Never buying anything from HP again!

[Madmoose]

Day 1:

After hours of work and boredom I finally earned the money needed to by a new laptop for school. With cash in hand I went to the local computer store and picked up a brand new HP Pavilion dv2116wm with XP: Media Edition installed.

When I got home I was a happy and a five year old during Christmas. I ripped open the box, and saw a smooth looking laptop. Light, smooth, and perfect for travel. Now, that I had it out of the box it was time for updates. I knew this was going to take a while so I started with XP updates via my wireless network. About 30 minutes into the updates I got the “Blue Screen of Death.” Should have taken this as a sign. Restarted, and fixed the error. Then another 4 hours of XP updates. Slowly watching my 120GB hard drive turn into a workable 80GB of space.

With now about 6 hours into updates I finally got done updating the updates that I just updated. Now, it was time for hardware and bios updates this didn't take long. I do have to say that it's rather easy to see what's installed on your laptop through HP's support site.

Day 2:

I bought a transformers logo, and placed it on the cover of my laptop. It looks sweet, and now it was off to work.


Day 3:

I went to go plug in my network cable into my Ethernet port, and it wouldn't go in? What's up? Oh the pins have already broke off! I called HP Tech support... There goes 6 hours of my life!! “Can you please turn off the PC, and run a test on the bios?” “Ummm no. Why? The port is physically broken.” “I need to see if there is a software issue making your connection work improperly.” “What?! Are you not listening to me!?”

Day 6:

HP finally got the box to me. It's funny how overnight to Alaska takes a few days.


Day 15: Finally got my computer back, and looks like they fixed my port.


Day 16: Went to check my email using my wireless network, but what... I have no wireless anymore. Not only does my computer not have wireless, but the WLAN switch in the front no longer works.

On the phone again with HP. This time I was hot. 4 hours with Tech support, and finally they told me. “Our repair department said they are not going to fix it. How a good day. “ They they hung up on me.

This was the last straw. I went to store to return it, and they told me that I couldn't' return it. I was 1 day from the 15 day cutoff. I'm glad I didn't carry my firearm that day. I think there would have been a shoot out, and a dead GM.

When I got home I called HP back, and this time got all the way to a VP of something. He told me he couldn't give me a replacement, but he promised that I would never have another issue after this laptop after it came back. He also gave me a direct phone number, so that I wouldn't have to talk to the stupid non English speaking tech support. Not that I care that English wasn't their first language, but if you're going to be doing the English tech support you might as well know how to cleanly speak it.

Anyway.

Day 24:

Got my laptop back, and everything is working. Spent the whole of a Saturday updating it.

Day 32: USB port died. I use it for work, and for school being a assistant, and in the UAA diesel mechanics program. I can't have my USB ports not working, because I need them. Tried to call the direct line to “John Thomason.” I was on hold for about 4 minuets, and then it cut me off telling me to leave a message and someone would get back to me. I left a message, and I NEVER got any calls back.

Waited a few hours, and called back. Same thing. I needed my laptop, so I took it to the closed HP center; CompUSA. They looked at it, and did everything I did to try and get it to work. They told me they would have to send it off. I said fine, because that means I didn't have to fight with the tech support.

Day 40: CompUSA called me today, and told me they got it back. HP didn't fix it, and they are going to have to send it back again. (Yesterday)

Day 41: (Today) I tried John Thomason again. Like before it cuts me off, and I'm starting to think it's a number they give to shut people up. Left another message, but I'm not going to stop there. I'm on hold right now, because I went from the bottom and working my way up. Now, I'm waiting for him to pick up, and I know hes there. They told me he was, so he can't hide from me. This is 4 times my computer has been away for warranty repair, and I'm going to get my money back, a replacement, or better an upgrade. The only think I'm sad about is getting stuck with vista.
Still on the phone typing this up. I'll keep you in touch!
Moose!](*,)

[Madmoose]

UPDATE:

After about an hour on hold I hear a voice, but it's not John. It's the person I talked to before, and he tells me. I have talked with the John, and he will call back in about an hour. Yeah... I'm not going called back. I've heard that story before.

We'll just have to see.

Moose

[mips]

Do you guys have a small claims court ?

[WalmartSniperLX]

Damn that is a lot of fuss inwhich shouldnt happen in the first place. Reading all that makes me unsure if I want a HP notebook again. Thanks for posting. I honestly do not care for companies who offer crappy service as such. Don't know why they refuse to replace it. If they did, that might just make things better.

[DoctorMO]

Talk about mishandling; I always enjoy it when complains go to that tv program on bbc one and they drag the ceo of what ever business to make a public apology and mostly shower the disgruntled customer with gifts to mitigate the PR disaster.

My stance now if I buy a laptop will be 'anything wrong, back to the shop, money back please, **** off'

[prizrak]

You can get the BBB involved it's a long process but last time I got them involved I had my system repaired. Went through a similar issue with Toshiba. There are also some TV programs like Help Me Howard (dunno if you get CW in Alaska) where you e-mail with your problem to one of your local "celebrites" and they try to help.

