HP Warranty Tales

I would like to know what HP owners' experiences have been with repair/replacement issues under their HP warranty. I am especially interested in the warranty support in Canada.

......Thanks!

 

On that note, let's say if you've done some upgrades to the notebook, using after-market RAM and get rid of the factory default ones. Is that going to get an answer like, "These memory modules aren't certified by us, hence we won't support you", even though it's not a ram related issue.

Any help appreciated, just thinking about getting rid of the 2x256, ie sell it, and replace it with 2x512.

 

Dforion,

My experience of Canadian HP support is on both side of the scale. I have had bad and good experiences when dealing with their support. You also have to remember that when you call, you might get bounced to some otehr country that might not be as skilled as others (reading off cue cards for things to try), so this may lead to poor support.

When I had an NX7000, I called to get my HDD replaced as the drive that was included was making a clicking sound (IBM/Hitachi), they just got my info and shipped a new drive to me without hassle. Same happened when I called to get my optical drive replaced (slow burn speeds, 10mins to burn a 700MB CD at 16X). I told him of my techinical background (used to repair notebooks) and he shipped it without hassle.

Now, with my NX8220, I called for support regarding a few issue with the unit, and it sounded like they had no idea what they were talking about. I also tried their online chat and this was even worse. This support rep (will not use the term "tech" for this guy) did not even know what the difference between a DVD/CDRW combo drive and a DVD+-RW drive. So, getting a good experience is really a hit and miss process.

But, in regards to repairs (sending the unit out for repair), I'm not 100% sure as I've done all the work myself (drives only, no systemboards or LCD's). But, if I was ever in need to get this done, I could just take it to the shop my friend/former manager works at and have him do the repairs. The company he works at is an IBM/Toshiba/Dell & HP (Business notebooks only) Authorized repair facility.

Since you're in Canada, I'm sure there are a lot of HP Authorized Repair facilities in your area, so it shouldn't be a problem. Check the HP site, I'm sure you'll be able to find a few.

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ThePhenom,

Upgraded ram should not be too much of an issue (at least when I was working with my friend/former manager) when I was repairing notebooks. If there was 3rd party ram in there, we'd still do the testing and see what's cauing the problem. If it was a hardware problem (not the 3rd party ram), we'd get the needed parts and repair the unit. BUT, if it turns out to be a software (we'd swap with one of our test drives and load a clean OS on it and see if it reproduces the problem) or hardware problem, we bill the customer for the time spent. We give an option to the user to have their OS reloaded, if it was an software problem, and bill them for the reload.

I guess it comes down to the company/tech working on the unit. Some might have issue with it, while others won't. You can try pulling the ram from the unit before shipping to the repair facility (like some users pull the HDD's before sending it in). This way, it'll force them to use their own ram to try to re-produce the problem. If not, they'll say it was your ram (since they used their own).

-Vb-

 

Thanks for the clear up. I might just keep the original ram lying around since it isn't going to sell for much either.

 

That's not a problem. I guess it's also a good idea to have some backup ram in the event something does go wrong with the ram you bought. This way, you can still be up while getting the other ram replaced.

-Vb-

 

Thanks Venombite.

I am undecided on a new HP or Toshiba and am curious of experiences with HP, as I presume Toshiba support is quite good and know it is available locally. As you stated, HP service is also available locally. Only work I've done to date on a notebook was show a friend how to upgrade the RAM. I am technically capable and with little or no coaching I could swap a component if/when necessary. But if it does need to be sent into a service center, it's comforting to know there will be one nearby. In contrast to HP and Toshiba, according to Acer Cust. Service, all Acer notebooks must be sent to Acer in Mississauga (or Texas in the US).

I understand your frustration with "outsourced" tech support. Earlier this year it took me three calls to Delta Airlines to get someone who had any command of the English language. When I finally got a supervisor in Atlanta, he loosely commented "you must have got our call center in Calcutta". I can't help to wonder how many passenger reservations are being made to Birmingham, England rather than Birmingham, Alabama!

 

Dforion,

I have never used Toshiba's support line since I was always capable of getting the problem resolved myself. But when repairing notebooks, we dealt with their ASP support line which is not filled with consumer support L1 reps. They're more knowledgable of the product (since we actually service these units, they should know more than us) and are capable of doing more than the consumer L1 techs.

Doing repairs on these new Toshiba's are a lot harder than the older units. You actually need to put a little bit of elbow grease to pop a top cover off (feels like it's gonna snap, but doesn't) so I wouldn't recommend taking on this task. Also with the new designs, you have to flex the systemboard to get it into the case (I have no idea why they built it this way as it may cause secondary damage that won't show up until later).

Regarding Acer, I guess that's how they do repairs. Since I leave 40mins away from their Mississauga location, it's not too bad for me, but still a hassle. I'd stick with the HP & Toshiba I have and bring it to my friends shop for repair. Someone I know working on it is better than someone I don't.

It's a bit scary to see how things are going. You don't even know where you're calling these days to order your stuff.

-Vb-