posted August 27, 2008
I read Roy Exum’s opinion on HP with sympathy. My old HP died recently and I went on the search for a new computer. My dead HP had been a very good computer and I planned to look no further. I went to Office Depot, found what I wanted, (knew it worked because it was the display), and went home to set it up, excited because computers are so much easier to set up than they used to be (yay for color-coding). I knew I would be computing in mere minutes.
Come midnight, I’m on the phone with “Joe” in India with my arm inside the computer – a less than auspicious beginning, aggravated by the communication barrier. The communication barrier may not be exactly what you think – “Joe” spoke reasonably understandable, Indian-accented English. I speak reasonably understandable, Southern U.S.-accented English.
Had we been talking about the weather it would not have been an issue. However, there is the third language to consider – computerese. It so happens that while I am a computer user and have been for well over 20 years, I am not a “computer person.” I don’t understand how everything fits together and works, and don’t expect that I ever will – my talents simply do not lie in that area. When I have computer problems, I enter a realm that makes me anxious and in need of comfort as well as assistance.
I want two things when I have computer problems: 1) for it to be fixed and 2) not to be required to say, every fourth sentence or so, “I’m sorry, could you please repeat that, I couldn’t understand you.” That does not satisfy my need to be comforted. Another Southern voice would be preferable; however, I am fairly easy to please – any U.S. accent would be OK – Midwest, New England, California…
So, in a fit of frustration, I make plans to take the HP back to Office Depot, and started researching other computers, with the determining factor being whether or not they had U.S. tech support. Dell does not – they outsource to India, Pakistan and some other country I have since forgotten. Gateway does…if you purchase directly from them and not from store. I verified this several times, and specifically indicated to the sales person (a nice Midwestern girl, from the sound of her voice) that it was a deal-breaker for me. She understood, and we proceeded with the purchase. I purchased an extended warranty and upgraded to the service that includes a real, live, in-your-living room human being.
So I receive my new Gateway one Saturday morning, and I open the boxes planning on computing by noon. Maybe if my expectations weren’t so high, my disappointments wouldn’t be so great. Anyway, it hooks up fine; I see a picture on the screen and play a game of solitaire (to test the mouse, of course). I put in a cd to check the sound quality (it has a subwoofer). No sound. Let the aggravation begin. I spent hours on the phone with tech support. A nice guy based out of Miami – with an accent.
It was finally determined that I needed a new hard drive. At this point I am tired and weak and my defenses have crumbled. I just don’t have the energy to send the computer back to Gateway and say OK. I did, however, request my real live technician to come to my house to install it. I paid extra for that service just so I wouldn’t have to stick my arm in a computer again (at least not until it’s out of warranty). Hard drive arrives by mail; computer guy comes, sticks his arm in the computer, and then calls Gateway tech support because it’s not doing what it’s supposed to do. I get to watch a conversation remarkably similar to the ones I have with tech support, and hear the live tech guy making the same sort of phone noises and facial expressions that I’m sure I make when I’m the one on hold. Surprise – it was not the hard drive. It needs a new motherboard. They’ll mail it to me and call me to arrange for computer dude to come back.
I get the motherboard, but have to delay the computer guru coming to the house because we’re out of town. Once I get back, I call Gateway to set up. They keep transferring me to whoever sets up the appointments. “Jane” had an accent so thick, I didn’t understand “hello,” much less anything else. I turned into the “Ugly American” – quickly. After a very brief goodbye and hanging up, I called Gateway - again. I explained in a calm, but determined, fashion that I had purchased their computer because I wanted U.S. tech support and so forth. They transferred me. “Sue” was a little more understandable, but not much.
I called Gateway again, not nearly as calm as I had been before. And so on and so on for several days. I finally speak with a very nice young woman who puts up with the beginnings of the tantrum I am about to have and explains to me that the computer wizards are contracted through another company. That company has outsourced its scheduling to India.
I give up and give in to the inevitable and the eagerly anticipated computer expert appears and magically installs the motherboard. I tell him of my aggravation with the outsourced scheduling. He begs me to write a letter to his company as this is a very new development and is causing untold amounts of grief.
My computer is now fixed and I am computing. However, I have determined that the next computer I buy will be built locally and serviced locally. I guess I could learn myself, but that’s not highly likely.
And, just to be fair, all was not bad with HP – “Joe” called me the next night at midnight to make sure everything was OK and verify that he could close his file.
Sharon Milling
s_milling@comcast.net
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