One last, hopefully final note... the free battery for the HP Mini-110, as promised by Diane, just arrived... it snapped into place with little fuss and is now greedily sucking power as it charges up...
Thanks to the kind folks at HP who made this supply chain nightmare a little easier to bear... looking back now, it's more a comedy of errors than any one factor of negligence - but, it's over now, and hopefully, my small efforts helped a little in getting some changes made... and as of today, one can now purchase - in Canada, and directly from the HPShopping.ca website - said battery. The mysterious "Add to Cart" button has stepped into the light... let the buying begin.
Monday, October 19, 2009
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Buying a Netbook Part VI - Détente
In this all-but-final chapter of the story, Our Hero at last achieves a measure of vindication and resolution...
Well, I had finally hit enough brick walls that my head was starting to hurt, so I decided to skip over the usual channels and go straight to the top man at HP, Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer and President, Mark Hurd. I just picked up the phone and went "Yo, Mark, buddy... c'mon, dog... Why are your people making this process so damn hard?"
Right. Yeah. That happened. uh-huh.
Actually, what did happen, was that I went to HP's web site, found the executive contact link (http://www.hp.com/hpinfo/execteam/email/hurd/) and typed a nicely worded message, along with links to my blog entries (same as the notes here). Here is the text of that message:
A couple days later, I received a voice mail indicating that a fellow named P. had a case file on me and wanted to speak to me about it. He left the case file number and the phone number, but somehow, had forgotten to actually mention he was from HP. For a moment there, I thought I had pissed off the FBI or something. But, after a quick reverse phone look-up of the number, I found it lead to a Compaq call center, and since Compaq is owned by HP... No harm, no foul. This was good news.
Anyway, I called the number the next day. P. was not around, so I spoke to Diane (I'll use her real name in this case, as she was extra-ordinarily helpful - not to say others were not, but she went above and beyond the call of duty and deserves to be recognized for such). She and I went over the situation, discussed the matters of the case, and then took a little shopping trip to the HP Canada website.
After a couple of false starts, we both found ourselves on the same page, looking at the battery entry. Now, I should mention that the original link I had used to locate the battery was slightly different than the page I was looking at now. When I first went web hunting, I went to HP.com and let that site re-route me to a Canadian shopping page. In this case, with Diane, we went directly to HPShopping.ca and followed the menu items (Notebooks > Accessories) until we found the right page for the HP 6-cell battery for the Mini 110.
The pages were different, so for a moment, I thought I would look like some complete idiot, unable to use a simple web site. However, while the landing page did have a bright red "buy" button (below a Canadian price of $119.99! However, I do have to mention there was a coupon code for a 15% discount...), the next page lead to a more detailed description along with... no "add to cart" but only an "add to wish list" button. No "buy now!", no "click to purchase!"... no place where I could actually buy it on-line.
I was not going crazy. I had an HP rep on the phone who was at the same page and could not believe her eyes. We went back and forth over this a couple of times just to be sure, but in the end, the page was as it was... a mere shadow of an actual product sales page, for without that precious "add to cart", all I could do was call a phone number and go through the old school analog method (for the record, I did not try this... but I am not entirely sure it would have helped anyway).
Diane was convinced, but just for the sake of argument, we agreed that I should give the older style page one more look. I had done so a few days previously and, while still unable to buy on-line, I had gone through to the "find local resellers" section only to discover that no partners were available for my area, a far cry from the days when Best Buy, Staples, and Future Shop were listed.
The partner finder page had in fact been updated slightly since my previous visit. After typing in my location info again (the older cookie had expired, no doubt), I was informed that there were five HP dealers in my area: Dymaxion, Xwave, and IMP, along with two Staples stores. Diane thought I should check these places out (even though I already knew where this was going) while she went through the back end of HP to find some more answers. I agreed and she said for me to call her back directly with my results.
So I made some phone calls. Dymaxion was the first up. I called and was connected with a fellow named B. (very helpful chap), who found the condensed version of my little tale of woe to be quite amusing. While Dymaxion was actually a corporate-oriented business, not really geared towards sales for the individual consumer, B. would investigate this battery supply issue and get back to me. And sure enough, he was as good as his word, although a nice lady, S., was the one to make the phone call. She informed me that while they didn't have the battery in stock, they could get it, but it would cost $150... oh, and since their supplier in Toronto didn't have one either, it would be at least two weeks before they could get one in. At least two weeks.
SIGH
I thanked S. for their great service and hung up. I didn't think things would improve, but dutifully, I called Xwave and IMP. Xwave is another corporate oriented business (owned by Bell Aliant) and after a minute or two on the phone with the receptionist, that avenue was a dead end. Likewise, IMP was in the same boat, and again, after a brief phone call with their receptionist (and finding no path to take), I moved on to the two Staples stores.
I like Staples as a store... there's something about office supplies that I find inexplicably... cool? I dunno. It's very weird. Anyway, I called the Staples in Bayers Lake... and was greeted by the answering menu, which promptly told me that if I was looking for info on products, then their web site was the best place to go. I decided to pursue the human route first, but while on "ignore" (I mean "hold") I checked out their web site (as if I hadn't been here before...). Sure enough, they did have HP accessories and such, but no battery for my Mini 110. And yet, I know I could buy one there, as I had already seen it with my own eyes. On the off chance that the web site was out of date, I waited patiently for a human to answer. And waited. And waited. And was bounced around a few times. And I was disconnected. And I called back. And I waited. And I was bounced around some more. And I eventually hung up. And I called the down town store. And I went through the same thing. And I hung up and crossed Staples off the list, the last of the five local area partners the HP web site had recommended for me.
I called Diane back with the news and found that she was busy, so I talked with another helpful HP rep, a fellow called David. He was very friendly and helpful, and while he couldn't do anything for me directly, he did assure me he would pass on the news of my failure to find a local battery source.
