BlueHippo has a history of not keeping promises. Here's what happened in February 2008:

According to the FTC's 2008 complaint, BlueHippo Funding, LLC and affiliate BlueHippo Capital, LLC offered to extend credit to consumers to finance purchases of personal computers and other consumer electronics with down payments of $99 to $124, and a year of weekly or bi-weekly payments ranging from $36 to $88. BlueHippo promised to deliver the product once the consumer made 13 weekly payments. But most consumers did not receive the computers they ordered in the time promised, even after they had made 13 weeks of payments, the Commission alleged. The Commission charged that BlueHippo's marketing tactics were deceptive, and violated the FTC Act and other federal credit statutes.

Remarkably, the company continued to sign up customers as quickly as it had before the settlement, and between April and December of 2008 it contracted with over 35,000 new customers.

Of those, only 2,477 customers met all the requirements to eventually get computers, but the FTC says that BlueHippo provided at most only one PC to an eligible customer.

The FTC complained again in April 2009, and starting then BlueHippo began to fulfill computer requests for 1,462 qualifying customers. But even then it took up to 6 months to deliver computers to customers, when it sold the service with a promise of delivery in 3-4 weeks. The remaining 1,015 who were elgible have still received nothing.

The FTC has asked the court to bar BlueHippo from making any more sales, and to force it to repay customers. The BlueHippo website is offline as of this afternoon.

"FTC Lodges Contempt Charge Against BlueHippo" [FTC]

He writes:

I purchased an HP a little over a year ago, and decided to go ahead and get the more advanced 4 year warranty (was spending enough on the PC, decided to go ahead.)

Awhile ago the PC would no longer boot, no bios screen or anything. After confirming it wasn't a basic issue like a power supply going out, it was decided it appeared to be the motherboard. Called HP, they had no record of my warranty. Faxed them the information I was asked to (and told it could not be emailed, that it had to be faxed, and that I couldn't simply give them the information over the phone.) This went back and forth for multiple days, with faxes being sent, being told that wasn't the right information, and then finally their 'executive' service was called. They input the information in a few minutes and a box arrived a few days later.

A week later my PC came back. Screws were missing from the case, at least one expansion card wasn't plugged in at all and was just rattling around in the case, and the wrong disk image had been loaded on the hard drive. Since I backup all my own material that specific one wasn't an issue, and HP's executive service told me and a friend, both relatively competent computer users who fix other peoples PCs that we could fix the problems ourselves if we wanted or they could send a box tomorrow. The list of fixes/changes made to the computer confirmed the motherboard was bad, and was replaced. The sheet also said my 750 gig hard drive was replaced with a new 750 gig... but my PC came with a 1 TB drive... and was returned with a 1 TB drive.

After choosing to make the small fixes ourselves, and reloading my personal disk image, everything seemed to work for a week or two. Then the exact problem again, wouldn't boot. Called them again, box came again, sent it off.

Earlier today, the PC arrived again. Once again, screws missing. PC won't boot, but the BIOS screen does appear, and we do start to get the Windows boot screen, then it turns black. Trying this multiple times (and changing boot settings in the BIOS that their tech seemingly setup improperly) led us to getting a mouse arrow once, and black screens every other time (and the one time the mouse arrow appeared was after sitting around for more than five minutes.) It should also be mentioned that despite having the same problem, the motherboard wasn't replaced this time (after the problems last time, went ahead and marked it with a marker. )Hardware was also plugged into the wrong ports causing issues, which we redid which didn't seem to fix anything.

There were odd dust balls in the computer case, and some sort of residue on the outside.

And because that wasn't enough, instead of sending the sheet explaining what they fixed and what was done, they sent... instructions on setting up antivirus programs for Windows XP (copy-written circa 2004 by HP.)

HP has been called once again, and we are expecting a return call tomorrow, but since this will now be the third time this machine has been sent in in effectively 2 or 3 weeks, not much is expected.

We can understand his your bar might be low for HP's service at this point. It's probably time to launch an EECB, or cross his fingers and hope for a competent tech this time.

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I ordered a "Previously Ordered New" Dell Adamo 13 on 10/30/09 from the Dell Outlet Store, which basically means that it's a new computer, never been used by anyone else.

Speed ahead to today and a box comes from Dell. Inside is a Dell XPS One DESKTOP computer. Uh oh. I call Dell customer support and go through the usual phone tree and get transferred to three different departments, each one taking down information until I finally get to the department that deals with sending out replacements. The rep apologizes again for the mishap and says that they will send the replacement via overnight shipping from their warehouse within 18 business days.

WHAT!?!?!? I asked her if that was correct to which she responded, "Oh yes sir, we need to find a computer with the exact specifications with the one you ordered." When I asked what would happen if you didn't have the exact one in within that time, I didn't get a direct answer.

I paid more than $2,000 (if you include the accessories I bought in a separate order) for a Dell Adamo that I will not even get to touch for several more weeks. It doesn't seem fair to me. I thought the point of the Outlet store was that the computer is already made and therefore you can count on getting it quickly (and yes, at a discount... although for the one I ordered it wasn't THAT substantial)!

Maybe I should have just followed my friends and got a Mac instead...

Nooo! Anything but that!

Why should Rob have to wait up to a month for a replacement computer when it was Dell's fault that he received the wrong one? Maybe this is a case for Dell's Customer Advocates or even Michael Dell himself.

(Photo: thievingjoker)

He has to buy another part if he wants to use the drive. He's also facing issues with authentication. He writes:

I purchased a Dell Latitude XT several months ago. It shipped with Windows XP Tablet Edition and Windows Vista. Today I found myself trying to install Tablet XP from the installation DVD.

The XT does not include an internal CD/DVD drive. It's not a netbook but it is designed to be used as a tablet. The irony is that Dell did include a CD/DVD drive. It's not exactly an external drive- it requires a "Media Base" to use (a separate purchase). They couldn't simply include a cable.

I found a way to install Windows XP from an external hard drive here.

I already had an external hard drive install setup for Windows 7 so this looked simple. I followed steps 12-20 and everything seemed fine until I was presented with product key prompt. The "start here" book that the DVD was delivered with stated "The Certificate of Authenticity label has been removed by your PC manufacturer and should be attached to your PC." No such label was attached to the PC.

I spent the next two hours on the phone being bounced between Dell's Technical Support, Customer Care, a "Resolution Specialist," and eventually a technician. Customer Care had originally diverted me to Microsoft who quickly informed me that Dell would need to provide the product code for OEM software. Total time on the phone with Dell: over two hours. Total time on the phone with Microsoft: about ten minutes.

The technician basically told me I had to use the DVD to install XP. Apparently the product code is embedded on the system board or something.

Dell sold me a computer with an external CD/DVD drive that I can only use after spending more money. They included a DVD with documentation stating that the Certificate of Authenticity label is on the computer even though it isn't. I found a way to work around the first hurdle they put in front of me but I'm stuck on the second. I'm hoping a Consumerist reader could help me out here.

Any advice for David?

(Photo: Ron Dauphin)

Unfortunately, Dell didn't quite see things that way. He writes:

Last week I called Dell Technical Support about my Dell Studio 1537 Laptop and a DVD drive which was making loud noises and ejecting all cds. I had the basic "mail-in" warranty which required I ship them the laptop back. After my phone conversation with overseas tech support I received an empty box with a prepaid packing slip to mail the laptop back. A couple days ago I received both an automated email and phone call that my laptop was coming back to me. This morning, Fedex delivered a refurbished hard drive - yes just a hard drive.

I began my calling spree this morning and spoke to 7, yes 7, different Dell reps who transferred me between technical support, customer service, and back to technical support. After about 90 minutes of phone calls, hold music, and redialing I'm stuck with a 250gb hard drive but no laptop. Who do I call for help?

Adam could start by shooting off an email to michael@dell.com. The address goes to a Dell executives relations team and has helped people solve problems before. Any other suggestions?

