HP In-Warranty Repair Woes

I see what you are talking about now, Lakersgo. Kubel, I am telling you what they going to give it is usually not negotiable, that is at least that is what my case manager said. Unless the replacment they offer happen to have the same problem then I think you are in a better position bargining for different model.
By the way, Kubel your model is a pre-configer model, not an CTO, I believe that makes your in even worst position of baringing for upgrades. I don't know how much you got your computer, but when I got mine it was when the dv6000 model just came out and pay for pretty high specs around $1300. Mine computer died! and your is still working.
Ask for a different case manager and stick with the DV6000 model and try to bargin for a little more upgrad. And let your case manager know that if this replacment happen to be an lemon you want to request a different model. And PHONE THEM! NOT E-MAIL and keep calling them.
I know most of those ppl posting in this thread probably won't get another Hp in any near future, but try to solve you problem asap and not to linger with them anymore.
I will probably give dell a try in the future. I am sure they are at least better than Hp's service now.

 

No. My system was pre-configed with 512MB. What I'll probably end up doing is putting the original 512MB that was in the system back in and keep my 2GB for the replacement.

As far as getting the TX1000, here's the deal: I haven't demanded it. So far, I've asked if it was possible to avoid the DV6000Z series in favor for a TX1000Z. If HP agrees, they will have kept a loyal customer. But giving me a same-model replacement doesn't pay for the hell they put me through these past 2 months- and it won't guarantee that the problem will be fixed.

So I will gladly accept whatever same-model replacement they offer (since that is to be expected as per the warranty they are obligated to honor). Them offering an upgrade (in addition to just a replacement) is not just an attempt to fulfill their obligations to my warranty. It's an attempt to keep me satisfied as a customer. What I'm basically saying is the time, frustration, and overall hell I went through isn't worth $80 worth of upgrades. So if they want to keep me a satisfied customer, they will have to do better.

I expect a working laptop of equal or greater value to what I have now for my warranty. But to keep me as a happy returning customer, I'm expecting something better than what I was offered. It's as much to do with me not wanting the same problems all over again (by avoiding the dv6000) as it is an issue of customer satisfaction (giving me something that will make me return as a customer). That's why I'm at least asking for it (not demanding it).

If they say no, I won't sit there and pout and demand anything. I'll just accept what they give me, and remember this experience, and never again buy another HPaq.

 

Do you seriously think after all this they still want you back as a customer? The fact they still offer you some upgrades is a bless beyond any means. I am not sure I can treat someone that nicely after all the whinning I've heard from him/her. Stop fantasizing the TX series, you need to take the deal they give you. Period.

 

Come on guys, give the guy a break. It's his hard earned money that bought the laptop. It's also his laptop that is defective. It's also his laptop that he can't use. It's also HP's fault for not fixing it.

The biggest thing about this that gripes my a$$ is that HP doesn't return his calls (as promised) and hasn't emailed (as promised)!

As a company grows there support system grows. As this growth occurs additional layers get added that make situations like this more difficult to deal with from both sides. HP really needs to work on this!

This should have taken one call per repair. After the second repair (that didn't work) it should have been escalated and fixed quickly. Look at the amount of time both he and the company have invested in this. HP needs to look into this situation and make some changes, after all this is costing them money and customers also.

If HP would make the necessary corrections to their support system they would save enough money to move tech support back to the states (a pipe dream) and make enough money from new and returning customers to make the stock holders very happy!

Just my .02, and I hope he gets what he's asking for!

 

I've found this thread pretty interesting, for some reason. First, kubel, just to offer a little moral support, I've never had the sense, reading through your remarks, that you're a whiner. Second, at this stage, if it were me, I'd probably just tell them I'm willing to take the replacement, as long as it has a Go 7200, which is a cheap upgrade ($35). If the VGA-out is the main problem, it seems worth a shot. If they balk at this, I'd offer to pay for it myself, just to put it all to rest.

It seems like HP has a tendency to take a hard-line approach. I had to call Dell's customer service when I got the M65 in my sig, which was a refurb from Dell Outlet. It had substantial chassis damage, though refurbs are supposed to be cosmetically pristine, so they sent me a brand-new one, despite a new M65 costing well over twice what I paid through Dell Outlet. But I think support and service for Precisions and Latitudes are handled differently than Inspirons, which, like the DV6000s, are consumer models.

 

Yeah, it's really sad as a consumer to see the quality of service drop after the move was made overseas so many years ago. I wonder if big companies will ever learn that local support is ultimately in their best interest.

