maddening computer experience

Frank Fusco

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Mountain Home, Arkansas
My old printer went belly-up and I need a new one. Our only source for this sort of item in my town is Wal-Mart (thankfully, a Staples is opening soon). So off I went to make my purchase. I was determined to not buy another Hewlett-Packard. I've had several HPs. While their hardware is OK, the software is sorry. I got a nice all-in-one scanner/printer, under $100.00. Installed per instructions. Printer printed. Scanner wouldn't scan. Went to HP web site and downloaded drivers and updates. Scanner still wouldn't scan. Called HP tech support. Held on hold for an hour. Finally got a guy in Pakistan who didn't speak intelligible English. Asked me every question no less than three times. We were more than thirty minutes before he even got to trying to do something about the problem. I let him have access to my computer through a special HP web page so he could fix the problem. Each time he tried my computer froze and I had to power off and reboot. More than two hours later I gave up. :bang: He gave me a case number so I can call back and try again, hopefully with someone who speaks English well enough to understand.
BTW, my only other brand choice at WM was Lexmark. They are good but are reputed to be ink hogs. And the models they had were all one cartridge types that mix colors for black. I print a large amount of text and replacing $30.00 cartridges every couple weeks is not appealing. I'm reluctant to buy on-line or out of town because of the inconvenience of a possible return.
 
"I was determined to not buy another Hewlett-Packard. While their hardware is OK, the software is sorry."

"I got a nice all-in-one scanner/printer, under $100.00. Printer printed. Scanner wouldn't scan. Went to HP web site and downloaded drivers and updates. Scanner still wouldn't scan. Called HP tech support. More than two hours later I gave up. :bang: "

"I'm reluctant to buy on-line or out of town because of the inconvenience of a possible return."

:dunno: :huh:

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

Good luck Frank!
 
BTW, my only other brand choice at WM was Lexmark. They are good but are reputed to be ink hogs. And the models they had were all one cartridge types that mix colors for black.

I picked up a Canon Pixma MP750 last year, or maybe 18 mos ago. It is a multi-function (scanner, copier, printer - NOT fax), and we're pretty pleased with it. It has separate ink tanks. In fact, it has two different black tanks - one for black text, and one for black in photos. But ink still is expensive.

I think you'd be pretty safe buying a Canon online. they are good printers - and surely the tech support can be no worse than what you've just experienced with HP... :( :(

If I printed a lot (I don't) I'd be tempted to get a b+w laser. But for occasional use, a cheap inkjet seems the better deal.
 
Art said, "If I printed a lot (I don't) I'd be tempted to get a b+w laser. But for occasional use, a cheap inkjet seems the better deal."
I'm still thinking :doh: and rethinking :doh: :doh: this situation. I have another low end, HP printer that works fine but is a bit slow. It was intended for my wife but she ran out of USB ports. I could use it for b&w text exclusively and save the Lexmark all-in-one for color and photo use. Might do that. Will be spending today and tomorrow with the grands. :) Should be in a better mood by Monday and will decide then.
BTW, lest anyone think my early comments were bigoted. The tech rep was in Pakistan, he told me. I couldn't understand him, those are both facts.
 
I sympathise completely Frank. I have always had Lexmark inkjet printers (once I stopped using Epson pin printers in the mid-nineties) and they have been excellent as long as they were being used full time. We ran three of them in a small engine business that I owned and they printed literally tens of thousands of pages and never wore out anything but cartridges. My big complaint was that the printers were $159 and the cartridges were $59 .... made no sense except business sense (profit for lexmark). When I sold the company in 2001, I bought another lexmark printer for at home, great printer except that as I hardly ever use it, the cartridges would always be dry when I needed to print something. It was getting expensive, so after doing some math, I bit the bullet and bought a USB fed, HP colour lazer printer ... it was expensive, but according to my computer whiz brother who's had one for a decade and is still on his first toner cartridge, the economy is in NOT buying ink. I bought the HP1600. I plugged it in and followed the idiot proof instructions and voila! perfect prints.
When my friend had troubles with an insurance policy (medical - his mothers), he called the troubleshooting phone number and also got a support person in India ... a nice guy ... did his best, but finally admitted that Ottawa Valley Scots-Irish farm english just wasn't compatible with East Indian english and he also had to ask for someone else to speak to ... nothing bigoted about it at all, they just couldn't understand each other.

anyway, this doesn't help you I know, but that's my experience with the troubles you're having

cheers eh :wave:
 
Frank

I had a very similar experience when setting up my new Dell computer. India, Pakistan, whatever, I went through three different technicians in the same night. Its aggrevating to spend that much money on something and then not be able to understand the person that is supposed to be providing tech support. It's also ironic that in the Tech Support section of Dell's website, there is a picture of an attractive woman who appears to be of anglo saxon decent. I wonder where she is? Or maybe that was her that I talked to, the one with the extremely thick East Indian accent.

Dell has lost me as a customer forever. Also I will never buy another PC online. Luckily for me, I live in a larger town where there are several independent computer sales companies that provide support (southern accent and all) for the products they sell. MInd you, it does cost more but I will gladely spend the extra $$$$ to avoid the aggrevation in the future.

I am also lucky enought to have a friend that is very good with computers and can usually get me through problems over the phone. I told him about the overseas tech support language barrier problem I had and he said that those overseas guys are actually very well educated and good at what they do, but unfortunately the language barrier is there.

I also had the same experience with McAfee virus protection. So lets see, thats a total of three of the major companie so far:
Dell
McAfee
HP
How many more are there?
 
