Hewlett-Packard Company Consumer Reviews

DIFFERENT LOCATIONS -- I want to inform you about a terrible experience I've just had with Tech Support Ph# 1800 474-6836 in the Control Panel (System icon) information based in my current Hewlett Packard desktop Computer. First of all I have been a Hewlett Packard buyer for the past (3) computers, buying one every 6 to 8 years and had plan to continue doing so.

As I have purchased my first model in the year 1994 which I don't have the information on hand but the last (2) the model HP Pavilion 6645C SYS # D9948A SER # KR01326688 purchased in late 2000 and my current HP model # M9340F SER # CNX822119T Prod # KQ497AA-ABA purchased in 2008, HP Photosmart C4480 and previous Printers, Router and Ink Cartridges! (My info's in your base).

Last Thursday Jan 2, I was having computer problems. Pretty sure it was a Virus and I had attempted earlier for Techies Tech support to fix it first for a (1) time fixing for $59.95. They debited my credit card and proceeded by taking my Computer over by remote for 3 or 4 separate attempts spending much time on it from grade (1) through (3) in experience. I am Computer savvy myself and told them basically what I had tried everything from Safe Mode procedure elimination through Putting my Computer back in an earlier time through Cache, Cookies through downloading different Virus Tryout Programs.

They could not eliminate what I believe is a Virus on my Computer & after the fourth try, they proceeded to credit back my card and advised me to contact the Manufacturer of my Computer thinking maybe they might know because of being the maker of it. I did not want to do a total System Recovery which I have done so in the past more than once when applicable because usually even though you backup your files usually you end up losing something you wish you had back.

So Last Thursday Jan 2, I called the HP above phone number and talked to a (**). I told him the problems that I was having and that I had Techies Tech support work on it and that they had problems and could not fix it. He just about guaranteed me that they could fix it and agreed for a onetime fee of $59.95. Sounding extremely confident that the Hp Tech Support system could do so. He said he had heard of this problem and they fix them regularly. He just reiterated and continued to repeat again and again verbally that they can fix this. I proceeded to give him my card number and he told me to stay on the line as he hooked me up to a Tech specialist name (**).

** proceeded to spin about 45 minutes to an hour trying to take my computer over by remote. I told him the Techies Tech support remote log in remote procedure was (logmein.com) but he said their software is different and continued to be unsuccessful. He told me he would have to call me the following morning because he couldn't figure out how to take it by remote; he said the next grade of Tech Support would be able to do it. I wanted them to continue because it says there in the Control Panel Icon information Open for 24/7 & 7 days a week. I said fine call me at 8:00 am the next morning Friday.

The next morning a Tech support name (**) called. I told ** basically the same thing I had told ** and earlier of course told Techies Tech what I had tried. ** told me he did not see what else could be done. And he proceeded to try to hook up remotely trying his software but failed to connect. He then decided to put the Computer back in time but I told him that I had done this at least a half a dozen times much earlier through my learned knowledge & experience.

After he coached me to do this and it finished; there was no progress of fixation at all. As he had left in the middle of the procedure and he did not return the call. As I waited for ** to call back, I decided to call Billing or Customer service and Talked to someone name (**). I told him who I was and what had been done so far and told him I thought I would ask for a refund because it appeared nothing was going to be done.

** told me he could not give me a refund because that they had spent a considerable amount of time with me on my computer. I was absolutely outraged at how he came to that conclusion as neither ** or ** hadn't not only fixed my computer; they never even taken my computer over remotely and made an attempt at fixing it in the either case!!!

We argued back and forth and came to an agreement to let his highest grade Tech Support he said which I believe is grade (3) call me to give it one last try and call me that afternoon and maybe we could work something out he said if they were unsuccessful. I said fine.

An (**) called me later that afternoon. He was no better than the other 2 as he tried to connect remotely but could not do so. I explained to ** earlier the many things that I had attempted earlier in fixing it and he told me "He did not see what else could be done"!

