HP dv2718us 14.1" Unique situation

hey, I bought this laptop on the 2/1 from Officedepot.com, but requested for a refund due to fan noise (the fan runs constantly). It's an amd x2 tl-62 2.1ghz, w/ 3gb ram, etc.

I received a return authorization number 2 wks ago and that Office depot will have the item picked up.

I received my refund last wk, but for 2 wks now, there is no sign of office depot attempting to pick this laptop up.

So, my question is: Is there a similar "lost and found" paperwork that I could file so if after xx days, I could legally claim the item as my own, essentially for free since I already got my refund.

Has this type of situation happen to anyone here?

 

I wouldn't mess with that. Chances are it will not work to your benefit and they'll charge you. If you used a credit card and have not seen a credit issued, then that's why - because they dropped the ball, but they still have your money.

I'm sure if you read the fine print in their return policy, it goes over such situations and what the possible outcomes are. It would be nice to get a free laptop, but as they say, nothing is ever free.

I've been in similar sitautions. With a major purchase like a laptop, I doubt they'll miss that. If you want to take the chance, monitor whatever you used to purchase it. If you actually do see the charge removed, then there's always the possibility that they could catch it later. Most retailers have a clause where if the merchandise is not received within a certain amount of time, your refund is reversed back to them.

Regardless, the more time that goes by (they list 14 days for techology to be returned), the less options you may have.

Here is their return policy:

http://www.officedepot.com/renderSt...rservice/Refunds.jsp&template=customerService

 

hey jong81,
are u seriously happy w/ ur dv2740se?
We have sim. spec.
I know the fan is inaudible w/ tv, music, etc. on, but say in a quite room, doing surfing, the noise doesn't bother you? That's a grand you just spent.

 

Ya I'd call them and see what's up. If you keep it they will most likely catch it eventually and then they can come after you (possibly even for a criminal charge for fraud, theft, etc). Honesty is always the best policy because what comes around, goes around.

-Reby

 

well here's the specific dates:
2/6 rcvd. return auth. no.
2/7 I inquired about p/u time....response, essentially "We don't know."
2/7 received my refund.
2/22 (14 days elasped) no reversal of refund or any charges to my cc.

"Chances are it will not work to your benefit and they'll charge you. If you used a credit card and have not seen a credit issued, then that's why - because they dropped the ball, but they still have your money."

sounds good, but it's just that, it sounds good.

"they'll charge you" <---they have no authorization to do so.
"but they still have your money" <---no they don't.

I do appreciate your response, and keep it coming. thanks.

Here's the situation:
1) if they'll pick up, I'll be happy.
2) if not, I'll still be happy.

in a nutshell: I a) requested for a refund and b) followed up w/ a p/u time, so I've done my part in this buyer-seller relationship.

 

"If you keep it they will most likely catch it eventually and then they can come after you (possibly even for a criminal charge for fraud, theft, etc)."

please refer to this quote (mine):
"I received a return authorization number 2 wks ago and that Office depot will have the item picked up."

the email said "Office depot will have the item picked up." I even emailed them for a p/u time.

so no worries, paper trails exist.

The point is, a little consumer like me should not have to hold OD's hand. I simply want to know if, due to OD negligence, I can somehow benefit from it.

 

I don't think I notice the fan, because I have a PS3, my 4 year old desktop computer running and compared to those, it's VERY quiet. And my friend who just bought a $2000 macbook has a fan that gets even louder.

I WOULD have paid a grand, except I bought it on Amazon.com for $920 where there was a $50 rebate (which you may be eligible for - I posted the link - certain stores may not qualify, although I don't see Officedepot listed as being disqualified - call for details) and THEN I complained about a dead pixel and loose casing on the display frame (which wasn't serious) and they gave me $184 off, so really, I paid $686 no tax, no shipping. Had they not offered the 20% off, I would have probably exchanged it or returned it and bought it locally. It's a great machine.

My computer runs pretty cool, so the fan is rarely on with mine, unless it's plugged in OR I'm sitting on my bed with it on my lap and inadvertantly blocking the vents.

You also may qualify for the Office Depot $135 rebate.
Check here for dates, and look for another coupon if you don't qualify for this one, because they probably have one around:

http://www.pocketdeal.com/deal-Offi...v2718us-Turion-64-X2-2.1GHz-Laptop^32202.aspx

HP rebate that you probably qualify for:

http://g-ecx.images-amazon.com/images/G/01/00/00/01/14/05/45/114054510._V825324_.pdf

Use Coretemp to check your CPU temps. Your system is pretty much identical to mine (minus the verve I think), so you should be getting around 30C to 35C (idle), 35C to 45C surfing the net and such and around 62C for virus scanning and more intensive programs (Mine has never gone over 62C).

That could be a good way to check if there's maybe something wrong with it that's causing the fan to go on more.

