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I have been a big fan of HP Server support for a long time, every time I saw someone ranting about HP Server support I was somewhat skeptical and I always read the full story because most of the time it was clear that the person ranting was not within reason or he/she was blowing the situation out of proportion. It seems as if a very smart person at the at the top of the HP Server support dept. was making the right customer-policy decisions.

Well, I’m here to tell you that perhaps that person has been fired or finally gave way to the shareholders pressure. Today I have painfully discovered that HP is changing his magical ways to become another mortal company looking out for the bottom line in the WRONG PLACE!!!

Got the dreaded call at 9:02 AM from a customer’s employee: we cannot access either our matters software or our QuickBooks files, I jump into action open my RDP connection to the server and nothing, can’t connect to server, I quickly switch to the other server I can connect fine, I’m starting to get a bad felling about this. I order my field technician to cancel his current schedule and head immediately to the client - Code Blue !!!

In less than 35 min my tech calls me from the site and I heard what no IT pro want to hear. We have multiple drive failure! chills runs down my spinal cord - I instantly jump to the server that still working and I connect to the NAS frantically searching for the latest backups and they are there, safe and sound. I sprint into action grab the phone call the 1-800 for HP support and I’m thinking okay no problem, calm down HP will send the drives overnight and I can rebuild this sucker in less than 3 hours or so, right? Boy was I wrong…

I get the usual Hindu guy with the heavy accent “how cal I hel you” I give him the serial and he starts to give me all these instructions so I stop him and ask him to send me the drives ASAP, there is no time for monkeying around here. Server is down ! So I finally get my case number and I ask him what time tomorrow would I get the drives? Then his answer hit me like a freight train, well Sr. your server warranty policy have a next day shipping so you will be getting the drive in a couple of days, what??? what ??? I wanted to scream so bad at this guy, but I tried to keep my cool. Something was not right, this is not the way HP has handled these situations in the past. Instead of wasting my time I quickly got off the phone and as I’m trying to call back again, I got an e-mail from HP that I have never seen before when dealing with Server Support, so I’m thinking that it must be a mistake and I proceed with my call, then while I’m asking the new rep to check if that the drives will be sent out overnight, he told me that the order is under investigation by the CS something team. What? CSI…I started thinking I may have committed a crime or something.

CSR, what the heck is this? Then I lost it, I demanded to speak with the US team and he gracefully agreed but it took him almost 30 min to get someone from US, in the meantime I started receiving more strange emails from HP, asking to sign documents and agreed to this and that and when I finally got someone from US. after a quick exchange of words I began to understand what was going on. Are you ready for this?

HP now will follow a procedure what they call POP (Proof of purchase) it will ask you to send a picture of the server serial number, It will also ask you send an invoice or PO of the server purchase, but not only that it will go to the extent to contact the party that sold you the server. ARE YOU KIDDING ME ??? Really??? But there is more. After I sent all the POP documents including having to send my guy again to take a picture of the serial number (Ridiculous) I kept calling the number for the CSR dept. and this lady with a Betty Boo voice keeps giving me excuses about why the case still on hold so I keep asking her questions to learn about this new procedure and one of the things she said was that if the server was not purchased from an authorized reseller then the warranty will be void. Seriously? what the heck has gotten into HP? A warranty is a warranty and any warranty that has an expiration date AS LONG AS THE WARRANTY HAS NOT EXPIRED IT NEED TO HONORED period! It is none of HP concern where or who I bought the server from, that’s it just wrong!!! My client is down with a dead and very expensive server with 3 years warranty and this B.S. is just a great waste of time that is preventing my client to have the parts he needs to keep his business running. All this just so you can honor a warranty.

I hope any of the HP Social Media Ambassadors read this post, because I’m utterly upset, embarrassed and frustrated beyond words!.

I have been a loyal client for more than 15 years but If HP continue this path of putting obstacles in emergencies situations like this you bet I will take my business someplace else.

@HP @Dell_Technologies

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Time to move to Dell.

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Ahh that’s nasty and stressful! Hope you get it sorted.

