Connect Simply

As some of you know I had some minor issues with my Compaq laptop, still under warranty and sent it in for repair. It should have been back in a week or two, but no deal.

First let me say Compaq means HP. I backed up my data on an external hard drive I’d been meaning to get for that purpose. As the computer was still running, just no wireless, it was hard to give it up and pack it into a box and mail away. You always wonder how long it will take, what if they want to charge even if still under a warranty? What could go wrong?

After numerous calls to HP, and laptop not back on scheduled, I found that they moved the shipment date back 5-6 weeks. Unacceptable! Determined to find out what the deal was, I stayed on the phone until I was transferred to a very helpful service rep. She sympathized, and yes that is a long time to wait, apologized for the delay, and said “Let me get you a case manager, he can help” She patiently explained the process, and what to do if disconnected.

The case manager was great, he said my laptop would be shipped back within 3 days or he’d have a new replacement computer sent to me. Fair enough. He also gave me his direct line. On the third day I gave him a call to check the status. He hadn’t heard back from the repair technicians, so he ordered me a new laptop. Faster processor, double memory, double hard drive space, upgraded battery, and threw in bluetooth. He told me it may take 2 weeks because it was being custom built, with XP instead of Vista, (we weren’t sure if the programs I use worked on Vista). And just before the two weeks time, my laptop arrived.

Backup TIP: External hard drives are cool tools. I can backup my computer, then update the hard drive as I go along. With all the photos and graphics I work with, I never want to lose my work. But it was a pain to download and re-install all those programs I use. Next time I’ll find a way to save everything.

Heidi
Enjoying the new laptop!