Service Centres----Are they of any use???

My husbands Laptop (Compaq) stopped functioning about 3 weeks back. The immediate option he tried was going to a local computer engineer. It obviously dint work cos it was supposedly a hardware failure....

Second he took it to the HP SERVICE CENTRE - at Saki Naka. The only one in the whole of Mumbai. There they asked him to take a backup of his files and told him that it was a software failure and not a hardware one. We took the backup and went there on 16th Aug (Sat). Yes They are working on sat too.. We went there and were disappointed cos, the security personnel said its closed. it was 7 pm at tht time. we were surprised because the working hours were as follows:
Monday - Friday - 9.30 am-8 pm & Sat - 9.30 am - 8 pm (dunno Why they wrote it seperately when the timings were same though). Neverthless they said since it was raksha bandhan they closed at 6 pm. (wonder why did they even keep it open till 6 then?). We gave them a benefit of doubt and returned back.

Next we (me and hubby) went on monday, 18th Aug, riding super fast on bike fighting against the maddenning traffic on the roads in the evening of a working day, the first day of week.(People in Mumbai, travelling during tht time will agree n understand wat I wanna say). We somehow managed to leave our respective offices by 6.30 pm & reach saki naka by 7.50 pm. Relieved that we reached on time. Still 10 mins till the centre closes. On entering, we get another shock whn the security tells us, they are closed for the day. Then On arguing, one person, (Name: Amit) wearing an I-Card , comes and tells us that they are closed. I Retaliate saying how is that possible?? when the working hours are till 8 pm. He argues saying who said its till 8. he tells me, madam please go and see its 6 pm.... I lost my temper, and said in a blasting tone, WHAT CRAP?? Shouted at him and said, YOU go out and see what the timings are... He did so being unsure. And came in shouting at his colleagues... saying who changed the time... I called him and said, I came and changed Your office timings, U wierdo. (I Actually Did That).
He kept on mumbling, saying, Who must have changed the timings?? Y dint they tell us?? Y doesnt the management inform us.... I felt like he was a jerk ended up in a wrong place. imagine someone....working in a HP SERVICE CENTRE (Professional Place) & not knowing his working hours???

Next, we were guided to another person (Name: Prateek), who on realising we were right, spoke very politely to us. (rather me). He then argued in sometime saying, the service centre cant format the laptop, cos they dont have the cd's (recovery disk). I asked him wat are service centres there for?? He replied, only for hardware failure, This was a software failure, which service centre cant do anything. Ridiculous!!!! We would have to call the service centre Helpline on phone and then order for a recovery disk, and then format it ourself.... (Wonder What kind of service subscription are we paying for ??) We asked him to dial the number in front of us. He replied saying, if you come before 6, only then i can dial their number, because they work till 6... I was like...arent Service Centre helpline supposed to be working 24 *7 ?? he dint seem to have the reply to it... he stood quiet.


On persuasion and my anger, he gave us the number and told us that he will format the laptop for us, considering as a special case. My temper was at the boiling point and i said, You arent obliging us in any case. Take your charges, which in any case you will... no need of giving us a connotation of special Case.

PLEASE NOTE...

1. An employee of a Profesisonal company like HP SERVICE CENTRE, doesnt know his office working hours.

2. HP Customer Service Helpline doesnt work beyond, 6 pm, forget the mandatory 24*7 rule.

3. They Charge even if the laptop is in the warranty period, and upon that they act and behave as if they are obliging us by doing that. (Despite of charging extra for the service warranty)

Now, Tell me, Are Service Centres of any use??

Reality Stranger!!!

A few years after I was born, my Dad met a stranger who was new to our town. From the beginning, Dad was fascinated with this enchanting newcomer and soon invited him to live with our family. The stranger was quickly accepted and was around from then on. As I grew up, I never questioned his place in my family. In my young mind, he had a special niche. My parents were complementary instructors: Mom taught me good from evil, and Dad taught me to obey. But the stranger...he was our storyteller. He would keep us spellbound for hours on end with adventures, mysteries and comedies.

If I wanted to know anything about politics, history or science, he always knew the answers about the past, understood the present and even seemed able to predict the future! He took my family to the first cricket match. He made me laugh, and he made me cry. The stranger never stopped talking, but Dad didn't seem to mind.

Sometimes, Mom would get up quietly while the rest of us were shushing each other to listen to what he had to say, and she would go to the kitchen for peace and quiet. (I wonder now if she ever prayed for the stranger to leave.)

Dad ruled our household with certain moral convictions, but the stranger never felt obligated to honour them. Profanity, for example, was not allowed in our home... Not from us, our friends or any visitors. Our long-time visitor, however, got away with four-letter words that burned my ears and made my dad squirm and my mother blush. My Dad didn't permit the liberal use of alcohol. But the stranger encouraged us to try it on a regular basis. He made cigarettes look cool, cigars manly and pipes distinguished. He talked freely (much too freely!) about sex. His comments were sometimes blatant, sometimes suggestive, and generally embarrassing. I now know that my early concepts about relationships were influenced strongly by the stranger. Time after time, he opposed the values of my parents, yet he was seldom rebuked... And NEVER asked to leave.

More than fifty years have passed since the stranger moved in with our family. He has blended right in and is not nearly as fascinating as he was at first. Still, if you could walk into my parents' den today, you would still find him sitting over in his corner, waiting for someone to listen to him talk and watch him draw his pictures.

His name?......
We just called him 'TV'

(Note: This should be required reading for every household!)

He has a son now....We call him 'Computer.'

Memorandum of Understanding for a marriage!!!

1. Groom will be responsible for sharing 50 % of cooking, cleaning & dusting on all Saturdays and Sundays and National Holidays except when on tour.

2. Groom will strictly adhere to a wake up time between 6 AM to 6 PM on holidays and will make sincere efforts to wake up in the morning.

3. Groom will observe silence and not disturb bride while watching F.R.I.E.N.D. S or anything else on TV. This rule is absolutely non-negotiable.

4. Groom acknowledges and accepts the inclination of bride to be occasionally moody and exibit unexpected behaviour.

5. Groom's decision on the following matters will be final and binding. Future of Indian Cricket, Finance, daily wake up times and diet.

6. Bride will observe 'do not disturb' policy during any cricket matches, involving India. This is applicable to grooms also.

7. Bride will swear to promote and tolerate the cricket career of groom at any such time it surfaces or materialises.

8. Bride acknowledges and accepts the inclination of the groom to be occasionally moody and exhibit unexpected behaviour.

9. Bride's decision and judgement on the following matters will be final and binding: Photography, Entertainment, Fitness, Internet Usage, Shopping, Travel, Music, Television, and Foreign Relations.