Envy 14 Woes

I don't know if this belongs here, but I am going to post and hopefully someone can put it where it needs to go.

So I received my brand new Envy 14" with the Radiance display back in August. It was just in time to go back to college. I was incredibly happy, but when I received the unit it had a broken key on it. It kept falling off because a bracket was broken. I didn't have time to send it back to HP so I dealt with it going back to school. Finally I got fed up with it and arranged for it to be repaired by HP. Come first half of September I sent it in and they had received my unit. Since then they have still not repaired it.

I have been in contact with a case manager for the past week or two. He agreed to build a new laptop for me to replace the one in their possession. My only problem is that I know they don't offer the Radiance display and that was my selling point on the Envy 14". They are sending me an e-mail with a build for me to approve. Basically what I am asking is what should I ask for and if the Radiance display isn't an option should I just ask for my money back?

Thanks guys!

 

Why won't they repair it if they have it in their possession?

 

Or ask for like the best configuraton lol like 8 gig and stuff

 

They keep telling me the part is out of stock. Every time I talk to them they just say they are waiting for a part to come in. The case manager told me once it gets past a certain amount of time in their possession then they just replace. Yeah I would ask for 8 gigs, but I don't know with a processor bump and more RAM would trade off for the Radiance display. A 14" screen with 1600x900 display is just too beautiful to give up. Now I wouldn't be that mad if I could just have a unit to borrow until mine is fixed. I just really need a laptop for class and can wait if I actually have one to use.

 

To be honest, if they wouldnt be able to replace my laptop or give me a replacement with the radiance screen, I would ask for a spec bump (try going for one of the new upper i5s such as the 560/580 and 8gb ram).

If they say no to that I would demand my money+extended warranty money back since they can not fix my laptop or provide a comparable one within a timely manner.

 

so...wait.

they can't get a replacement keyboard for your laptop?


damn man.

 

Nope. They say they are out of stock and are waiting on one. Every time the expected shipping date comes up they call me telling me it is pushed back once again. They have called me 3 times about pushing back the delivery date. It is so stupid because all that is messed up with the keyboard is the key that has this on it, |\, I rarely use that key, but they said they don't replace a single key, but the whole keyboard. It kind of sucks because I love the laptop other than this minor problem that has dragged on for a month now.

 

HP tend to send out refurbs rather than do timely repairs under warranty, so if you for any reason send in a radiance envy, you'll get back a brightview envy.

What you could do is demand they send you the same laptop back, and to upgrade your warranty to "HP total care" with in-home repair service, and let them fix it under warranty at your house when they get spare part for the keyboard.

Or, have them give a full refund then order a different laptop which has a nice screen. I would recommend a vaio Z, vaio EB, or macbook pro 15".

For a direct replacement you can get a radiance envy14 from ebay or a new one shipped overseas from certain shops in australia and canada. I listed some shops in the fight for radiance thread a few pages back. If it ever breaks though you'll be in the same mess you're in now. That's why I went with a sony.

 

I do like the Vaio Z with the 1920x1080 display. =P I could live with the 1600x900 on the 13.1' screen though. How is the build quality of the Vaio Z? Do you know if they are running any discounts? If it comes down to getting my money back I would prefer not to have to spend extra. I don't want the MBP for the fact they are overpriced for what you get, even though I like the aluminum body. Thanks for the responses!

 

What? Where's your proof of this?

I'm pretty sure that's not legal. They can't simply send you a lesser machine (or any lesser components, for that matter) without your consent.

A case manager would be all over that in a heart beat. Trust me, I just got done dealing with one, and the support I received was excellent.

 

where's the proof or has anyone else posted experiences like this on the forum ?

 

Update:

I have been talking to a case manager for the past two weeks. He has offered me several upgrades for hdd, cpu, and RAM plus a 2-year extended warranty for a new build to replace my Envy 14. The repair people told him that there is something wrong with my screen when they did the diagnosis back in September. He is double checking for me to make sure. He said if there isn't a problem with the screen he will send me back my laptop with a keyboard for me to replace the key myself instead of waiting for them to repair it.

This is good news, but he also said if there is actually something wrong with the screen they estimate the part will arrive November 19th. He said if I wait that long then they will repair my laptop and give me extended warranty.

I don't know what I should do, but I certainly just give up that Radiance display. Here is hoping he can just send me back my original laptop with another keyboard so I can just fix it myself.

 

I really wish I could see one of these radiance screens in person. I love my screen on my Envy 17, but I know it's not supposed to be as good as that. I'd love for someone to compare Brightview, radiance and MacBook Pro screens. How do the Macs stack up against either?

 

To be honest, my friend has a Macbook Pro 13" and not considering resolution between the Radiance and the macbook screen, they are almost identical. Sometimes I notice a color difference, but they are almost minute that I don't care. Personally, if it came down to a macbook or a laptop with the radiance display I would go with the radiance for the higher resolution. It is pretty awesome!

My sister has an hp with the brightview, and my Radiance(At least what I used to have) blew it out of the water. Again I am not comparing resolution, but based on color reproduction and the vividness of the two screens, Radiance hands down.

Resolution wise: I would totally take the Radiance over the Brightview in a heartbeat.

 

so now that you want it back, they claim to have broken your rare and irreplaceable radiance display? that sounds kind of dicey there

 

Update #2:

So I got my laptop returned to me today. They replaced my keyboard since that is what I had it sent in for. I boot it up all happy ready to play with my laptop again. They have done something that has lost my respect for them. Not only did it take over a month to repair a keyboard they replaced my Radiance display, I REPEAT, Radiance display with one of their brightview displays. How can I tell? Only the maximum resolution supported is 1366x768 on this screen now. Plus the dead pixel I had on my Radiance is not evident on this one. This is the worst customer service experience I have ever dealt with. I loved the laptop until they pulled this little move on me.

 

Demand them to take it back asap and replace it with a refurbed radiance with better spec than yours as compensation?

 

I am going to. I have to wait until Monday to talk to my case manager. The worst part about it is that I use my laptop in college and haven't had it since I started school because I had to return it to HP. Now I am going to have to send it back again and wait for them to -foot around to decide what they should do.

 

That is horrible I am also a student but I am looking for a laptop and that screen is what really turned me onto the Envy. Did they say the radiance display was going to be back in stock on the 19th? Best of luck to you getting everything sorted out.

 

Be sure to bring up the phrase "bait and switch", that would give you a lot of leverage.

Edit: In your case, you say, you baited me into your envy product line with radiance display and then you switched it without my consent.

 

Sorry for not posting recently. Been dealing with HP. To answer a few questions they are not getting the Radiance back in stock. What HP told me about it is the company they bought it from still honors any replacements it needs to make, but they aren't selling them to HP anymore.

My case manager said they are no longer able to replace my screen, and he didn't know why it was replaced in the first place. But I told him I am going to file a fraud claims with them since I can't get the product I paid for and they are cooperating with me. So now what he has done is issue a refund. I am sending my laptop back in and getting my money back. IT is absolutely frustrating for me, but since they can't meet my needs I am just getting my money back and finding something else. HP isn't always like this but they have ed me over this time.