THE COMPAQ MANIFESTO

ABOUT THIS DOCUMENT

We, Compaq technical support workers, feel that the public has a right to know the truth about Compaq.

We know that you and millions of other people have invested your hard earned money in Compaq computers, and that you deserve to be treated fairly by Compaq Corporation.

It is our sincere hope that by releasing this information, Compaq will become accountable for their products and their actions.

KNOWN PROBLEMS AND FIXES FOR COMPAQ COMPUTERS

  1. SLEEP MODE
    This is a neat feature that puts your computer into a low-power "sleep" state. Unfortunately, it has a tendency not to wake up. There are many fixes available for it, but most don't work.

    For some models, we will have you run debug to clear CMOS. Sleep Mode will work for a while, but we know you'll call us back.

    OUR ADVICE: Call us for help to disable SLEEP MODE. Once it is disabled, you can just leave your computer running and either use the screen saver or turn off your monitor when you're done using it. (When the computer is in sleep mode, it is really turned on anyway.)

  2. ADDING HARDWARE
    On most IBM PC clones, the video card and the sound card are not built into the motherboard. To reduce manufacturing costs, Compaq integrated the sound and video subsystems into the system board on Presario computers. As a result, it's a lot harder to upgrade your system because we can't remove the old hardware. Sometimes the computer will lock up because of a conflict between the new equipment and the non-removable components on the system board.

    OUR ADVICE: If you must upgrade your equipment, have a service center install video cards, sound cards, and modems. Make sure you have them show you that it works before you take it home. Of course, installing third party hardware means you can't run Quickrestore until you remove all the 3rd-party equipment. Also, if you call us with problems with 3rd-party hardware, we are required to bill you $35.

  3. ADDING SOFTWARE
    If you call in for technical support for a third-party software, we will bill you $35.

    OUR ADVICE:Contact the manufacturer of the program first because they might help you for free. If you have to call us, use the 1-900-733-7357 number for Billing, because it costs less.

  4. INTERNET EXPLORER 4.0
    Wow, an upgrade. Don't do it yet. Wait at least 6 months for Compaq to get a clue about how it works and how to fix it. When you do, download it from Compaq (www.compaq.com) and follow our instructions. If you have already installed any other version (AOL, MSN, Microsoft's site), it probably won't work properly and we have to charge you $35 to help you un-install it.
  5. PHONE CENTER
    This is a program that almost never works properly. There is an inside joke that if Phone Center worked, all Compaq technicians would be out of a job. Every time a Phone Center call comes in, we just hope that is so simple we can actually do something about it. The only real fix is running QUICK RESTORE, or for some models, the GOLD PHONE CENTER UPGRADE, which sometimes fixes the problems.

    OUR ADVICE: Save yourself the headache. Buy a Fax and Answering machine.

So why is maintaining a Compaq computer so difficult? Read on.

PART 2 HOW COMPAQ TECHNICAL SUPPORT WORKS

When you call the 1-800-OK-COMPAQ Technical Support number (1-800-652-6672) you are told you are speaking directly with Compaq. This is not always true, most of the time you are actually speaking to an OUTSOURCE VENDOR.

Most of the technicians at these sites are very skilled workers who want to help customers. If we were allowed to fix your problems, you would be happy, Compaq would be happy, and we would be happy. Sadly, more often that not, this is not the case. In order to comply with Compaq's policy, we are not allowed fix most of your problems. These policies are:

AVERAGE HANDLE TIME

Because Compaq pays their vendors by the minute, they limit the time we can stay on the phone with you; each technician's average handle time has to be under ten minutes. Compaq wants you to call back because they don't have to pay the outsource vendors as much for repeat calls.

How this translates into your 10 minute call:

REQUIRED OPENING SCRIPT [1 MINUTE]
"Thank you for calling Compaq technical support, my name is Eckhard Pfeiffer."
"May I please have your NAME and PHONE NUMBER?"
"What model of Presario computer do you have?"
"How may I help you today?"

FIND OUT WHAT THE PROBLEM IS [3 MINUTES]
You describe the problem to us.

PROBLEM SOLVING [5 MINUTES]
We then try to fix your problem.