HP may have some horrific sales channel and web site issues, but so far, I must say that they have some of the most excellent tech support and sales reps I've ever had the pleasure of dealing with. Top notch, in fact... top notch.
The next morning, Diane called back. She had gotten the news about my local partner mishaps and was unnecessarily apologetic about the lack of success. She then informed me that she had brought the situation to people higher up the corporate ladder, but had not been able to find a concrete answer on the matter as to why the process of buying one little battery was so difficult. But, she did have some good news. For all the trouble I had gone through, she had put my name into the "customer appreciation" program and proceeded to inform me that in two to six weeks, I would be receiving one of the long sought-after 6-cell extended life batteries for the Mini 110 computer. For Free.
Wow. A free battery. That would be so very, very cool! It may not seem like much, but things like a corporation showing a little bit of decency in a cold, harsh, disinterested, consumer-driven world means a lot to me. Details matter. And small gestures count as much as big ones.
As far as I'm concerned, HP has some class.
I say "thank you" to Diane for going above and beyond the call of duty, and for really digging into the matter to find out where the problems were. And I say thank you to all the nice folks at HP for being very kind and helpful throughout this ordeal... there may have been glitches in the larger system, but the people work just fine.
So, here ends the tale. I'm not going any further with the battery quest, although I may check in now and then to see if the Canadian web site has been updated with new information regarding purchasing that particular type of battery. And in 2-6 weeks, I'll add one final epilogue / eulogy to the story when my free battery arrives and works out perfectly.
That's right. When it arrives and works out perfectly, the story will be retired once and for all.
When. Not if. For once, I'm going to have a little faith in the fabric of the Universe and see what happens. After all, what's the worse that can happen? Battery Wars, Part II : The Sequel?
Well, I had finally hit enough brick walls that my head was starting to hurt, so I decided to skip over the usual channels and go straight to the top man at HP, Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer and President, Mark Hurd. I just picked up the phone and went "Yo, Mark, buddy... c'mon, dog... Why are your people making this process so damn hard?"
Right. Yeah. That happened. uh-huh.
Actually, what did happen, was that I went to HP's web site, found the executive contact link (http://www.hp.com/hpinfo/execteam/email/hurd/) and typed a nicely worded message, along with links to my blog entries (same as the notes here). Here is the text of that message:
Hello Mr Hurd
I recently purchased an HP Netbook, and after having some issues trying to purchase a 6-cell extended life battery for it, I spoke to an in-store HP rep, who after being unable to assist me fully, suggested I contact you.
So, here I am.
I'm not going to reiterate the entire story of my experience (I've already posted the whole story to my Facebook page and my blog, to which I will provide links), but the short version is: I've tried various means to purchase - for a reasonable price and from within Canada - one 6-cell extended life battery NY220AA for my HP Mini-110 computer. And I have had many, many issues in that regard, and in the end, I find that I am unable to do so. For now.
I have chronicled the experience so far on my blog, and will likely continue to do so until there is a final resolution of some kind; I may even pass along my experience to the media at large to see if others have found similar situations.
I just thought you might like to read of my shopping experience with HP, which has been quite negative (however, the HP Mini-110 is fine, and my experience with that product so far has been quite positive). The links are as follows:
Part 1 - http://mistercosmic.blogspot.com/2009/09/buying-netbook-part-i-purchase-and-snag.html
Part 2 - http://mistercosmic.blogspot.com/2009/09/buying-netbook-part-ii-quest-for.html
Part 3 - http://mistercosmic.blogspot.com/2009/09/buying-netbook-part-iii-search-for.html
Part 4 - http://mistercosmic.blogspot.com/2009/09/buying-netbook-part-iv-small-victories.html
Part 5 - http://mistercosmic.blogspot.com/2009/10/buying-netbook-part-v-battery-wars.html
Please pardon the use of coarse language; my blogs tend to be written during moments of frustration and my language choices reflect my mood, more than my capability with words.
Regards
S....
HP Consumer
A couple days later, I received a voice mail indicating that a fellow named P. had a case file on me and wanted to speak to me about it. He left the case file number and the phone number, but somehow, had forgotten to actually mention he was from HP. For a moment there, I thought I had pissed off the FBI or something. But, after a quick reverse phone look-up of the number, I found it lead to a Compaq call center, and since Compaq is owned by HP... No harm, no foul. This was good news.
Anyway, I called the number the next day. P. was not around, so I spoke to Diane (I'll use her real name in this case, as she was extra-ordinarily helpful - not to say others were not, but she went above and beyond the call of duty and deserves to be recognized for such). She and I went over the situation, discussed the matters of the case, and then took a little shopping trip to the HP Canada website.
After a couple of false starts, we both found ourselves on the same page, looking at the battery entry. Now, I should mention that the original link I had used to locate the battery was slightly different than the page I was looking at now. When I first went web hunting, I went to HP.com and let that site re-route me to a Canadian shopping page. In this case, with Diane, we went directly to HPShopping.ca and followed the menu items (Notebooks > Accessories) until we found the right page for the HP 6-cell battery for the Mini 110.
The pages were different, so for a moment, I thought I would look like some complete idiot, unable to use a simple web site. However, while the landing page did have a bright red "buy" button (below a Canadian price of $119.99! However, I do have to mention there was a coupon code for a 15% discount...), the next page lead to a more detailed description along with... no "add to cart" but only an "add to wish list" button. No "buy now!", no "click to purchase!"... no place where I could actually buy it on-line.
I was not going crazy. I had an HP rep on the phone who was at the same page and could not believe her eyes. We went back and forth over this a couple of times just to be sure, but in the end, the page was as it was... a mere shadow of an actual product sales page, for without that precious "add to cart", all I could do was call a phone number and go through the old school analog method (for the record, I did not try this... but I am not entirely sure it would have helped anyway).
