourced (should we thank the Congress for throwing us a bone?).  I feel bad for the working conditions of those in India.  They put them in a 2 foot by 2 foot cubicle and they answer calls all day, mostly at odd hours because of the approximately 12 hour time difference.  However, I feel worse about all the U.S. jobs that are not there because a few at the top of these companies want to get rich when their main skill is being ruthless.  Also look inside your computer and see where all of the components are made:  mostly China and some Korea (at least South Korea does not violate human rights like China).  They are shipped from Laredo, Texas, so it does not take a rocket scientist to figure out that they are assembled south of the Rio Grande.  How many progamming jobs have been lost by companies bringing in people from India to do "consulting" work at companies.?  I have nothing personal against these people, but I am sure that we would not be very welcome if we went to their country to take their jobs.  People, pay attention to what your congressmen are doing!

[XStan]

I just spoke to my case manager. We had a long discussion, but after we exhausted some of the issues and after I explained some of the problems that all of you were having, she asked if I would hold on awhile. She did some research and found that there is a known issue with timing between the  intel processor and the motherboard. Because of this issue she is sending me a new PC. The new pc may or may not have a different motherboard, but it will have an upgraded i7 cpu that has a bios update built into the chip. She believes that should completely solve the problem.

I was happy with the way she handled the case. She knew that I could easily return the computer to Costco for a full refund, and that I did't want to try a new pc or motherboard unless HP believed they had a solution. So, in about 7 -10 days I should get a replacement and see if the problem is really gone.

She had no problem with me posting this i7 timing issue, and because there isn't a BIOS update for the processor for you to download, it seems that you should be entitled to a replacement.

The replacement works like this: She will send me shipping labels for my pc. Since I don't have a box, I can use the one my new PC will come in.

I hope this will solve everybody's problem.

[Cee-Cee]

XStan, thanks for the info.  What I see wrong with this picture is that HP should communicate this to all of the customers who are known to have the specific motherboard and/or intel processor with the timing issue.  My computer was purchased directly from them and it is duly registered at their website, and I am sure it is true for the other known victims of this fiasco.  It would be nice if they reassured their customers if they have the updated hardware that would not cause any more of this problem, or if they don't they should be contacted to fix it.  HP sucks as to how they handle their own blunder.

I found it surprising that they are going to send you a replacement without sending back the original first.  That is what they required in my case.  Once they received it, then they started on the replacement.  There was another victim in the thread who had to pay FEDEX for boxes and packaging fees because his girlfriend had thrown away his computer box.

[skinny_sc]

Same here as with the guy with the g/f. My wife asked if I needed the boxes any more and I said "not really" then the next garbage day they were gone. So I also had to pay for FedEx packaging my defective computer into a box. Cost about $15.

[thardy711]

I had my computer for two weeks before it had its first lock-up and has happened more frequently as time passes.  I put in a call to tech support 5 days ago with no resolve.  The next day they were suppose to call me back to see if the problem was still existing. I had to call them as the time came and went when they told me they would call. The second conversation produced no positive results either.  I was told to expect a call in 48 hours from senior tech support. It has now been 4 days and no calls. I have always been a fan of HP. I have two previous laptops that are going strong, but this is getting ridiculous.

[eots]

XStan:

There's one thing very wrong with what you were told by the case manager "an upgraded i7 cpu that has a bios update built into the chip. She believes that should completely solve the problem."  CPU's do not have a BIOS, the mother board does and if you still get a 1.03 motherboard then you will still have the same problem.  If this was a CPU problem then Intel would have recalled all Core i7 920 CPU's and the problem would affect every PC on the planet with a Core i7 920 CPU and this is simply not the case.  This is a motherboard issue not CPU and the HP case managers are either incredibly stupid or they think customers are and will believe any BS they tell them.

[Cee-Cee]

thardy711, call them again and tell them you wish to escalate the issue.  If you purchased directly from HP within 21 days, you can demand a replacement with a brand new one.  Otherwise, (beyond 21 days or purchased somewhere like Costco, Best Buy) they might have you send it back for repair (which will probably involve the replacement of the v1.03 motherboard with a v1.04.  You have to be assertive with these people because they are cut-throat and are only looking at short run profit maximization (in the long-run a new CEO would have taken the place of the current one, while the current one is enjoying his millions at our expense).