HP/Compaq warranty worthless

Archived from groups: comp.sys.laptops (More info?)

Got an external USB floppy for the notebook. It's branded HP, made by
Mitsumi. Worked for several weeks, then quit. Couldn't find anyone at
HP/Compaq to help. Called Mitsumi, who walked me through
troubleshooting and concluded drive was dead, but since it's an HP
item, service has to go through them, with their two-year warranty.
Looong story short: after SIX HOURS of being bounced back and forth
between departments, no one at HP/Compaq would take responsibility for
the warranty.
I did send a complaint to the corporate complaint department, which
promised a timely response. That was months ago. I bought a new drive
and the old one sits on a shelf.
Need I add that neither my clients nor I have bought or will buy
anything from HP/Compaq since (with the possible exception of a
printer, but only if hard research demands it). Word has it that CEO
Carly Fiorino is going to milk out all the cash she can, and customers
be damned.