I don't know if it is possible for HP customer service to get any worse that this!

In December 2007, my HP Pavilion laptop started having problems. In short, the AC adapter would no longer charge the battery unless you jiggled it a lot, and even then it would not work most of the time. I was in danger of having a computer that wouldn't power on, so I decided to call HP. Upon calling HP Customer Service, I was told that my computer was not under warranty, even though we had purchased 3-year extended warranty. "Ryan", who was obviously in a call center in India, told me this was not the case, and offered to sell me a new computer for $500. I declined and decided to have a friend temporarily fix it, since I was under the assumption that my warranty wasn't valid anyway. That worked for a while, and then I had to buy a cheap laptop that I wasn't very fond of either.

Fast forward to February 2008. I get a letter in the mail from HP, saying that my extended warranty for my HP Pavilion laptop is about to expire, so I should purchase another warranty. Oh...so it DID have a warranty after all! The customer service people sent me a box via FedEx to send it in for repairs. I was told that the motherboard would need to be replaced. I sent it in...and they promptly lost my computer...for FOUR months. During that four months I kept calling my case manager to inquire about my computer, but I never seemed to be able to get a straight answer as to where it was.

When finally I got my computer back in May (keep in mind I sent it out in February) not only was the original problem not fixed, the computer had pieces falling off, and the repair invoice had all these things on it like, "replaced LCD screen" and all this stuff that had nothing to do with the original problem!

I called HP to complain, and they sent me a brand new HP Pavilion dv6000 series laptop for my trouble. I was not pleased with the situation, but their offer of a free laptop placated me for the time being. End of story, right? Wrong.

Fast forward to October 2010. A few weeks ago my current laptop (the one HP gave me as a replacement) started having the same issue my previous laptop had. I called for repairs (as it had an extended warranty until 2011) and I was told it was a motherboard issue. Clearly, their line of laptops have rampant motherboard problems. So I sent it in for service on October 26th, 2010. I got it back today, October 28th. I was surprised I got it back so fast, but I was more surprised when I opened the box. Upon opening my package and inspecting my laptop, I discovered a GIANT crack in the LCD screen. To add insult to injury, the motherboard was clearly not replaced because the computer still wouldn't accept the AC adapter (so my original problem is still unsolved) AND they completely wiped my hard drive.

Of course, I immediately called HP...trying to control my rage in the process. The customer service representative tried to do troubleshooting on the AC adapter problem, as if I hadn't just told him that I opened my package to find a massive crack in the screen. He, of course, told me that the damage was not present when it left the repair center. I would certainly hope so. The cracked screen was obviously a result of FedEx carelessly handling it during transit, but the person I was talking to almost seemed content to leave it at that until I mentioned it's not my fault at all what FedEx did with it. HP chose to use that carrier, so they are responsible for it, period.

After much waiting on hold, I was told that they were going to send me another box to ship my totally destroyed computer. Well, at least that's what the rep tried to do, but he couldn't approve shipment because of the cracked screen (which is generally not covered under any warranty). Instead, he said he would "escalate" the problem to a case manager and I should hear back in 24 to 48 hours.

Well I heard back sooner than that. Today (Oct 29), I received a call from my HP case manager...at 5:12 AM. I didn't bother to answer it, because I had been asleep! I have no idea what time zone they were calling from, but they have my file and should be able to tell that I'm currently in California. Adjust call time accordingly HP! She called me back later at a much more reasonable hour. She restated that the damage was likely done in transit (which makes sense as the box appeared to be damaged and re-taped) so in order to file a claim I would have to take pictures of the box and my poor computer. As of this moment, I am waiting for her to send me an email so I can actually send the pictures she wants. Once that is done, we can see about getting my computer fixed.

Not that it would matter much. With a wiped hard drive it barely counts as my computer anymore. Sure I have the information backed up, but who wants to go through the hassle of getting everything in order again? Not to mention that if they send me another box I have to spend my time and energy taking it to the nearest FedEx center. Ugh.

I'm just beyond frustrated. I just can't believe the lack of care they put into making and fixing their products. They're obviously meant to break down quickly, and I'm skeptical that if I send it in it'll get fixed. The obvious screen problem will undoubtedly be resolved, but I'm willing to bet money that my original motherboard problem will not be fixed (after all, it hasn't happened the last two times). If for some reason I get a new complimentary computer from them, I'm not going to waste money on an extended warranty for it. When it dies (and I guarantee it will in two years like my last two have), I will take my hard-earned cash to another company.

I'm sick to death of HP's shenanigans.