Monday, November 27, 2006

Hasshole-Packards (HP) Computers

Nothing leaves a bad corporate impression as a bad customer service. Infact, it leaves a bitter impression that lingers almost forever. It's amazing how some corporations spend millions of dollars to build their brand over the years and let "cost cutting" measures (a.k.a corporate greed) like outsourcing to destroy the reputation they've built over the years. Such was my experience with Hassole-Packards (HP) computer. I made a conscious effort to avoid a prominent competitor (Dell computers) simply because of the same reason. I've heard/read too many nasty experience from disgruntled customers and decided not to make that my portion. So I opted for a HP computer since I wasn't aware of any such customer experience. I ordered a customized notebook that would suit my geekry taste but to my dismay I didn't get what I ordered. Few functionalities were missing and I had to call their customer service line to complain and that was how my entire life came to a screeching halt in November (thank God for work computer). My call was routed to a representative in India who I'm sure knews little or nothing about customer service or should I say U.S customer service. I think it's important I make that distinction because a good customer service is relative and varies with culture. I was bounced around from one associate to the other, communication was extremely painful because like Chris Tucker "I DON'T UNDERSTAND A WORD THAT IS COMING OUT OF YOUR MOUTH". I'm not trying to ridicle these Indian reps because I speak with a decent amount of accent myself. What actually made me flipped was the fact that no one was able to confirm my initial order. I paid becoup d'argent (lol..flossing the little French i'm left with) for this laptop and I'm not about to be ripped off by these imbeciles. From one rep to another no one seemed to corroborate my claim. It seemed as if I'm fighting a battle I can't win, suddenly I felt cheated and almost bursted into tears.

Fortunately after countless calls and days to rectify the problem, I was given a U.S number to call and Alas! it was an American representative on the phone. This representative handled the call with utmost respect and courtesy and above all he verified my initial order. When I asked him how come his colleagues in India weren't able to retrieve my order, he simply stated that most of them weren't well trained. That left me dumbfounded (to say the least). Right after this scenario, I read about how sales plummeted for Dell and a couple other U.S corporations that outsourced their front line due to customer service complaints. Dell and these other corporations has since revamped it's customer service practice and relocated their front line back to the U.S. My experience with Hasshole-Packards (HP) has prompted me to launch a smear campaign on them and to warn you of what awaits you if you decide to deal with Hassole-Packards (HP) computers. To be forwarned is to be forarmed.

1 comment:

Adam's said...

i think HP``that's ok! my opinion
;-)