Good Morning @hp_pc, this is your wake up call!
Posted under: I am the proud owner of a HP HDX Premium Series Laptop. it is an incredible machine that allows me to do a lot without loosing performance: I use Ableton Live, Max/MSP, Reaktor for work and play Assassin’s Creed II or Arkham Asylum and I never had a glitch. This HP Laptop allows me to have Tweetdeck, Destroy Twitter, Google Chrome (51 tabs), Firefox (34 tabs), Outlook, MSN Messenger, Skype, Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator open like it was only running a 8-bit game (yes, those are all the apps I have running at the moment). I could keep praising it for the rest of this post but the thing is: I will not.
You see, when I bought this incredible machine, I was told that I was entitled to get a free upgrade to Windows 7: all I had to do was to go to HP’s website which I did. By clicking on the right link I was taken to what I can only describe as the beginning of a sad adventure that took me to another webpage (from a third party website). I was requested to fill in all my details (including my Credit Card details). When I finished I got a confirmation e-mail telling me that Windows 7 would be shipped to me as soon as it was available. It was with much excitement that I saw Windows 7 being released all over the world, with great fanfare, and I kept reading reviews about how good it was… and I kept waiting. A few weeks later the official release date , I received an e-mail telling me that due to the specific DVD drive that was installed on my equipment I would have to wait some more time. I did. Finally, some 4 weeks later, I got another e-mail informing me that the company was really sorry that I had cancelled my order. This would be all fine but for a small detail: I never cancelled my order.
I tried to contact HP via e-mail, I tried to contact HP via phone, I tried to contact HP via the vendor that sold me the machine. The result was a lot of nothing. Nada. Zilch. Niente. Around December I looked for HP support accounts on Twitter and tried to reach out. After some effort I finally got an answer. I was told to send all the pertaining info via e-mail and the issue would be dealt swiftly and immediately… after the Holiday’s season. That came and it was gone (with almost everyone around the world with a few extra pounds) and I waited. After two weeks I tried to contact HP again, via Twitter. I was told that a rep was on it and they would get in contact with me the next day. That was 2 months ago. Windows 7 was released in October, 2009, 5 monhts ago, and I’m still waiting.
I’m tired of waiting. I’m fed up with HP’s handling of this, tired of this support that is nothing but, tired of the promises of swift resolution to a problem that was created by someone else but me (and don’t they dare blaming the computers). It would only take some time for someone at HP to sort this out, probably less time than I’ve already spent calling and e-mailing HP support (by the way get your act straight in Portugal please, since no one answers the phone) and that I’ve spent writing this post. Yes, I did need some time to write it because if I would write what really is on my mind this post would have to be X-Rated. So, I ask you HP: Please wake up!
I think that this post, based on my personal experience with a brand, somehow will mirror the frustration that many users feel when they are not heard when they should. There is no point in having a Social Media team on Twitter and Facebook if you really don’t understand Social Media: Every single time I see a tweet coming from the @hp_pc account telling the world how much fun they are having at such or such event, I feel angry. Every time I get an e-mail from HP offering me a discount for a product I don’t have I feel angry and probably many users do when they see pure old fashioned marketing taking over communication and swift feedback.
If you have any examples (negative or positive) please let me know in the comments. I have a “Brands that Don’t get it” and “Brands that get it” list that surely can use more users.
Picture Credits: tantrum dan under a CC License
Update: After a few hours of this post being posted I was contacted by an HP representative. After 2 weeks I had my Windows 7 CD.