I try and put all the servers I supply on same day critical warranty within 2-4hrs, never liked NBD. And if a client won’t take same day warranty I educate them on how long they will be down for and give examples like 5days and ask if they’re ok with that! Then every 6months when I do their firedrill and email the report I add in the estimated restore times and downtime waiting for warranty parts. I usually add extra hassle-time based on their infrastructure and warranty coverage choices. Not saying that solves your issue but my stress levels went down because I felt the risk was now on them, not me.

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I’ve sent emails to a couple HP contacts I have to try to find out what the frack is going on here…

If this is actually the case, it’s going to seriously affect how people view HP. They took it too far already, IMO, with requiring active warranties for BIOS updates and stuff. This is beyond asinine.

I’m glad my servers are Dell…

Tagging Priscilla… She’s pretty good about getting things sorted too.

@priscilla-hp

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I’m currently putting together a new HP Server order. I’m anxious to here how this turns out. Please update us!

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I’d lose it if this happened to me

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@Aaron: I like the way you think and in some cases that will be the best approach. However, the point I’m trying to make is that in the past with the standard warranty I never had these issues. I have actually praised HP right here on SpiceWorks because I was really happy with the no questions asked, get your parts the next day policy. It was a really incredible service it gave you the peace of mind an IT professional needs.

As long as your server was under the hardware warranty is was a walk in the park and that’s why I have been a loyal customer. Now with this new POP B.S. things are not looking good from them. When the next project comes I can assure you my mind will not be in automatic more anymore.

First: TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE! This is a real emergency (Send me the parts, and then we deal with any issue - But send the damn part first !)

Second: Sometimes you just can’t find the Invoice or PO if the server was purchased by someone else, hello???

Third: If the server still under warranty why it matters where you bought it from. STILL UNDER WARRANTY !!!

MY CLIENT STILL DOWN, THE NEED TO SEND PAYROLL TO THE BANK SO PEOPLE CAN GET PAY ON FRIDAY, THE LAWYERS CANNOT SEE THE MATTERS CALENDAR SO THEY ARE GOING CRAZY. TOTAL CHAOS

Meanwhile, I still here WAITING FOR THE DRIVES TO BE SENT. Because someone in HP decided that it was time to change probably one of the best things HP ever had. PROMPT RESPONSE TO AN EMERGENCY.

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@Dukat: Thank you for your support, I know she is very active on SpiceWorks forum and I’m sure she will get the message.

Thank you all for your replies, I’m sure this post will stir some responses, what happens to one can happen to anyone. That why it’s important that our voices are heard.

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@Viyer7, when a critical server is down, a customer needs replacement parts right away. I am not aware of changes in the warranty terms for servers nor of changes in the Tech Support process that the POP, etc. is automatically requested. Bear with me as I explain. Based on my experience of working with members here and with HP Tech Support, if a product is registered before a call is made to Tech Support, the specialist has not requested the POP. Most likely a picture will be required to confirm the serial number if the product has not been registered.

Now I am here to assist you and not to frustrate you further. Bear with me again. You indicate, “AS LONG AS THE WARRANTY HAS NOT EXPIRED IT NEED TO HONORED period.” Realistically, HP is honoring perhaps the warranty you have. As reflected in @AaronJBerger’s reply, there are different types of carepacks or warranties. @AaronJBerger, thank you very much for your explanation. Most customers get the same day, often 4 hour response time, for critical systems and not Next Business Day (NBD).

Please ping me with your case number or the serial number of your server so I can see how HP can lessen your frustration and get your drives replaced as soon as possible. Thanks to @Dukat for tagging me and for reaching out to his HP contacts. I will also check to see if there have been any warranty changes impacting servers.

@robiewan @alietcasas8331 @ajb2000

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What does your current HP support contract say? If this isn’t in there talk to your corporate legal team. HP is breaking the contract.

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Priscilla, I have never had to send a picture of the serial number, and I had a huge mix (probably 100) of registered and non-registered servers. I have had agents request I verify the serial number, and in each time they had fat fingered it.

Granted, I moved on from there recently…

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Priscilla, I will get back to you later since I need to head to the client now to keep the damage under control as much as possible.

All I can say now is that for a moment I swear to God I thought I was talking to government employees. Where they just keep giving you excuses and this dept is looking into this and there is nothing else I can do, this is a new procedure, Bla,bla,bla.