Diane was convinced, but just for the sake of argument, we agreed that I should give the older style page one more look. I had done so a few days previously and, while still unable to buy on-line, I had gone through to the "find local resellers" section only to discover that no partners were available for my area, a far cry from the days when Best Buy, Staples, and Future Shop were listed.
The partner finder page had in fact been updated slightly since my previous visit. After typing in my location info again (the older cookie had expired, no doubt), I was informed that there were five HP dealers in my area: Dymaxion, Xwave, and IMP, along with two Staples stores. Diane thought I should check these places out (even though I already knew where this was going) while she went through the back end of HP to find some more answers. I agreed and she said for me to call her back directly with my results.
So I made some phone calls. Dymaxion was the first up. I called and was connected with a fellow named B. (very helpful chap), who found the condensed version of my little tale of woe to be quite amusing. While Dymaxion was actually a corporate-oriented business, not really geared towards sales for the individual consumer, B. would investigate this battery supply issue and get back to me. And sure enough, he was as good as his word, although a nice lady, S., was the one to make the phone call. She informed me that while they didn't have the battery in stock, they could get it, but it would cost $150... oh, and since their supplier in Toronto didn't have one either, it would be at least two weeks before they could get one in. At least two weeks.
SIGH
I thanked S. for their great service and hung up. I didn't think things would improve, but dutifully, I called Xwave and IMP. Xwave is another corporate oriented business (owned by Bell Aliant) and after a minute or two on the phone with the receptionist, that avenue was a dead end. Likewise, IMP was in the same boat, and again, after a brief phone call with their receptionist (and finding no path to take), I moved on to the two Staples stores.
I like Staples as a store... there's something about office supplies that I find inexplicably... cool? I dunno. It's very weird. Anyway, I called the Staples in Bayers Lake... and was greeted by the answering menu, which promptly told me that if I was looking for info on products, then their web site was the best place to go. I decided to pursue the human route first, but while on "ignore" (I mean "hold") I checked out their web site (as if I hadn't been here before...). Sure enough, they did have HP accessories and such, but no battery for my Mini 110. And yet, I know I could buy one there, as I had already seen it with my own eyes. On the off chance that the web site was out of date, I waited patiently for a human to answer. And waited. And waited. And was bounced around a few times. And I was disconnected. And I called back. And I waited. And I was bounced around some more. And I eventually hung up. And I called the down town store. And I went through the same thing. And I hung up and crossed Staples off the list, the last of the five local area partners the HP web site had recommended for me.
I called Diane back with the news and found that she was busy, so I talked with another helpful HP rep, a fellow called David. He was very friendly and helpful, and while he couldn't do anything for me directly, he did assure me he would pass on the news of my failure to find a local battery source.
HP may have some horrific sales channel and web site issues, but so far, I must say that they have some of the most excellent tech support and sales reps I've ever had the pleasure of dealing with. Top notch, in fact... top notch.
The next morning, Diane called back. She had gotten the news about my local partner mishaps and was unnecessarily apologetic about the lack of success. She then informed me that she had brought the situation to people higher up the corporate ladder, but had not been able to find a concrete answer on the matter as to why the process of buying one little battery was so difficult. But, she did have some good news. For all the trouble I had gone through, she had put my name into the "customer appreciation" program and proceeded to inform me that in two to six weeks, I would be receiving one of the long sought-after 6-cell extended life batteries for the Mini 110 computer. For Free.
Wow. A free battery. That would be so very, very cool! It may not seem like much, but things like a corporation showing a little bit of decency in a cold, harsh, disinterested, consumer-driven world means a lot to me. Details matter. And small gestures count as much as big ones.
As far as I'm concerned, HP has some class.
I say "thank you" to Diane for going above and beyond the call of duty, and for really digging into the matter to find out where the problems were. And I say thank you to all the nice folks at HP for being very kind and helpful throughout this ordeal... there may have been glitches in the larger system, but the people work just fine.
So, here ends the tale. I'm not going any further with the battery quest, although I may check in now and then to see if the Canadian web site has been updated with new information regarding purchasing that particular type of battery. And in 2-6 weeks, I'll add one final epilogue / eulogy to the story when my free battery arrives and works out perfectly.
That's right. When it arrives and works out perfectly, the story will be retired once and for all.
When. Not if. For once, I'm going to have a little faith in the fabric of the Universe and see what happens. After all, what's the worse that can happen? Battery Wars, Part II : The Sequel?
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Buying a Netbook Part V - The Battery Wars Continue
Another update in the ongoing battle to buy a 6-cell battery for my little HP Netbook (which I still think is great and works very well).
I called my contact in the US to make arrangements so I can buy a battery from HP.com and send it to her, so she can repack it and send it back to me. Alas, foiled again! While I can enter a US shipping address, the billing address, which will probably need to be the same as the credit card, must be in the US. Now, I could try setting the billing and shipping addresses to be the same, but that would probably ring alarm bells somewhere at the credit card company (this would only happen with a legitimate use; if it were a stolen credit card situation and someone tried the same thing, the Powers That Be would have no idea of what is going on for several months...) and I don't want that.
Now you may be wondering why I'm making all the fuss about ordering this maddening little fucking battery from HP instead of somewhere else. The simple reason is that it's cheaper - waaaay fucking cheaper - to order it directly from HP instead of other places. The battery sells from HP for $99. Right now, there is a special that brings it down to $74.99. On top of that, HP has plenty of coupon codes that can be applied (one, good until the end of October, knocks another 25% off, bringing the price down to $59.99 - with FREE shipping!) Some places, especially here in Canada, want double or more plus huge shipping charges for the same thing. I'm being hosed, I tell you, hosed.
