Snow Crash, and an uncharacteristically glowing review of Indian tech support

So, my computer's hard drive crashed a while ago. It's been a couple of weeks now, I think. Not to name names, but I have always found that my computer company of choice, who I will call "Prell" to be pretty reliable with their service. The computer is fine, but the hard drive, from a company that I will call "Laxtor" is apparently an unreliable part. I found this out on message boards, post-crash.

So, using my wife's laptop computer from about 5 or 6 years ago, I proceeded to investigate the problem, going to Dell tech support, downloading drivers, trying fixes, reinstalling the OS, all for naught. I don't know how many times I tried to reinstall Windows XP, but it took a big chunk of my time. So, I spent a lot of my weekend time on the phone, using internet chat, and emailing back and forth with Prell tech support, trying to get my hard drive fixed, which is covered under the extended warranty.

A note to all readers, extended warranties are generally rip-offs, a way to take more money. If the thing costs $30, a $10 extended warranty is useless. It's a way for Best Buy or Circuit City to increase their profit margins. Plus, if something goes wrong, it will go wrong within the normal warranty time. But I digress. Extended warranties are good on Cars, Homes, Playstation 2s, and Computers, and that's about it. I know that everyone’s paranoid about their electronics breaking, but they generally won't. Either there's something wrong right away, or it will break AFTER the extended warranty expires. In that case, you got your use out of the crappy piece of consumer electronics, just buy another one.

Anyway, I am supposed to have this tip-top warranty service on my computer. Obviously, the first thing that the tech tells me to do is reinstall. I am obviously reluctant to give up all of my data, so I try to reinstall without erasing everything. I do three of these installs, and windows hangs during the third one. Thus making any subsequent installations impossible. It doesn't work, at which point the Prell tech assures me that there is not a problem with the disk, that the problem is the operating system. And by that, I mean he actually tells me “I assure you that there is nothing wrong with the hard drive. Delete everything and you will be fine.” Meaning delete all of my documents, all of my stored pictures, from college until now, delete all of my settings, all of my music, every bit of data that I have. Based on the Prell tech’s assurances that the problem is not the hard drive. Now, I’m (A) a skeptic, and (B) I don’t want to lose all of my data. So I find a way to download Laxtor’s own diagnostic software, and run it on my Prell. Sure enough, Laxtor tells me that the hard drive is failing, and should be replaced. So even if I had done exactly what they said, it still would have crashed. Nothing wrong with the HD, my ass.

The reason that we are continually told to erase and reformat is that replacing my HD hurts Prell’s profit margin. So, the Prell techs do anything to keep from replacing the HD, even though that model of Laxtor is prone to failure. Replacement costs them money, as does sending out a tech to replace my hard drive. Money that I already paid them, for a WARRANTY. A warranty with NEXT DAY SERVICE. I paid for what the Prell tech was denying me. And, had I reinstalled, I would have lost the data, and the HD would have failed. I went back to the Prell techs, and told them that the HD was failing, and that it was NOT the OS. I emailed back and forth with a nice and courteous supervisor (you can say this for outsourced tech support, they are very nice), and got them to agree to replace the drive. This was about a week ago. I got confirmation last Saturday that they were sending the part to the technician. The technician would call me, to set up an appointment. The part was shipped via Airborne Express/DHL. So, it should have been shipped on…Saturday, Sunday? No, Prell waited until Tuesday to ship it.

Now, the fun begins. Anyone who’s on the East Coast knows what happened on Monday and Tuesday. Ice storm. Oh Joy, O rapture. Everyone’s locked up in their homes, commerce comes to a screeching halt for days…no wait, it doesn’t. We got mail, the garbage was picked up, stores were open, the world ticked on, even through the worst of it. But the delivery company didn’t deliver the part until Wednesday. And, the part didn’t get delivered to the tech. The part is still at the DHL warehouse in Upper Marlboro, waiting for the tech to pick it up. The tech whose car (I later learned) has been stuck in a drift of ice for two days. The one who didn’t call me to tell me any of this, because he had a backup of people to call.

So, after not hearing for days, I finally call Prell this morning. I get transferred to a woman who is almost certainly in a call center in India, judging by her accent (educated British accent, with hints of Indian. Same for her supervisor). Surprisingly enough, this is the one aspect of the interaction that I have no complaints about. The rep was very articulate, clear, and helpful. In 5 minutes, she checked up on my case, called DHL, and called the tech. She assured me that the tech would call me in an hour, and even emailed me so I could contact her if I needed to.

Two and a half hours later: No phone call. So I email Prell, because I figure they’ll lean on him. Ten minutes later: phone call. Very apologetic technician. He says that he’s backed up, and says that he’ll get to me on Monday morning, if he can get the part from DHL. Fine. If he comes, I’ll be happy.

But here’s the thing. My computer’s been out of commission for more than two weeks. I wrestled with tech support for a week, trying to get them to do what I knew was correct. I paid for a warranty wherein parts would be sent to a technician, who would immediately call me. Parts should be sent within hours of Prell’s agreeing to send a replacement. Prell’s pretty automated, the parts could have been sent out that night. Or on Sunday (don’t tell me they don’t work on Sunday). Or on Monday. But they waited until Tuesday, when the entire region was blanketed in winter crap.

And the technician. Surely, he’s not the only contractor Prell hires in this area. If he was stuck in the snow, couldn’t he call Prell and have them send someone else? I know that hurts his bottom line, but I don’t give a rat’s ass. I paid for tech support, and it was weeks before I get action. If the contractor is unable to do his job because of the weather, give the work to a contractor who isn’t as stuck. And if the contractor not going to call Prell, call me. Tell me that you’re going to be late. Tell me you’re stuck. I’m not an unreasonable person. Just let me know, don’t make me make Prell HQ lean on you just so that you can tell me that you’re late.

So, I sit here, without my hard drive, waiting for Prell to replace my defective part, in my not-inexpensive Machine that I bought from them, which is under the warranty that I paid for, as I have been waiting for two weeks. In the meantime, using a very complicated setup involving a laptop hard drive, and external enclosure, and an old HD from a computer that Michele and I were going to donate, I’ve managed to get the important data off. This, I did with no help from Prell or Laxtor, because they wouldn’t do it for me even If I asked them. Once Prell takes the old HD, they’re just going to erase it. So, using trial and error, and a lot of sleeplessness, I got the stuff off. My data is safe, but I still can’t use the thing.

The odd thing is: every other time there’s been a problem, Prell has been remarkably efficient and helpful. So, did I just have bad luck this time? Or is Prell just getting worse? I’ve always liked their stuff, I’ll give it just one more chance.