Your Computer Is Only As Good As The Merchant You Buy It From!
Mar 11 '01
The Bottom Line You are not just buying a computer, but the service and support of the store you purchased it from.
Two years and four days ago, I bought my second computer from CompUSA. It wasn't that I was drawn to them for any reason, except that I had about $700 in gift certificates, which would make the price of my purchase much, much less.
I drove to the nearest store, Tulsa, Oklahoma,(a four hour drive) and chose a reasonably price Compaq Presario. Feeling rather flushed, I added a scanner, a book on Windows 98, and although I never buy extended warranties on anything, thought that for 5 years, regardless, $170 seemed reasonable. The prospect of my computer croaking during that period of time was pretty good, and I was therefor willing to think the odds were in my favor.
I whipped out my credit card for the difference, and went home. Putting the computer up was a snap. The scanner required a little more effort, but all in all, there were no problems. Other than the regular questions and answers that were provided by Compaq the first year, I had no major complaints.
Today I decided my computer just wasn't acting right. It was kind of like a sick kid. You cannot put your finger on it, but you know that something is not right. My extended warranty information was easily found, so I called the 800 number. There were only two options to push, so this seemed like no problem. Well, guess what? It was that famous "non-person" that talks to you...when I couldn't answer all the questions "they hung up". Okay, I told myself, you can find your receipt, no problem at all. Well, I know what it looks like, but the last place I saw is, I didn't have a clue. Okay....call the store in Tulsa. They will HELP you. Well, after pushing more buttons that tell you what the store hours are, did you want to buy a computer, etc....I finally found customer un-service. At this point I had been on the phone for at least five minutes. Simply, I explained that I couldn't find my receipt, and would they look it up on their computer. "Oh, we don't have that information on our system, it would just be too big"..."Did you use a credit card?" Yes, I replied. What is the number. Oh, I don't know, you see we don't use that brokerage firm's card anymore, and I don't remember the number. Well, we can only search for your records by your CC number. "You've got to be kidding"..Okay, I started digging for a credit card number that hadn't been used in 1 1/2 years. Great, I finally found it on a receipt for an oriental rug I bought. I called them back. "Okay, I have the information you need." A nice girl said, we'll call you right back......uh..right back....that was five hours ago.
Thinking that someone in CompUSA has a record of my purchase and the 5 year warranty, I found another 800 number. This time I actually was able to talk with a person. After explaining the problem, she said to call another 800 number....one that was not listed on any "Technology Assurance Program's" information book. She said at the first menu, push 3, next menu push 1, and next menu push 4. Oh my, it worked. I actually got a person.....a real person, and she was nice. Believe it or not, she was able to access my information by my name and phone number. Shocking! After we talked about what I thought the problem was, she gave me a case number, and connected me with a tech rep. He said that my warranty was for in-home service, and something sounded like my hard drive needed to be replaced. Someone will be out within the next 3 to 5 days.
This whole process only took a total of five hours, and I never heard back from the Tulsa store. CompUSA needs to get their act together, or they will go the way of many big, big stores. The next time I buy a computer, it will be from the "little guy", because when I call him or her, they will know my name, and what I paid for. You just cannot put a price on good customer service. It is what it is all about!!!!!!
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sweetsue_98
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