From: maziere1@husc8.harvard.edu
Newsgroups: comp.unix.sysv386
Date: 18 Jul 92 08:14 MDT
Subject: Re: Insight, Hard Drives Internat.,
Nf-ID: #R:1992Jul15.150204.2713@galileo.cc:-1220832844:1992Jul18.001441.13918@husc3.har:133990840:001:3596
Nf-From: husc8.harvard.edu!maziere1    Jul 18 08:14:00 1992


In article <1992Jul15.150204.2713@galileo.cc.rochester.edu> mek4@prodigal.psych.rochester.edu (Mark Kern) writes:
>Here is something else to add:
>
>I ordered an Insight 486/33 tower.  When it arrived, it had strange bootup
>problems in that the screen would print "HDD controller failure."  Well,
>I called up Insight tech support, and they kept giving me crap like :
>
>1rst call) First see if the card is well seated.
>2nd  call) See if the drive is spinning up.
>3rd call) Are you sure you reseated the controller? Try again and call
>back.
>
>
>
>IN ALL FAIRNESS THOUGH,
>I've had absolutely no problems with Hard Drives International with my
>additional HD purchase and RAM purchase.
>
>
>Markus

Well, I have had a similar problem with HDI.  First I should say that I
would ordinarily never dream of buying from a vendor that advertises in
the colored pages of Computer Shopper.  I buy lots of computers and
peripherals for my job, and so generally try to hunt down the best bargains
in the black and white newsprint pages.

However, when I needed to buy a 40 Meg drive with an 8 bit controller card
to go in an old IBM-PC, I figured it was not worth my time bargaining over
a $200 item, and so I decided to buy from HDI.  I was making the assumption
that if I did need tech support, it would be worth it to have bought from
HDI.

Well, I installed the drive but could not low level format it.  Needless
to say I double checked all the jumpers.  Still no luck.  So I called tech
support--several times.  Each time they said they would call me back, but
didn't.  Finally I got someone on the phone and insisted on holding until
I could speak to someone, and made it through. 

All the guy could tell me was to reseat the card and try it in a different
slot.  He made me go over the jumpers five times, and then told me to set
up the secondary bios address and call him back.  Anticipating what his next
advice would be, I tried all eight possible jumper configurations on the card.
After much holding, I got through to tech support again.  Sure enough they
wanted me to try another interrupt setting and call them back.  Aha, I thought,
they can't get rid of me so easily this time, I've tried all the possible
combinations already.  But then the person tried to convince me that the
IDE cable was bad--"Are you using the connector on the end of the cable--
try using the one in the middle and call us back if that doesn't work."

Well, I did a continuity check on the cable.  All 40 pins were fine.
I called back again--what a pain, It's much easier to get through to
tech support at SDI, Megahaus, or DC Drives.  Anyway this time I had to
use debug to examine the contents of the bios.  Once I reported this,
they finally admitted I had a defective controller card.

But--I have to pay to send it back, and they won't (haven't) sent me
the replacement until they receive the original.  I think HDI is the
only place I've ever done business that has refused to cross-ship a
defective part.

Well, so much for saving time by spending a little extra money on the hard
drive.  I spent hours on the phone holding for tech support, lost a day
trying all their stupid little suggestions, and now they've apparently
shipped the replacement out UPS ground, even though I had ordered the drive
Blue Label, so that I will not get up and running for another week or so.

Moral:  Stay away from colored/glossy advertisements.  I think those
people tend to forget that dozens of other vendors offer the same products
at much lower prices, while the smaller vendors will do anything to get
my business.