Archive of UserLand's first discussion group, started October 5, 1998.

Next clonemaker, Compaq

Author:Dave Winer
Posted:8/20/1999; 9:14:04 AM
Topic:Next clonemaker, Compaq
Msg #:9720
Prev/Next:9719 / 9721

I decided to try Compaq for my next computer, hoping that they would do better than Dell. I placed an order for a $2000 workstation on Tuesday, based on their promise of a five-day turnaround. The computer was supposed to leave their factory tomorrow. I just got a call from a customer service person saying that my credit card had been declined. I read the card number to him on the phone and he put it thru and it was OK. Then he looked at the form and noticed that one set of numbers was missing.

Now there's some probability that I entered the information incorrectly, but I remember doing it very carefully, as I always do when I'm spending such a large amount of money without talking to someone. I figure the chance for error is smaller when I do the typing instead of someone else.

Anyway, now they say I will get the computer on Thursday or Friday of next week. If you were me, how likely would you think that is?

And futher, they were very unprofessional. They kept saying there was nothing they could do to meet their committment to ship the computer on Saturday, but after ten minutes on the phone, all of a sudden he's talking about the possibility of bumping my priority up. I'm not stupid, and I was listening (in disbelief) when he said there was nothing he could do to get it to me on time.

Once again, I would gladly pay a premium for good intelligent service from a computer vendor. But it doesn't seem possible based on a sampling of two. Who should I try next? Gateway? IBM? Outpost.Com?

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