That's probably a good idea. Maybe the request for the TX will soften them up for a Go 7200 upgrade.

 

Just a quick update:

I just called my case manager Roy. I got right through this time, and he said it has been forwarded to the financial department by his associate "Paul" (who I think was the name of the guy I spoke to before and who emailed me), and I will know in about 3-4 days what the tracking number would be for the replacement. He said he would call then and keep me updated.

In the meantime, Microsoft has magically de-activated Windows Vista and won't accept the key on the bottom of my notebook (I noticed this last time I sent my notebook in for repairs when it came back, but didn't think my issues with HP would take 30+ days, which is the time Microsoft gives you to activate). It's day 31 and I was expecting Vista to lock up, but all it does is just disable non-security related updates.

I'll see in a few days what the status of my replacement is (if I was even approved for the TX1000Z or if they went ahead with the DV6000Z, I'm not even certain). Either way, I will just be relieved to put this whole experience behind me.

 

Wow...sorry to hear about the activation issue Kubel. Join the club I have going of people who have had the same issue.

I hate to sound cruel, but having that activation issue happen on a factory installation of Vista is just downright sad and funny...MS really cannot get their act together at all can they?!?

But in all seriousness, I hope this ends well for you. You deserve the new laptop, and hopefully if you get a few upgrades it will be worth the trouble. I've done that route with HP before, and that is the only reason I stay with them as a customer...their warranty actually means something to me because they'll eventually honor it if you push hard enough.

 

I thought- Oh, this isn't a problem... I'll just load a backup... but I guess TrueImage doesn't like DV6000's. It froze right as it was clearing the drive. So my options were: Install Vista via recovery disks (and get all my bloatware reinstalled)... or go back to XP. So I went back to XP. I'm much happier now.

Oh, XP's QuickButton drivers are much better than Vista's. You actually get on-screen-display, and the mute button turns orange when it's engaged. Didn't do that on Vista.

 

so i talked to my case manager today and lost all hope tryin to negiote getting the fingerprint reader and settled for the dv2500t. it will have all the same/comparable specs as my laptop. we'll see how tihs laptop holds out when i get it.

 

Another update:

Yesterday, Roy told me the configuration was sent to the financial department. That apparently was another misunderstanding (or lie, you decide).

I got an email from my contact at HP executive customer relations today:

He has been trying to call me? That's another misunderstanding. No one tried contacting me this week from HP, except Ellen. And I must say, I really appreciate her keeping me updated. She is the first and only person at HP who has ever called/emailed me to check on my status.

So I tried calling Rodrigo. Rod was on the phone with someone and wasn't available. Hold or leave a message. I chose to hold. 20 minutes on hold, and nothing, so the guy that originally took my call picks up and tells me I can continue to hold or leave a message. So I choose to leave a message. I left my phone number and case number. I was told that Rod would call me back "today, right after he's done with his call".

I've been told that line so many times before... That was well over 45 minutes ago. I wish I could speak to someone at HP for 45 minutes. Anyway, we'll see. I can continue to wait for Rodrigo to not call me, or call Ellen. I'll give Rod another few minutes...

 

Yet another update:

I got tired of waiting for Rod to not call me back, so I called Ellen. She put me on hold and tried getting through to him, but he left the office. So once again, I was told someone was on the phone with another person when in reality, they weren't even in the office.

That kind of irks me that lieing to customers is standard procedure at HP. But apparently they lie to their executive higher-ups as well, because Ellen was under the impression that Rodrigo has been trying to contact me this week, when he hasn't. It's been the other way around!

Ellen told me to try to call him tomorrow. If I still can't get through, I should call her. I'll try calling before I go to work tomorrow, hopefully I can get through then...

 

Hopefully the final update before I physically see my replacement, but I doubt I'm going to be that lucky:

I called HP right when they opened this morning at 8AM EST (since I have to leave for work in a few minutes) and got right through to Rodrigo. He said my case manager was Roy, and forwarded me to Roy (even though Ellen told me to contact Rodrigo). Now Roy, if you remember, was the one that told me my replacement was already ordered just the other day.

I explained that Ellen from Executive Customer Relations emailed me... He said the replacement is already ordered, so nothing to worry about. But which one was ordered? The DV6000Z or the TX1000Z? He said he would email me the specifications "in a few minutes". I should have pressed him for an answer, but I didn't. Now I will be in suspense all day for an email that will never come.

