Next time, I'll pay more for a Dell

I have an HP laptop. I'm less than thrilled with their service. When my laptop broke, it took forever to resolve the issues, delaying the repair. My computer support person spent hours on the phone. Thankfully she viewed this as a university asset even though I had bought it out of my own pocket. I bought it specifically for teaching, but because I'm not a full time faculty member, I don't have university accounts to charge purchases to.

This week, my ac adapter cord started acting funny. I would have my laptop plugged in, but then get a low battery message. After jiggling the connector in the back of the computer, it would start charging again. Knowing that I was leaving for a meeting and would need my laptop on the trip, I quickly ordered a new adapter on Wed. They even offered next day shipping. I commented to the guy taking my ordered that it was perfect as I needed my laptop for travel. It didn't arrive Thurs, but I had ordered after 10:00am. Friday, no adapter. To make matters worse, I hadn't noticed that I was running off battery power and completely drained my battery and my laptop was completely off. I called HP to find out where my part was. The person I spoke with said that it hadn't been shipped and they could send a request to the warehouse inquiring the status of the order and I would have an answer in 24-48 hours. I know better than to accept that answer and asked to speak to a supervisor. He said the part was on backorder and slated for delivery to the warehouse that day. He could request a stat on the order so it would be filled in the first batch, and I would receive the part Tues or Wed. Too late to help me. I expressed my frustration that I wasn't informed of the backorder status (my order number didn't work on the order status segment of the HP website).

I called our computer repair people to see if they happened to have something. They didn't, but offered to call some of their suppliers to see if anyone could get me on on Mon. Better, but didn't help me over the weekend. They said they'd call me back in a few minutes.

I continued to jiggle the cord while trying to turn on the laptop. Finally, it connected. Relief was HUGE. Thirty seconds later, the repair guys called. Someone had ordered an AC adaptor and never picked it up. It was mine if I wanted it!! I said I'd pick it up the next day. I hope it works (I'm bringing my laptop). They also checked with Office Max that had one for $30 more than the repair shop one that would probably work also.

I'm so very tired of HP. (ok, I'm sure that people have similar stories from Dell, but when the computer support manage who is responsible for about 1,000 computers says that after dealing with the first issue with my computer that she will stop recommending HP - you know that it was a bit out of the ordinary. They fact that they really offer nothing in exchange for the frustration is also amazing.)