(Photo: 60 in 3)

I recently bought a NeatReceipts unit on Woot for $75 ($150 MSRP). I've wanted one for a while, and the price was hard to beat. Before buying it, I looked at the NeatCo website to verify which product I was getting; and I noticed they offered two versions: Mac and PC. I assumed it was the same hardware and that I could just get a copy of the Mac version of the software later. Bad consumer = me. The unit arrived, and I opened it and plugged it in. My iMac didn't recognize the scanner and the bundled software was Windows only. After more thoroughly reading through all of the support docs on the NeatCo website, I realized the Mac and PC versions were truly two different products. My heart sank, but I emailed NeatCo support anyway. To my amazement, they (next day) gave me a link to download the Mac version of the software with a serial number to register it and offered to ship me a replacement scanner (Mac version). I happily agreed. A little over a week later, my Mac edition NeatReceipts scanner arrived. Return shipping for the Windows version? Pre-paid.

I could not be happier with the speed and friendliness of the support I received, especially considering the mistake was mine. NeatCo rocks the party.

I just connected the scanner a few minutes ago and started my first batch of receipts. I cannot yet vouch for the product, but if it's even half as good as their customer service, it should be fantastic.

That's of course nothing to say for first-party software, as they will be installing all of the optional Microsoft software that you would otherwise have to download. This includes Windows Live Essentials, Bing 3D Maps, Security Essentials and the Zune client. Sure, it's not a completely crapware-free computer, but it's definitely a step in the right direction.

Of course, unless you live in Phoenix, AZ or Mission Viejo, CA you're going to have to travel quite a ways to get your hands on one.

"PC's Purchased From Microsoft Stores To be Bloatware-Free" [OhGizmo!]
(Photo: Dru Bloomfield)

I'm writing about a longstanding issue I've had with Citibank. Given that it's now 2009 and web account management has transitioned from a fringe benefit to "the way business is done," I frequently struggle with Citibank because they seem to have decided to not support Linux and Firefox as clients for their online credit card account management sites. A quick Google search of "citibank Linux" will pull back loads of hits of people complaining about this issue and all sorts of inventive workarounds. I don't want to mess around with inventive workarounds, I want to be able to access my accounts online from my PC like I do for my cell phone provider, three other banks, my 401k manager, my school and scores of other places where online paperwork takes place as part of the business of real life. I'm even able to do online business with the State of New York, the State of Calfifornia, the IRS and even some obscure federal agencies. It is 2009, if we don't get jetpacks, I at least expect my bank to have a website that supports all the major platforms.

I haven't tried to contact them, because I know for sure I'm just going to get some script about "we've made this decision because of *bs reason here*" and I really don't want to deal with the headache of changing credit cards. All I (and the thousands of others out there who have Linux desktops) want is to be able to access our accounts the same way we are able to access accounts for every other major vendor. The only way this is going to happen is if they get bad press that may shy future business away, specifically, people should know up front that they are not going to provide the same level of service (ie: support for the three major client platforms on the Internet) as their peers before their customers begin the application process.

Incidentally: I can successfully apply for and receive a credit card through Citibank using Firefox and Linux, but after they've got my business, I can't login to manage my account. What's up with that?

Anyway, some people would say that this is kind of a fringe complaint and that Linux doesn't have a lot of market share. I don't really care if it does or it doesn't, apparently the rest of the world has chosen to support Linux (Citibank account management is pretty much the only website I've had problems accessing under Linux in YEARS) and if they're not going to follow industry best practices and instead provide inferior service, they need to be upfront about it. Alternatively, and ideally, they get with the program.

I'm curious, are there other Linux users out there who are frustrated with a company for not providing an online service that works on Linux?

(Photo: HighlandBlade)

So he fought back by filing in small claims court—and won $900, just over 75% of the computer's original purchase price back in 2007.

I bought a DV6000 laptop from HP in February of 2007. A little after a year of owning it, it died - no boot up at all, just a black screen and a series of beeps.

I called HP to see what they could do. You've probably received lots of emails from people with horror stories about this particular model. If you Google "DV6000," you'll see hundreds of people with complaints about the shoddy make of this model.

Because of all the problems (and to avoid a recall, I'm sure), HP extended the warranty on several models, including mine, to cover this specific problem. I think it was a motherboard failure - all I know is what the symptoms were. Long story short: HP fixed the laptop for free and were very, very good about it. Quick and easy - I loved HP a lot then.

Flash forward: July of 2009. The computer is a little under two and a half years old. Still a good laptop, what with Vista, a dual core processor, and 2 gigs of RAM, so when it died for a second time, I was dismayed. I spent $1,150 on this laptop expecting to get at least four full years of use out of it. I tend to overspend on computers because I want them to last. In fact, I still have a working laptop I bought in 2000 for $2,000, though it's so obsolete it's never used, and a desktop from 2005 still in everyday use. I called HP hoping they'd be as good as the last time the laptop died, especially since the symptoms were exactly the same. No dice.

Moving up the chain of customer service reps, I started at the lower rung. I was told the computer was out of warranty and it would cost around $300 to get it fixed. I questioned this, considering it had already been fixed for the exact same problem once before and back then it was free. Nope, I was told, the warranty is expired.

I asked to speak to a manager, who told me the same thing. I asked for the corporate number and, the next day, called in and spoke to someone at, quote, the "highest level" of customer service in HP. I could go no higher, I was told, after first being told there was nothing they could do: the fix was $300, despite it being the second round of repairs needed.

Well, this torqued me. I don't like getting ripped off, so the next day, I printed out and mailed in a small claims filing. I considered an EECB, but I was really steamed at the abruptness of the people at HP I talked to. North Dakota small claims are very simple and only cost $10 to file. The crux of my complaint: HP fixed the problem with the computer before, which from my research showed to be something endemic in the hardware of the system itself, a ticking time-bomb the computer shipped with straight off the factory line. By refusing to fix the problem they caused, after having admitted guilt before by repairing it, I was going to be damned if I paid them $300 to fix their own mistake.

The filing took a long time to process and mail because of a mistake I made. Looking up HP's registered agent in North Dakota (CT Corporation System), I served the papers through registered mail to them. Unfortunately, I put the name of their client, Hewlett Packard, on the envelope. CT Corporation Systems refused to sign, so I had to send the declined envelope back to the Clerk of Court in Burleigh County, where HP's registered agent has their address. The clerk of court sent me a letter saying I had to serve the papers to CT Corporation Systems instead of Hewlett Packard, meaning all I had to do was change the name on the envelope.

(I didn't really understand this, since CT is HP's registered agent and I'm suing HP. Wouldn't CT sign for something addressed to HP? But whatever... I readdressed the envelope and sent it off.)

Flash forward to this week: I received a call from Francesca from HP, who wanted to talk about the filing. She asked me about the computer and a few general questions. I mentioned my sister was using the laptop when it broke - she's a teacher and also used the laptop to talk with her husband, who was serving in Iraq when it quit working, leaving her without a computer for a week. We rush-ordered a nice Gateway computer later in the week after HP refused to help us out.

The most memorable part of the conversation involved Francesca mentioning (and I'm paraphrasing here) that, well, the computer is over two years old, you know? The subtext: laptops aren't going to last forever - why are you going to so much trouble over an old laptop?

My instant reply, which I'm very proud of: "Are you telling me HP's laptops are so crappy they won't last more than two years and I should just throw it away?"

That got her attention, and minutes later she offered to settle for 75 percent of the purchase price. I accepted, since that seemed fair - I had gotten use out of it, after all. Francesca even offered to round up to $900 even to cover mailing and filing costs I'd incurred.

She was very professional and polite and a credit to the company. I'm not sure how likely I am to buy another HP computer anytime soon, but the way she handled herself on the phone makes it much more likely. I know people with other HP laptop models that work fine, so I think the trouble associated with the DV6000 line and its brethren is a fluke. Still, HP screwed up by not fixing their own mistakes.

Right now, I'm waiting for the return shipping box Francesca graciously offered to send, as well as the settlement agreement. After I sign the papers, I'll send in a dismissal notice to the Clerk of Court, ending the matter for good.

Thanks, HP, for finally doing the right thing.

Barely a month ago, Consumerist suggested that an owner of the same exact model laptop file in small claims court, so it's great to see another reader who used this method with some success.

RELATED:
How To Take Your Case To Small Claims Court
So You Want To Sue The Company That's Screwing You Over

(Photo: wlodi)

Dan writes:

My roommate is a grad student who recently moved to the area and upon his arrival, purchased a laptop from Lenovo. During the online-checkout process, he attempted to pay with his credit card but the web site rejected his credit union's credit card. I offered my credit card in exchange for a personal check from him (free cash back points!) and he typed in my credit card info, but forgot to change the billing address. It turns out that was his second mistake; the first mistake was opting to deal with Lenovo in the first place.

