As some of you may have noticed, I've not been online much in the past 3
months.  In Nov, about 10 days AFTER the one year warrantee expired on my
laptop, the screen quit working and I couldn't get the computer to boot - so
I called tech services, who told me 1. the contract had expired, 2. sounded
bad, too bad, and 3 their hands were tied.  So I asked to speak with a
supervisor, who got on the line and informed me they were tired of me
calling them with problems with my computer - they kept getting it in,
fixing it, and when I got it back, and started using it, something else
would show up in the next month.  I agreed with her assessment of the
computer, and told her  I was pretty well fed up myself - in the first 12
months I owned the computer, it spent 5 months in their shop - and still
wasn't working.  She said since the year was up, it sounded like a personal
problem to her.
I sent the computer to Radio Shack to be repaired - Radio shack spent the
next 2 months arguing with Compaq that they should fix the computer since
the warrantee was so close - to no avail. Today I got a call from the tech -
parts to fix the computer came to over $1000 - on a $1400 computer (what I
paid for it)  With labor, I could easily end up spending more this go round
than when I bought it.  Janine could tell how upset I was, and she talked to
the tech - who gave her another number for Compaq.  I don't know how many
people she talked to, but none were helpful, and not too damn sympathetic
either.  When she asked if we could get a discount/rebate if we bought a new
one, they said no.  I noticed in tonight's news, that Compaq put a rebate on
their laptops last Sunday - but their people didn't mention that (NOT a
problem, I'm gonna buy another Compaq product right after the devil goes ice
skating )
I stopped and shopped for laptops tonight on the way home - the current
equivalent to my old computer is about $800.  I don't know how much Compaq
makes per computer sale - but if you are interested in buying a laptop,  let
me suggest Dell, Toshiba, HP....

sorry to vent, and  I did like the computer, just wish they could keep it
working for more than a month at a time.  Anyway, there is no way I can
replace it for now or in the foreseeable future, so to all I owe a note -
sorry.
bob aka tex