HP damaged my laptop and won't fix it

Just wondering if anyone had any advice that might help me out.

I sent my 8510p laptop in to HP to fix a video problem and they replaced the video board, sent it back to me. When I got it back it was very clear that there was still a problem, the video signal intermittently clouded up like there was a disconnect in the cable - I figured the tech didn't press the connector cable firmly into place. I sent it back for the 2nd time.

I got the laptop back and all my video problems were fixed; however, there was now a 2 to 3 inch long crack around one of the screws on the bottom of the case - like someone took a chisel or a screwdriver to pry up at the case. I told customer service and they sent a box for me to pack it up and send it back. This is the 3rd week in a row without my computer at home - it's starting to cause major problems because I need my computer to study.

I get a call back this last Friday from billing at HP telling me they aren't going to fix the case unless I pay them $200 even though it's very clear that the crack was caused by an incompetent tech trying to get into the unit. There was no damage to the shipping box and this kind of crack simply could not have happened during shipping - HP also tells me that because I got it late Thursday and didn't report it til Sunday morning, that I can't be covered for shipping damage (even though there was no shipping damage). They want $89 to send it back to me unfixed too.

I told them I wouldn't pay them anything for damage they caused - I left a message on the voicemail of the billing department supervisor.

Is there anything else I can do come Monday to get my case taken care of - the crack will cause the cdrom drive to slowly stop working at all - it's happened to me before on a Thinkpad that was ALSO damaged by the 3rd party vendor who wouldn't fix it.

I know that the damage was not there until I received it back the 2nd time because it was very noticeable as the cd-rom was not seated properly due to the crack in the case, the bezel kept slipping.

Any advice or contacts would be really appreciated.

Thanks
Michael

 

I feel for you man. I know it must suck to have someone ruin your computer and then blame it on you.

Your only recourse is to escalate, escalate, escalate your problem and don't take no for an answer. Document everything you can remember. Write it down so your story stays consistent regardless of who you speak to. Here's the contact page for HP phone numbers. I could have sworn that I saw the phone number to the President of HP on there but now I can't find it. Best of luck and remember persistence pays off in the end.

http://welcome.hp.com/country/us/en/contact_us.html

edit: Here's a link to contact Mark Hurd HP CEO.
http://www.hp.com/hpinfo/execteam/email/hurd/index.html

 

wow. hearing this after just having received my dv5t from them with no problem. Guess its not the same for everyone. Hope it works out for you.

 

Talk to a case manager. I sent my freinds laptop in and they told me their was a crack in the screen bezel ( it wasent my laptop but figured they did it ) i told them it wasent my fault so they got a case manager to look into it and decided to fix it for free. Turns out it was my freinds fault lol. Also they consider removing the p/n sticker from the hard drive " coustomer damage "

 

That's really weird. I got my laptop back from repair too with multiple damages. I phoned them up the next day and they sent me a box immediately without any resistance. Try to file report though BBB. They helped me get my computer fixed with HP.

That link doesn't actually contact Mark Hurd. It actually contacts case manager.

 

How would I get to talk to a case manager ? I'm thinking escalating through the billing department probably isn't going to do much good - since they're probably pretty disconnected from the technical side of things anyway. Should I call the support number and ask to speak to a case manager?

Thanks for all the advice (and sympathy) so far. It really stinks because I am in the middle of studying for some technical certifications and this computer is what I do my simulations on - so I've been unable to do much studying for almost 4 weeks now.

Michael

 

If you call them by phone and your computer is out of warranty, it is near impossible to get a case manager to talk to you. They get you to leave your information with them and say the case manager will call you back within 48 hours. If you are out of warranty, they will not call you and they will not tell you that you are not going to be called. As soon as your warranty expires, you only get as far as the tech support in India. This shows how much HP cares about its customers. Use the 'contact Mark Hurd' link in the previous post to get to a case manager.

 

That is unfortunate. Always take a picture prior to sending a product for repair and take a picture after you receive it. Just remember converse in a non threatening way and no insults.

 

Well I tried going up through the technical support business notebook line. I was surprised actually that I got transferred to India for this one - I thought business support was still in the US. The connection wasn't the greatest but I could hear the support tech on the other end. I stayed calm and polite and explained the issue. He took notes and put me on hold a couple times. I kept asking him for someone that could approve a warranty repair like this - he finally put me through to a case manager in the US - the connection was REALLY bad and I could hardly hear her. She gave me the same runaround that I got from billing on Friday when I talked with them. Because I took 48 hours to report the problem - I didn't pick up the laptop til really late Thursday and didn't notice the problem til late Saturday so I reported it on Sunday - they will not repair it. The crack is small enough that it's not easily noticed unless you know it's there - I didn't have a clue it was there until I put a CD into the drive because the drive would not close properly due to the crack.

They insist it was there when it arrived the first time even though I would have noticed any cd-rom drive problems immediately.

The case manager said she would review the case and get back to me by COB but I don't expect to receive any calls. I filed a complaint on the BBB website since I think that's the last thing I can do at this point. It doesn't seem like there is anywhere else to go with HP. I don't have much faith in BBB to actively resolve disputes either.

Michael

 

Well my laptop is coming back to me 'unrepaired' - HP won't own up to any wrong doing. I know that the damage was not there going in but that doesn't matter - for $200, HP has lost a customer for life - and I get to pay them $89 for the privilege of giving me a black eye.

Worst customer service I've ever encountered I would say.

My company buys many thousands of dollars in HP desktops, laptops, and switches - hopefully I can direct them to alternative vendors at some point.

I filed a complaint with BBB but I doubt that will do any good - I just don't have the time to fight for my rights as a consumer. My study timetables are already behind because they couldn't fix my laptop right the first time.

Anyone reading this, caveat emptor with HP.

Michael