[AdventHorizon]

Don't forget that HP will void your hardware's warranty if they catch you running Linux on it...

[Madmoose]

You can get the BBB involved it's a long process but last time I got them involved I had my system repaired. Went through a similar issue with Toshiba.

You know... I never thought about the BBB! I'm going to look into it,


Do you guys have a small claims court ?

Yeah, but I don't know much about it. I'll have to look into it, because this is getting out of hand.


Don't forget that HP will void your hardware's warranty if they catch you running Linux on it...

I would never install anything to void the warranty. :-\"
Update:

It's been about three hours, and still no call. I don't think I'm going to get one, so I'm off to www.bbb.org if I don't get a call withing the hour.

[Madmoose]

UPDATE: Well the day is coming to a close. I never got a phone call from Mr. John.

BBB CASE#: 57094*** has been filed, and all I have to do is wait. :(

[Stew2]

Thanks for the heads up about HP. I think I will stick with IBM/Lenovo for my laptops.

Regards,
Stew2

[FoolsGold]

Bah, would have been more interesting if you had been packing heat at the time of your attempted return. :)

Good luck, hope you can make those bastards honor their obligations. :KS

[BarfBag]

I've never owned an HP PC, but have had my share of problems with their support. One of my friends desperately needed a video card upgrade. I didn't feel like opening the thing up (if you saw the mess of wires around it, you'd understand), so I called HP tech support to see if I need a PCI, AGP or PCI-E video card. They told me PCI-E. This was an older PC, so I was suspicious. The guy insisted that I needed a PCI-E video card. We went to the store, bought a cheap PCI-E video card, and when I was about to put it in, I realized - WE NEEDED A PCI! It was pretty frustrating.

My problem isn't as serious, and was preventable. I wish you luck.

[aardvark72]

Ohh, believe me, Dell is worse... :mad:

Well, good luck, but with those types of corporations they only listen to who's in charge.

[elephant007]

Ohh, believe me, Dell is worse... :mad:

I would disagree on that statement. I haven't had bad with Dell. HP, yes. Just remember to stay calm when dealing with any one.. speak firmly though.

Linux voids HP warranty?

[mand0]

****... I just bought a HP laptop. Hope it goes well.

:mad:

[wuzzerd]

"Linux voids HP warranty?"

That's what they say on phone. Big Computer Stores Inc got a HP back from me 2 years ago under no questions asked holiday deal. It died, after one week. I had very similar situation on phone to India about PC bought in US.

Then sent a bunch of e-mails to HP customer service. Never got reply from same person twice. They said Linux would void warranty. I asked about their Linux servers, lol. Not to mention why they had not provided a 64 bit OS on a 64 bit machine.

I went back to buying clones from nerd stores. Great fun, they wipe XP or now maybe Vista from hard drive and give a discount.

HP, Compaq, DEC (whatever their name is) can't hold a candle to the old companies whose names they abuse. Like so many businesses they have forgotten how to take care of their most important asset: satisfied customers.

[Hex_Mandos]

My only experience with HP has been with printers, and I have to say I'd never buy from another manufacturer. All my printers (some of them 10+ years old, one less than two months old) work perfectly with little hassle in Linux, but I need to download drivers and/or install them from a CD in XP. Actually, I never got to install the last one in Windows, as the installation wizard tends to crash.

[Polygon]

hp printers have REALLY nice support though. The hp like directconnect thing that all hp printers use is an option in cups, and my hp printer works flawlessly with ubuntu

and i also noticed in the feisty beta that there is some HP printer setup program (that looks like it was made from HP cause it has the hp logo as an icon and all that, and has a lot of advanced configuration features)

so..... they may have bad laptop support, but have good support for printers :D

[user1397]

I'm also having rather frustrating support problems with HP. (their printers are great like has been said - my PSC printer worked in ubuntu without configuration - but computers are another thing)

If I shut down my HP desktop, and turn it back on, the screen goes blank, i.e. nothing happens. I can hear the fans all running, but the display does not display anything.

I tried the live chat, and basically their solution to everything is "just do a system recovery"

I told them how I can still boot into windows simply if I stick in the recovery cd and then quit it, so I was asking the guy if there is any other explanation why this happens only when it is shut down.

He didn't know, and so told me to do a system recovery - as if my 22 Gigs of music and all my other files don't matter at all...(I don't have an external hard drive or anything, and don't have the patience for dvd+r's)

Oh what the hell...I guess I'll just have to hibernate from now on...(my warranty is long gone)

[mrreality13]

Hope you make out well with hp.
I got a way around hp desktop support,I bought a HP mce w/ a amd x2 4600--2 gigs pc3200--320 gig wd hd--hauppauge pvr150--light scribe dvd all in one drive,from e bay for $430.00US then went to new egg got a new MB,Tower and Ps for like $220.00 that =$650.00 then RE BUILT POOF no more hp now running "Feisty Fawn"
sounds like a credit card commercial,,:guitar:

[macogw]

Their printers have great Linux support

Other than that...
Their "tech support" idiots told me to format my hard drive. I told them everything would be deleted. They said it'd all still be there. Keep in mind that they do NOT give restore disks for Windows, so I was left with none of my files, no OS, nothing. I tried arguing with the lady but gave up cuz I thought maybe the tech support lady knew something that 12-year-old me didn't. She didn't.