I'll try to pay more attention and see if I can notice my fan more - I'm usually watching TV or something when I use it, which could also be masking the sound. But I still don't think it would bother me. The fan serves a purpose.

 

jong81,
That's a great deal. I almost jumped on the verve FULLY spec to reach 1399 then -500 coupon to 900, but I had the dv2718us at the time and thought that the fan issue will be present w/ the c2d t9300 version.

I agree w/ the fan noise, it IS SILENT when w/ ambience noise, and I even posted on some other threads confirming how "cold" it is around the intake vent because the fan is always on.

well, try is, in your room, close the door/window, turn off every thing, now use your laptop to just browse the web...now you'll hear the white noise, but for 686 that's a steal, esp. w/ verve finnish (depending on what deals are going on the verve finnish alone will cost 120 to 190 over the radiance). (yeah, I love amazon due to no tax).

 

No - those were all "possibilities" - I wasn't sure how you paid or if they still had the credit taken from your card. Bottom line is, if you have the laptop, regardless of whether someone picked it up or not (and there would be a tracking number for such an occurence - RMA is just to link it to you), they can technically still charge you.

The point of an RMA is to track the item. If they don't receive the item with that RMA number, then that either means it was lost in shipping (which couldn't have happened, because it was never picked up and there is no tracking number, which there would be had it been ) or you still have it.

They probably said they would pick it up to save you the cost of shipping it back with insurance/tracking.

So what I'm trying to say is, although it could happen, it's unlikely and I want to make sure that if you DO want to return it, you STILL have the option. I was just trying to make sure you cover your butt, savvy?

AKA - I wouldn't want you to be stuck with a laptop that you don't want. You could probably still get it returned regardless, because you have the RMA. And the truth is, you HAVE to hold their hand sometimes, because otherwise you get screwed. Customer service is NOT what it used to be.

But IF you keep it AND they also charge you (I don't know the legalities of the lost and found thing you mentioned), then keep that rebate so you at least get a reduction on the price.

PS - You're also talking to someone who needs fan noise just to get to sleep. I CANNOT sleep if there's dead silence. Like there has to be a "hum" or something in the background - main reason my desktop is left on 24/7.

 

I'M POSTING THIS BY ITSELF TO EMPHASIZE THAT IF YOU DO GET CHARGED AND YOU KEEP THE LAPTOP, YOU QUALIFY FOR BOTH REBATES ($50 and $135) IF YOU DEFINITELY BOUGHT IT ON 2/1. CLICK ON THE "pocketdeal" link above and save yourself $185.

 

I think the 50 ends in April and the 135 ends this month.

Normally I'd think it's weird to need noises to fall asleep, but I used to know someone who turn on a small fan at night for the white noise effect.

so, based on your usage description, then your laptop is virtually silent...well good deal for you.

but it'd be nice to get some kind of gift card for holding their hand.

"And the truth is, you HAVE to hold their hand sometimes" <--this is actually a very halarious statement, if viewed in the right context.

 

Okay ... I'm in a quiet room - nothing on .... you're right ... the fan does constantly go. However, there are programs you can download to control the fan. Look around for them. But it still doesn't bother me enough. What laptop did you have before that didn't have any fan noise?

I'm pretty sure everything I own that's computer related has some sort of fan on it. And this is the quietest of the bunch. I actually find it kind of soothing. Lol. If you think about it, anything that needs a regulated temperature makes noise. Your refridgerator, your oil burner, your car makes more noise when the A/C or heat is on. All of these things make noise and at different levels. Maybe I've just embraced it (so much to the extent that I can't sleep without it ... lol).

Anyway - as I said, you can download a program that controls the fan. There are a few threads up right now that mention it. Can't think of which ones at the moment. It's a good laptop - that's all that matters to me. If you read through the forums, you're not the only one that mentions HP laptops tend to have a lot of fan activity. But like I said, my friend shelled out $2000 and his is just as loud, if not louder. When you think about these new CPUs and how much they're doing - how fast they're processing information - there's no way to stop them from getting as hot as they do other than to cool them off with a fan. Maybe you could get a water cooled laptop?

In fact, I also leave my desktop on during the winter, because my room is cold without it running - lol - so I guess you could say it's serving two purposes for me right now.

Embrace the fan, my brother. It's the way of the future. Lol.
I think the only reason I'd be ticked about the fan noise is if it wasn't a good laptop, which it is. It can blow air at me all it wants as long as it gets it's job done.

PS - The holding hands thing flew over my head ... can you break it down for me? Maybe I'll get it in a few minutes.

 

Now you got me curious. What version is your BIOS? Is it F.13 or F.14?

Also, just for your reference, here are some other people sounding off about their fans (all different computer manufacturer's I might add):

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=222029
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=217440
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=217595
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=10819
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=1202

 

yes, other HP dv threads mentioned about the BIOS version, apparently the preferred vers. is the prior to f.13, but at the risk of overheating.

