I had always wanted to buy my first laptop. I had an assembled computer and it served it’s purpose more than well. But I moved around a lot and a laptop made sense. I sold the computer and after a year’s saving and a lot of window shopping, research and patience I made a payment for a HP DV1131TX laptop for what seemed correct at that time.
The specs for this machine is available on the net and seemed suited to my budget and needs but I was undone by the greed of two corporations - HP andMicrosoft. HP, I hold responsible for kowtowing to Microsoft, it’s poor product quality and even worse service.
Within a month of the purchase I was visited by the ghosts of all machines badly made. The machine would overheat and shut itself off, the OS would hang and otherwise work so slow that relatively Windows XP would gallop by and remind me of older and simpler times and burnt cash. The Disk drive would vibrate while playing a cd - it’s only task. The laptop would so much noise that there have been instances when I went to the window to check if it was raining till I wisen’ed up. Dutifully I went to the service stations and requested them to do something, maybe change a few parts, diagnose a cure, maybe replace Vista with XP. To the last they flatly refused as the laptop had been specifically made for Vista and HP wouldn’t release drivers for XP. Maybe they were bluffing but I was stuck with a expensive paperweight.
Then I was stuck by the unfairness of it all especially when I faced a rather rude service guy in Bangalore. I have a temper and I stuck it to them. I had a faulty device and I wanted a replacement or my money back even if it was not legal. Lately it has become my firm belief that creating noise is the only way to get proper service in our country. Sadly.
So I started screaming. Verbally at HP Customer Service, documented through mail shot in every direction I could. Finally the sun rose somewhere in the corridors of HP and a lady called to ask what my problem was. She appeared to be a extremely well paid executive - she stank of snoot - probably from an IIM. She said she would look into it. and time went by. I cried holy murder and threatened legal action including putting her name in the legal documents. My bluff played and she called a conference call, made the service guy apologize for my treatment and called my laptop in. After a period of careful examination which in ITparlance means kept in a corner, they replaced some software or so they say and the disk drive and they gave the machine back.
The machine still overheats, the new disk drive still vibrates and Vista still sucks and the noise sometimes fools me to go to the window. I haven’t gone back to HP. Because I realized that I might burst a vein if I go back. Whats a new laptop when somebody else is using it and I am dead.
So in ending, buy a HP laptop if none of the above bothers you or if you have attained Nirvana and everything is Maya or bloody murder is ok.
Which other laptop to buy? I haven’t a clue but I imagine it’s the same story everywhere. The consumer always pays. That is always another story.
12-07-2010Meanwhile, something came to my notice. When my DVD Drive was changed by HP, following its malfunction as per above, I didn’t notice that they had exchanged my DVD Drive with a non Lightscribe drive. The original laptop had a lightscribe drive. The one they exchanged had the tray inscribed showing as a Lightsribe but when I recently tried to write a Lightscribe DVD, I found to my utter disgust that HP had shortchanged me. Shame Shame HP.I wish I could record the laptop makes when its on. My flat is close to the HAL Airport where they are testing the new Tajas aircraft. If you were to hear it from the flat it sounds like they are testing a jet plane in my living room. Or it feels like it is raining. If anything I can’t complain about the sound quality on a HP. He HE.
One great thing about this experience has been that I haverealizedan inner calm which rises above petty electronic devices and their malfunctioning. Who knew that it to be HP for me torealize spiritual uplift. Though I wish my laptop worked too.:)