[RudolfMDLT]

Don't forget that HP will void your hardware's warranty if they catch you running Linux on it...

Your kidding right? Is HP's warranty seriously void if you install Linux on it or is at also void for any other windows OS, ie, upgrade your 2month old XP laptop to a Vista one?

[macogw]

Your kidding right? Is HP's warranty seriously void if you install Linux on it or is at also void for any other windows OS, ie, upgrade your 2month old XP laptop to a Vista one?http://enterprise.linux.com/article.pl?sid=07/03/23/1430204&tid=3
Ubuntu user told her warranty was void because she uses Linux...and the problem was a physically broken keyboard

[Zdravko]

Terrible story! Fortunately, I have an Acer laptop and I am very happy with it. My Acer laptop costs about 700$, 3 year international warranty, and - it was running Linux already. So, installing Ubuntu won't void the warranty.
I strongly recommend Acer laptops - really cheap and WORKING! :)

[RAV TUX]

I won't buy HP, Dell, or Apple.

[MudMountain]

I think all customer support is bad. It's the only part of the company that does nothing but lose money.

I never buy from HP, Dell and Gateway.

I've always had their crap go out on me and die, so with my last desktop I went with a smaller company, Infotech. Two years old and barely a burp.

I bought an Apple Macbook though and had to duel with their Customer service for a broken powercord - that overnight deal I think applies for all Customer support. "Overnight" turned out to be about two weeks and four phone calls.

[prizrak]

Terrible story! Fortunately, I have an Acer laptop and I am very happy with it. My Acer laptop costs about 700$, 3 year international warranty, and - it was running Linux already. So, installing Ubuntu won't void the warranty.
I strongly recommend Acer laptops - really cheap and WORKING! :)

They don't sell Linux based Acers in the US. In fact they won't even support it. I got a TravelMate C310 and was hunting for Bluetooth drivers and was told by support that they don't have anything for Linux. When I pointed out that they sell Linux preloaded laptops in Asia they pretty much said, oh well you are not in Asia.

[prizrak]

I think all customer support is bad. It's the only part of the company that does nothing but lose money.

I never buy from HP, Dell and Gateway.

I've always had their crap go out on me and die, so with my last desktop I went with a smaller company, Infotech. Two years old and barely a burp.

I bought an Apple Macbook though and had to duel with their Customer service for a broken powercord - that overnight deal I think applies for all Customer support. "Overnight" turned out to be about two weeks and four phone calls.

So you paid $500 more for it than you would for a comparable ThinkPad and they still screwed you over.....

[Zdravko]

They don't sell Linux based Acers in the US. In fact they won't even support it. I got a TravelMate C310 and was hunting for Bluetooth drivers and was told by support that they don't have anything for Linux. When I pointed out that they sell Linux preloaded laptops in Asia they pretty much said, oh well you are not in Asia.


Oh, really? I didn't know that. Too sorry for you, non-Europeans :popcorn:

[Madmoose]

Update:


Your complaint has been received by the Golden Gate Better Business Bureau. It appears however, that the business your complaint refers to is outside our service area, or that a different BBB handles all the complaints for this company.

We have forwarded your case to the appropriate bureau. Please contact them directly for further information regarding your complaint:

BBB of Silicon Valley
700 Empey Way, Suite 110
San Jose, CA 95128
408 278-7400

Sincerely,
Better Business Bureau
Dispute Resolutions


I never did get a call, email, fax, or anything from HP regarding my laptop. Yet, I did get an email from the BBB. The problem I was finding about HP when filing the report was that they seem to have an office in just about every part of the world. I think there are more HP offices then McDonald's locations. I just hope that my case isn't going to get bounced from one BBB office to another. If this is the case this is a good strategy for HP.

In the case I get my money back, and I'll be in the marked again. Does anyone know of anyone who has Linux pre-installed or no-os-installed laptops for sale. That has good customer service, product, and most of all fair price for a good working machine? Is there such a thing in the US, or have we commercialized ourselves into a tight little box? [#-o] <---- US in a box.

[mips]

I never did get a call, email, fax, or anything from HP regarding my laptop. Yet, I did get an email from the BBB. The problem I was finding about HP when filing the report was that they seem to have an office in just about every part of the world. I think there are more HP offices then McDonald's locations. I just hope that my case isn't going to get bounced from one BBB office to another. If this is the case this is a good strategy for HP.
.

HP head office is in Palo Alto, CA. So I suspect that is why the BBB branch was selected. Itś closes to the hp hq.