If I come home from work tonight and don't see an email, I'm going to try calling Ellen and confirming that my replacement was ordered, and what the specs are (since I was already told once before that my replacement was on it's way, and that was not true).

Hopefully this ends soon. HP is almost as disorganized as me. That's sad.

 

I had a horrible time with HP Tech Support over the past few months. Back in November of 2006 my webcam started acting up and wouldn't work, then my wireless cut off completely. I sent my laptop in and got it back fairly quickly, but only the wireless was fixed. Since I needed my laptop for school and work I decided to live with the webcam not working until my Spring semester ended.

I called HP to setup a CSO in early June and I shipped my laptop in. I got the laptop back a week later and it was not fixed. So, I setup another CSO (esclated service) and sent it in again. Someone ended up screwing up my account by adding in a second CSO for my laptop but with a different mailing address and a different problem. I called and called several times to get them to correct this error, but in the end they did not. I got my laptop back on Monday (7/9) and the repair techs fixed the "error" with the sound card (which was under the incorrect CSO), but did not touch the webcam. My case manager wanted me to send it in again, but I told him I wanted it replaced. He said he was not allowed to do that, so I sent a rather lengthy e-mail to Mark Hurd to see what he could do. I got a call back around 5 pm EST from Jeff and he said that he would let one of his advocates know about this problem and see what they could do about getting my laptop replaced.

I got call back around 6 that night from a guy who worked under Jeff. We went through some last minute troubleshooting steps and he ended up saying he would take my information and submit it in order to set up a replacement. He said that they usually do not deny his requests for replacements, so I should be getting one. The next day around Noon EST I get a call from Ellen about ordering a new laptop. I again gave her my contact information and I e-mailed her a copy of my sales receipt. An hour or so later, I get an e-mail from her detailing my new laptop order. It is supposed to be built and shipped out by July 19.

After dealing with HP's horrible tech support and repair techs for the past couple of months I am really glad that they could end my misery with this lemon and have a new one shipped out to me. My old laptop was a Pavilion dv6045nr and my new one is a dv6500t with the specs:

Genuine Windows Vista Home Premium
Intel Core 2 Duo processor T7300 (2.00 GHz, 4 MB L2 Cache, 800MHz
FSB)
15.4" WXGA High-Definition HP BrightView Widescreen Display (1280 x 800)
2GB DDR2
383MB NVIDIA GeForce 8400M GS
HP Imprint + Fingerprint Reader + Webcam + Microphone
Intel PRO/Wireless 4965AGN Network Connection and Bluetooth
200GB 4200RPM SATA Hard Drive
LightScribe SuperMulti 8X DVD+/-RW with Double Layer Support
HP Expresscard TV Tuner for Windows Vista Notebooks
12 Cell Lithium Ion Battery
Norton Internet Security 2007 - 15 Month Subscription
System Recovery DVD with Genuine Windows Vista Home Premium
Microsoft Office Home and Student 2007
Mobile Stereo Earbud Headphones
1-year HP Accidental Damage Protection with Express Repair Extended Service Plan for HP Notebook PCs

My OLD dv6045nr specs:
AMD Turion 64 X2 Mobile Technology TL-56 and 512KB+512KB L2 Cache (1.8 GHz)
15.4" WXGA High-Definition BrightView Widescreen Display
120GB (5400 RPM) Hard Drive
2GB DDR2 SDRAM (2 Dimm)
802.11 b/g WLAN (wireless)
LightScribe Super Multi 8X DVD +/- RW with Double Layer support
HP Mobile Remote Control
nVidia GeForce Go 7200 with up to 256MB TurboCache video memory
Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition (Vista Capable)
1.3 megapixel Webcam

It is quite a large upgrade, but I am finally glad to be getting rid of this junker that I have had to put up with through the past year.

 

wow lucky you!! but I have heard stories the new 6500t or 2500t will act up too these days. Man Hp's quility really sucks!

 

AmpCoder
You did real well. My upgrade was good but not as good as yours but I am very happy with it. I went from a dv9008nr to dv9000z that is loaded. I really like the GeForce Go 7600 dedicated graphics in the new unit compared to the Go 6150 integrated graphics on the original unit. My new system runs very cool too. No heat or noise issues.
Good luck with the new system.

Jim

 

As expected, Roy never emailed me my specs. I'll try calling tomorrow.