** returned me to billing or Customer service and a person by the name of (**) answered with authority. He proceeded to tell me the same that he could not give me a refund because of the (3) separate tech guys that spent time on the phone. All they did was ask questions, such as what was wrong with my Computer and attempt to connect by remote going through different procedures unsuccessfully and never did! I believe the Virus won out and I have to do a System Recovery with Disks.

I checked my Bank statements immediately and it looks like they charged me twice on (2) separate charges which is even more outrageous!!! I called my bank and disputed the charges and now we will see what the overall outcome will be. I was planning on buying another HP Desktop in 2014.

I have never experienced such outrageousness by a major Computer operation in my lifetime! And If I don't hear back from your office about your policies and your procedures changing from instances like this, because if you Google "HP complaints" and see similarities like my story and your Customer relations on Printers/PC's/ laptops etc. There's a good chance you won't see me buying another HP product again! And of course I will alert Family and Friends, Etc.

LONDON, UK -- Finding myself needing a new printer in February 2015 I looked at a number of makes and models, amongst which I liked most a Hewlett-Packard one but it was a bit over my budget. However, I found mention of a £40 Cashback offer if I bought direct from HP, although there was conflicting information online as to when the offer ended. Some pages said 31 January, some said 30 April.

At this point the complexities of dealing with HP should have warned me off them. If you look for information on their web pages you find yourself going round and round in circles, likewise if you try to find out how to contact them. Eventually I found a suitable phone number whose operative confirmed the offer had been extended to 30 April, and I was given another number to call for re-confirmation.

I ordered the HP printer as it was now more affordable to me. Delivery was prompt, and I heeded the advice to register it, doing this the following day. No invoice was received, I had to email HP to ask for one, and there was no further information about the Cashback, but I felt sure I would be contacted. When this did not happen, I uneasily searched again for information online, where I found nothing concrete, just vague suggestions that one had up to 60 days to claim.

Eventually I started sending emails of inquiry to HP. The replies to these always directed me to different departments until one day I was given the phone number for printer cashback, where a man told me I should have registered for the Cashback. The one I had completed was just to register the product, it seems. This was news to me, but there was little response to my remark that my psychic powers must have deserted me. (I must add here that I have not spoken to anyone on a HP phone number whose first language was English.)

Following his advice, I emailed full details which, I was told, would be presented to the head of department for consideration. By return of email 5 days later, I was informed there were "rules and regulations to the promotion" as detailed in an attached 5-page pdf of T&Cs, and I had not met the terms of contract as I was now outside the registration period. My further email of protest has not been replied to, they appear to have chosen to ignore it. So don't be taken in by any such offer. Take the higher price as being what the goods will cost you, for it is my opinion that they intentionally set out to make it as difficult as possible for you to get any Cashback.

I'm not sure where to even begin this debacle. I purchased a Presario R3000 notebook in September of 2004. Being the smart cookie I am, I purchased the extended/accidental damage 3-Year warranty straight from HP and sent in my registration card. About a year ago, the notebook's battery died and the computer was extremely hot. I dealt with it until a few months ago when the notebook would shut off with no warning.

I finally decided to call HP and get the multitude of problems fixed, thinking it would be a bit of an annoyance, but manageable. Boy was I wrong. My first call, I am told that my "1 year warranty has expired" and they will not be able to help me. After explaining that I bought a 3 year warranty, the nice Indian guy "Mark" (yeah right) tells me I have to fax the receipt, wait 24 hours, and call to confirm that its updated in the computer. So I do. Except that when I call to confirm, I am put on hold, disconnected, and hung up on over 8 times. I try for a total of 2 hours (angry at this point) before giving "live chat support" a shot.

The lady I speak to finds my warranty in a matter of minutes and tells me that when my registration card was entered in the system by a technician, they mistakenly wrote a 5 instead of an S. I understand... these things happen. Still, no fault of my own. The lady says she will enter my registration correctly, and to call back in 5 hours to confirm. I wait 2 days to be sure.