REQUIRED CLOSING SCRIPT [1 MINUTE]
"Well, Sir/Ma'am we at Compaq like to go that EXTRA MILE for our customers."
"Let me give you a CASE NUMBER."

[When you call back using this case number, Compaq will know it's a repeat call, and therefore pays less to the outsource vendor.]i

"Again my name is Eckhard Pfeiffer, and thank you for calling Compaq."

This is why we often seem hurried when we speak to you. If one call is 15 minutes long, then the next has to be 5 minutes, in order to maintain our average handle times. If our average times are too high, they threaten to fire us.

AVERAGE HANDLE TIME (TOOLS)

1. SOFT SKILLS
We are required to "Sound like we care." We have been told to "Empathize with the customer." And "Make them feel like we care about them and their problem." This is great, except that when we ask our supervisors for more time to fix your problem, they tell us, "Get them off the phone!"

2. DATABASES
We use several DATABASES that deal with most of the questions you ask. These databases are good when they work. Unfortunately, they frequently go down.

3. HOLD
When the DATABASES are down, and we don't know the answer, we ask other technicians. No one person knows all the answers, but our combined knowledge covers almost everything. However, other technicians are also on calls, so we have to wait. This is reason behind those long times you wait on hold.

4. GET THE CUSTOMER TO CALL BACK
If it's a problem we can fix, but the call is nearing the 10 minute limit, we give you a CASE NUMBER, tell you to run a thorough SCAN DISK (or some other useless task), then tell you to call back. SCAN DISK fixes 1% of the problems, and it takes about an HOUR to run. Obviously, you'll be calling back and Compaq doesn't have to pay as much for it.

5. QUICK RESTORE
If the problem is something we can't fix in a reasonable amount of time, we have to tell you to run QUICK RESTORE. Quick Restore is a CD that ERASES everything on your hard drive, then restores the files that originally came with your computer.

Unfortunately Compaq Presario computers have many known problems. As a result, some customers end up running Quick Restore over and over.

NOTES FOR RUNNING QUICK RESTORE: Before running Quick Restore, you MUST back-up any data that you want to keep, then remove all the 3rd-party hardware (e.g., network card, SCSI host adapter, etc.) inside your computer. You also have to unplug printers, scanners, joysticks, etc. If you don't remove these, we will tell you to run Quick Restore again and again. When you are ready to run Quick Restore, call us and we will walk you through clearing CMOS and removing all the partitions on the hard drive with fdisk.

6. ON-SITE WARRANTY
If we think that one or more of the parts inside your computer is malfunctioning, we check your warranty. If your ON-SITE warranty is still active (within 90 days), we send out a technician to your location to replace the broken hardware. Unfortunately, we are usually only allowed to send out ONE PART at a time. So many customers call us back and we have to go through this process again, instead of just sending it all at once.

OUR ADVICE: Supervisors are empowered to extend your warranty. To speak with a supervisor, all you have to do is ask. If the problem is with the system board, have them replace the processor and the RAM also.

7. AUTHORIZED SERVICE CENTERS
If your ON-SITE warranty has expired, we will tell you to take your computer to an AUTHORIZED SERVICE CENTER. We will give you the phone number for the automated locator so you can find the service centers in your area. The database isn't updated often enough so you may get the phone numbers for shops that don't service COMPAQ computers anymore-- make sure you call them first.

When you take your computer to one of these service centers, you can expect to wait up to a MONTH before you get it back. Before you take it home, ask them to demonstrate that it does work. We get many calls from customers whose computers still don't work after the service center said that it was fixed.

8. BILLABLE ISSUES
When you need help with THIRD PARTY SOFTWARE or HARDWARE, (anything that did not come with the computer), Compaq policy dictates that we must bill you a flat rate of $35 per issue.

OUR ADVICE: Call the product's manufacturer first. They might help you for free. If you must call us, then cal1 1-900-733-7357 which charges $2/minute to a maximum of $30.

9. QUALITY
Compaq requires technicians to maintain a good Quality rating. Compaq does this by monitoring your calls. The qualities that Compaq looks for are:

Index