6/11/00

It just suddenly decided to give me an error message about missing some *.vkd file (I guessed some sort of driver, later learned it means virtual keyboard driver)

6/11/00

I took it to CompUSA to be serviced, since it was still under both manufacturer’s and the extended CompUSA warranty. They told me that it NEC/PB (Packard Bell) does not support any computer technicians other then their own, in their headquarters in Nevada.

6/15/00

I requested NEC/PB to send me a recovery CD because I never got one when I bought it as a display model, the salesman couldn’t find it.

6/16/00

NEC/PB sent the CD to some location called Lake Como, FL. How similar is that to Miami?

6/27/00

Obviously, my address was not found in Lake Como, FL, therefore it was shipped back to them. I am still without a proper startup CD

6/28/00

At this point, I requested them to overnight it since it was their fault that it didn’t get here already in the first place. They said they were going to FedEx it. I call back to check on the status of the order 2 days later, and it was shipped via UPS Ground again. They claim since their tech. support office and shipping office they have no control. At this point, I even spoke to the manager of the support department and he claimed that it was out of their control what the people in the other state do.

6/28/00 – 7/10/00

• I tried to reinstall the OS using a generic Windows CD; it would not let me.
• After a lot of troubleshooting I tried to FDisk and reformat the Hard Drive (HD) and got an error message that I could not apply the FAT32 format (which is very important for a HD that size).
• I tried another HD and got the same exact error, therefore, it was NOT the HD.

7/11/00

The package was finally, delivered. They shipped me a Floppy! How can a floppy (1.44 MB) contain the whole recovery OS??? That is IMPOSSIBLE!

7/11/00

After additional troubleshooting, NEC/PB finally told me to send it in to them for them to replace whatever hardware needed to be replaced. Since I had the extended CompUSA warranty, they were covering the S&H of the PC. Since it was shipped from CompUSA , it should be returned there too, which is what I preferred because I didn’t know when I would be home to receive deliveries.

7/12/00

I called NEC/PB again ordering the CD for the 3^rd time. At this point, I didn’t need it rushed any more since the PC has been shipped off to them already any way.

7/18/00

As per FedEx tracking, it was delivered to NEC/PB.

7/19/00

I finally received the boot CD.

8/4/00

I received a note from UPS that they were at my house and have a package for me. That was a Friday, which means I have to wait extra 2 days for the package, because NEC/PB doesn’t know how to follow instructions and ship it back to CompUSA.

8/7/00

I finally receive it on Monday and go to set it up. It had more problems than before! The only thing they did was replace the HD, which I already new was not the problem.

8/8/00

I took it back to CompUSA they told me the same thing as before, about the warrantee factor that if they call and order the parts, NEC will not send them free replacement parts, because the only place that can officially service NEC machines is their own headquarters. I told them to let me know what needs to be changed and I, the owner, will contact NEC .

8/14/00

I finally come to pickup the PC, and the technicians tell me that I need to order: new CPU, RAM, and Floppy drive. When I get home and try to use it, I find that the DVD is not working properly either. . This means that the only reliable place to save my files I have is the CD-RW, which not all PCs can read. I tried to logon to the internet, to download some files, and the PC restarts every time the connection is made.

8/16/00

One of the technicians suggested that I should speak to the store’s main manager, about possibly replacing the PC all together considering the problems were non-stop and I’ve had for under a year. However, the manager said that he’s willing to give me a $150 discount on any PC I buy from there and a refund on the additional warrantee, but not an exchange, since the store would be losing money on it. Don’t they have some sort of insurance for cases like this?