 

Update: Ellen from HP called, and assured me that this time a replacement CTO was actually ordered. She said she couldn't get a tracking number because she wouldn't know until it practically arrived at my house- but she said that it was ordered and it would take however long it takes for them to configure it and ship it out (probably a week or two).

Since it was already ordered, I didn't bother asking which model it was (DV6000Z or TX1000Z), since at this point, asking for anything different is a little late and will only delay me getting a replacement by another few weeks. So I will be surprised when I open the box. Either way, the replacement will be better than my last system.

Finally, my troubles are over! ...or are they?

::dramatic music plays::

to be continued...

 

Good luck!

Every once in a while I real CS person shows up and actually does their job (like your Ellen). Those people deserve a big thanks for trying to fix issues that were the fault of other HP reps...

 

They take about 14 business days to build and probably 2-3 days shipping. Except it to come end of July at least.

 

Kubel,

Glad this is (hopefully) coming to an end. If I were you I would sit down and open a Word document (or open office) and start writing every little detail about this whole experience in detail. Dates, Times, Names, jest of conversation or specific conversation, promises made, promises not fulfilled, etc. Just to have it all in one place and in an easy chronological order.

I would then send a copy with a note to Hurd via registered mail. Just something along the lines of: Is this how customer support is supposed to work? Or exactly how much money have I and your company lost due to this.

At the least it will be documented with someone higher up at HP. Maybe they will take another step to ease the pain of this ordeal.

 

Uh oh, HP just sent me an email saying that my laptop repair might be delayed. Has anyone else received this message yet?

 

did it say how late? if it going over 15 business day you might be able to request a new lappy for replacement

 

That usually means a part that failed is on back-order. Expect a delay, or if your case manager is on the ball, he might throw in the towel after a few weeks and make an allocation request to the financial department for a replacement. Just keep kindly calling them for updates.

I already have a Google Doc ( http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dhp954gp_5hg73fq) filled dates and times and stuff. I was planning on sending a letter, but I got a call from Ellen from ECR, and she really helped get the ball rolling on a replacement.

 

Update:

FedEx got my hopes up. They came to my door... with an envelope. Here's what it contained:

 

I got one of those FedX letters when my replacement system was being built. DON'T send the old system back until you have the new one and it is up an running for a few days. I waited a week before I sent it back and had no problems doing that. If they would have bugged me, I might have sent an email saying that "Your system has been delayed" to see how they like it. lol
Jim

 

I'm definately not sending back my old system until I'm convinced this new one is acceptable. I'm not sure if I still have my manual and stuff. I'll have to go digging in my closet.

 

aww...thats not i wanted to hear. I was expecting a quick return from HP; well, it looks like i have to borrow my company's laptop then, it looks like its going to take a while...

 

DolphinAMD
When mine was in for repair the second time, they had it for 29 days and I never got an email saying it would be delayed. At least they have improved in that respect. They kept telling me I would have it in 3 to 5 business days. The first time it went in for repair i had it back in 5 days however it was not repaired correctly. I hope they get it right for you. Good luck

Jim

 

I just sent my broken one in. It can't be turn on anyway...

 

Arrgh....i've sent mine in on July 7th and now the repaired delivery date has changed to July 31st! Has anyone received their DV6000z back from repair yet?

is there anything i can do to complain? i'm not too happy with hp at the moment. i've been without a laptop for two weeks.

 

From what one of my previous case managers have told me, if it takes longer than 10 days (including weekends) to do a repair, then you can have a replacement shipped to you.

Yeah, it is a pretty big upgrade from what I had. But I am seriously thinking about selling this on eBay brand new. I do not really want another HP again, and the money I get could be put to buying a MacBook Pro that I have been wanting.

 

I got my replacement... I don't know how to really use Vista still checking it out. So far so good!


Update!...my new unit will have this very light hezzing sound... like electic sound and Vista starts up very slow for some reason. I serious think I won't get another hp again.

 

My HP has been total junk, just got it back from its second repair in the first 7 months of this year...this time it only took 3 weeks, last time it was a month. This time they replaced the hard drive motherboard (second time) cpu and fan. It was supposed to come back the 10th, best anyone could tell me was 25 more days after that date had passed. My case rep was supposed to find out and call me back, on july 11...after multiple phone calls to her, other case managers, and hp corporate still never heard back from her. Someone at HP corporate told me he'd just replace it cause this was kinda ridiculous...he's been "out sick" since I was told that. When I finally got it back they had none of the correct drivers installed (plenty of bloatware though). This made it appear to me as my x700 was no longer there as the only thing showing up in device manager was a gma915. After installing the x700 drivers on my own it now shows up.