When I call I'm given the exact same scripted nonsense about not having a warranty. I am told to fax the receipt again. I hang up, and call my friend who works as a sales manager for HP, merely to blow off some steam about how horrendous his company is and how I will never buy from HP again. Within 2 hours I receive a call from his manager who seems very concerned about my problems and works with me to send my notebook in for repair. Finally!

I send my notebook in and receive it in a timely manner. I'm thinking the adventure is over, when in fact the worst is yet to come. While they have fixed some problems, my battery still holds no charge. Livid at this point, I do some Googling and find out that the battery pack for my notebook was recalled several months ago for overheating the computer and not holding any charge after a few months (!). I was not aware of this because my registration info was entered incorrectly.

So in short I had a defective RECALLED battery pack, was never told that I may have one even after describing exactly the problems with my computer that the defective battery pack produces, and to top it all off, the battery was never replaced even after I sent it in for repair. I call HP, furious at this point, and am told that "my 1 year warranty has expired and there is nothing I can do to help you". Honestly, it shouldn't matter if my "warranty is up" because HP replaces those batteries free of charge. After telling the CSR that this is totally unacceptable, I am put on hold and hung up on.

My friend is unfortunately on vacation until after the holidays, so it is evident I will be getting nowhere in the meantime with HP. But one thing is for sure, I will NEVER buy from HP again. I'd much rather pay twice as much to deal with a company that is competent and treats its customers with respect.

SOUTH CAROLINA -- Oh...where do I begin??? Talked with 'Harry' about how my computer was shutting down lately for constant updates. I have HP Windows 10. Well he led me down this long ass process and wanted me to pay to clean up my computer... "There obviously a virus in your computer." Blah blah blah.

Come to find talking with a computer expert (friend of mine - who works for the Pentagon mind you), and he said Windows 10 is changing formats, etc. And "It is a company not your computer." I was petrified I would lose files and that representative made me believe if I didn't spend the money - I would. Really? I do believe the support for HP would know of certain flaws in the system huh? Great job. Scam artist.

TENNESSEE -- It took me months of runaround, them lying to the B.B.B., for them to finally offer a repair telling me a exchange or refund was not an option? Even when their warranty claims they'd do right by their consumers? After getting months of confusion, I needed my computer and lost time of use because of them, finally they replaced the hard drive and memory board claiming it's been repaired!

Now it's starting to do the same as when I first took it out of the shipping box after buying it new, and that was in 8/2014, it's still under warranty, and they refuse to refund me my $445.44. I paid for it because they claimed it was fast. It's moved like a snail since new and gets hot from use of only a few minutes. The product I'm mentioning is a HP desktop computer model # 500-c60. There's a lot of unhappy people on the net that have gotten the same poor quality products and service as I'm experiencing now!.

PALO ALTO, CALIFORNIA -- I contacted HP customer service for assistance with problems I was experiencing with my HP laptop. I was told they could help me for an annual charge of $50. I was NOT told that they would also charge $14.99 per month, so when that charge showed up on my credit card statement, I complained.

HP was completely unsympathetic and unhelpful; after several frustrating phone calls, I learned that I could cancel my "contract" with them for a termination fee of $70! I will not deal with a business that places hidden charges on my credit card. This is completely unethical. (Yes, the charges were mentioned in separate emails that were lengthy and filled with legalese. No excuse: reputable firms tell people up front what they charge.)

This is my e-mail I'm about to send to the Office of the President. (assuming it ever gets there since they blocked me from actually speaking to his office when I called). It's really a shame that HP has turned into this type of company. This e-mail is intended for the President - Paul Tsaparis.