The attempted purchase started on September 19th, 2009 (a Saturday). On Tuesday the 22nd he was notified via email that the billing information was incorrect, that the order had not been processed, and that he needed to call his credit card and/or bank to correct his billing address. Together we called Lenovo's customer service to explain to them what had happened, that the billing information needed to be changed on their end. It took three different people transferring the call around until we hung up with mediocre confidence that the reps from Lenovo now understood the situation.

On Thursday the 24th my roommate received an email from a Lenovo Inbound Sales representative named Michael who was "assigned to personally manage the order." It seemed like a nice courtesy, a phone number and email address as a point of contact should any more problems turn up. He didn't indicate any problems in the introductory email.

On Friday the 25th Michael wrote again, saying "The order is messaged that phone number does not exist and ship to address on not on credit card account. It states order will be cancelled in 2 days if not corrected. If your friend does not call credit card company and fix it will be cancelled. I also need the phone number on the credit card bill to address. Please email when corrected and I will try to prevent cancellation."

Apparently, the three people on the phone didn't understand the situation after all, and Lenovo still thought that the incorrect information typed in during the purchase now had to be made the truth and told to my credit card company? (I'm sorry if that sentence is poorly constructed, but I think Lenovo's suggested course of action is just as poor.) Luckily the "2 days" was two business days, since telling someone on a Friday that they had 2 days to contact offices that were closed over the weekend would be unfair.

My roommate wrote a concise email over the weekend explaining the situation. He ordered the laptop and wanted it shipped to our apartment. The credit card belonged to me, and gave the correct billing address (yet again). He gave both of our phone numbers to Michael. After an email with this much information so clearly laid out, only an idiot would still fail to move the order forward, right?

Michael didn't respond on Monday the 28th. My roommate and I both called and left similar voicemails in his office that basically repeated the information given in the email sent to him over the weekend. There was still no response from Michael. Finally my roommate called Lenovo's customer service department again later on Monday the 28th and found someone who seemed very competent and friendly who understood the situation and correct the order information over the phone.

On Tuesday the 29th Michael phoned my roommate and left a voicemail for me saying that we needed to talk about my billing information. My roommate emailed Michael and explained that the issue was resolved with the customer service department and that he didn't have to "help" any more.

It took from September 19th until the 30th to resolve the billing typo, but now things should be fine, right?

The laptop finally shipped (and my credit card was billed) on Tuesday October 6th. It arrived on Thursday the 8th. By Friday morning on the 9th my roommate had experienced over 15 "blue screens of death." It occasionally would boot up to the log-in page before it crashed, but was a completely useless machine (the OS was Vista).

After calling Lenovo's support team, they asked him to run a few diagnostic tests on the computer so they could understand how to proceed. The computer "blue-screened" during the diagnostic tests. They shipped Vista install disks so he could reinstall the OS and start fresh. They arrived on Monday the 12th of October and failed so fix anything (the computer would crash during the install process).

Today, October 14th, after another call to Lenovo support, Lenovo tried to send new Vista OS install disks, but they slowly became convinced that the disks were probably not the problem. They have now promised to ship a box in which my roommate can ship his computer back to Lenovo for them to "fix" it. If they somehow fix it and ship it back here in the next 4.5 days, it will still have been 1 month from the time of the original order until a working computer arrived from Lenovo, with nothing but headaches in between.

Between this and forgetting to charge their customers entirely, we're starting to wonder whether Lenovo really wants consumers' money, or they are some kind of avant-garde anti-capitalist prank.

(Photo: jonathansin)

Here's a copy of the EECB he sent to Dell yesterday:

Dear Dell Executive Team,

It is with great frustration that I am writing to inform you of how blatant lies given by XPS supervisors have ruined a trip, and put important aspects of my business on hold.

I purchased the most expensive XPS m1730 system and support plan you had available last May. Unfortunately, due to what should be by now a known issue (despite Dell techs denying this), one or both of my Nvidia 8800m GTX SLI cards has fried and forums confirm there is a huge replacement part backlog because of all the failures.

This alone would not be cause to write you, however the following chain of events will show why I was left with no alternative.

10/8 (Lie #1)

• Called for initial troubleshooting and escalated to a rude Supervisor named Andrew (ID#133212) who placed dispatch for replacement cards. Asked him multiple times about backlog issue and he confirmed it was not a problem and my machine would be serviced by the on-site tech no later than 10/15.
• I tell him I am very happy as I wanted to leave for a trip by the 18th. I confirm my travel plans based on this call.

10/10 (Lie #2)

• Called to confirm dispatch status and timing, again expressing concern over the backlog comments in forums. Supervisor named Nehl (ID# 153736) says cards will arrive by 10/12 and machine serviced by 10/14.
• Says she is taking ownership of the issue and will call on 10/12 at 11AM CST with an update.

10/12 (Lie #3)

• Instead of a call from Nehl, receive automated voicemail stating delivery delay till 10/15 due to backlog (SURPRISE!)
• Follow-up call has Brian (ID# 175307) telling me the card will arrive by Tuesday, but to call back if I don't hear from the on-site tech by Wednesday evening.

10/15

• No call. Am told when I follow-up that part will likely get in on 10/16 and check back then.

10/16 (TRUTH AT LAST!)

• Second-level Supervisor Adel (ID# 01130624) says that cards will not arrive in time for my machine to be serviced before my trip.
• Offers two unacceptable alternatives in the form of a temporary downgraded replacement card that wouldn't arrive in time, or a system replacement that would likely result in serious downgrades. Both options would lose my spot in queue for my original 8800m GTX dispatch order.
• Tells me that essentially, they have no way of knowing when the cards will arrive and there is nothing more they can do for me (completely unacceptable).

I now have a machine with graphics so jerky that I get nauseous using it, which is a problem as it is my business computer with all of my web development files and software on it which puts me at a full stop with that work.

I am also now stuck on a three day trip without anything more than the old borrowed computer I am writing this from, preventing me from doing any real work, all thanks to blatant lies from Dell tech support (supervisors no less) that could have been avoided had someone been willing to realistically set my expectations at the beginning.

The moral of this story? Either it's don't buy from Dell, or don't trust Dell to follow through on their promises, or simply don't throw good money away on a Dell support plan because it's low quality. Also, try to keep your dev files—or a current copy, at any rate—on a portable hard drive so you can access them on a second computer should the need arise.

(Photo: mind's eye)

Yuriy writes:

Since receiving my brand new Dell Studio XPS 1640 at the end of July, the hard drive has produced a clicking sound every few minutes, followed by a brief freeze of the whole system. After doing a good deal of research on the matter, I found out that the cause is an incompatibility (with the shock sensor) between the Dell system and the ST9500420ASG hard drive included in the system. Seagate and (some) Dell representatives acknowledge the problem and agree that Dell needs to release a patch. After speaking with technical service representatives on a dozen separate occasions, I was finally put through to a Dell system engineer who explained that their department was not aware of the problem and that no ticket existed for the "bug". I pointed out that the technical support agent I had just spoken with was familiar with the issue, and that multiple others knew about it as well. He said that they would look into it and contact me with a fix.

Today marks 21 days since that conversation took place, so I decided to give Dell a call. This system was purchased through a business account and I have a full hardware warranty with "accidental protection". I called their business department, entered my laptop's "service tag" and was promptly greeted with "due to heavy call volume, you may experience a wait time longer than 10 minutes". The wait time I experienced was 2 hours and 14 minutes, at which point I hung up. At no point did a human pick up on the other end, but the hold recording reminded me to "visit the Dell community forums" every two minutes for the duration of the call. Dell should take their own advice, because there are an enormous number of people reporting this exact same problem on the Dell community forums.

Needless to say, I am very disappointed with Dell's handling of the situation.

Yuriy sent out an Executive Email Carpet Bomb but still can't get a suitable replacement:

I sent an EECB and received a call from their corporate unresolved incidents department. That was 3 weeks ago. They promised to send me a replacement system, but it was held up in production due to a backordered part. It turned out that they made a mistake with the specs, and the system that finally shipped 2 days ago is inferior to my current one. I am going to have FedEx return that package to the sender and do all of this over again.

