Some History and Context Regarding the HP Soldier Video

[mikilanim]

I also have an HP printer that right after the warranty was up started to mess up It says the the carriage is stalling and HP will do nothing about it because of the fact that it is out of the warranty. I am a single mother of three boys and I can not afford to buy another so we go without now. I also have and hp laptop paperweight I call it that cuz that's all it is good for. The part that charges the battery has stopped working so it will not turn on any longer and I cant afford to send it in to get the part replaced.

[rshinptown]

I was really glad to see this video, and I completely understand the soldier's frustration.   A few years ago, I called HP support with a simple question about my HP desktop.  The computer was 4 years old.  I was told that it was "obsolete", and I would have to pay for my answer.  Common sense would be to try to impress me with HP service, knowing that I would soon need to replace my aging machine.  Needless to say, my next purchase would not be from HP.

Time heals, and eventually I gave HP another try.  I do like my HP laptop.  I also own a similar 'all in one' printer -- WHAT A PIECE OF JUNK!

[algy75]

Let me put in a good word for HP. I am and old-timer who used HP equipment since the '40s. In 1999, before Carly took over to squeeze out profits by making cheap equipment, I puechased an HP 2100 Laserjet and it was great. After 68,000 copies on the counter it was having problems, but it was under a service contract. They did an express swap and I got a refurbished unit with less than 5,000 count and it lasted to over 100,000. So I went online and purchased another refurbished unit, which had 31,000 on the counter and expect it will run to 100,000 too.As long as they keep finding units to refurbish, I'll keep buying the HP2100.

Too bad that HP changed it's quality and service so much.

[McNally]

I like how he specifies service members "over seas."   I had some issues with my laptop immediately after I returned from Iraq.  It was a back-and-forth between me, the Geek Squad at Best Buy, and HP for two montths.  By the time I got my laptop back, the warranty had expired.  The motherboard was replaced FOUR TIMES before I got it back.  When I expressed concerns about the reliability of the laptop, Best Buy suggested I contact HP.  HP told me to talk to Best Buy.

"Support the troops" only applies when supporting them doesn't require you to do a **bleep** thing.  I am never purchasing an HP product ever again and I actively try to pursuade others from doing so as well.

[ConaumerIsKing]

I Emailed the guy in the video with my situation of what haoppened to me which is EXACTLY what happened to the soldier. He has blown me (The Honorable Consumer) off. As soon as they get your cash they rip you off folks.

Word of advise as I learned this from my own experience: NEVER PAY WITH CASH, NEVER PAY USING A DEBIT CARD, USE A CREDIT CARD IT GIVE YOU THE (HONORABLE CONSUMER) POWER TO REVERSE THE CHARGE AND CLAIM FRAUD,MISREPRESENTATOION, PRODUCT NOT FIT FOR THE PURPOSE INTENDED.

everything the soldier said is true. Stay tuned for my video as my snowboard smashes my all in one which worked for less than a month and HP refused to do anything without a credit card and the store said HA, we have your money we (the store Best Buy) don't have to do anything.         

[TruthSeeker1000]

I just saw this video for the first time in 2010 via FaceBook.  As a skeptic and someone who tries to find facts among the hyperbole of the Internet, I did a little searching about the video and found this forum.  While I am a bit surprised to learn this video started making the rounds on the web in 2006, I am more surprised that 4 years later the HP response on this forum is packed with fluff and light on facts.

It lacks some important elements that should be easy for HP to convey:  

1)  If you "reached out" to the soldier, why not tell us what you did, how long it took and what the final resolution was? A refund? A new printer?  Free phone support?  Without these easy facts, we can only surmise the "resolution" is not impressive enough to share with the public.  

2)  The only true definition of a successful "resolution" is one that is described that way by the customer.  Has the soldier thanked you for your "resolution" of his situation?  It's perfectly reasonable that HP and this customer may not come to an agreement, but your fluffy post suggest all is well in a way that reeks of hidden facts indicating something else.

3)   When this many people are willing to share their horror stories about HP customer service on an HP forum, you might want to spend more time working on better service than posting videos that beg more questions than they answer.

So, perhaps GarenT can provide a few more facts.  Those lead to truth, and nourish the dialog so abundant across social media.  If I were to get more facts, I would post them on FaceBook to those who sent me the video.

Until some facts reach me, I am a previously-very-satisfied-HP-consumer who has just received a powerful reason to choose another brand next time I shop.

[ixionlynx]

A disgrace indeed. How much more to all ordinary customer like us?

[Ben95111]

Blame Carly Fiorina for shipping all the jobs to China, getting all her "Presents" and firing all those people.

If Carly never stepped in, the products wouldn't be so cheap, the customers wouldn't be so mad, and we wouldn't have thsi situation in the first place.

This conversation is all over a soldier who shot his printer. It's possible that HP DIDN'T KNOW THIS GUY WAS IN THE ARMY AT THE TIME OF THE SUPPORT CALL. HP treats most of its customers like this:

Out of warranty, go buy another printer or buy the warranty.

in warranty, replace, replace, replace, repair.

I've had my Touchsmart for about 3 years now, and I've sent it ONCE for a buzzing  hard drive. Other than that, there were no problems to address.

But, of course, this is about printers, not  computers.

So, the next time we have this conversation, ask yourself: Would you know if a guy was rich if he had called you about a hard drive problem?

[McNally]

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@Ben95111 wrote:

This conversation is all over a soldier who shot his printer. It's possible that HP DIDN'T KNOW THIS GUY WAS IN THE ARMY AT THE TIME OF THE SUPPORT CALL.

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What about in my case when I said that I took my laptop to Iraq repeatedly when speaking to HP on the phone?

[Ben95111]

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@McNally wrote:

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@Ben95111 wrote:

This conversation is all over a soldier who shot his printer. It's possible that HP DIDN'T KNOW THIS GUY WAS IN THE ARMY AT THE TIME OF THE SUPPORT CALL.

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What about in my case when I said that I took my laptop to Iraq repeatedly when speaking to HP on the phone?

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Can you please clarify?

EDIT: Double post by Firefox