To add even further insult to injury, I checked the Canadian website again. They still list the battery, they still mention that it is not for sale online, they still mention that it must be bought from HP resellers, but now, when I go to check for ones nearest me, no listings appear. Nothing. Nada.
There is a cosmic force in the universe that is making damn certain that I will never have an extended life, 6-cell battery for my little Netbook. I ask you, what kind of fucking company in this day and age, in this recession, makes it so unbelievably hard to buy their products? Huh? What kind? I wanna know... really... I want someone to explain the logic here. I want someone in management to stand up and speak the truth - there is a major problem with their supply chain. But I do not want to hear any fucking apology. Not one goddamn word... I want to hear him or her simply state that said problem will be fixed fully by a specific date, and that the prices will be reasonable, that this sort of thing won't happen again. That's it... that's all I want to hear.
Am I asking for too much? You tell me.
I called my contact in the US to make arrangements so I can buy a battery from HP.com and send it to her, so she can repack it and send it back to me. Alas, foiled again! While I can enter a US shipping address, the billing address, which will probably need to be the same as the credit card, must be in the US. Now, I could try setting the billing and shipping addresses to be the same, but that would probably ring alarm bells somewhere at the credit card company (this would only happen with a legitimate use; if it were a stolen credit card situation and someone tried the same thing, the Powers That Be would have no idea of what is going on for several months...) and I don't want that.
Now you may be wondering why I'm making all the fuss about ordering this maddening little fucking battery from HP instead of somewhere else. The simple reason is that it's cheaper - waaaay fucking cheaper - to order it directly from HP instead of other places. The battery sells from HP for $99. Right now, there is a special that brings it down to $74.99. On top of that, HP has plenty of coupon codes that can be applied (one, good until the end of October, knocks another 25% off, bringing the price down to $59.99 - with FREE shipping!) Some places, especially here in Canada, want double or more plus huge shipping charges for the same thing. I'm being hosed, I tell you, hosed.
To add even further insult to injury, I checked the Canadian website again. They still list the battery, they still mention that it is not for sale online, they still mention that it must be bought from HP resellers, but now, when I go to check for ones nearest me, no listings appear. Nothing. Nada.
There is a cosmic force in the universe that is making damn certain that I will never have an extended life, 6-cell battery for my little Netbook. I ask you, what kind of fucking company in this day and age, in this recession, makes it so unbelievably hard to buy their products? Huh? What kind? I wanna know... really... I want someone to explain the logic here. I want someone in management to stand up and speak the truth - there is a major problem with their supply chain. But I do not want to hear any fucking apology. Not one goddamn word... I want to hear him or her simply state that said problem will be fixed fully by a specific date, and that the prices will be reasonable, that this sort of thing won't happen again. That's it... that's all I want to hear.
Am I asking for too much? You tell me.
Friday, September 4, 2009
Buying a Netbook Part IV - Small Victories
Another day, another update in the on-going Battery Quest saga...
When last we left our intrepid hero, he had been eagerly waiting for an HP rep to contact him directly, never daring to believe that they would actually do so. But, lo and behold! One did! The nice fellow from Best Buy, J. called in the early evening (I was having supper, and so missed the call) and left a message that a technical person named M. at a nearby Staples would be able to order the elusive battery for me... however, the exact price was unknown, although it was expected to be on the expensive side.
I was understandably excited by this news, but I was also a little bit hesitant... I'd been a little bit singed by HP promises in the past, so it was understandable that I felt that playing things close to the vest - for now - would be the best course of action.
However, I decided to follow-up on the call as soon as possible. I had to run out for an errand anyway, and the nearby Staples wasn't far off the path, so I decided to see if this M. tech really existed and was working that night. As luck would have it, the location was right but the tech had already left for the day. Oh well... no big deal, right? I could always check tomorrow... so I browsed around a little and what do I find? The very same model of HP Mini that I had recently bought at Best Buy for exactly the same amount! $299!
Bah... the price matching in this town is enough to drive a person mad... you just start to feel cool and really good about scoring a sweet deal, when the unspoken equalization scheme that all the local tech stores are a part of, kicks in and says "Sorry, you dumb fucker... but had you waited a week, you could have gotten as good a deal - if not better - somewhere else."
The thing is, if you try to get around this scheme by waiting a week (which is what I had done in the very beginning), Fate and the Scheme will conspire to screw you over somehow: another store will price match and throw in a free widget... or you'll lose the deal because the store is all sold out and there are no rain cheques... or (and this really happened) another store offer a better unit at a comparable price, which will then be snapped up by someone who, no doubt, will have endless hours of mirth rubbing it in that you didn't score nearly as nice a deal (all in good humour, of course).
Anyway, I did go back the next day, and I did manage to track down this M. person, who did turn out to be quite helpful. First, M. did explain that although he could order the part (through HP Canada, no less), the price would be quite high - at least $150 at the retail level. I found that to be a little ridiculous - a 6-cell battery for literally half the price of the netbook? Outrageous! And it wasn't like it the battery was some nuclear cell which could also be used to run your furnace for a month in the depths of winter - no, it was just an ordinary battery which would possibly offer as much as 6 hours of life, a mere three hours more than the default battery! It was almost better to go to Costco, buy another netbook, rip out the extended battery in that unit, and sell the rest on eBay. And to make matters worse (or at least more insulting) the aforementioned good deal purchased by a friend who enjoys rubbing in the victory bought the damn unit and it came with a fucking 9-hour battery as standard equipment! No shit!
Still, things did work out. M. offered to order and sell me the battery at a reduced price, $130, a savings of $20. Not bad... better than the website (if I could have got one from the website) which wanted $120 plus taxes and shipping. I almost asked M. to order the part when I suggested that we confirm which unit it was first. We walked over to the laptop section and I pointed out the HP Mini 110-1030CA sitting on the shelf. M. blinked then became quite for a moment... he then said something magical:
"I think I have a battery out back".
