Despite being a devoted HP user for years, I am becoming more and more outraged by their poor customer service and inflexible -- and outright absurd -- return policies.

Here is a thumbnail of my situation:

- Bought a Pavilion Ddv6700 for my college-bound daughter in June. This model had the AMD Athlon dual-core chipset. With a couple of weeks, the unit failed and would not boot (or appeared that way because the screen remained black). HP had me jump through various home repair hoops -- taking hours due to complete system recoveries -- until they determined that, yes, the unit wasn't working correctly. So they sent out some recovery disks. I told them that this would not help since we had just tried that, trying to boot from the recovery drive. I asked for a replacement unit. They said no. They said that sending recovery disks was all they could do at that point because they were "following procedure".
- I called again after the recovery disks arrived and failed to boot the computer. I called HP and told them that the problem was continuing. I get excalated to the case management department. After going more tests over the phone, they agreed to send a box for repair. The box arrived and I sent off the unit.
- The unit comes back after a couple of weeks and boots OK. But sound and wireless card do not work. After more phone calls with tech support and more home testing, they agree that the unit is not working. I ask for a Pentium-based replacement since I suffered similar problems six months earlier with my own AMD-based dv9500 (which was eventually replaced with a Pentium version). HP says that they can still only send a box. I have not yet proved that the unit is a lemon.
- So I send off the unit again for repair. But before I do I express my concern that time is running out and that with repair delays, the laptop may not arrive in time to fully test it before my daughter leaves for college. The rep says that there is nothing he can do. He is following HP policy, but assures me that "we can address this situation again if it fails".
- The unit comes back and boots. But the wireless card fails again. I call HP again and I learn from one of the techs that I spoke with that HP has had a historical problem with AMD chipsets on certain laptops, but not this one. At least, not yet.
- But now I have a further problem: my daughter is leaving the very next day for college and she doesn't have a working computer. I have to go to Costco and buy something off-the-shelf, but make sure that it is a Pentium version of the dv6700. I demand reiumbusement from case managment in a subsequent call. He agrees but says that reimbursement will come from another department and that I may not get my full payment back because I am outside the 30-day return period. I explain that HP forced me to be outside of the 30-day period by their insistence on repairs. I am told, "sorry, but I am just following procedure.". I send off the defective unit and hope for the best.
- Today, I get a check from HP that reflects a 20% discount based on my "use of the computer". How crazy is this? The unit was a lemon from the get-go and HP had it in their possession as much as we had it in ours (and didn't work during that time, anyway).
- I call HP yet again and ask for Technical Support for Executive Services at HP Corporate to get some help. They say that they do not have this number and I have to work through case management. I explain that case management were the ones that I went through andf were the ones responsbile for the current situation. How can I expect any better support from them now?

So I send off an email to the last case manager and will follow up with a phone call on Monday. Today is Sunday and they are not open, of course.

I don't expect to get anywhere.

Have other people had this problem?

Chris

For the last month on a daily basis I have been searching the web about a HP aio printers. I looked at all models. There seems to be a built in failure rate for the scanner and copier portion of these printers. After doing an hour long chat with them I have come to the conclusion that what needs to be done is a class action law suite to force them to fix the printers. Any one can search the internet, forums or other web sites to see the problems. I had two failures, different printers same problem. A design flaw seems to be the problem. I am looking for a lawyer to check into this.

Mine is a Compaq Pentium Computer that was 10 months old. For some reason, the colour on the monitor turned mostly pink. I called the tech and we did some trouble shooting for over 2 hours trying to find out what the problem is. He finally diagnosed that the problem was the video card. So, he sent the box, etc., yada, yada...Mailed it, etc. Returned a week or so later and it had never even been opened.

I, again called and let them know. The assured me that it would be fixed. So, we got the box again and resent it. Came back again, same thing. So, I called again and spoke to another different person. I again explained the whole thing. Again we went through the same rigamoro with the testing. An Indian woman answered the phone this time. She decided it is now the mother board. Sent the box, etc. A week later +- it came back and the colour is still pink. I called them a fourth time ... I thought maybe it was the monitor, so I brought a monitor from work. Guess what? It fixed it. We told the tech and he said "It is not the monitor". He is sending another box to us. It must be the computer. In the meantime, the warranty has expired. We told them we will not pay a cent for the repair. This has been going on for 2 months. So, my computer is on its way back to Indianapolis, Indiana yet again, to supposedly get repaired, for sure this time. I am in Oregon. I have no idea why we have to send it so far away. There is never any paperwork attached to say what was done, if anything. We are so frustrated. We contacted the State Attorney General's office but we're waiting to see what the case manager said. So, right now it looks like we are going to send the letter to them. Does anyone have any comments? I have spoken with 1 Canadian, 2 Indians, and one American. My husband has spoken to 2 Indians and one American. We just can understand the Indians. I am sorry. I think I have been very patient. Got any ideas?

I bought a new Pavilion 6110 notebook and after 4 months, the display starting going out... And when you used the battery, it was so dark you couldn't see the screen. I sent it back for repair. Got it back... They supposedly replaced some kind of line... OK... It seemed to work for all of 3 WEEKS! Then the screen went completely dark all the time, even plugged in, so dark you couldn't use it. I called and returned it once again... It has been almost 3 weeks and no computer. I have called and called and been transferred around the world time after time. I have been told that they can't find it to it was sent from one service center to another, that it was sitting with no order on it, to "we will have a supervisor call you within 24-48 hrs"... (which never happened)... Although I don't care to talk to a supervisor, I want to know where the laptop is, why isn't it fixed and when it is going to be shipped back!!! I am screaming mad. I have gone through the story 100 times with 100 different people who mostly can't speak English and I am so aggravated!! I just called again and was transferred 3 times to be told our systems are down!

Potential Customers beware. I have had my computer for a total of about a week before I had to send it in for service. The problem was very simple. It was a broken battery latch. By the way, I think this mechanism was far too weak. However, the subject of my concern has got to be near illegal. THEY LOST THE COMPUTER! My investment, their mistake...too bad. The stories I got from the Indian help center were:

-I asked, can you just send me the part? They said if I installed it myself it would void the warranty. So I sent it in.

After asking after the expected return to date:

-No parts - sorry about the delay.

-Other problems found on the computer now fixing (What are they doing turning on my computer to fix a battery latch....this was none of their business!)

-Computer has been shipped- No Tracking Number...what? I checked, again, it had not been shipped.

-Last call, the response was that I should take my problem up with Fed/Ex because they lost my computer and HP has nothing to do with it. Of course without a tracking number Fed/Ex doesn't know what the heck I am talking about.

Interestingly, the address they gave me for the service center is a computer refurbishment and resale center in Tennessee! Very Interesting! I wonder if double profits can be made for one sale!

The only thing that I know I can do at the moment is warn other consumers. What a Merry Christmas present this was. I will always remember HP for this. I don't think I will see a penny of this back.