rate Toshiba tech support

I'm thinking about getting a Toshiba notebook, but I don't know anyone who has one so can anyone here give me reviews of their tech support? After dealing with several problems with Compaq, I have vowed never to buy from them again and have made tech support a priority decision. Thanks.

 

<blockquote id='quote'> quote:<hr height='1' noshade id='quote'>Originally posted by snakecharmur

 

Snakecharmur,

Here's a post by Aussie1 regarding Toshiba Tech Support.

http://www.notebookreview.com/forums/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=1706

His opinion on their support was VERY bad, but this may just be a freak occurance.
I have a Toshiba notebook and required service on it, but I contacted my former company which is a Toshiba Authorized service center and got the parts to do the repairs. I knew the company & the people who worked there so I was confident of the service level. I never really had to deal with Toshiba's Support staff so I can't comment on their abilities.

What problems have you had with HP/Compaq products/services?

-Vb-

 

<blockquote id='quote'> quote:<hr height='1' noshade id='quote'>Originally posted by snakecharmur

 

thanks for the replies. my gripe with compaq was that they lost my warranty info when they merged with HP, when i contacted them about a problem i was having with the computer i was hung up and transfered to the desktop dept. by mistake countless times. i had to send the computer for repair 4 times for the same problem wihtin a 2 mo. period. when i finally got it back, it had a new problem. they have since replaced it with a brand new computer, but my dad has two other compaqs and they have had numerous problems too. needless to say i am utterly frustrated withthe company and am looking for a good one. i was thinking about dell, but i keep reading that the quality of their support has been declining fast. the fact that you have to pay extra for "expedited" service after you spend a grand on their product is insane to me.

 

<blockquote id='quote'> quote:<hr height='1' noshade id='quote'>Originally posted by snakecharmur

 

Tech support in general are starting to decline IMO. Most companies are starting to out source their support departments to other companies & some cases, other countries (to India for example). Because of the out sourcing, the people answering the phones may not be as knowledgable in the product they are supporting then an internal employee working for the manufaturer would, in a worse case senario, not even care that you're having problems with the product.
Finding a reputable place to get your expensive investments serviced is a very difficult task since you can't be sure how they will perform until you take your unit there, a catch 22.

For the level of service you receive, it also greatly depends on the support level. What I mean is that HP/Compaq has both a Consumer & Business support lines. I have never used the Consumer line, but their Business support is fairly good, they will actually escalate your issue to a higher level or even upto one of the engineers if the problem persists. This may only happen with the Business support because of the "urgency" of having a working computer in your business rather than a Consumer having problems surfing the web & downloading MP3's. This may be how many companies distinguish the level of support that they provide their customers. As with Aussie1's problems with his unit, because it's not a Tecra Series (Business Series) they may provide a lower level because it's a Consumer model.

I guess also in a bid to save money, the only other places they can reduce costs would be in the build quality & service quality. Giving you more features in a unit that MAY fail in the future is still cheaper than giving you a 100% solid machine that will not fail, IMHO.

Regarding current computer designs, most, to all companies are making their units standard regarding components now. I know Compaq was a big offender in making their units all proprietary, but that has changed in the recent years. Most components are now swapable except for the motherboard & case, but ram, hdd, etc... can now be upgraded without hassle.

I would recommend to anybody to first get a list of units that you're considering, get reviews/recommedations from friends/forums and then get it from a store that allows for returns. Places like Staples, Costco, etc... offer a return policy for their notebooks which will give you an opportunity to see if the unit meets your requirements. Make sure you check on the return policy before you buy to make sure there are no hidden costs (restocking fee) or anything else.

-Vb-

 

I bought a 6100 Satilite Pro. The Notebook is great, but when it started overheating, toshiba support was useless. I had an onsite Tech stop by and totally screw it up. It wouldn't even boot after the onsite tech left.

Then I sent it away to another state to get fixed. It came back and the cooling fan wasn't working, and when it tries to move it just squeeks and doesn't blow any air.

Now I guess another onsite tech is supposed to show up and work on replacing the fan...

It has been 3 weeks and I still don't have a working laptop. Toshiba support sucks. period. I don't plan on buying another. I will stick with Dell like I should have in the first place.

 

i think the australian thing is unique considering most global companies have those as seperate divsions which sometimes comepte and what not