Hi Frank,
I also do a lot of black and white printing. I switched to a "Brother" Laser printer a few years ago and have never had a problem since.
I have had really good luck with refurbished equipment.
Try this site, you can find toner for just a little more than your inkjet cartridges and they last a LONG time.

http://www.refurbdepot.com/index.cfm

Good Luck

(I tried to send you to the right page and it wouldn't take. Just type in "Brother Printers")

DT
 
My sympathy, Frank

I have a perfectly good HP Scanjet 6300C scanner. Since it is more than a year old (more like 5 or 6), HP is not supporting it. I cannot get a driver update that can deal with the IE7 mess. I did remove IE7, and reinstalled all the HP updates from back in 2002, and it still doesn't work. I paid a good price for it and my I might as well throw it in the junk. I will not buy another HP product unless it is the last in the world, and then only if I really need it.

I have an Epson Stylus 900 printer and it does a good job, outside of using more ink that I like. I think the problem is that it is a low use printer, and the ink drys in the nozzles and hence the cleaning cycle is invoked about every second time is use it. Otherwise it will print an excellent high quality picture. Windows even recognizes it and loads the correct drivers.

I buy nearly all of my computer equipment over the internet, and have not had a problem.
 
We just recently bought a Brother MFC (?) laser B&W printer, color scanner, fax and B&W copier, paid about $300 for it, but it works VERY well.

Normal inkjets are less than $100 here, and I've always liked the cannons, as the ink wells are separate, and you can buy a whole new printer head, full of ink wells for less than $40.

Sorry to hear about your troubles Frank.

Cheers!
 
I have a perfectly good HP Scanjet 6300C scanner. Since it is more than a year old (more like 5 or 6), HP is not supporting it. I cannot get a driver update that can deal with the IE7 mess. I did remove IE7, and reinstalled all the HP updates from back in 2002, and it still doesn't work. I paid a good price for it and my I might as well throw it in the junk. I will not buy another HP product unless it is the last in the world, and then only if I really need it.

I have an Epson Stylus 900 printer and it does a good job, outside of using more ink that I like. I think the problem is that it is a low use printer, and the ink drys in the nozzles and hence the cleaning cycle is invoked about every second time is use it. Otherwise it will print an excellent high quality picture. Windows even recognizes it and loads the correct drivers.

I buy nearly all of my computer equipment over the internet, and have not had a problem.


I too went Epson. I wouldn't buy another HP product either. When I bought my last HP it was a scanner. I paid $1200 for it!!! :eek:
(kind of a while back huh? :rofl:) They did the same to me. I got two years out of it and they took the drivers off the net and refused to support it. Now scanners are dirt cheap. Go figure.

DT
 
...I have another low end, HP printer that works fine but is a bit slow. It was intended for my wife but she ran out of USB ports...
If it will help, it's real easy to add a USB hub and gain another handful of USB ports. They only cost $10 - $20, and are very simple to install and use.

And I can empathize with you on the language barriers. I work with a number of Indian and Chinese software engineers, and although they are nice guys and excellent code jockeys, I have a heck of a time understanding their spoken (and sometimes written) word. Since I'm the guy who has to describe (in English) how to use our products, it's imperative that I know in detail what the engineers are doing to the product when they make changes. Getting those details can be trying, to say the least. :bang:
 
Well I'm sort of stuck with HP, at least they support linux to a certain extent. I won't buy Epson anymore, they are getting as sue happy as RIAA anymore. They really don't want anyone providing ink other than themselves for their printers.

I've got an hp 5400 right now thats a couple years old. It's only problem is every once in a while it won't pick up the paper right.
 
My father-in-law has a new Dell with Vista. He couldn't make his HP printer work... and neither could Dell or HP. So he got a new Lexmark (cheap, 'do three things poorly and none of them well' model). It didn't work. He also talked to some non-American folks who led him through same steps we had already been through 8 times trying to make it work. After that, he gave them control and THEY couldn't make it work. Finally they said they'd send him a nw install CD... and they did a couple weeks later. And when THAT didn't work, he finally took the printer back. Now he says he's gonna order one from Dell...with the assumption that the 'Dell' computer will work. :(

I've warned him to not get his hopes up. :p

KC
 
If it will help, it's real easy to add a USB hub and gain another handful of USB ports. They only cost $10 - $20, and are very simple to install and use.

And I can empathize with you on the language barriers. I work with a number of Indian and Chinese software engineers, and although they are nice guys and excellent code jockeys, I have a heck of a time understanding their spoken (and sometimes written) word. Since I'm the guy who has to describe (in English) how to use our products, it's imperative that I know in detail what the engineers are doing to the product when they make changes. Getting those details can be trying, to say the least. :bang:

I have four different USB extenders/expanders. Two are higher priced powered units. None work for anything I've tried with them.
 
Thanks for all the tips. Currently, in my town, the only source for things computer is Wal-Mart. And they only carry the HP and Lexmark. I may return this HP, get a Lexmark for scanning and color and keep the lower end older HP for B&W only. Dunno :dunno: still deciding and cooling down.
 
I have four different USB extenders/expanders. Two are higher priced powered units. None work for anything I've tried with them.
Something's wrong with the picture, then. Virtually any device with a USB plug on the end should work. I've got two separate USB hubs (neither are powered) and haven't seen any problems similar to yours. Wish I knew something to suggest. :huh:
 
Something's wrong with the picture, then. Virtually any device with a USB plug on the end should work. I've got two separate USB hubs (neither are powered) and haven't seen any problems similar to yours. Wish I knew something to suggest. :huh:

I agree with the "should" part. Actually, I have tried expanders/extensions on several computers. None ever worked. Dunno why not. :dunno: That's just my experience. If I can find them, you can have them.
 
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