Saturday, October 21, 2006

Hewlett Packard

Stuff that worked before, and may again
HP 873N
By way of disclosure, I was once the marketing director for a Hewlett Packard VAR (value added retailer), so I had a built in loyalty to HP.  Their products were benchmarks for reliability, their customer service always the highest rated.  Lately, however, I've had pretty much the same experience as this fellow HP 873N Media Center computer owner. That is to say,  I was fed-freaking-up.  So, when of a sudden an MPEG2 codec, critical in movie and DVD making, stopped working, and instead displayed a message "Your evaluation period has ended, please visit Elcard's site ...," I was about at the end of the road with this piece of crap. Evaluation?  After 3 years?

The last time I asked HP something, I received a curt reply stating that my one-year warranty had expired, and I was on my own.  With nothing to lose, I again went through HP's labyrinth, and was able to finally get off an SOS e-mail.  I had zero expectations for any resolution, but, Holy Crap!  Within 30 minutes I had a response from a live guy who gave me two non HP sites where I could download the codec for free (Emuzed, the original OEM supplier having faded away).  Problem solved.  Holy Crap.  I will again consider HP when it's time to upgrade.

There's a lesson here too. I am easy.  For instance, even if you voted for John Kerry, there will come a time (not yet) when I'm able to forgive you - if your actions demonstrate that you've returned to decency, and love your country again..

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Not me my man. Within the first few minutes of meeting a prospective date, I always work in, libreal or conservative. The fummy thing is, conservative women ALWAYS say they're conservative, whereas libs hem and haw, liberal on some stuff blahblahblah. I say how did you vote in '04, W or Kerry. The Kerry response is the kiss of death.

Really, you have to wonder where someone's head is at to have swallowed his garbage.
MM

Anonymous said...

John Kerry's evaluation period ended sometime in the 60's and I've been at the end of the road with his piece of crap for way too long.

Anonymous said...

Just as the 2004 election resulted in my swearing-off any remotely political discussion with any leftist ever again, my last laptop purchase was the final straw regarding Hewlett Packard. I will never consider purchasing another HP product as long as I live.

Regarding Kerry and Kennedy: don't you wingnuts know that George Washington once said, "Treachery is the highest form of patriotism?"

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