Please Put in Correct Instructions on New Machines Assembly!!

[InStitches49]

After calling a number two weeks ago and talking to someone in another country (no surprise there but time consuming as he had to repeat everything!), I sent my new HP  p7-1170t back for repair.  He had (after much troubleshooting by taking video cards in and out and cables off and on) determined I needed a two new slots on the motherboard as the monitor would not display a picture.  Last Friday the computer came back with a note that two new video cards were installed...nothing about the motherboard slots which frustrated me.  So today I called the repair center number and after talking to the nicest young man (with an understandable voice thank God!) I found out the correct instructions were not (and never are according to him) put in the computer.  Following the provided diagram was wrong.  Instead I was to attach another adapter (sent in a small plastic bag with no note about what it was for) to the VGA cord and use only that connection...not both the VGA and DVI.  Once I did that the monitor had a picture!!  As I told this man, why didn't the correct directions come in the box?? I am over sixty and decent with computers but had no idea what to connect other than what was shown.  Really?  Is that too much to ask??  Okay, I've vented.  Now if I can just get the router reconnected as easily

[Gangles]

First, hp has numerous support departments located all over the world to help offset the cost of the massive amount of support personnel that gives you free support under your one year warranty upon purchase. The language barriers can be frustrating sometimes however all their employees are highly trained and the pay off is the savings is passed to the consumer as the products can be sold for a lot cheaper.

For the size of HP, if every single support technician was located within our economy, instead of paying $499 to $799 for the most popular desktops within the series you mentioned you would be paying $3500 to $9000 for the same product and creating thread on how expensive HP's products are.

Simple economics for any multi billion dollar company regardless of services offered.

To answer your concern about manuals, HP is a green company and does everything it can to shrink it's carbon footprint. No longer are manuals put in a box and mailed with each purchase only to be lost or thrown away. They are offered for free on hp's website. You just type your model in the search box and all kinds of manuals including 'how to' are available for your reading or printing needs.

A technician on the phone does it's best to record and assume the system failier. In your case it was determined that the graphic card slots were defective, when the physical unit was taken to a repair center someone could physically run diagnostics and it was determined that the issue was the cards themselves and not the slots. Based on the information you provided that is why there was a discrepency.

Based on your post I am assuming the monitor you are using is an older model and you needed a DVI to VGA adapter to resolve your issue. Not quite sure as the information you provided was limited.

Hopefully this post alleviate some of your concerns

[InStitches49]

I appreciate your taking the time to answer me, but I must address some things you mentioned.  One thing is that while I am not against having outsourced technical help (for economics as you stated and  of which I am aware),  he did not see on my order that I had upgraded to a better graphics card and realize it should be attached to the VGA cord  in a totally different slot than the printed instructions said.   At no time during our conversation did he mention the adapter or even ask me if I had received a package containing something that looked like a "plug." (It was thrown loosely in the box and only labeled with a part number and no instructions.)

I am not dumb but that simple item being labeled would not eradicate a million trees.  Even a simple note on purchasing that graphics card ONLINE that this would need an adapter (furnished) and have to be plugged in a certain slot would have been sufficient for me.  But nothing was mentioned anywhere.  For even $800 I should get better advice than I did....whether here or in India or in Mexico or wherever!  All the consumer asks for is proper support for the purchase.  I know times are tough and outsourcing is everywhere.  I won't get into the politics of this, but I do expect proper questioning when I call and I did give him every piece of information I could.  Plus the monitor was brand new, not old, as are the tower, the keyboard, and the mouse.  Only the speakers come from my five year old Dell.  And, yes, it came with much better instructions to be honest.  I have an HP laptop which I enjoy and thought I'd go with HP because of that.