Meanwhile, their own forums have people complaining about the same problem with their systems, so I have no reason to believe that the replacement system (if I ever manage to get one) is going to work any better. I filed a report with the BBB today asking for a refund and am hoping that someone will care enough to give me a call back. It has been over a week since anyone has contacted me.

If anyone has successfully navigated Dell's stygian process to successfully getting a computer fixed, please drop your advice in the comments.

(Photo: meormeor)

My name is Greg [redacted], and I have been a long time reader of the Consumerist. I am contacting you today because I have had continuing issues with my Dell Latitude E6400, a notebook that ultimately did not live up to its name as a Dell business laptop. Anyway, I've been working to try and solve various issues related to the notebook for almost a year and thought that you might be interested in knowing that it took at EECB to finally fix it. A new system is on the way, and it will probably arrive within the next week. ...

Just make sure your readers know to use michael@dell.com to contact Dell. The email address reaches an executive relations team.

It's just a tad disappointing to know the address isn't the key to Michael Dell's personal inbox — I always pictured him chuckling over all those forwards I sent him — but at least Dell has provided customers an all-in-one EECB smartbomb target.

The upgrade discs cost as much as $17 (reported by both Consumerist readers and Mouse Print) The cost includes shipping and other, more mysterious fees. Reader Seth ended up paying $17.03:

I recently got a Lenovo laptop with Vista Business and the promise of a free upgrade to Windows 7 Professional. Upon using the website Lenovo set up, I was surprised to see that the "free" upgrade actually cost $17.03 for shipping & handling. I am willing to pay reasonable shipping and handling costs, but I don't understand why the charges here should be so high. However, the laptop I purchased came with free shipping, so it would seem fairest to have the shipping for the Windows upgrade component be free as well.

I should note that the Lenovo Windows upgrade site said Lenovo Outlet purchases are not eligible, but according to the Lenovo Outlet FAQ they are: http://outlet.lenovo.com/faq

The question is, what is a reasonable shipping charge for an OS upgrade? $5? $10? Should customers who are helping vendors move computers with a musty, unloved OS out of their warehouses be paying a fee to receive their new Windows discs at all?

Hidden Fees Discovered for "Free" Windows 7 Upgrades [Mouse Print] (Thanks, Dirk!)

If you didn't visit nytimes.com over the weekend, here's what happened: the paper reported on Monday that they'd essentially been tricked, by someone who knew how to game their oversight policies, into displaying malicious ads to some users who visited the site.

The creator of the malicious ads posed as Vonage, the Internet telephone company, and persuaded NYTimes.com to run ads that initially appeared as real ads for Vonage. At some point, possibly late Friday, the campaign switched to displaying the virus warnings.

Because The Times thought the campaign came straight from Vonage, which has advertised on the site before, it allowed the advertiser to use an outside vendor that it had not vetted to actually deliver the ads, Ms. McNulty said. That allowed the switch to take place. "In the future, we will not allow any advertiser to use unfamiliar third-party vendors," she said.

Security consultant Dancho Danchev thinks that a particular, sophisticated crime group was behind the ad, which happens to be the same group that Microsoft filed 5 lawsuits against in Seattle's King County Superior Court earlier this week.

The lawsuits allege that an unknown number of individuals using various business names distributed malicious software through Microsoft AdManager, the company's online advertising platform.

[...]

Click Forensics, a company that tracks click fraud, on Thursday said that it had discovered a 200,000 computer botnet — a group of compromised computers harnessed to work in unison — linked to the Microsoft lawsuits. In a blog post, Steve O'Brien, VP of sales and marketing at Click Forensics called it "one of the most advanced sources of click fraud we've seen."

The botnet, known as the "Bahama botnet" because it at one time directed online traffic through computers in the Bahamas, is believed to be linked to the malicious advertising that appeared on the New York Times Web site several days ago, according to O'Brien.

Although O'Brien suggests that the cyber crime group believed to be responsible is located in Ukraine, Richard Boscovich, senior attorney at Microsoft for Internet safety enforcement, said in a phone interview that it's not clear where the people responsible are located.

"Microsoft Files Five Lawsuits To Halt Malicious Advertising" [InformationWeek]
"Times Web Ads Show Security Breach" [New York Times]

That evening, Krop spent hours watching the screen, taking screenshots and video captures as the other man wrote IMs, visited Facebook, and downloaded porn. He was eventually able to ID the user after he started a video chat and Krop was able to see his face. After calling the police, Krop got both of his laptops back the next morning. The porn fan had no regrets. "I didn't care whether it was stolen," he said. "I buy stolen stuff all the time. I don't care... If I can save $600, I'll do it." No word on what Krop did with the screengrabs he took, or the files that had been downloaded to the laptop the previous evening.

An Amazing Laptop Recovery Story [PC World]

The victim called Palm Bay police after the $399 laptop she ordered failed to be delivered. The woman first notified Federal Express officials and had the packaged traced. Fed Ex officials told the woman that [Norman] Taylor, who lives in area, signed and accepted the package while she was away.

Police talked to Taylor, who admitted to signing for the item. Police said the delivery box, ripped open and with the label missing, was found in Taylor's apartment.

Funny, isn't it, how a FedEx investigation can lead right to the person who lives near the recipient and signed his name on the little computer. Whatever happened to signing it as John Smith or Ben Dover? That might have delayed them long enough to throw the box away. Sigh, these criminals today.

Police: Man signs for package, pawns contents [Florida Today]

(Photo: frankieleon)

After a technician began looking through the computer, images of naked 10- to 13-year-old girls in suggestive and explicit poses were found, according to court documents.

...

Court documents show Miller came into the store Sunday afternoon because his Power Mac G5, a high-end desktop computer, was pulling photos from its hard drive and using them to overwrite thumbnails of other pictures in his photo libraries.

When an Apple technician told Miller they would need to keep his computer overnight he refused to let them keep it because he needed to pay bills with the computer, court records show.

At least we know that the technician had a valid excuse to see random folders full of image files on the computer, and didn't go randomly looking for porn. Illegal material found during the process of computer repair is admissible in court.

Move over, Chris Hansen. Catching a predator: there's an app for that.

Fairfield man arrested after Stamford Apple store worker allegedly finds child porn on computer [The Advocate]
Apple Genius Finds Child Porn on G5 In Need of Repair [Gizmodo]

RELATED:
Delete Your Porns: Court Says You Have No Right To Privacy When Your Computer Is Repaired

(Photo: Stamford Advocate)

I bought my wife a Dell Inspiron notebook with XP Pro (she only uses XP, can't stand Vista) and recently on a Facebook visit her computer got infected with a virus. After several attempts at cleaning it up, I was still noticing problems so I decided to reload the OS.

The laptop actually came with Vista (some Pro-like version) and XP, and I'm supposed to be able to switch between them at will - reloading of course, but the point is the notebook came with a license for BOTH OS's.

So I pop in the CD while Windows is still running, and was about to reboot, but auto-run kicks in and asks me if I want to reload Windows. Sure, that's what I wanted to do. So I go through the process, and it gets to the screen where you have to enter your product key - and lo and behold, I have no MS COA. Not on the box, not on the CD sleeve, not with any of the materials that came with the notebook. So I call up Dell.

I speak to "AJ" who goes through the motions of having me look at the CD sleeve, bottom of the notebook, etc and then says "You shouldn't have to enter the product key, if I started the reload procedure correctly. Then he asks, "Did you run it from the running version of Windows, or boot and 'F12' with the disk in the drive?" Hmm, I ran it the first way.

Now here's where it gets interesting. AJ tells me that he can walk me through the proper way to do it, but he says that I've called into the paid software support queue and that I will need to buy an incident in order to get the solution. We go back and forth a bit about why I should pay for a problem when it's the missing COA that's the root, but I know it's futile if I've called into the wrong queue, so I'm preparing to hang up and call a different support number.

Meanwhile, I think back to what he said earlier - which way did you start the rebuild process? Oh, right - reboot and F12. While he's got me on hold to find me the free support line, I try it - and Bingo! No COA required. The rebuild takes off while I'm still on hold. Eventually I hung up.