[tcebak]

if it's ubuntu that you want installed as your OS then i would check out www.system76.com they have a pre installed Ubuntu laptops and desktops (plus you get a powered by Ubuntu sitcker.) anyway. they have pretty good support it's in the process of becomming as good as ubuntu support. on another note, dell is horriable, HP does not think of you as a human being. i've had one good thing with gateway. other then that, nothing. It seems nobody cares about support now...they break my heart. oh and i hope hp burns in hell and you get your money back and then some for wasting their time!

[tcebak]

(i ment for them wasting your time!!!)

[RudolfMDLT]

http://enterprise.linux.com/article.pl?sid=07/03/23/1430204&tid=3
Ubuntu user told her warranty was void because she uses Linux...and the problem was a physically broken keyboard

Thats just stupid....:( :confused:

[RudolfMDLT]

I just thought about it - it does seem logical in a way for a company not to want to warrant what they cannot fix. Lets say the WiFi breaks, how will hp's windows trained boffin know whether the componet that they have just replaced works when they cannot use the users OS? It would be great if the would honor a warranty though but I cannot think of any other reason why they won't.

[prizrak]

I just thought about it - it does seem logical in a way for a company not to want to warrant what they cannot fix. Lets say the WiFi breaks, how will hp's windows trained boffin know whether the componet that they have just replaced works when they cannot use the users OS? It would be great if the would honor a warranty though but I cannot think of any other reason why they won't.

It's very simple and built into EVERY warranty agreement I have ever seen. Here is how this works.
1) System arrives to the repair center.
2) Tech boots up a CD with testing tools for that specific system.
3) CD runs all the tests and says hardware is ok.
4) (Optional) Tech physically takes the system apart and tests it or just replaces the part anyway.
5) Tech sends the laptop back, logging in the database that it's a software problem.
6) You get a 4 figure bill for their time.

It's VERY simple and straight forward. Alternatively they will just replace the part without any testing. Back when I had on site warranty with Toshiba I would get just about anything replaced that I wanted to. Never did they ever bother to do any kind of testing on my system I could tell them that sound doesn't work and they would swap out the board rather than boot into anything and check if I hit "mute" by accident.

As far as laptops go.
System76 for preloaded system. Some stores will sell you ASUS systems blank (that's what System76 is for the most part). Acer seems to play well with Linux, at the very least the Centrino ones, AMD ones could have issues as they might come with Broadcomm Wi-Fi. Thinkpads obviously. Also try to check Averatek out (might have too google for Ubuntu support) I hear good things about them.

[elephant007]

HP's bread and butter, their printers and Proliant Servers (back in the day)
it is also crazy that a company would be ignorant enough to void a warranty because you have a different OS installed other than what came with it. While researching the statement that was made about Linux voiding HP Warranty, I did find on the HP site that a memory upgrade on a laptop could void warranty. I guess unless it's done by an HP "certified" tech.
I'd just E-Bay your laptop, get as much as you can and buy a different one.

[spier]

I would disagree on that statement. ...

Oh, well, then try asking for a computer without the crappy OS they still sell, charging for something I do not ask for...

[prizrak]

HP's bread and butter, their printers and Proliant Servers (back in the day)
it is also crazy that a company would be ignorant enough to void a warranty because you have a different OS installed other than what came with it. While researching the statement that was made about Linux voiding HP Warranty, I did find on the HP site that a memory upgrade on a laptop could void warranty. I guess unless it's done by an HP "certified" tech.
I'd just E-Bay your laptop, get as much as you can and buy a different one.

Well a memory upgrade requires you to open up the system, that's normal. Most desktops lose warranty if opened as well.

[macogw]

Well a memory upgrade requires you to open up the system, that's normal. Most desktops lose warranty if opened as well.

Seriously? Why do they put the screws there? What if you're a tech at a repair shop?

See now, I posted earlier that Gateway made me reinstall Windows before sending it in. They reinstalled Windows to "fix" it. The problem was that it overheats. Guess what? I found the real problem. Their "thermal grease" is crappy and hardened into an acrylic-ish shell around the processor which then insulated it, trapping the heat on it and making it possibly hotter than if i didn't have a heat sink at all.

[Madmoose]

I had a Gateway desk top once. I've never had that many problems with a desk top then I did with that gateway. To many bad memories to tell the whole story, so I'll just leave it at:


Peace of cra*!


UPDATE:

Never did get a phone call, but I did get a letter from the BBB telling me that HP has until April 20th to reply with an offer. The email also said that they are not a government org, and that they can't force HP to give me what I want. In that case if HP doesn't reply before April 20th then what? They get a black dot on a page of the holy bible? Come to think of it maybe I should send one of those anyway...

Moose

[prizrak]

Seriously? Why do they put the screws there? What if you're a tech at a repair shop?

See now, I posted earlier that Gateway made me reinstall Windows before sending it in. They reinstalled Windows to "fix" it. The problem was that it overheats. Guess what? I found the real problem. Their "thermal grease" is crappy and hardened into an acrylic-ish shell around the processor which then insulated it, trapping the heat on it and making it possibly hotter than if i didn't have a heat sink at all.