But believe me I got a lot more to tell you. Just like I said on title “Brace for impact”

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@Dukat, thanks again for your reply. During my work with Tech Support on the behalf of Members, I also have not had a specialist request a copy of the serial number. However, what I was trying to state is if the unit was not registered, perhaps, a picture of the serial number may be requested. Fortunately, the members with whom I have worked on server issues had registered units.

As an aside, when there is confusion about the serial number, I will even request that the member send me a picture. Recently, upon doing this, my colleague and I were able to unravel issues and sending the picture helped to produce some very positive options for the member.

@robiewan

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@Viyer7, thank you for your quick reply. Until you can discuss the issue further, hopefully, you can send me the case number or serial number so I can start reviewing the issue. I eagerly await our behind the scene communication. We should be able to drive your issue to a quick resolution.

@alietcasas8331

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Wow. Disappointing to read this post and thread.

Perhaps dealing with a VAR that offers their own warranty could be an alternative in a case such as this?

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Might want to get a Dell Quote while this shakes out…

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Ouch, I have a mission critical HP server that was purchased by a reseller. I hope I don’t have any issues with my server.

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Dell Pro Support FTW… “next business day replacement” means exactly that.

WOW. A guy is frantically trying to sort out warranty problems to get a customer back online and you step in with a SALES PITCH??? Really??? Get him, Ricky…

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Hello Viyer7 and IT Community,

Once again thanks to @Viyer7 for bringing the experience he describes to our attention. It’s not a cliche when I say that HP staff takes seriously the the product and support experiences of its customers. As I’ve said previously, this is one reason why we have staff participating in Spiceworks. Additionally, this is why I could confidently send your post to HP management staff who responded immediately by getting the post to the appropriate contacts who immediately researched the issues in this post and provided the following HP response. (Note that I have highlighted in bold language that is especially applicable to your post.

"Hi …,

Here is the response from the Warranty lead:

Th****ere has been no change the BU Warranty terms and conditions. There is a clause about purchased through authorized channels.

Bottom of page 1.

We have had a few customers buy via an unauthorized channel and question their warranty only for us to find out the server they bought was a year or more old. Most of them went through a re-certification process [as] TS has to enable support for rest of server life.

  • This Limited Warranty applies only to HP-branded and Compaq-branded hardware products (collectively referred to in this Limited Warranty as “HP Hardware Products”) sold by or leased from Hewlett-Packard Company, its worldwide subsidiaries, affiliates, authorized resellers, or country distributors (collectively referred to in this Limited Warranty as “HP”) with this Limited Warranty. The term “HP Hardware Product” is limited to the hardware components and required firmware. The term “HP Hardware Product” DOES NOT include any software applications or programs, non-HP products, or non-HP branded peripherals. All non-HP products or non-HP branded peripherals external to the HP Hardware Product— such as external storage subsystems, displays, printers and other peripherals—are provided “AS IS” without HP warranty. However, non-HP manufacturers and suppliers or publishers may provide their own warranties directly to you.

Additionally, the commit for CSR is: (typically found on page 6 under Customer Self Repair)

Based on availability and where geography permits, CSR parts will be shipped for next business day delivery.

Lync to terms and conditions docs:

http://h17007.www1.hp.com/us/en/enterprise/servers/warranty/index.aspx#.VZwkjaMo5aQ"

Once again, please provide me with your case number or the serial number so we can

  • review the case and gain clarity on your issues, your warranty and the support response,

  • get your issue resolved quickly,

  • communicate accurate information to staff assisting you,

  • make recommendations where necessary for training and process improvements.

Instead of pining me, you can also communicate with me at PSGSocialMedia@hp.com, Attention: Priscilla. If you provide me with your phone number, I can call you at the time that is convenient for you. I am anxious to continue discussion of your experience and assist in its resolution.

@rhummel @alietcasas8331 @rayaustin2

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Hello @Robert5205 and @rayaustin2, thank you for your feedback. I have tagged you on the update above. Thank you for purchasing or for planning to purchase an HP server and for expressing some concerns. Most likely, you should not encounter any problems if your require support. If you would like to address any concerns in detail, please ping me. @rayaustin2, I’ll be happy to review your warranty or contract for your mission critical server.

@rhummel @rayaustin2

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