I have been buying HP products for years now & I'm SHOCKED as to how unorganized HP has become. I'm also shocked as to how much time I've had to waste every single time I call HP & how HP seems to like wasting customers' time by forcing them to provide serial numbers & model numbers each time they call. If it was the first time I could see the logic in this, but it's not, it's EACH TIME & the info is ALREADY in your system linked to my name & phone number. Today I've wasted almost an hour of my time while I could have been working to build my company.

First I called customer service. When I had to jump through hoops again, I asked to speak to a manager. I was told I wouldn't be allowed if I didn't go get my heavy laptop & read off all the numbers again. Then after hanging up I called Case Management & spoke to ** who also refused to let me speak to a manager if I didn't waste my precious time by leaving my office to go all the way upstairs & get all this information that is ALREADY in your system. She gave me the 650-857-1501 number to supposedly speak to you, but of course that number got me nowhere.

Then I spoke to ** who took down my previous case management number & put me on hold. The next thing I know, I get a ** picking up the phone who had no clue what was going on & had no idea who was supposed to be handling me. AGAIN she asked me to repeat EVERYTHING. The pattern here is that HP is totally disorganized & doesn't respect a customer's time. She transfers me to try & get ** back & if memory serves me (who can remember what's going on when they speak to sooo many different people in a span of 20 minutes), ** picked up the phone & then hung up on me.

Finally I called the Houston office where I was told I would not be allowed to be transferred to your office because I'm Canadian, that only case management handles Canadian issues. This is how Canadians are mistreated. One rule for Americans, another for Canadians & you are Canadian no less. When I had a problem with customer service with Sony Canada, Sony US had NO problem speaking to me & getting the problem resolved within the hour.

Back to what happened to me... At least the person I spoke to was kind enough to give me this e-mail address. We'll see if it actually leads to the Executive Offices & I speak to someone OTHER than case management who has failed to help me all because HP refuses to address my needs if I take a stand & refuse to waste unnecessary time by providing the same information that is already in your computer system.

I will be blogging about this entire experience because I feel other people who may consider becoming an HP customer should know that they will have their time wasted because HP has control issues & very disorganized. I'm sure your shareholders would also like to know this information.

Note: just from my quick search online, I can see that I'm not the only one who has had terrible problems with HP. There are TONS of other customers online who have been mistreated by HP.

All this because I called to get a UPS box sent to me so I could once again send back my laptop to get it fixed since now the mouse isn't working. I only purchased this laptop in August of 2009, have used it a total of maybe 10-15 times, & I've had nothing but problems with it since I brought it home.

After reading so many complaints over issues with HP service, I wanted to add some information that people may find helpful when calling HP support. 1. First. HP's US support is outsourced to India. If you call support, you will get someone who likely doesn't speak English. Or at least, not very well. This is the primary cause of frustration - trying to get a message across to someone who doesn't speak the same language.

Canada's support, on the other hand, is in CANADA. Canadians speak English every bit as well as you do. And they have those cute accents as well! When you call through for support, keep saying "agent" to the automated system, then ask to be transferred to Canadian support. Be patient. It may take 4 or 5 transfers. Keep asking for Canadian support. Once you get to Canada, they can assist you in troubleshooting, and can set up many types of repair or parts dispatch. The systems are different, so they can't do everything the US team can, but at least they can explain it in a way that makes sense to both of you.

Keep in mind, though, you should use this as a last resort. If everyone who calls demands someone in Canada, HP will change the system so that it's no longer possible to get there. Don't call and demand Canada to order a set of recovery disks - the people in India can handle that just fine. But if it's complicated troubleshooting you need, it might be worthwhile to try it.

Before you ask, NO, there is no direct number to Canada. You have to call the US line and ask for Canada. No other way around it... unless you can call from a Canadian-registered phone, with a Canadian area code (Skype?).

2. If you don't like that support is in India, as 99.9% of us don't, don't take it out on your tech. Those in India will get very defensive, and those in Canada or the US (I don't think there actually are any in the US, though) are just plain sick of hearing it. They have no control over it. If you want to fight for change, the tech is the wrong person to voice your opinion to.