See the thing is that they have no way of checking your work. Granted I can put together a system faster and better than most Gateway techs. However the issue is that if you open the system and zap it with some static by accident Gateway, HP, w/e don't want to fix your mistake and shouldn't have to. If you are an HP, Gateway, w/e certified tech you have been tested by them and are therefore trusted. I can very much understand that and not have a problem with it. Now something like a different OS is just idiotic.

P.S. Overheating could be due to Ubuntu, if ACPI is not working right your fan may not run when it should or CPU scale down properly some people actually do report overheating with Ubuntu. In your case that wasn't the problem but could have been.

[prizrak]

I had a Gateway desk top once. I've never had that many problems with a desk top then I did with that gateway. To many bad memories to tell the whole story, so I'll just leave it at:




UPDATE:

Never did get a phone call, but I did get a letter from the BBB telling me that HP has until April 20th to reply with an offer. The email also said that they are not a government org, and that they can't force HP to give me what I want. In that case if HP doesn't reply before April 20th then what? They get a black dot on a page of the holy bible? Come to think of it maybe I should send one of those anyway...

Moose

Well in my case Toshiba didn't respond for like 2 months then randomly when I forgot about it and even got a new laptop they called me agreeing to fix it.

[ianmac]

My only experience with HP has been with printers, and I have to say I'd never buy from another manufacturer. All my printers (some of them 10+ years old, one less than two months old) work perfectly with little hassle in Linux, but I need to download drivers and/or install them from a CD in XP. Actually, I never got to install the last one in Windows, as the installation wizard tends to crash.

I used to be of the same mind, and probably would still buy HP for printers, but one thing I am disgusted with is their recent practice of toner cartridges that run out based on page counts and not based on the amount of toner left in the cartridge. My cartridges still print fine, but I have to replace them because I have used up all my pages. That's BS if you ask me. Everytime I do change a cartridge, something weird happens and I have to spend fifteen restarting and resetting the printer to convince it that it is okay. That is on a color Laserjet 2500. Also have a Laserjet 4M, Laserjet 1100, had a Deskjet 500C, Laserjet 4L, and have generally been happy, except, as I said, about these wasteful toner cartridges.

[Rodneyck]

UPDATE: Well the day is coming to a close. I never got a phone call from Mr. John.

BBB CASE#: 57094*** has been filed, and all I have to do is wait. :(

Forget about the BBB, its a wolf in sheep's clothing. They pretend to be this big consumer advocacy agency when in fact they are nothing more than just another corporation trying to turn a buck. How do you think they make money/run their organization?

They have a fleet of salespeople who target corporations to sign up for their "package deal"..you know, display the BBB on your website or business door for $$$$. Use their name and rating in your advertisements.

Those forking over big $$$ have less complaints and higher ratings. If HP is forking over money to them, do you think they are going to lower HP's rating and risk losing their business? Think again.

They have absolutely zero judicial power to stop, close down or hinder a company, except to rate them on their website. Oh no... please, not that. Don't waste your time.

[jenhsun]

Day 1:

After hours of work and boredom I finally earned the money needed to by a new laptop for school. With cash in hand I went to the local computer store and picked up a brand new HP Pavilion dv2116wm with XP: Media Edition installed.

When I got home I was a happy and a five year old during Christmas. I ripped open the box, and saw a smooth looking laptop. Light, smooth, and perfect for travel. Now, that I had it out of the box it was time for updates. I knew this was going to take a while so I started with XP updates via my wireless network. About 30 minutes into the updates I got the “Blue Screen of Death.” Should have taken this as a sign. Restarted, and fixed the error. Then another 4 hours of XP updates. Slowly watching my 120GB hard drive turn into a workable 80GB of space.

With now about 6 hours into updates I finally got done updating the updates that I just updated. Now, it was time for hardware and bios updates this didn't take long. I do have to say that it's rather easy to see what's installed on your laptop through HP's support site.

Day 2:

I bought a transformers logo, and placed it on the cover of my laptop. It looks sweet, and now it was off to work.


Day 3:

I went to go plug in my network cable into my Ethernet port, and it wouldn't go in? What's up? Oh the pins have already broke off! I called HP Tech support... There goes 6 hours of my life!! “Can you please turn off the PC, and run a test on the bios?” “Ummm no. Why? The port is physically broken.” “I need to see if there is a software issue making your connection work improperly.” “What?! Are you not listening to me!?”

Day 6:

HP finally got the box to me. It's funny how overnight to Alaska takes a few days.


Day 15: Finally got my computer back, and looks like they fixed my port.


Day 16: Went to check my email using my wireless network, but what... I have no wireless anymore. Not only does my computer not have wireless, but the WLAN switch in the front no longer works.

On the phone again with HP. This time I was hot. 4 hours with Tech support, and finally they told me. “Our repair department said they are not going to fix it. How a good day. “ They they hung up on me.