I'll never again do business with HP. Unfortunately I have 570 days left on my warranty, and its not a question of if this piece of junk fails its when. Hopefully I can get another computer before that happens. I can't lose use of a computer every few months for weeks on end.

If you are a potential customer reading this...stay away and don't waste your money....I had to file a complaint with the better business bureau and call the corporate executive customer service office 3 times a day to finally get mine repaired. Even then they shipped to an address that doesn't exist and I had to pick it up myself. Worst computer I've ever owned.

 

I'm still waiting on my replacement. It's been a week so far, so I'm expecting it here sometime tomorrow (if they send me a preconfig) or sometime toward the end of next week (if they send me a cto).

 

Update! I think the hezzing sound has gone after I update the all the driver and BISO. Just the problem why Vista took so long to start up and shut down

...Update again... the Hezzing sound is still there just less frequent. Quality of Hp...man...

 

so i got my laptop yesterday, and got my replacement today. my case manager gave me another 12 cell battery (i have 4 of these now), another pair of headphones, the dv2500t case, the upgraded graphics card 8600gs, and surpurisingly he got me the wireless card with draft-n even tho he said he wouldnt. this comp also came with the auo screen, which is alot better than my sec screen which was garbage! i am satisified, even tho i would have liked the fingerprint reader (i was willing to pay for it but due to policy i couldnt).

overall, this replacement is far better than my other one and i am satisified. ima send my other laptop back on monday, i figured i can spend the weekend with my old laptop and get my old stuff off of it.

 

Aww...that did not work. I called HP support and they said there is no such thing. How do you get in touch with a case manager?

 

well my laptop has a problem, Sometimes if I turn on my computer, all led indicator turn on blue, but the screen still blank and I can't hit the bios. I need to hit my power button many times to make this laptop work well.

I'm in indonesia, and I will send my laptop to my friend in US, and my friend will claim the warranty.

but now I'm affraid about HP's warranty bacause of this thread.
So I want to ask a few question

1.what is the first step must I do when the notebook come back unrepaired ? (call hp again for another CSO ? or something else ?)

2.when I can claim to replace the notebook ? (if I send the notebook 3 times to hp and still not repaired) <<< is this right ?

3.how did you guys get a case manager for helping you ?

 

please start reading from the first page of this thread

 

Please I'm already read this thread from the first page to last page before I post this question.
and I didn't get an answer about the three question I asked to you guys, so I ask you guys for help ......

 

Answers
1.You must call customer service again.
2. 3 is the magic number
3. I fired off an email to Mark Hurd. Use this link to contact him.
http://www.hp.com/hpinfo/execteam/email/hurd/index.html
That's what worked for me.

Jim

 

Replacement arrived just a few minutes ago. It wasn't the TX1000Z, so in that sense, I'm disappointed with HP. But the replacement doesn't seem to have the buzzing issue (very good, that means it probably won't have VGA out issues). And it has plenty of subtle upgrades over my older system. I'll have to plug it into my docking station to see for sure if it's acceptable though.

I'm still going through Vista initial setup, so I'll know more about the pros and cons later- but for now, here's an initial review:

1) Touchpad buttons are much quieter (no more plastic click noise when you click them).

2) The fan, at full speed, seems a bit noiser than my older system. Perhaps that's because it's doing an initial setup and it's being choked by my bed .

3) Power button is spungy. I prefer the clicky response I get from my old system.

4) The keyboard is clunkier sounding. Sounds like I'm typing on a keyboard on top of a piece of cardboard. I'm not sure if I like the cheap clicky sound on my old system, or this clunkly sound on the new one.

5) No wavy flex on my speaker mesh. On my old system, it looked like someone stuck a screwdriver between the plastic chassis and the metal mesh and started prying. The new system is nice and flat.

6) Battery is very difficult to remove. It's a lot snugger, so it doesn't move as much when it's in place, but it makes using the latch very difficult. At first I thought I forgot to remove some kind of plastic from the battery connector- and it got jammed in there, because it wasn't coming out! Finally I got it to give. Maybe it will break in with use.

I'll know more later when I plug this thing into my monitor.

 

I don't know whether to laugh or cry... I plugged in my replacement into my docking station... SAME PROBLEM! Except this time, it does it on all power modes!

I'm not sure if I should try dealing with HP anymore or if I should just sell this thing on craigslist and wash my hands of it all...

