Despite the fact that my three previous phone calls to Hewlett-Packard ended in receiving a new case number and subsequently being sent to the back of the line, I went against my better judgment and gave their number another try. After spending the better part of my afternoon (5PM to 7PM) on hold, I finally received my first piece of information (other than, "We can't use your old case number."): I have a FedEx tracking number.
You may expect that, after an entire month, I'd at least be happy to know that the thing's coming back. Unfortunately, that's not the case: there are a number of factors indicating that I
only have a tracking number and not, say, a fixed laptop, or the same laptop that I started out with. First off is the conversation I had with the support rep, which went something like this:
Me: Did the techs make any mention of what was wrong with the unit?
Rep: They have not updated case yet.
M: Well, has the unit at least been repaired?
R: Sorry, they have not updated case yet.
M: So I may be receiving an empty box again?
R: According to case, box is nine pounds.
M: I thought the case hadn't been updated...
R: The case has tracking number (repeats tracking number to me again) but no comment.
M: Can I still call this number if the unit hasn't been repaired?
R: Our number is open all week at all hours.
M: Okay, thank you. Have a nice day.
Second is the fact that the box they're sending me is nine pounds. The guys at Kinko's were nice enough to tell me on my receipt that, when I dropped the machine off for delivery, the box was in fact
5.7 pounds. For all I know, they've given me a new, bulky, clunky desktop replacement notebook with less horsepower and more Vista.
Third, I checked the FedEx tracking number that the rep gave me. It only labels that an overnight delivery to my address has been paid for: no box has been received yet by FedEx.
Fourth,
all three of my support cases on HP's support case manager are still listed as "On Progress", with no comments and no schedule. "They have not updated case yet," indeed.
So, what
should I be thinking right now? I suppose I should wait it out and hope that my "overnight shipping" arrives by Friday, so that I can see whether or not it's actually been repaired, or if I still have the same laptop for that matter.