I guess on one hand, I'm happy - "RJ" "AJ" gave me a solution, although he mentioned almost accidentally and then wanted to charge me for it. Only because I was paying attention did I save having to "pay" for a solution, which consisted of "reboot your computer with the disk in the drive, and hit F12 to boot from it, and you wont' need to enter your license."

And THAT'S the part that they wanted to charge me for.

He wrote:

A weird thing happened to me on my recent ThinkPad X61 Clearance purchase. I got a letter from Lyons Collection services about a remaining balance for my purchase.

Surely enough, I went back into my records from March (date of purchase) and they had only billed me for shipping and then marked the transaction completed. I asked the Lyons rep, and he said that this would not go on my credit report and that they got a large number of similar collection requests from Lenovo.

I went ahead and paid since it seemed to match what I had from my records. I did get a Paypal notice that authorized payment, but ultimately I was only charged for shipping.

"A large number of collection requests," eh? Interesting. Should Bart have noticed that his card was never charged for the purchase? Yes, but it was an oversight on his part, and we'd like to think that it's not his job to make sure that he has exchanged money for a good or service. Optimistic? Maybe.

Before we had a chance to post Bart's letter, though, we received a message from yet another new Thinkpad owner. G. wrote to us:

I bought a laptop from Lenovo.com on August 10th. I checked my debit card online to see when the money will be charged to my account and something weird happened. It showed as if they charged me for it for 5-6 days after I bought it, but now I have all the money back in my account, as if they never charged me for the laptop. Oh, and I received the laptop on August 18th. I'm typing this on it actually. What should I do?

We've been hearing odd things about Lenovo's shipping and ordering since the very earliest days of Consumerist. For starters, G. should immediately call customer service, and escalate as needed in order to avoid being sent to collections.

If you purchased from Lenovo since, apparently, the beginning of 2009, you should make sure that the transaction has cleared your credit card statement or bank account.

Electric Quilt 6 is a popular software package for quilters which costs nearly $150. Since EQ's previous version was pirated the company decided to only allow registered users to "activate" the software four times. This could be four activations on the same PC or four activations on four different PCs- it doesn't matter. Additional activations cost $37.50 although EQ6 will at times provide one extra for free.

Electric Quilt put together this handy chart to help users understand exactly what an "activation" is. My guess is that 90% of their users could not explain that chart if they tried. They're quilters, not computer experts!

The chart basically states that users can uninstall/reinstall the EQ6 software with the same OS installation without using one of their four precious activations. If the hard drive is formatted or the OS is changed it does not matter if the user is using the same computer or not- an activation is used.

There are plenty of posts on the web from EQ6 users who are scared to format their computers in fear of using an activation. Some posts are from users who purchased new computers but will not install the software because they do not want to use an activation either. This is not software ownership.

Over the last few years I have purchased a new computer, suffered a hard drive crash, used Vista for a few months on a new computer to eventually switch back to XP, switched from XP to Windows 7 and had reformatted my XP hard drive once just to remove a few drivers and applications which I could not figure out how to uninstall completely. If I had kept EQ6 installed for my wife this entire time I would have used seven activations.

Recently I picked up a tablet PC too, which lends itself to a program such as EQ6, which is basically a simple 2D CAD application. We're down to two activations and are not sure if we will purchase Windows 7 after the RC is up or stick with Vista so we have no desire to install that software.

At this time, EQ6 sits on an old laptop which is unbearably slow and is hardly ever turned on. There is also an image on a hard drive but that image is for a computer which sits in a spare bedroom because it too is obsolete.

I am a bit bothered at having wasted $150 on EQ6 but more so I'm bothered that this type of behavior is accepted. I hope this is an isolated incident but I have learned that several major software titles have attempted to use a similar scheme in the past (anti-virus and financial apps).

It's understandable that the makers of an expensive nice program would try to limit installations in order to prevent excessive sharing or outright piracy, but at the same time, as T. states, how is this software ownership? How many times have you changed computers, upgraded your OS, or lost the contents of your hard drive in the last few years? In my case, it's more than four.

(Photo: art_es_anna)

I run my computers into the ground. They hardly ever sleep, and parts inevitably break after years of constant use. Because of this, I buy AppleCare, which extends Apple's warranty on all parts to three years. It's one of the only extended warranties that's cost effective and easily worth the purchase price. Try repairing a busted Apple at your local computer shop. It won't be cheap.

Over the past two and a half years, Apple has replaced two hard drives and an optical drive on my MacBook Pro. When the optical drive failed for a second time, it constituted the fourth major hardware repair and, at least according to Apple's semi-official policy, made me eligible for a replacement machine. I called and asked for a replacement, and that's what I got.

The new machine was wonderful, except for the atrociously reflective mirror-finish glossy screen. I spend all day with my laptop, and I occasionally suffer from ocular migraines that are triggered, in part, by glare. Migraines are nature's version of waterboarding. They are torture, and most sufferers go to comical lengths to avoid their migraine triggers. I had seen the laptops in the store and somehow deluded myself into thinking that the reflections wouldn't be as bad at home where I could control the lighting. For me, Apple's reflective screen was utterly unusable.

I called Apple and explained the problem. Surprisingly, the wonderful customer relations administrator who oversaw the replacement, Anita M. in Austin, offered to overnight me an anti-glare film. Worth a try!

The films are notoriously difficult to apply, so I brought it into an Apple Store. A cheerful manager applied the film in about 20 minutes, avoiding the bubbles and dust specks that can ruin an anti-glare film. Still, the film didn't help and the screen was still blindingly reflective. Unacceptable!

Still, there was one final option. The third-party vendor TechRestore has a $200 service that replaces glossy screens with beloved matte ones. Though TechRestore claims their work doesn't void AppleCare, a monitor replacement is a very visible change, and Apple could have easily denied me any future repairs.

I called Anita and asked if I could return the new unit and hold onto my old MacBook Pro in the hopes that Apple would reintroduce an anti-glare option before my AppleCare expired in November. Anita said that so long as I called within the warranty period, I'd be able to request a replacement. I don't really use my optical drive, so living without one wasn't a big deal. Getting a replacement laptop that can spend the next three years running without sleep is much more important. I figured I'd use my capable machine as long as possible, and then if need be, request a replacement in November and void the warranty with the TechRestore replacement.

Today, Apple reintroduced the anti-glare screens as a $50 option on their 15" MacBook Pros. I called customer service, explained my case history, and again requested a replacement—this time with the newly available anti-glare option. Apple agreed, and upgraded me to the anti-glare screen free of charge. They even tossed in two free mini Display Port connectors so I could connect my external monitors.

Did Apple need to replace my laptop? No.
Did Apple need to send me an anti-glare film? No.
Did Apple need to install the anti-glare film? No.
Did Apple need to take back their replacement laptop? No.
Did Apple need to send me another replacement? No.
Did Apple need to waive the fee for the anti-glare option? No.
Did Apple need to toss in two free Display Port connectors? No.
Did Apple need to worry that I wasn't already a loyal customer? No.

Apple didn't need to do anything but repair my broken optical drive; instead, they repeatedly went above and beyond. This wasn't a fluke experience, either. Every single Apple employee I spoke with was efficient, helpful, and thoroughly professional. This was service worth paying for. Thank you, Apple.

We won't bore you with the details — mostly because we don't understand them — but the point is, they will help you pick out wines:

And that could open up a huge market for so called "printed semiconductors," which would contain an enormous amount of data but would be cheap enough to slap on thousands of products. Imagine going to the grocery store and being able to find out what wine works best with your favorite chicken recipe.

The tech, which a startup called Kovio intends to start mass-producing by launching a manufacturing plant within a few weeks, is backed by former San Francisco 49ers Brent Jones and Tommy Vardell. Which makes sense, because the Niners have been so bad for so long now, fans really need to drown their sorrows in wine. More proof that necessity breeds invention.

'Printed chips' could be boon for consumers [San Jose Mercury News]
(Photo: VentureBeat)

A Sky News hidden camera investigation finds computer techs snooping through and downloading to thumb drive private photo folders, and even trying to access an online banking account with the login information found on the laptop.

Remember folks, keep anything you wouldn't want a sleazeball finding on an external harddrive so if you computer ever goes in for repair, you're not also handing over your secret bits.

