HP Mini Fiasco, or In Search of a WWAN Antenna


hs2300 3G WWAN card So… I purchased my mini without the WWAN card and purchased it separately in an attempt to save myself $50.  It worked kind of…  I got my mini in and a week later I got in the WWAN card via a separate order.  I open up the mini to install the WWAN card and to my dismay I find no WWAN antenna wires.  So what does any sane person do… refer to the manual.  I locate the product number of the antenna and proceed to call HP to order the missing part, this is where things get interesting.

I spend the next 3 hours on the phone being passed between 20+ people all telling me they don’t know what I’m wanting, it’s not in stock, they can’t find it… the list goes on.  When they realize they can’t help me and I’m not hanging up they quietly pass me down the line to the next operator where I describe my problem again, and again, and again, etc…

My persistence paid off though…  After 3 hours I got round-robined back to someone who passed me along 15 people ago.  He felt so bad, I’m guessing, that he helped me from that point on.  They were not able to get me the part I needed and offered me an alternative option:  Return the Mini I had and order another with exactly the pieces I need. 

In the end I spend an additional $60 from my original order… and I can now return the WWAN card I ordered separately and get that money back.

All said and done, I should have ordered the mini with the WWAN card in the first place… but I was trying to save a few bucks.

One thought on “HP Mini Fiasco, or In Search of a WWAN Antenna

  1. I’m glad I saw this post today. I was opening my mini to check it out, and almost had ordered the WWAN card. I assume the small white connector under the left right side of the keyboard (just to the right the empty WWAN PCIe slot attaches to an antenna assembly?

    I can return my Mini, and will order a proper one. I’ve already got a Data Plan with AT&T with a PCI sierra wireless card, and I don’t want to have to switch to a USB dingle attachment on the Mini.

    JS

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