This was the last straw. I went to store to return it, and they told me that I couldn't' return it. I was 1 day from the 15 day cutoff. I'm glad I didn't carry my firearm that day. I think there would have been a shoot out, and a dead GM.

When I got home I called HP back, and this time got all the way to a VP of something. He told me he couldn't give me a replacement, but he promised that I would never have another issue after this laptop after it came back. He also gave me a direct phone number, so that I wouldn't have to talk to the stupid non English speaking tech support. Not that I care that English wasn't their first language, but if you're going to be doing the English tech support you might as well know how to cleanly speak it.

Anyway.

Day 24:

Got my laptop back, and everything is working. Spent the whole of a Saturday updating it, and installing Ubuntu.

Day 32: USB port died. I use it for work, and for school being a assistant, and in the UAA diesel mechanics program. I can't have my USB ports not working, because I need them. Tried to call the direct line to “John Thomason.” I was on hold for about 4 minuets, and then it cut me off telling me to leave a message and someone would get back to me. I left a message, and I NEVER got any calls back.

Waited a few hours, and called back. Same thing. I needed my laptop, so I took it to the closed HP center; CompUSA. They looked at it, and did everything I did to try and get it to work. They told me they would have to send it off. I said fine, because that means I didn't have to fight with the tech support.

Day 40: CompUSA called me today, and told me they got it back. HP didn't fix it, and they are going to have to send it back again. (Yesterday)

Day 41: (Today) I tried John Thomason again. Like before it cuts me off, and I'm starting to think it's a number they give to shut people up. Left another message, but I'm not going to stop there. I'm on hold right now, because I went from the bottom and working my way up. Now, I'm waiting for him to pick up, and I know hes there. They told me he was, so he can't hide from me. This is 4 times my computer has been away for warranty repair, and I'm going to get my money back, a replacement, or better an upgrade. The only think I'm sad about is getting stuck with vista. It's a good thing I have Ubuntu...

Still on the phone typing this up. I'll keep you in touch!
Moose!](*,)

You can make a video to YouTube and let the world's eye open about the service from HP. Although I know we all have the similar problems from different brand, by doing this way could gain the rest of customers' attention. And , well, you might get very quick response from HP's HQ.

[macogw]

See the thing is that they have no way of checking your work. Granted I can put together a system faster and better than most Gateway techs. However the issue is that if you open the system and zap it with some static by accident Gateway, HP, w/e don't want to fix your mistake and shouldn't have to. If you are an HP, Gateway, w/e certified tech you have been tested by them and are therefore trusted. I can very much understand that and not have a problem with it. Now something like a different OS is just idiotic.

P.S. Overheating could be due to Ubuntu, if ACPI is not working right your fan may not run when it should or CPU scale down properly some people actually do report overheating with Ubuntu. In your case that wasn't the problem but could have been.
I work in a computer repair shop. Does it matter if a specific company certifies you? We specifically aren't a warranty shop for any manufacturer because when you do warranty work, the company tends to repay you very poorly.

Vista did it too (all 4 days that I had it...couldn't run a freaking screensaver, but Beryl works just dandy), and like I said, the thermal grease had solidified. When that happens, the heat doesn't reach the heat sink. When I put good thermal grease on, the temperature dropped from 170 to 120. My fan does run when it gets hot, but it's not "forceful" enough. It's a tiny vent (laptop), a cheap, tiny fan, no air circulation whatsoever (laptop) and a non-working thermal grease.

[prizrak]

I work in a computer repair shop. Does it matter if a specific company certifies you? We specifically aren't a warranty shop for any manufacturer because when you do warranty work, the company tends to repay you very poorly.

Vista did it too (all 4 days that I had it...couldn't run a freaking screensaver, but Beryl works just dandy), and like I said, the thermal grease had solidified. When that happens, the heat doesn't reach the heat sink. When I put good thermal grease on, the temperature dropped from 170 to 120. My fan does run when it gets hot, but it's not "forceful" enough. It's a tiny vent (laptop), a cheap, tiny fan, no air circulation whatsoever (laptop) and a non-working thermal grease.

Yes in this case it was your thermal grease and I have been in the same situation. Company certification means they trust you to not screw up, simple as that. They don't know if you break it yourself if you don't have the certification. It's just as simple as that and is understandable.

There is really nothing to argue about, you might disagree with it but it is a very understandable and logical stance by the company [opening up the system voiding warranty]. Some companies have changed that, for instance my system has a special user accessible RAM module that would not void the warranty if you upgrade it.

[StueyB]

To be fair to HP, we have NX series laptops at work, quite a few of em. If you ring support with a business system and make it known you are the *knowledgable* IT guy, they will mostly just take your word for it, or so I have found. For example, I (the company) had a HP ultra portable biz laptop, and the USB failed. I explained it, that devices werent seen, but in other ports they were. Rang up, ten mins later DHL was booked

[macogw]

Yes in this case it was your thermal grease and I have been in the same situation. Company certification means they trust you to not screw up, simple as that. They don't know if you break it yourself if you don't have the certification. It's just as simple as that and is understandable.