What. The. Fuck. ?. !.
Seriously dude... don't fuck me around.
But he wasn't jerking my chain. Sure enough, he had a spare battery out back.
For an HP Mini. And it wasn't defective.
Holy fuck - wait here while I go buy a lottery ticket.
It turned out that the battery was only a standard 3-cell battery that had come off a defective unit. It wasn't a 6-cell, but it was better than nothing, and M. offered to sell it to me for a great price : only $60, which was a helluva lot better than the $130 + tax I had just about been ready to pay. I bought the battery post-haste, thanked M. profusely, and scurried off into the afternoon sun, feeling mostly pleased with myself.
I now had a spare battery. It wasn't perfect, but it would do the trick.
So where does this leave the tale? Is it all over? Well, not quite. I still plan to write a scathing letter to someone at HP over this whole mess... and I will probably CC the media on it as well, just to see if I can put a little extra pressure on the industry to get their act together. Ultimately, while there is no negligence or criminal incompetence involved, there are a lot of left hands out there that are completely unaware of what the right ones are doing. Perhaps I can change that a little so that the next netbook shopper that comes along and wants a spare battery doesn't have to go through the same shit I did.
Yeah, that's it... a noble gesture... that's what this whole experience is... one little contribution to the betterment of the world as a whole.
Even if it's just about buying a fucking extended life battery, it's the little things that make the world an interesting place.
Stay tuned folks... more to come!
When last we left our intrepid hero, he had been eagerly waiting for an HP rep to contact him directly, never daring to believe that they would actually do so. But, lo and behold! One did! The nice fellow from Best Buy, J. called in the early evening (I was having supper, and so missed the call) and left a message that a technical person named M. at a nearby Staples would be able to order the elusive battery for me... however, the exact price was unknown, although it was expected to be on the expensive side.
I was understandably excited by this news, but I was also a little bit hesitant... I'd been a little bit singed by HP promises in the past, so it was understandable that I felt that playing things close to the vest - for now - would be the best course of action.
However, I decided to follow-up on the call as soon as possible. I had to run out for an errand anyway, and the nearby Staples wasn't far off the path, so I decided to see if this M. tech really existed and was working that night. As luck would have it, the location was right but the tech had already left for the day. Oh well... no big deal, right? I could always check tomorrow... so I browsed around a little and what do I find? The very same model of HP Mini that I had recently bought at Best Buy for exactly the same amount! $299!
Bah... the price matching in this town is enough to drive a person mad... you just start to feel cool and really good about scoring a sweet deal, when the unspoken equalization scheme that all the local tech stores are a part of, kicks in and says "Sorry, you dumb fucker... but had you waited a week, you could have gotten as good a deal - if not better - somewhere else."
The thing is, if you try to get around this scheme by waiting a week (which is what I had done in the very beginning), Fate and the Scheme will conspire to screw you over somehow: another store will price match and throw in a free widget... or you'll lose the deal because the store is all sold out and there are no rain cheques... or (and this really happened) another store offer a better unit at a comparable price, which will then be snapped up by someone who, no doubt, will have endless hours of mirth rubbing it in that you didn't score nearly as nice a deal (all in good humour, of course).
Anyway, I did go back the next day, and I did manage to track down this M. person, who did turn out to be quite helpful. First, M. did explain that although he could order the part (through HP Canada, no less), the price would be quite high - at least $150 at the retail level. I found that to be a little ridiculous - a 6-cell battery for literally half the price of the netbook? Outrageous! And it wasn't like it the battery was some nuclear cell which could also be used to run your furnace for a month in the depths of winter - no, it was just an ordinary battery which would possibly offer as much as 6 hours of life, a mere three hours more than the default battery! It was almost better to go to Costco, buy another netbook, rip out the extended battery in that unit, and sell the rest on eBay. And to make matters worse (or at least more insulting) the aforementioned good deal purchased by a friend who enjoys rubbing in the victory bought the damn unit and it came with a fucking 9-hour battery as standard equipment! No shit!
Still, things did work out. M. offered to order and sell me the battery at a reduced price, $130, a savings of $20. Not bad... better than the website (if I could have got one from the website) which wanted $120 plus taxes and shipping. I almost asked M. to order the part when I suggested that we confirm which unit it was first. We walked over to the laptop section and I pointed out the HP Mini 110-1030CA sitting on the shelf. M. blinked then became quite for a moment... he then said something magical:
"I think I have a battery out back".
What. The. Fuck. ?. !.
Seriously dude... don't fuck me around.
But he wasn't jerking my chain. Sure enough, he had a spare battery out back.
For an HP Mini. And it wasn't defective.
Holy fuck - wait here while I go buy a lottery ticket.
It turned out that the battery was only a standard 3-cell battery that had come off a defective unit. It wasn't a 6-cell, but it was better than nothing, and M. offered to sell it to me for a great price : only $60, which was a helluva lot better than the $130 + tax I had just about been ready to pay. I bought the battery post-haste, thanked M. profusely, and scurried off into the afternoon sun, feeling mostly pleased with myself.
I now had a spare battery. It wasn't perfect, but it would do the trick.
So where does this leave the tale? Is it all over? Well, not quite. I still plan to write a scathing letter to someone at HP over this whole mess... and I will probably CC the media on it as well, just to see if I can put a little extra pressure on the industry to get their act together. Ultimately, while there is no negligence or criminal incompetence involved, there are a lot of left hands out there that are completely unaware of what the right ones are doing. Perhaps I can change that a little so that the next netbook shopper that comes along and wants a spare battery doesn't have to go through the same shit I did.