Go to this website: http://www.hp.com/hpinfo/execteam/email/hurd/index.html and send a message to the corporate team. They have the power to make the changes. If you tell them you refuse to buy an HP product until they provide support in the US (or Canada, or another English-first-language country), eventually, they'll have to start listening. One or two won't make a difference. Thousands will. It's all about the bottom line. Right now they save immense amounts of money by having support in India. If they start to lose an equal amount of money in lost customers, they'll be forced to reconsider that business decision.

3. Whatever you do, don't threaten to go buy a Dell because you are fed up with support in India. That is where their support is as well, and your threat will not be taken seriously. If you want to threaten to buy from another company, do some research and find out what company provides support from the US. Dell and HP are about tied in market share (HP just recently pulled ahead of Dell). Dell has 58% of overall consumer complains against them; HP has 5%. So threatening to buy a Dell because you are unsatisfied with HP's support is really just a joke. Read more about that here: http://www.consumeraffairs.com/computers/computer_complaints.html

Telling the agent what kind of support you would get if you called another company also won't help. First, the information you are providing is probably untrue. No one is going to come to your house and do onsite repair for a $50 printer, I don't care who you bought it from. Second, HP doesn't base their support on what others provide. Their support is based on what is economically feasible to provide for the cost of the product that you own.

4. Another good tip for navigating the tech support hurdle (not just HP, any support), is don't call when you're mad. I know what you're thinking. You weren't mad until you called. I agree, it's frustrating. Keep in mind, though, these techs have heard it all. Legal threats, death threats, threats on their job etc.

They have built up a wall against anger, and when you call and take out your frustration on them, they close up. They'll get defensive. Yelling at the tech, no matter how much better it makes you feel, will NOT get your issue resolved! Yes, the tech may be stupid and incompetent. But telling them that will not make them want to help you! Save the frustration for when you get off the phone.

All big companies have a lot of red tape. There are always stupid, pointless hoops to jump through. The techs are there to help you through them. No one said the system was great. But if you are aggressive and angry with the techs, they'll be less likely to give you the information you need. They won't feel like helping you, and you'll get even worse support. This goes for Case Managers as well - maybe even more so!

So the big question here is... what DOES work? When you call, be as genuinely nice as you possibly can. A customer once called HP support. When asked "How can I help you?" He said "I'd like to speak to a representative from HP's award winning 24/7 technical support, please!" and he said it with a smile in his voice.
His issue was minor. It was out of scope. He was out of warranty. He wasn't covered. He got free help anyway. It won't always work, but it's a lot more likely to get you some decent assistance than "Get me a d*mn supervisor!"

5. READ YOUR WARRANTY. Most of the complaints posted are genuine, but there are many more "unhappy customers" that are simply trying to get more than they are entitled to. HP phone support helps with *problems* with the computer. They are not a basics computer class. Don't call them to ask them how to burn a DVD, they don't help with that. Take a beginner computer class or ask a friend for help, if you don't know what you are doing. When you buy a car, it's expected that you already know how to drive, or will go learn. The car manufacturer won't provide lessons on that - and neither do computer manufacturers.

Don't call with a heightened sense of entitlement. You think you should get a replacement. The warranty says otherwise. In this battle, the warranty wins. If it's a repair warranty, you are going to get a repair. Read it and find out what you are entitled to, and what you are not. That way, you know what to expect, and you know if you are not getting what you are entitled to. If your warranty says one thing and the tech won't provide it, by all means, ask for a supervisor. But HP didn't become #1 in the industry by handing out new computers like candy.

6. If your computer fails in the first few weeks.... take it back to the STORE! That is what return policies are for! Be proactive - buy from a store with a good return policy. 7 day exchange only, or final sale, can really come back to bite you. At Costco, for example, you can take back your computer for a full refund, no questions asked, for a full 6 MONTHS after the purchase date. Imagine all the hassle that could be avoided by shopping there. No repairs, no shipping, no lengthy waits on hold. Just a full refund or a brand new (usually better) computer.