Also remember, when you've got a computer problem across the pond, don't take it in for repair AT THE SKETCHIEST-LOOKING COMPUTER SHOP IN WEST LONDON.

Computer Shops In Data Access Scam [Sky News] (Thanks to Michael!)

Unauthorized charges getting WoW accounts suspended [Ars Technica] (Thanks to Beta!) (Photo: juanpol)

The latest spot, featuring a law student in need of a laptop, mentions the premium prices paid for Macs, but doesn't mention any specific numbers.

In the original version, Lauren at one point comes upon an Apple computer and declares: "This Mac is $2,000, and that's before adding anything."

"Why would you pay twice the price?" asks Lauren's mom. "I wouldn't," says Lauren, who ends up leaving with a $972 Dell laptop.

In the latest version of the ad, that portion has been edited out. The original ad has been removed from YouTube and other sites by Microsoft, and replaced with a version in which Lauren doesn't talk about how much the Mac costs, but she does say: "It seems like you're paying a lot for the brand."

Good. Now that they've ended the legal quibbling, we can get back to our regular business of impassioned, fruitless debate about which operating system is superior.

Microsoft Changes 'Laptop Hunters' Ad After Apple Complains [Advertising Age]
After Apple legal threats, Microsoft quietly changes ads [AppleInsider]

PREVIOUSLY: Apple Tried To End Microsoft's Laptop Hunters Television Commercials

(Photo: Erik Charlton)

MIcrosoft Chief Operating Officer told the story in a speech:

And so we've been running these PC value ads. Just giving people saying, hey, what are you looking to spend? "Oh, I'm looking to spend less than $1,000." Well we'll give you $1,000. Go in and look and see what you can buy. And they come out and they just show them. Those are completely unscripted commercials.

And you know why I know they're working? Because two weeks ago we got a call from the Apple legal department saying, hey — this is a true story — saying, "Hey, you need to stop running those ads, we lowered our prices." They took like $100 off or something. It was the greatest single phone call in the history that I've ever taken in business. (Applause.)

It's only fair that Microsoft change the ads if Apple had subsequently introduced some different models at lower prices. However, there's some proof that the laptop hunter ads have actually changed consumer perceptions—particularly those of laptop-loving youngsters.

This blog post, incidentally, was written on a Mac.

(Photo: wrumsby)

Microsoft: Apple wanted 'Laptop Hunters' ads pulled [CNET]
In Mac vs. PC Battle, Microsoft Winning in Value Perception [AdAge]
Allison Watson, Stephen Elop, Bill Buxton, Kevin Turner: Worldwide Partner Conference 2009 [Microsoft]

It seems like a pretty simple transaction: purchase computer, leave computer overnight with the Geek Squad to have recovery disks made, bring computer home the following day. No, this is too difficult for Best Buy.

This is the letter that she sent to Best Buy CEO Bradbury Anderson yesterday:

Bradbury H. Anderson
Vice Chairman and Chief Executive

Best Buy Co., Inc.
7601 Penn Ave S.
Richfield, MN 55423

Dear Mr. Anderson:

Below please find a summary of events from my horrendous experience trying to purchase a laptop from your Yuma, Arizona location. While I researched my laptop purchase quite extensively, I never expected the real research should have gone to a store with proper equipment, employees who can return phone calls and some appreciation of customer service in any form; a store I have been loyal to for over 5 years.

July 8th 2009: My Boyfriend, Kevin insisted on a new laptop purchase to replace my '06 HP (which I purchased from Best Buy with a three year warranty). I happily began to research computers with him and decided upon an HP dv6 1260se. We made the purchase, bought a three year warranty and also asked to have your Geek Squad department make recovery software disks at an additional charge of $69.99. We left the computer overnight since the backup takes 3-4 hours and waited on a phone call to pick up the new device. A day had passed, it was now Thursday and I did not receive a phone call. Surely your company must be so busy in this economy it cannot return the phone call toward a purchase of $1385.89? So I called to check in and what do you know… the device was defective. Luckily, your employees caught this error. How horrible would it be to bring a defective computer home? Oh the disappointment.

July 10th 2009: More disappointment. We returned to your store and began to look at other laptop options. My boyfriend's aunt who had also recently purchased a laptop from your location recommended an HP dv7 1285 and we inquired on the model. Sure enough, Best Buy did carry the computer, but it was sold out. After speaking with several customer service reps we were told we could order the computer which would take 5-6 business days OR we could wait for the shipment arriving on Tuesday, July 14th. Obviously we chose the second option and again waited patiently for the computer to arrive. I left the store confident and happily awaited a phone call; more anxious than ever.

July 14th 2009: No phone call. I again called in to check up on the computer and what do you know? The order was ‘deleted'. Extremely anxious and annoyed, I again returned to your store and we were again informed the order was deleted. We inquired about other possible locations and miraculously ONE laptop was at a San Diego, Mission Valley location and would be transferred over for our inconvenience. Did I mention this computer with warranty is an additional $300 from our original purchase? My faith in your store was strong up until this point.

July 15-17 2009: I called in every day to check up on my purchase and inquire on the delivery.

July 18th 2009: Your store calls! The computer is in! The week wait is up! I again ask to have the recovery disks made as I am now well aware of the dreaded 3-4 hour wait time on these; however my anticipation is greatly outweighed by my inconvenience. I'm thrilled to finally have a computer!

Evening of July 18 2009: Geek Squad calls (yes they called!) to inform me that they accidentally placed a DVD instead of a CD to burn the disks. Annoyed, but still incredibly excited I patiently decided to wait until 10am to pick up my long awaited purchase.

10am July 19th 2009: Device is defective. I'm sure you can understand when I say this: your store has put me on more roller coaster of emotions than my own mother does. Can you please explain how after I again returned to your store on the 19th, absolutely no help was offered? I was absolutely thrilled and now I am reconsidering every purchase I have ever made from your store. Yes, I will still forge on but I am so annoyed that I refuse to even look at another laptop online.

Thank you for reading my experience. I truly hope this will avoid another mishap with another loyal customer. I'm sure you are well aware that mistakes are never truly mishaps unless you learn something from them and I have definitely learned something about the decision to purchase a laptop from your company.

Sincerely,

Elizabeth

Why so unresponsive, Yuma Best Buy? More importantly, why is the Geek Squad finding not one, but two computers sold in your very store "defective"? Is Elizabeth exceptionally unlucky, did you receive a few bad batches from HP, or is something else going on here?

Had Elizabeth sent us this letter before mailing, we might have had a few tips for her - remove the emotional appeals, and the irrelevant information such as her boyfriend's role in the purchase. The situation itself is absurd enough to make the case on its own.

Yes, most Consumerist readers wouldn't leave their computers with the Geek Squad overnight, but if Best Buy wants to encourage customers to use their services, why not make sure that "overnight" actually means "overnight?" and that the Geek Squad performs their services correctly?

(Photo: penner42)

As you can guess by the name, it's going to rely heavily on the browser as the starting point for most functionality. It'll be about a year before netbooks with the OS are available, but hopefully the cheap (free?) cost of adding it to netbooks will mean lower prices, or possibly better specs, when it comes out.

"Google Announces PC Operating System to Compete with Windows" [Wired]
"Introducing Google Chrome OS" [Google Blog]
(Photo: EverJean)

From the researchers' sample, it was possible to identify in a single try the first five digits for 44 percent of deceased individuals who were born after 1988 and for 7 percent of those born from 1973 to 1988. It was possible to identify all nine digits for 8.5 percent of those born after 1988 in fewer than 1,000 attempts.

The accuracy of the prediction system increased for smaller states and for people born after 1988. The accuracy was higher for those born in the late 1980s and after because of rules that led increasingly to the assignment of Social Security numbers at birth. The researchers, for example, reported that they needed 10 or fewer tries to predict all nine digits for 1 out of 20 Social Security numbers assigned in Delaware in 1996.

The study points out that although it's technically possible for criminals to repeat the results of the study, it's currently unlikely. Still, it underscores that SSNs are an "aging technology," in the words of one law professor quoted in the article. Or as one of the co-authors of the study says,

"My hope is that publishing these results may open a window of opportunity, so to say, to finally take action," Mr. Acquisti said. "That S.S.N.'s are bad passwords has been the secret that everybody knows, yet one that so far we have not been able to truly address."

