Noticed That Curry Powder Smell in Your Hewlett-Packard?

Down through the years I have constantly recommended Hewlett-Packard hardware, even own some of their product and it is online at the beach house. This is a company that has made a minimal amount of mistakes with product and consistently delivered superb service. Their ability to replace a warranted product overnight is a standard unheard of in today's market. All this said, my opinion is changing quickly for one reason - English comprehension.

Possibly the worst thing to happen to computer technology is the massive outsourcing to foreign countries for service reps and tech help. My concept of a global village never included making English a second language. Nothing is more frustrating than to have someone read from a script in broken English over and over again no matter what you say to them. Their goal has to involve getting the customer so upset that we finally just hang up in despair. I ordered recovery disks for a HP XP machine around 2.5 years old. After five conversations, increasing the shipping rate, some severe talk about putting someone on the phone that had a grasp of the English language, the disks have been shipped.

This started the last week of February. After a month the disks should arrive today fifty miles away at the customer's address (that's a story that can stand on its own). Today I will drive over 100 miles round trip to pick up these disks and hopefully get the computer back online this coming Monday. This is bullsh--!!! HP needs to revamp their service. If anyone knows of ANY company that still utilizes people that comprehend our language please let me know. At this rate Packard-Bell could even make a comeback with an intelligent service department!!!

We must protest this fiasco. Talk to your Congresspeople. Write the board of directors of your computer manufacturer and raise holy hell. This is an abuse of customers on many different levels. If you have such horror stories please email me or post in the comments. Too many people have voiced similar frustrations over the past year; this is a widespread problem.

The soap box is being stored and I must remember to put gas in the hooptiemobile so this little jaunt can be made to pick up these disks. At least the drive is pleasant and understanding people await me. If you have to speak to a service rep today demand someone that is coherent and NOT reading from a script! Peace out.

"The English language is nobody's special property. It is the property of the imagination: it is the property of the language itself."
~Derek Walcott