On the "being proactive" topic - don't buy your system at Wal-Mart! Here's the inside scoop: Walmart dictates the price of the PC to the manufacturer. They are the ONLY retailer with the power to do this. Their price is significantly less than what other companies (Future Shop, Staples, RadioShack etc) pay.

The manufacturers (HP and Compaq included) build PC's just for Walmart. Those computer have similar model numbers to other retail PCs. But don't be fooled - they are not the same. WalMart PC's are built with low quality, budget parts. The parts are often refurbished. They are not the high quality PCs you would expect from HP... they might as well be Acers. You get what you pay for.

That's my 3 cents. Sorry if some of it came across with some animosity, it was not meant that way. These are real suggestions that in my experience, actually work. If someone out there can get better support with any of these suggestions, or avoid getting really BAD support, it was well worth it.

I purchased a Pavilion notebook in Oct 06. In July 07, it quit. I sent the unit to HP, via Radio Shack, to be repaired under warranty. Because HP lists Radio Shack as an Authorized Service Provider, I assumed this was fine. After more than a month, I called Radio Shack to see where my laptop was, and they called HP, who said they could not repair my notebook and offered me a refurbished Pavilion dv2120. This unit arrived over 7 weeks after I had first turned the original unit in.

I got it home and realized that the entire set of "quick-play" buttons was inoperable. HP tech support told me to send it back in for repair, which I did. I then called HP at 800-752-0900, to see if I could talk to someone about getting a new unit (not a refurbished), or other reimbursement. The first person I talked to took my info, heard my story, and said she would transfer me to a case manager.

I was connected instead to the lowest level of tech support. I said I was holding for a case manager, and that I needed to be connected to someone else. He connected me to a blank line. I redialed, gave my info again, told the story again, and was reconnected, again, with the lowest level of tech support, who asked me once again for my info, my story, and then did finally manage to bring a case manager on the line, who wanted the serial number for the refurbished computer, which I did not know, having sent it in the day before. Then he informed me that my case number was connected with a computer registered to someone else.

Then he said that because I had sent it in through Radio Shack, I would have to talk to THEM, and that calling HP directly would not do any good unless it was about a repair. I am sure I sounded as dumbfounded and angry as I felt. HP WOULD NOT help me resolve an issue with my in-warranty defective product(s) because I used an Authorized Service Provider to mail them to HP? What? At that point I sent an email to HP CEO.

A few days later, having received no response, I called Radio Shack the lady there told me they were just the facilitators. She called HP and they again, offered me a refurbished replacement which I accepted. A few days later I received an email from HP which gave me some hope that my cased was being reviewed.

Meanwhile, the second replacement laptop arrived at my local Radio Shack. When I went to pick it up, I noticed it was a 17" model. I had specifically requested a 14.1 inch. I had Radio Shack send it back. I then received an email from HP with a number and "passcode" for HP in California. I called them today. As soon as the "customer service" agent heard "Radio Shack" he refused to hear anything else I had to say - he didn't even let me explain the issues. He said that HP had a contract with Radio Shack and could not help me directly, that I would have to go through Radio Shack.

When I told him that Radio Shack said they could not help because it was an HP product, and that I was looking for help from HP - the manufacturer of the product - he said, too bad. HP will not help. I explained that I thought Radio Shack was just sending it to HP for me - he didn't care. "They should have explained it to you", he said. He got quite snippy, actually, interrupting me multiple times, and I was almost in tears. He refused to let me talk to his supervisor.

I asked several times to talk to someone else; he said I was welcome to call back, but I would get the same answer. HP will not help. I will press Radio Shack next, but I have little hope. Due to HP's lack of customer service, I am still without a computer - almost 3 months into this debacle. I will never buy any HP product ever again - buyer beware!