"Social Security Numbering System Vulnerable to Fraud, Experts Say" [New York Times]
(Photo: TheLawleys)

Reader Josh in Florida hasn't received his check, and wonders whether anyone else who took part have received their checks yet. If Dell is sticking to their deadline, most if not all checks should have arrived by now.

UPDATE! Commenter Eukaryote provided relevant and useful information that answers the question posed by this post. Yay, Internet!

I am an Assistant AG, and a number of states had the checks mailed to the AG's office rather than directly to Consumers. That way Dell's lawyers didn't have the chance to get the final word in when they mailed the checks.

The checks will be mailed out either today or tomorrow, and consumers should receive them by the end of the week.

PREVIOUSLY:
Dell Settles With 34 States Over Anti-Consumer Practices
Only 42 People Want A Piece of Dell's $1.5 Million Settlement? Seriously?

(Photo: diana_dee_sophia)

I run a small computer repair and troubleshooting shop in Alexandria, VA and have been doing all kinds of computer/ networking jobs for more than 12 years.

Yesterday, I received a call from a very nice (elderly) couple who were having connectivity issues with their new Comcast 3 in 1 package installation (Phone, Cable, Internet). Basically, they were not able to connect to any internet sites after the installation, though; they had no issues prior to upgrading their service with Comcast. The service technician that came out and upgraded their service installed the new hardware and "helped" connect their computer, but was unable to do so. The couple said that the technician attempted to establish a connection for more than 2 hours but at the end failed to do so. All the while telling the couple that he was actually a contractor for Comcast and actually does computer repair/ troubleshooting as his primary job with his own little company.

Anyway, the Comcast technician finally told them that the issue was with their computer and that the operating system (Vista Home Edition) needed to be reinstalled. Here is the catch, the technician told the couple that he could do this for them but that it would not be part of the Comcast service contract. He offered to help provided they called him after he got off work for the low price of $199.99 (hmm... I've heard that before). The couple told him that they appreciated his effort and would consider doing so but wanted to try and get help as part of the Comcast service contract. They are on a fixed budget since they were retired.

The couple then contact every customer support number they had for their equipment to include the computer manufacturer, Router manufacturer, and Comcast once again to resolve the issue. Alas, none were able to assist since none could connect to their system and Comcast emphatically denied that it was an issue with their modem.

As a last resort they called me as I was recommended by a neighbor and asked if I could take a look at their computer. I agreed and made my way over that afternoon. Once I arrived I talked to the husband for a few minutes to get an idea of the issue and started my preliminary testing. This is how it went down:

1) I verified that the devices worked properly. Blinky lights — OK

2) I connected my own laptop to the modem. Everything was OK there too. I got an IP with no issues (68.86.X.X — I am making this number up since I do not recall the exact IP)

3) I connect to the Router (Linksys). Everything was OK there too. I got another internal IP (192.168.1.101) with no issues.

4) I verified that the Router was getting an IP from the Modem. OK there too and I was able to cruise the internet. So it must be the computer.

5) I checked the computer's security settings (Firewall & Anti-Virus) — Everything looked OK there too.

6) I check the IP that was given to the computer from the Router via the command console by typing "ipconfig". 10.1.10.1/ 24 — Screeech— What the heck? This isn't right! It should have been 192.168.1.X something. Let's see here—the network connection was assigned a static IP. Hmmm. I asked the husband if he had changed the connection to a static IP. He didn't know what I was talking about so I went back into the Router to check that the router didn't reset itself. It hadn't, all the original configuration settings that it originally had were still the same (Wireless name was the same and didn't default to "linksys", DHCP was enabled and the IP address scope was 192.168.1.100 - 200).

7) So I reset the Connection to receive an IP from the router dynamically and low and behold, everything worked.

Now here is what makes me sick to my stomach. I had the same exact issue with another customer a few weeks prior no more than 2 blocks away from the current residence. They were also not able to connect to the internet after an upgrade and were also offered to have the problem fixed for a price. I wasn't aware then that the technician was selling his reported services by piggy backing off of Comcast service calls at that time so I wasn't able to connect the two events immediately since I believed that the price was an actual Comcast service quote.

I am definitely not a conspiracy theorist, but, the similarities between the two events were just uncanny.

1) The same issues after an upgrade

2) The same price to fix the problem

3) Within walking distance of each other

4) The same misconfiguration of IPs on both systems

5) The real Comcast service call prices were nowhere near the price that was quoted by the technician

6) Both customers that I helped were elderly and limited in their computing knowledge (not trying to sound arrogant)

It is my belief that there is one rogue individual who is contracted by Comcast that is exploiting Comcast customers by intentionally misconfiguring computers to put a couple extra dollars into his pocket. This is entirely unethical behavior and probably illegal. It makes me ill to think that some sleazy technician is exploiting elderly in such a way.

In any case, I wanted to make you and your readers aware of what has recently transpired in the hopes of warning any future customers from getting suckered that live in the Burke area of Virginia.

Thanks, Rick! We hope you shared this information with the couple and urged them to contact Comcast to complain. But if not, posting it here should get the message out.

(Photo: Justin Marty)

I'm not sure if there is a normal means of me posting an issue that I've had on the Consumerist website, but I want to make people as aware as I can of the issues that I've had with HP Customer Service. To give you the short version of the story:

• Sent my laptop in to to HP to have the motherboard replaced due to a bad video card.
• The replacement motherboard worked for 12 hours before dying.
• Sent it in again, and they "replaced" it again. As which point they sent it back to the wrong city.
• Tried to get them to contact FedEx and have it rerouted to the correct city, but they refused to contact FedEx.
• Had to wait for FedEx to figure out that the street address did not exists in the city they were trying to deliver the laptop to, and send it back to HP. (What if someone signed for and stole my laptop!?!?)
• HP then took their sweet time sending it to me in the right city only to find out that they had not done a thing to the laptop (video still not working motherboard unchanged)
• They sent me another box to ship it to them a third time, but sent it to the wrong (mistyped) address. Took FedEx a week to figure out where to send it.
• HP Customer Service refuses to let me speak to a supervisor.
• HP Customer Service refuses to let me file a complaint against a service rep who told me "I don't care if HP has to buy you a new laptop, this isn't out problem" (referring to shipping it to the wrong city.)
• HP Customer Service refuses to let me speak to the technician who supposedly replaced the motherboard.
• HP Customer Service refuses to even discuss reimbursing any of the money that I've spent on this repair.

Tyler, here is the contact info for executive customer service. Perhaps you can try giving them a call tomorrow.

RELATED
"Reach Hewlett-Packard Executive Customer Service"
(Photo: S Baker)

They've been spotted in the wild in Eastern Europe, and may soon arrive in the US. How do they work?

[The malware] allows a gang member to walk up to an ATM, insert a "trigger" card, and use the machine's receipt printer to produce a list of all the debit card numbers used that day, including their start and expiry dates - and their PINs. Everything needed, in fact, to clone those cards and start emptying bank accounts. In some cases, the malicious software even allows the criminal to eject the machine's banknote storage cassette into the street.

Big deal, the Tenth Doctor did that years ago. (see 30 seconds in)

How does this malware work and remain undetected? It's an innocent-looking Windows program.

...a 50-kilobyte piece of malware disguised as a legitimate Windows program called lsass.exe. In a PC, this helps the Microsoft operating system cache session data - so users don't have to re-enter their passwords every time they get a new email, for example.

This is a clever choice of camouflage, says SpiderLabs' forensics manager Stephen Venter: to an IT staffer, lsass.exe doesn't look out of place in a Windows system, so routine checks wouldn't necessarily pick it up. Yet it has no useful function in an ATM.

Once installed, the malware implements a "card data harvesting" routine, SpiderLabs said in an alert to banks issued at the end of May. When a customer inserts their card, the malware records to hard disc its account number, start date, expiry date and three-digit security code, as well as the PIN entered.

So, a secret invisible program that harvests customer data and controls the ATM. I can't wait!

Cash machines hacked to spew out card details [Scientific American

(Photo: freedom_frog)

So, how do you protect yourself from malware?

Here's a list of 5 things you should never do.