There is really nothing to argue about, you might disagree with it but it is a very understandable and logical stance by the company [opening up the system voiding warranty]. Some companies have changed that, for instance my system has a special user accessible RAM module that would not void the warranty if you upgrade it.

I always thought they got rid of that 'no opening' thing some time in the 90s when all the nerds and gamers learned to mod their systems for the latest graphics cards. Then again, by the time you need to upgrade, it's probably out of warranty anyway since that's only a year.

[prizrak]

I always thought they got rid of that 'no opening' thing some time in the 90s when all the nerds and gamers learned to mod their systems for the latest graphics cards. Then again, by the time you need to upgrade, it's probably out of warranty anyway since that's only a year.
Makes sense, I think they are more lenient for desktops than they are for laptops.

[etotehpii]

I can relate to what the OP is going through. It is totally not worth it. I mean some people might need their laptop for work and can't afford to have their laptop out of action for two plus months.

My bro is going through a similar scenario with hp at the moment.

His Windows has completely borked itself twice in the past 3-4 months on his laptop. I don't understand why they don't include a disc with DRIVERS. We had to manually download all the friggen DRIVERS from hp. So we've had to reinstall Windows twice on his machine.

About a month ago it borked itself for the third time and made a series of beeps which would indicate that the video card wasn't working. After many long hours with the idiot tech support in India they finally agreed to send a box to ship it back to hp.

About two weeks later he gets the laptop back. They said they replaced: the case, the keyboard, the hard drive, the lcd screen and I think the ram. Apparently the video card was good? They didn't reinstall windows, but they had some form of linux installed on it that wasn't even booting up! I think it was some type of diagnostic linux. Anyways my bro was pissed that they didn't reinstall windows.

So there was another phone call to the idiots in India and many hours wasted once more. They send another box and that was roughly two weeks ago. There has been no word from hp.

My dad has had bad experiences with gateway and dell. However, he got an apple lcd monitor and in was DOA. Apple promptly sent him a new one. I would assume that apple has better support then their windows counterparts.

I won't be buying a laptop from any of them. I'm planning on buying a macbook or from system76 in the future. Building your desktop is the way to go.

[elephant007]

Oh, well, then try asking for a computer without the crappy OS they still sell, charging for something I do not ask for...

I'm just saying that I haven't had problems with Dell.

[Madmoose]

Update: I got a call today from someone from HP. I wasn't home, but they gave my girlfriend the same type of info Jonny boy gave me. I'll have to call in the morning to see if I get anywhere. I'll keep in touch.


My uncle sent me this link in an email with the Title as "Only if HP tech support was this helpful!"

http://www.devilducky.com/media/57946/

[MetalMusicAddict]

Man. Thats a crazy story. I will chime in with the others and say their printers have been great.

Also when I had a HW issue with my Dell laptop running Ubuntu they were really cool about it. Here's hoping they have a nice selection of linux boxes when they finally go through with all that.

[Madmoose]

UPDATE:

Like I said, I got a call from HP Quality Control. This time it was a man by the name of Roy Hubby, but I was at work so my girlfriend took down the info. I didn't get to really looking at it until this morning, and I would like to have you talk a look at some thing here. During my whole "HP Misadventures" I've gotten two numbers from HP staff. These are those nubmers:


HP Case Manager Line: 1-877-917-4380 EXT #94 Option #1


HP Quality Control: 1-877-917-4380 EXT #94 Option #1

Now, what have you maybe have noticed? Yes... They are the same numbers! Let me give you the states for this number:

Number of times called: 12

Minutes on hold: 60

Number of times a real person answered the phone: 0

Number of times cut off of hold to leave a message: 12

Number of messages left: 12

Number of calls returned by HP: 0

I've yet again left a message, but this time I left them with this message:


Hello, this message is for Mr. Roy Hubby. My case number is 630070****. I would like to be very kind, and save you the need of returning my call. You may send a box to return the laptop to 24*** Homestead Rd. Chugiak AK 99567, and send a check totaling $1016.88 for $948.00 paid for the laptop, and $68.88 for the two year service plan to Mr, A***** ***** PO BOX 67**** Chugiak AK 99567. You may call me to inform me of the FedEx tracking number for the return box, and when to expect the check. The phone number is 907-688-****. Thank you.

I guess all I can do now is wait, and see what they do. On another side note when returning anything to a store or factory for repair I make sure to find out who they use to send out my item, the reference numbers, and any other info to track progress from the sidelines. In this case I know that HP uses FedEx, and that they have a CSO tracking system that is hello hard to find if you don't know where to look or what it's called. Anyway, According to HP's CSO tracking system they sent the labtop back last night overnight freight, and it's on the truck right now. This means I could get a call from CompUSA telling me my computer's back, and come pick it up. Or I could get a call telling me they didn't fix the problem again, and they are going to have to send it off... again. I'm expecting to have it sent away again, so in that case it'll save them having to send me a box.