Yeah, that's it... a noble gesture... that's what this whole experience is... one little contribution to the betterment of the world as a whole.
Even if it's just about buying a fucking extended life battery, it's the little things that make the world an interesting place.
Stay tuned folks... more to come!
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Buying a Netbook - Part III - The Search for Service
So, the story continues. I just got off the phone with three different HP reps. And no, I've still not managed to purchase a battery.
I called the HP Shopping Canada 877-231-4351 number. I eventually made it through to a nice lady who was very kind and patient. I explained the situation briefly, but I think she didn't believe me... she seemed a little bit puzzled by my inability to make a purchase of the much-sought-after battery. However, she started to check on a few things for herself and quickly found out that I was not some nut case or incompetent idiot. The battery was listed, but just not available. She eventually went on to state that they didn't have the part (well, duh...), and that she didn't know when they would get it... or IF they would get it.
If they would get it. Uh-huh. She said the "if" word.
That was a bit annoying and although I said so, I stayed calm and polite and even had a laugh about it when I suggested HP's shopping service should be "Dave Carroll'd". She didn't get the reference at first, but once a few key words were bounced around ("united" "breaks" "guitars" "devalued stock") she seemed to understand and chuckled (in a few years, being "Dave Carroll'd" will be a common consumer tactic when attacking a corporation). After she took my name and number and said she'd call back if she could get some more information, she transferred me to Corporate Complaints.
Now, I'm usually pretty good with foreign accents. I can mimic quite a few and after a decade of talking with lots of different folk on the phone, I can wade through a thick accent like a guide with a machete goes through jungle underbrush. But the lady on the other end of the line... well, she was very nice and polite and her use of English was fine, but her accent (no idea on this one... it sounded like a mix of some Eastern European language and Spanish) made it very difficult to decipher what she was saying... I wasn't even sure I had reached the right place. However, after a few minutes of explaining the situation (yet again... I'm going to transfer this tale to my blog and just tell reps to go there...) we managed to establish some rudimentary communication (I can see why she'd be good as a corporate complaints' doorkeeper). After listening to my tale, she suggested that I contact another battery site, one HP recommends, battery-plaza.ca, for the part I wanted. I checked - they didn't have one either... surprise, surprise. She then politely explained that even though my shopping experience so far, was less than positive, I should next try "tech support" as they might have the parts available to their department. She gave me their number and sent me on my way.
Fine. **SIGH**
I called the number (800-474-6836) and was eventually steered to a very nice French lady... who promptly informed me that I had been redirected to the French tech support line instead of the English (perhaps their own automated voice menu system is in need of a battery that can't be bought). However, instead of putting me back into the hold cycle, she attempted to assist me. Again, I went through the tale. And again, an HP rep sounded dubious as to my claims. But, after more checking, she did confirm my story, and unfortunately, told me that did they did not have the part either. She finally gave me a great suggestion:
Contact the CEO of HP directly. Apparently, he has an e-mail link somewhere on the HP website for just this sort of thing... if it can be found! Anyway, it's something I plan to do if if the HP reps I met at Best Buy haven't gotten back to me by next week.
And the tale goes on and on and on....
Stay tuned for more exciting adventures in the next episode of "Battery Quest!"
I called the HP Shopping Canada 877-231-4351 number. I eventually made it through to a nice lady who was very kind and patient. I explained the situation briefly, but I think she didn't believe me... she seemed a little bit puzzled by my inability to make a purchase of the much-sought-after battery. However, she started to check on a few things for herself and quickly found out that I was not some nut case or incompetent idiot. The battery was listed, but just not available. She eventually went on to state that they didn't have the part (well, duh...), and that she didn't know when they would get it... or IF they would get it.
If they would get it. Uh-huh. She said the "if" word.
That was a bit annoying and although I said so, I stayed calm and polite and even had a laugh about it when I suggested HP's shopping service should be "Dave Carroll'd". She didn't get the reference at first, but once a few key words were bounced around ("united" "breaks" "guitars" "devalued stock") she seemed to understand and chuckled (in a few years, being "Dave Carroll'd" will be a common consumer tactic when attacking a corporation). After she took my name and number and said she'd call back if she could get some more information, she transferred me to Corporate Complaints.
Now, I'm usually pretty good with foreign accents. I can mimic quite a few and after a decade of talking with lots of different folk on the phone, I can wade through a thick accent like a guide with a machete goes through jungle underbrush. But the lady on the other end of the line... well, she was very nice and polite and her use of English was fine, but her accent (no idea on this one... it sounded like a mix of some Eastern European language and Spanish) made it very difficult to decipher what she was saying... I wasn't even sure I had reached the right place. However, after a few minutes of explaining the situation (yet again... I'm going to transfer this tale to my blog and just tell reps to go there...) we managed to establish some rudimentary communication (I can see why she'd be good as a corporate complaints' doorkeeper). After listening to my tale, she suggested that I contact another battery site, one HP recommends, battery-plaza.ca, for the part I wanted. I checked - they didn't have one either... surprise, surprise. She then politely explained that even though my shopping experience so far, was less than positive, I should next try "tech support" as they might have the parts available to their department. She gave me their number and sent me on my way.
Fine. **SIGH**
I called the number (800-474-6836) and was eventually steered to a very nice French lady... who promptly informed me that I had been redirected to the French tech support line instead of the English (perhaps their own automated voice menu system is in need of a battery that can't be bought). However, instead of putting me back into the hold cycle, she attempted to assist me. Again, I went through the tale. And again, an HP rep sounded dubious as to my claims. But, after more checking, she did confirm my story, and unfortunately, told me that did they did not have the part either. She finally gave me a great suggestion:
Contact the CEO of HP directly. Apparently, he has an e-mail link somewhere on the HP website for just this sort of thing... if it can be found! Anyway, it's something I plan to do if if the HP reps I met at Best Buy haven't gotten back to me by next week.
