Ok, so that's probably not going to be the next hit single by Buggles but it's exactly what HP and a number of technology companies are doing. For some reason they don't understand that the primary key to consumer computing is tech support. They have also reminded me why I don't buy consumer level hardware unless I can help it (or it comes from someone like Apple or IBM). Let me explain.
On Wednesday afternoon Jason decided to get himself a new home PC. We talked about it a bit and afterward he decided to head out to Costco to see if he could find himself a deal. And man did he. He got a smoking fast quad core machine with a 24" LCD monitor for $1600. A great price to be sure. Of course he brought it straight to me so I could install our corporate image of Vista on it and get rid of all the crap that HP (and just about every other major PC maker) installs. I threw it on the network and set out to reimage it. Everything went smoothly as it booted up but quickly I realized it didn't load the network driver. Bummer I thought, now I'm going to have to track down that driver for later when Vista is actually installed. I went on my way installing the image from DVD instead. When I rebooted sure enough no network driver, so being a good little dork I headed to HP's website, this is where things start to go wrong, very wrong.
I head over to the support and downloads page and type in the model number from the front of the PC. Nothing. Nada. I think "huh, how can an HP machine not exist on their site?" so I do some more looking around. I see a sticker on the side of the machine that has some sort of part number or something (not the human readable m9077c) and try that. Nothing. Nada. Again. "Ok, this is getting very weird, let's try Google". "Ah, a result, but only one?". I take a look at the only result is a link to Costco's site (which is a bad link BTW) and that's it. "How the hell doesn't this machine exist anywhere on the net?!?!". Ok, enough of this let's look through the stuff that came with the machine. Again nothing, nada, no CD's, DVD's, etc. Ok enough is enough let's try tech support. Here's where we really start going down hill fast.
After sitting on hold for about 10 minutes (which really wasn't that bad actually) I get through to someone, clearly in India who I can barely understand. I spend 30 minutes on the phone with her asking where the download page is so I can download all the Vista drivers for the machine. It came with Vista so clearly there are drivers somewhere right? Well after 30 minutes of back and forth, being on hold she tells me I need to call Microsoft. "Call Microsoft!" I exclaim, what the fuck for? "You built the machine, not Microsoft, they have no fucking clue what network card is in it!". She puts me on hold for 5+ minutes and comes back with the same answer, call Microsoft. Ok, clearly this isn't going anywhere so I ask for a supervisior. Again hold. Again "sorry, they are busy, call Microsoft". I tell her no, that isn't an acceptable answer, "I want a fucking supervisior and I want them right now". Hold again (5+ minutes again) and finally I get a "supervisior" (I'm guessing the guy in the cube next to her). He then tells me the exact same thing, "call Microsoft". Finally I get out of him that the only way to get the drivers is to get the restore DVD which, convienently, they don't ship with the machine. Takes 2 weeks and costs $50 to get it. So I finally realize there is no way in hell these people are going to help me so why not try a different tactic. I know it's an Intel card but not which one. So I ask "ok, well could you please tell me which Intel network card is in the machine?". "Uh, it's an Intel, uh, 10/100, uh Ethernet, uh network adaptor" (clearly he's reading this from some sheet). "Uh thanks, I can read the box too, WHICH Intel network card is it, there are hundreds!". I'll spare you the rest but 10 minutes later I was slamming the phone down having wasted more than an hour with nothing to show for it. BARGH!
So what did I do? What I should have done in the first damn place, I figured it out for myself. I cracked it open and found the model number of the motherboard. "Ah, it's an Asus board", 5 minutes later I'd figured out everything I needed, Network, Sound, Wireless, etc. It took a little sluthing but I finally got everything running just great.
So, HP, you can send me my check for the hour of my life you wasted and for the time I had to spend looking for the shit that should have been on your site in the first place. How on earth could you sell a computer at a major retailer that doesn't exist on your site! Oh, and you can send me my check for the following, for any of you that have this machine here are all the drivers you'll need if you fresh install Vista on it:
I think I can safely say I'll never buy another HP product (or at a minimum won't be calling their support department). Further reminder of why it's worth it to spend a little more for business level hardware, Apple/IBM I won't let myself, or my friends, stray from you again...
Posted in: Technology