Anyway, I'll keep in touch. I just want to thank everyone who has participated in this thread, and welcome prayers, for those who pray, that I get what I want in the end. Hopefully within the next month I'll have a new System76 or a Macbook.

[StarsAndBars14]

Lol.

I guess when HP and Compaq merged their tech support divisions did too, and you got the bad end of it. I never had a single problem with HP. I've had a Pavilion 523n for about five years and (to say nothing of the operating system bundled with it) it worked since day one.

All of my problems were with Compaq.

[user1397]

..as to continue my story...ahemm:

So i decided to try the live chat again, and this time they offered me a reasonable solution to my blank screen problem (see post #19 in this thread)

They told me to do a non-destructive recovery, which would not erase my files, just my programs. That ended up fixing my blank screen problem.

Then I still had another small, but nevertheless extremely annoying problem: two taskbar icons that were always there, from boot-up to shut-down, were suddenly gone (the volume icon, and the 'safely remove hardware' icon)

I again tried live chat, and after several tries, such as editing config files, and messing with certain settings, I got the message "try doing a non-destructive recovery"

At one point one specialist suggested (I say at one point, because I went through many specialists, because it would gt disconnected all the time), that I was supposed to have an i386 folder directly in C:\ but I told him it wasn't there. So then he suggested the destructive recovery.

The weird thing is, that the next specialist (because I got disconnected from the other guy) told me that if I had an i386 folder in C:\windows\ then it was fine if I didn't have an i386 folder in C:\

I was confused.

So to unconfuse my self, I backed up my important files, and then I actually tried the destructive recovery option directly from the PC (i.e. no recovery discs)

After the "fresh" installation, I still had no i386 folder in C:\, and my sound wasn't working AT ALL.

So then I tried the destructive recovery with the recovery discs, and that seems to work so far.

[Mateo]

i probably won't buy any HP computer because they use ATI graphic cards. but i still love their printers.

[Madmoose]

UPDATE:

I don't know what happened to the post I posted, so I post it again. I got a call from the Hubby person. When he called he told me who he was, and then asked me what they can go to make me happy. I told him I wanted my money back, but he was set on that not happening. After pushing and pushing he finally said, "Look Sir we have made a reasonable offer to replace the laptop with a better one. You can either take it, or I can mark down that we have made this offer and you can keep the one you currently have. But, we are not going to refund your money."

Well, I bet you can guess what I did. Yeah, I took the new laptop. I'm getting a "better" one, and it's in the middle of being made right now. It's a good thing too, because that same day CompUSA called me. They told me "Sir, I'm sorry. We just got your laptop back again, and it's still broken. We are going to have to send it back out again, so what would you like to do?" I was all "Well..."

Anyway, I guess how this is going work is that they are going to send me some labels. Then when the new computer gets here I pack the old one in the new box, and then send it off with the new labels.

The thing that's scaring me is that I've haven't gotten any emails, paperwork, or anything telling me that I'm getting this computer.

Anyway,

I'll keep you informed.

Moose

[slimdog360]

good luck, I hope it works this time.

[bieber]

Seriously, get a lawyer; the amount of time you've had to waste on this is probably more valuable than the computer itself.

Also, maybe contact The Consumerist (http://www.consumerist.com).

[Madmoose]

Seriously, get a lawyer; the amount of time you've had to waste on this is probably more valuable than the computer itself.

That may be true, but that would cost more then the laptop did. :roll:


Also, maybe contact The Consumerist (http://www.consumerist.com).

Done. Lets see if they reply?

UPDATE:

Yet, theres seems to be more to the story. Someone called from HP, and left a message wanting to know if my laptop was still broken. It is, but what does this mean? Does this mean they are going to go back on the replacement promise? I don't know. I'll have to wait until the weekend is over.


Moose

[Swab]

Start a blogging about your experience with HP. Let John know you are blogging. Should result in a quick fix.

[wuzzerd]

Start a blogging about your experience with HP. Let John know you are blogging. Should result in a quick fix.

Lol, just point em to this thread.

[gtr225]

Damn after reading all this, I would think twice before recommending HP to anyone. Usually when one of my novice friends ask me what computer to get, I tell 'em HP because Dell really blows, it's just HP doesn't blow as much. Now I'll have to think twice. Me personally, I'm using an old Compaq I got from a co-worker and I did some upgrades to it and it gets the job done alright for now. In the few times I had to contact Compaq (now HP) regarding what upgrades I can perform on my machine, it was an exercise in frustration. I used the live chat feature and talked to some Indian guy with too many adjacent AAA's in his name and he seemed like he was reading everything he said off a screen.
Me: "What's the biggest hard drive I can put in my Compaq 5BW135?"
CSR: "40GB"
Me: "But I'm currently using a 60GB Hard drive!"
CSR: "Blah, blah, blah, we only test certain things, bs, bs, bs"

I just bought a 100GB drive and slapped it in there and the motherboard recognized it without any trouble. Shows how much Compaq knows about their own machines.