Dear Mr. Hinshaw:
I appreciate your role as "Chief Customer Officer" at HP, because as an HP customer, I have encountered one of the most frustrating business processes I've come across while trying to get service on my extended warranty bought through HP. Automated emails telling me there's a delay (and another and another, for months on end), calls to call centers (and supervisors), a promise to be assigned to a case manager (initially unfulfilled), then a case manager who missed the opportunity for a sincere apology and modest accommodation for what has been an unbearably bad process.
It has been over 4 months now that HP has had my computer, for a repair that I was told would be returned within 10 days. I'll detail the chronology below, but at this point the case manager and I are squabbling over whether HP can reimburse me enough to replace that computer that was supposedly under warranty, since HP no longer stocks the part needed to repair it.
I was hoping that what seems to be the extreme nature of my case (4 months for a promised 10 day turnaround) would prompt some review at HP of the process used to service warranties and manage things when they go wrong. There will always be exceptional cases that require exceptional service. But to have a process that allows months delay and automated emails without flagging the need for immediate intervention seems to indicate that HP isn't up to the task of exceptional service.
I understand the need for outsourcing to low cost centers in this competitive world, but if HP is going to shift toward low cost centers, it still needs to push toward exceptional service. I'll leave that to you and your team to decide on, but I think it would at least mean earlier intervention when things to wrong, and the ability for case managers to make modest accommodations when warranted by unfortunate circumstance and poor service.
I have purchased and enjoyed many HP products, so I do hope you take this feedback to heart and improve the process for HP's warranty service.
Sincerely,
HP Case Number 3019287655
---------------------------
Chronology:
1) I purchased the HP Touchsmart 520 from HP on 6/18/12 and also purchased the HP Care Pack 3 Year Extended Warranty. I paid $1,229.99 for the computer and $223.99 for the extended warranty.
2) While still under warranty, the computer developed a touchscreen problem, and contacted HP approx. 6/1/15. HP suggested returning the computer for repair under warranty. HP received the computer on 6/12/15 and I was told it would be returned to me within 10 days.
3) 10 days passed and it wasn't returned.
4) For a long time I heard nothing back from HP, but when I tried to track the repair, I would get an automated response, with a ship date promised about two weeks ahead of time. Inevitably, that time would appear and the date would again then be delayed for another two weeks. This happened several times.
5) I contacted HP by phone (which presented it's own difficulties, designed to automate the process via the web rather than respond in person). Eventually I did reach a person, was transferred to a supervisor, who simply repeated the information that the shipment was delayed but would ship out on the date listed.
6) After this failed to happen on the designated date, I again contacted HP support and went through the chain of first responder and supervisor. After about two rounds of this type of interaction, the supervisor assured me that a case manager would be assigned to my case. I assumed this would happen, but it did not at this point.
7) I called again about 3 weeks later going through the same process. Finally a Case Manager was assigned to my case on Aug 21, nearly 2.5 months after HP had received the computer (a delay that from my perspective constitutes a breach of warranty).
8) The case manager, Marc, HP AMS TCO Escalations Team, eventually reported that HP was unable to repair my computer. (Contact info: 1-877-917-4380, ext (redacted). Case number: 3019287655.) Marc suggested HP could replace the computer; however, they no longer manufactured a computer that fit the original specifications with forward facing microphones and speakers loud enough for my environment. They did have a computer targeted to youth in a cherry red color with forward facing microphones, however the original computer was a business style machine that was not cherry red. Cherry red is not an acceptable replacement color.
9) Marc also reported that they could refund a portion of my purchase price (through a "complex" formula they used for assigning value to a used computer). I objected that this wasn't enough for me to purchase a replacement computer.
10) I explained to Marc that I view HP as being in breach of the warranty, since they are not able to repair it, don't have a suitable replacement, and are unwilling to refund enough money to replace it.