And the tale goes on and on and on....
Stay tuned for more exciting adventures in the next episode of "Battery Quest!"
Buying a Netbook - Part II - The Quest for a Battery
Okay... the hunt for a spare battery for my Netbook continues.
After doing some research (as detailed in Part I), I figured ordering from HP.com and shipping to the US, then having it re-directed up here would be a pain (although at $59.99 US, before shipping, it is the lowest starting cost). Shipping from HP.ca was not going to happen, at least, not for a while.
So now what?
I went over to Best Buy last night to "discuss" the matter. I tracked down my sales rep, B., a nice fellow who, when I found him, was busily fiddling with an iPhone. He immediately recognized that my return visit so soon after a major purchase was probably not a good sign. He was right... the new Netbook was great BUT... there's always a "but" and he knew it.
I explained the situation to B., and he was a little incredulous that I was unable to order the part from www.HPshopping.ca (where I had been re-directed to for Canadian sales); it seems that when situations like this come up, and Best Buy cannot order a particular part from their usual suppliers, a rep will get the store credit card and simply order the part on-line and have it shipped to the store (where, one assumes, vast quantities of mark-up - to cover the vast cost of shipping and handling and such from HP - would be applied). He was also a little chagrined that HP would have the audacity to send customers to places like Best Buy, Staples and Future Shop to buy such items when none of them had such parts to begin with!
B. then decided to take this to a higher level and brought me over to meet not one, but two, HP reps who just happened to be in the store that evening. J. and S. were both very nice and explained quite a bit about the whole situation. Basically, the highlights are as such: the stores can only carry so much inventory; HP likes to sell accessories (mice, keyboards and such) but they make more money on the batteries (and have less competition too) - however, for whatever reason, they don't seem to push the stores to carry them (it might cut into mice sales, which they don't sell a lot of...); and it seems that certain aspects of marketing and sales are lost on both companies.
After all, when you order a burger from a fast food joint, what is the key phrase that Philosophy grad students have been rattling off for years...? Right. "Would you like fries with that?" So, why, when a laptop or netbook is purchased, can't Best Buy and others simply say "Would you like a spare battery?" It's not that hard a concept. They push extended warranties, neoprene sleeves, carrying cases, wireless mice, and lots of other gadgets when you buy one... why the fuck not batteries? It's a fucking consumable, people! If you do buy the extended warranty, what is almost always NOT covered? Right - the battery! It wears out. You charge it a few hundred times and eventually, it won't charge any more. So what do you do? Throw the laptop out? No (although some might if it's been a few years), you buy another battery! Wow. What a startlingly original concept. I should patent or trademark such, 'cause sure as shit the morons at Best Buy and Future Shop Corporate haven't thought of it...
Anyway, the chat with the HP reps went well and they were as helpful as they could be. I gave them my business card and they said they'd check into the situation and find out what was going on. Around this time, M., a friend from the Mighty Circle of Geekdom (like just about everyone else these days), showed up, approached the HP reps and began his own tale of woe in regards to the HP Canada website and how he had to use Google to find a page within the site (he was actually there to buy a copy of Snow Leopard for his Mac, but Best Buy - and everywhere else in the city it seems - was sold out... jeez, Best Buy not having a product that someone wants to buy - wow, that's a new one...). And so the miscellaneous chatting went on for some time...
One of the suggestions that came out of this discussion (and from others, such as C., who also made an appearance) was to check other places and websites for batteries. I found out, for example, that Costco had the exact same model for $379 (plus a $50 instant rebate bringing the total down to $329) and theirs were equipped with the mythic 6-cell extended life battery I'd been looking for! However, I would have had to renew my membership for $50 and I'm not going to do that - I don't need to start buying 5-gallon drums of pickles and 100-box crates of toothpaste again.
I did some more checking around and found that CDW did indeed have the much sought after battery... for $149! Cripes! That is literally half the cost of the fucking netbook! Fuck that. I might as well order from the US site and go through the routing hassle. There were a few other sites that had the battery listed, but they either wanted astronomical amounts, had nasty shipping costs or restrictions, or were a little bit iffy looking.
**SIGH** It's just a fucking battery, people...
So, now I am going to sit back and wait a day or two and see if the HP reps get back to me. I might order from the HP.com site and send it to friends in the US and get them to send it here... I just don't know yet.
One thing's for sure: next time I get something like this, I'm going to make the sale conditional on getting a spare battery for whatever I buy. No battery, no sale. And I encourage anyone who reads this to pass that idea along. Enough people do so and that'll send a message to the dumb fucks at head office.
Fucking battery tyrants.
Here Endeth the Rant.
After doing some research (as detailed in Part I), I figured ordering from HP.com and shipping to the US, then having it re-directed up here would be a pain (although at $59.99 US, before shipping, it is the lowest starting cost). Shipping from HP.ca was not going to happen, at least, not for a while.
So now what?
I went over to Best Buy last night to "discuss" the matter. I tracked down my sales rep, B., a nice fellow who, when I found him, was busily fiddling with an iPhone. He immediately recognized that my return visit so soon after a major purchase was probably not a good sign. He was right... the new Netbook was great BUT... there's always a "but" and he knew it.
I explained the situation to B., and he was a little incredulous that I was unable to order the part from www.HPshopping.ca (where I had been re-directed to for Canadian sales); it seems that when situations like this come up, and Best Buy cannot order a particular part from their usual suppliers, a rep will get the store credit card and simply order the part on-line and have it shipped to the store (where, one assumes, vast quantities of mark-up - to cover the vast cost of shipping and handling and such from HP - would be applied). He was also a little chagrined that HP would have the audacity to send customers to places like Best Buy, Staples and Future Shop to buy such items when none of them had such parts to begin with!