IE8 has been shown in at least one study (funded by Microsoft) to be the most effective at intercepting social-engineering phishing sites—those kind that try to trick you into entering sensitive data—but the malware described above is usually triggered invisibly with no interaction required by the visitor, other than just going to the page to begin with.

Here's a new report from Google covering the top 10 malware source sites from the past two months. They suggest you use a browser like Firefox or Chrome that relies on their own Safe Browsing API.

And here's a great post from Lifehacker on software you can use to remove malware from your computer.

"What are the most dangerous search terms on the Internet?" [CNN]

Several readers also contacted us to point out that HP extended the warranties on a number of models recently due to motherboard failures, so John or other readers may have more options than they initially thought.

First, to satisfy everyone's curiosity, here are the motherboard prices John found. As some of you speculated, the $150 he originally mentioned was for one on eBay, not from HP:

Here you go. Actually, if I return the broken board they will sell me a refurb for $133 and a new board for $228.95. The $150 boards were on eBay. And you know they'd send HP the defective board for the "core credit". AND you know that Best Buy would NOT pay near what I'd have to pay for the board being that they are the only licensed HP reseller in my area.

http://h20141.www2.hp.com/hpparts/Search_Results.asp?mscssid=BB31E5F3F21343B380DA714B5C2DCD3A&SearchInc=PartNumber

A reader named Mark read the post and wrote in to tell us he recently had his own problems with an HP laptop, and discovered the extended warranty news:

My HP laptop just went down as well and after a tech support rep at HP told me it would cost $50 for ANY phone support, as my laptop is out of warranty, I did some searching online.

Please check out:
http://h20000.www2.hp.com/bizsupport/TechSupport/Document.jsp?&objectID=c01087277

It details a trend of motherboard failures and a two year warranty extension for this specific problem.

(Thanks to IT Insider, Erick, and everyone else who also sent in this info!)

Finally, we got some interesting inside info from John, a former CompUSA repair tech who offered an explanation to why Geek Squad's quote was so high:

I just wanted to let you know how it is from the service side of things. I worked on the repair side at CompUSA. Generally this is how it worked, we would order our parts from a third party. They would refurbish the parts and put a limited 30 day warranty on the part. When we order parts from them, Motherboards would generally cost between 500-1000 for laptops. I don't know how Best Buy has it set up, but I would venture it is similar. This takes the cost of doing the business of finding a part and knowing that it will work off of the retailer. And if the part was bad we could send it back and get another part at no additional cost to us. So if we were to go on ebay we would probably have to pay shipping for a part that we have no clue if it worked. It makes sense to me that this is how Best Buy does it too.

Here's John's story. The first paragraph is really more about how Best Buy screwed up yet another easy sale by failing to offer the bare minimum of service. Paragraphs two and three are about the motherboard.

My wife's laptop died about a 2 weeks after the 1 year warranty expired. We paid about $1000 (including tax) for it from Sam's Club. We contacted HP on the off-chance that they'd be cool about it and cover it anyway. No luck. So my wife, desperate to get her laptop working, decided to take it to The Geek Squad. First, they told her that they couldn't diagnose it there that they'd have to send it away to do so. She uses this as her work computer, even though we bought it ourselves, and couldn't wait to get it back. So she said she'd buy a new one then and there and have them transfer the data to her new laptop. I'd already found one that would be good for her while she was at the Geek Squad counter and we went over to it. We couldn't find a store associate anywhere. So my wife went up to the counter to have someone come over to help us. We told them where we'd be standing/waiting and they said they'd send someone right over. We waited, and waited, and waited. No one. My wife was fuming at this point and she went back up the counter and demanded that they give her back her laptop, and told them that they just lost out on a guaranteed $1200+ sale then and there.

But it gets better.

So, desperate to get her laptop working, she had me take it back the them the next day. They sent it in ($89 just to look at it, btw) and 2 weeks later the diagnosis is that it needs a new motherboard. I looked online and a new HP motherboard for this unit costs $150 to a consumer like me. This means, they're charging $650 minimum to install a motherboard. Being a year old, I could buy a brand new laptop that's almost twice as good for that same price!

We found this "Ask a Geek" article from a year and a half ago that says you should expect to pay anywhere from $250 to $500 for a new motherboard, but that's including the cost of the motherboard, a new operating system license to replace the one your computer came with (which likely is not licensed to work on the new hardware), and 3-4 hours of labor to swap out the part and reinstall everything. Opinions? Advice? Suggestions on better places to go for this sort of computer repair?

"The Cost Of Replacing A Motherboard" [Ask a Geek]
(Photo: tarale)

The FTC charged that Sears had misled consumers about the degree to which it was collecting data. Sears argued that the devil was in the details of the lengthy user agreement, but has agreed that if it does it again, it will "clearly and prominently" disclose the full breadth of any data collection attempts. All the data has been destroyed.

As usual in settlements like this, Sears officially admits no wrongdoing.

"Sears agrees to settle spyware charges" [Philadelphia Inquirer]

RELATED
"Researchers Accuse Sears Of Distributing Spyware"
(Photo: robinsonsmay)

Asus - Laptop with Intel® Centrino® 2 Processor Technology [Best Buy] (Thanks, Jeff!)

He was willing to give the company the benefit of the doubt. HP sent him a replacement hard drive, without including the prepaid shipping label he needed to send the hard drive back. Then...well, that's when things sort of all went to hell.

He wrote to Consumerist last night:

I recently purchased an HDX 18t Premium notebook. Spending roughly $1,200 of my hard earned cash, I had done my research and felt like the HDX 18 was a perfect fit for me. The sale process was easy-peasy! I figured HP must have their service act together if they take such great care of their sales customers.

About four days after my notebook arrived, the hard drive failed. No big deal, I figured. These things happen, and it's a good thing it happened inside my warranty period. I called HP support to let them know what happened. The service rep told me I'd be sent a hard drive with a pre-paid shipping label to send the old one back. And if the hard drive wasn't returned in a timely manner, I would be charged for the cost of the old drive. That seemed a bit hardball, but I can understand a company like HP trying to recoup costs for a bad drive from their vendor. I agreed.

Three days later, my new hard drive arrived, without a return shipping label. I promptly called HP and explained that I needed a shipping label sent to me. After the rep put me on hold for 10 minutes, he came back to let me know a label would be sent out in the morning. Great!

Fast-forward 4 weeks...

Still no labels. I received an email from my bank, letting me know that my checking account had been overdrafted, and funds had been transferred from my credit card to cover the overage... Uh oh. Why exactly? Had I made some accounting error with my bills?

Nope. I pop open my bank account online and there are two new charges from HP CUST SVC staring me in the face. One for $901.31 and another for $825.00. That's right, HP Customer Service charged me $1,726.31 for a notebook hard drive. Yep, over $500 more than the cost of the notebook in the first place.

I called up HP Tech Support. The nice woman (Jeanette) on the other end explained she was only in tech support and couldn't help me directly, but she said I'd be receiving a call from their Case Management Dept. Ugh... Another wait.

3 hours later, I received a call from a gentleman that sounded half-baked explaining to me that he was my case manager, Josh. After discussing the details of the problem, the best solution he wanted to offer me was for HP to cut me a check in about a week's time or so. UNACCEPTABLE, I told him. I explained that I needed the charges canceled since they still hadn't posted to my account. He said he'd look into it and call me back in the morning.

The next morning, I decided to be proactive and call HP to check on progress myself. A different case manager answered (another Jeanette) and she told me that my half-baked former case manager hadn't entered any notes about our conversation and said she'd takeover the case herself. Again, I explained my issue and she told me I'd get a call back in the afternoon.

Well, it's 8:46pm, the Case Management office is closed and the charges should post to my account by midnight tonight. Keep in mind that the moment those charges post, I'm responsible for service fees, PLUS the cash advance interest rate on my credit card. Throughout this entire process, the only person who actually spoke and acted with any sense of urgency was Jeanette in tech support. HP's procedures and bureaucracy are about to cost me some real cash...

Great job, HP. You walked away with over $1,700 of my money for a 250GB 5400RPM hard drive, and left me owing money to the bank.

There's not much that I can really add here. Punishing a customer who tried to be proactive and find out why he didn't receive a shipping label is not the way to invite return business.

(Photo: armydre2008)