what’s the point?

I’m a homeless person asking a passerby for change
– I can’t help you…
I’m an Enron stock owner talking to my broker
– I can’t help you…
In actuality I’m the owner of a laptop with a 1-year manufacturer warranty and a 3-year extended service plan from the retailer… but the answer is the same. Best Buy gave the machine the same cursory glance I did, pressed the power button (as if I’d been lying) and said, “Hm, you’ll have to call HP. Even though you bought a coverage plan from us, you have to call them. We could look at it, but that might take 2 and a half weeks, at the least.”
So I call HP. Calling anyone from within a Best Buy store location is a true pain in the ass (the booming bass of the surround sound display added in with the radios, tv and other noises pretty much overrides any other sounds made). I reach a rep, who asks me to speak more slowly so she can get my name and phone number. Then proceeds to ask for it again 5 minutes later. I don’t know if this was an outsourcing or just a heavy accent, but I could barely make out what she was saying. She informs me that I might not even get a call back from a service tech for 7-10 days. Oh and can I back up my data just in case? Gee, I’d love to, except that my PC won’t power on… and I have no other computer at home (I’d already made this clear). I asked about an emergency replacement, a local service location… nothing.
So now I’m in a foul mood, waiting for a “subject matter expert” from HP to call me back (I’m not holding my breath) and let me know what the options are.
Oh how I love Mondays.