B. then decided to take this to a higher level and brought me over to meet not one, but two, HP reps who just happened to be in the store that evening. J. and S. were both very nice and explained quite a bit about the whole situation. Basically, the highlights are as such: the stores can only carry so much inventory; HP likes to sell accessories (mice, keyboards and such) but they make more money on the batteries (and have less competition too) - however, for whatever reason, they don't seem to push the stores to carry them (it might cut into mice sales, which they don't sell a lot of...); and it seems that certain aspects of marketing and sales are lost on both companies.
After all, when you order a burger from a fast food joint, what is the key phrase that Philosophy grad students have been rattling off for years...? Right. "Would you like fries with that?" So, why, when a laptop or netbook is purchased, can't Best Buy and others simply say "Would you like a spare battery?" It's not that hard a concept. They push extended warranties, neoprene sleeves, carrying cases, wireless mice, and lots of other gadgets when you buy one... why the fuck not batteries? It's a fucking consumable, people! If you do buy the extended warranty, what is almost always NOT covered? Right - the battery! It wears out. You charge it a few hundred times and eventually, it won't charge any more. So what do you do? Throw the laptop out? No (although some might if it's been a few years), you buy another battery! Wow. What a startlingly original concept. I should patent or trademark such, 'cause sure as shit the morons at Best Buy and Future Shop Corporate haven't thought of it...
Anyway, the chat with the HP reps went well and they were as helpful as they could be. I gave them my business card and they said they'd check into the situation and find out what was going on. Around this time, M., a friend from the Mighty Circle of Geekdom (like just about everyone else these days), showed up, approached the HP reps and began his own tale of woe in regards to the HP Canada website and how he had to use Google to find a page within the site (he was actually there to buy a copy of Snow Leopard for his Mac, but Best Buy - and everywhere else in the city it seems - was sold out... jeez, Best Buy not having a product that someone wants to buy - wow, that's a new one...). And so the miscellaneous chatting went on for some time...
One of the suggestions that came out of this discussion (and from others, such as C., who also made an appearance) was to check other places and websites for batteries. I found out, for example, that Costco had the exact same model for $379 (plus a $50 instant rebate bringing the total down to $329) and theirs were equipped with the mythic 6-cell extended life battery I'd been looking for! However, I would have had to renew my membership for $50 and I'm not going to do that - I don't need to start buying 5-gallon drums of pickles and 100-box crates of toothpaste again.
I did some more checking around and found that CDW did indeed have the much sought after battery... for $149! Cripes! That is literally half the cost of the fucking netbook! Fuck that. I might as well order from the US site and go through the routing hassle. There were a few other sites that had the battery listed, but they either wanted astronomical amounts, had nasty shipping costs or restrictions, or were a little bit iffy looking.
**SIGH** It's just a fucking battery, people...
So, now I am going to sit back and wait a day or two and see if the HP reps get back to me. I might order from the HP.com site and send it to friends in the US and get them to send it here... I just don't know yet.
One thing's for sure: next time I get something like this, I'm going to make the sale conditional on getting a spare battery for whatever I buy. No battery, no sale. And I encourage anyone who reads this to pass that idea along. Enough people do so and that'll send a message to the dumb fucks at head office.
Fucking battery tyrants.
Here Endeth the Rant.
Buying a Netbook - Part I - The Purchase and the Snag
Okay... breathe....
I recently bought an HP Netbook from Best Buy... nice little rig, perfect for basic surfing, writing, even watching videos or playing music... great little unit.
However....
I wanted to get a spare 6-cell battery for it. The helpful fellow at Best Buy (and an HP rep who happened to be there) recommended that, since BB didn't have them, I go on-line to HP and get it directly. Said it would be easier and cheaper.
Uh-huh...
I just checked both HP USA and HP Canada... HP USA had a great deal on the price (I even found a coupon code that knocked another $15 off the price) but unfortunately, HP USA won't ship to Canada. I then checked with HP Canada; it seems HP Canada doesn't sell that particular battery on-line... they have a list of recommended resellers, which includes - you guessed it - Best Buy.
So, my options are: buy from HP USA, have it shipped to someone in the US, who has to rediect the package to Canada; find an alternative reseller, who may or may not be entirely trustworthy; or go back to Best Buy, rip them a new one, and get them to order one in with a severe discount in my favour for all the hassle...
It's a fucking battery, people! Cripes! It's not that fucking difficult a concept! Portable devices use batteries... they are consumables! So, what should stores do for their consumers? Make sure they can easily buy such...! Fucking morons!
Here endeth today's rant...
I recently bought an HP Netbook from Best Buy... nice little rig, perfect for basic surfing, writing, even watching videos or playing music... great little unit.
However....
I wanted to get a spare 6-cell battery for it. The helpful fellow at Best Buy (and an HP rep who happened to be there) recommended that, since BB didn't have them, I go on-line to HP and get it directly. Said it would be easier and cheaper.
Uh-huh...
I just checked both HP USA and HP Canada... HP USA had a great deal on the price (I even found a coupon code that knocked another $15 off the price) but unfortunately, HP USA won't ship to Canada. I then checked with HP Canada; it seems HP Canada doesn't sell that particular battery on-line... they have a list of recommended resellers, which includes - you guessed it - Best Buy.
So, my options are: buy from HP USA, have it shipped to someone in the US, who has to rediect the package to Canada; find an alternative reseller, who may or may not be entirely trustworthy; or go back to Best Buy, rip them a new one, and get them to order one in with a severe discount in my favour for all the hassle...
It's a fucking battery, people! Cripes! It's not that fucking difficult a concept! Portable devices use batteries... they are consumables! So, what should stores do for their consumers? Make sure they can easily buy such...! Fucking morons!
Here endeth today's rant...
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