 

I just got off the phone with Ellen from HP. She was completely unhelpful. When I told her that the same issues occured on my replacement, she paused, and then said "Jeff, this is a brand new replacement".

Then she tried suggesting it was my monitor. Nope. Tried 2 different desktops and 1 other laptop, no problems. Then she tried suggesting it was a Vista compatibility problem (after she explained she wasn't technical). Nope... I had XP and Vista on my old notebook, and 3 monitors (2 LCDs and 1 CRT) all had problems when I plugged in my system on both OS's.

Then she paused, and said "I don't know what to tell you", and said that the best she could do is offer to buy back my old notebook, but I would have to call on Monday because her manager wasn't in.

The "I don't know what to tell you" and "Jeff, this is a new replacement" was sort of offensive- as if I was lieing or something? As if I would say, "Oh, this is a new replacement? Ok, well the problem isn't here if that's the case, thanks, buh-bye"...

I would rather sell this new replacement than get a depreciated refund for my old notebook. At least I'll get some of my money back. But it doesn't make up for the hell HP has put me through.

NEVER AGAIN will I ever purchase another HP product. My friends and family already know about what I've been through with HP, and I'll make sure I continue to share my experience with people I encounter when asking for advice on a new laptop.

I'll probably sell this on craigslist or just keep it as a mobile solution. It works fine as a mobile notebook (15.4" is sort of large, but the LCD is fine), but if I plug it into an external monitor, it will just remind me of how sucky HP is.

I'm extremely disatisfied with HP. So I suppose this is case-closed for this thread.

 

Ouch...I'm sorry. At this point you are completely entitled to a full refund if you ask me. Contact the BBB (again?), and a lawyer if you really feel the need.

 

So both your old laptop and your replacement had problems displaying from your expansion base? Does it do the same thing if you connect the monitor directly to the computer?

 

Just out of curiousty, after SIX broken things/messed up things on my laptop, I'm wondering if there is ANYWAY to get a full refund from HP?

 

You sure you set the monitor setting correctly? Is your external monitor wide screen? I am starting to think is your monitor's problem. Since all your old notebook worked, maybe your external one is out of date? Not compatible to the new machine anymore? Because If I was Ellen I don't know what to tell you either. The more you keep calling her for this problem is basicly telling them that you HP design a flawed laptop, that probably kill the will to help you. Since you never test on different monitor except your own is very hard to tell what is the problem. My suggestion is that you figuer out your monitor out try your friend's new computer or use your friend's monitor to see what happens.
Well I guess the lesson here is not to get Hp. Sell this brand new unit and use that money for some other computer will work.
But it will be funny if you get different brand and happen the same. Then you owe Hp big time!
Find a friend good at computer to to help you out!

 

I'm positive it's not the LCD because the problem occurs on all the monitors in the house, but the problem is most annoying on my 19". All the drivers are installed and it's completely compatible with Vista (but the problem occurs in XP too). In addition, my 19" (along with all the other monitors) work perfectly fine on all the other notebooks and desktops in the house. I'm 100% certain it's the notebooks, not anything else.

When I unplug the AC adapter, the problems all go away. I've tried my other AC adapter from my Compaq and it didn't help. I've tried the AC adapter in other rooms, so it's not a problem with the electrical in the house. I definately considered all this before contacting HP.

As far as the docking station (HP QuickDock), the distortion occurs with the station (through the expansion port, to docking station, and then vga out) AND through the laptops VGA-out. So it's not the docking station (unless of course, its a coincidence and both the laptop and docking station are broke).

I am certain this is a model-wide issue (with 6150 graphics), unless I'm just extremely unlikely to get 2 notebooks with the same flaw. I just don't think that many people hook up their DV6000Z's to external monitors, and if they do, they problably aren't noticing it. I need a clear display for Photoshopping (and to prevent headaches).

I've decided to just give up on HP, send back my old notebook, and keep this replacement, and just use it without docking it. The laptops LCD is clear and the system works fine mobile.

I blew $600 on a new desktop, so that solves my stationary computing needs. So I think this solution works fine (but its more costly). I was in need of a new desktop, but I was hoping to kill two birds with one stone when I originally purchased my HP.

I'm going to write a certified letter to HP detailing all the dates and stuff, just to blow off some steam. Then I'm through with them.

Anyway, I appreciate all the support and advice everyone gave. I hope the rest of you with HP problems don't get stuck with an Edsel like I have.