 

"Okay ... I'm in a quiet room - nothing on .... you're right ... the fan does constantly go. However, there are programs you can download to control the fan. Look around for them. But it still doesn't bother me enough. What laptop did you have before that didn't have any fan noise?"

you'll miss the point if you conflate "What laptop did you have before that didn't have any fan noise?" with "the fan does constantly go", they are not one and the same; a T61 may have its fan running constantly, but it may produce close to no noise.

Any laptop will make noise, the point is, to qoute you, "the fan does constantly go" <---that is not preferrable; never delude yourself into thinking that is okay..(sorry to sound a little rough, but come back tomorrow, and reread your post #12, and you'll see the defeatist attitude; you been a PR man or an aspiring PR man?).

"But like I said, my friend shelled out $2000 and his is just as loud, if not louder." <---very true, but notice you didn't mention the status of the fan: on once every 15min, every 30min, etc.

I'm assuming you're referring to his Macbook Pro; I've used it for an 1hr surfing the web, it was silent...no hdd noise, no fan noise, nothing, besides being a bit warm on the underside.

 

Dude - I'm not trying to argue with you ... it is a fact that laptops have continuously running fans. The fans run at lower speeds (which is why you may not hear them) ... as heat increases, the speed of the fan increases. I even went and researched this.

I'm not defeatist ... I just don't get excited about fan noise. It's common in many laptops. If yours is on and mine is on - obviously, that's just the way this model is. So you either get another model and hope for the best, or you accept the fact that this model has a noisy fan (for you).

This is a subject that ticks a lot of people off, so it's a personal thing. Would it be nice if my PS3, Desktop and XBox 360 (the loudest) and Pavilion didn't make fan noise? I guess so, but it's not gonna keep me up at night or make me return them all, because I'd rather just enjoy them and that's just the way they are.

I DO have my own pet peeves. I CANNOT STAND dead pixels or stuck pixels, nor can I tolerate any sort of display issues. I'm totally OCD about that. Like, I exchanged 3 iPods before getting one that I considered acceptable display wise. Then there was my Wii that made a buzzing noise when I would insert a disk. I sent that sucker back. It's all about how you feel. You obviously wouldn't pay money for a laptop with a continuously running fan. That's your choice.

 

Actually, those are the dv6000/dv9000 series. Ours has no BIOS that lists changing the fan algorithm.

 

start quote:
Quote:Originally Posted by MR2eggz
yes, other HP dv threads mentioned about the BIOS version, apparently the preferred vers. is the prior to f.13, but at the risk of overheating.

Actually, those are the dv6000/dv9000 series. Ours has no BIOS that lists changing the fan algorithm.

end quote.

as for this particular post, I'll try to be more clear, here's a rephrase:

yes, other HP dv threads (your links AND OTHER links) mentioned about...etc

Now, just FYI, since late 2007, HP released updated BIOS, basically instructing the fan on AMD laptops (probably just the 14inchers) to run constantly and continuosly (redundancy for emphasis ).

 

"... it is a fact that laptops have continuously running fans." <---..sign...(I have 4 diff. laptops w/ me rt now)....CAN ANY NON-HP LAPTOP OWNERS chimp in here to set jong81 straight?

well, as a sign of good gesture, don't downgrade your BIOS to F.13, there was no diff. when I downgraded mine. Stick to F.14.
(hp.com>support...>type in model #>etc).

 

no one has been in this type of situation before?
Why would OD refunded me and never follow thru to p/u their item?

 

I suggest you get in touch with them and find out what's going on with regards to the collection.

Before they find out it's missing and pursue it.

 

yeah, I'll email them on Mon. and see what's up.

nice laptop you got there, could let me know if the intel version has the constant-on fan issue?

 

Thanks, I will, once I recieve it. However I was under the impression HP released a BIOS update that made the fan run constantly on AMD systems because of over-heating problems.

 

I dont think you should worry at all, if they ever do catch on say, well I've been waiting for you guys to pick it up... its not my fault u didnt pick it up. You have the paper work to back it up too

 

The only series that has an update listed as "critical" that also has a description of changing the fan algorithms is for the dv6000/dv9000 series. They may have released all new 14.1" dv2000 series laptops with a constant fan running in the initial release of the BIOS for that series. Any updated versions of the BIOS for dv2700 lists no critical changes with a fan algorithm. Maybe it's only the AMD versions.

 

The pickup service must be delayed or something. They should come around to it sooner or later. Make 100% sure that THEY are picking it up and YOU dont have to send it in. If so, Use the lappy till then if you like

I wouldnt bother contacting them though. Its their fault they arent doing their jobs correctly. You have clearly done your side of the transaction and have the paperwork to prove it.

If you do contact them, tell them everything. If they still dont recognise that its theirs and it needs to be picked up, then they must have done something wrong (maybe put it down as a completed RMA). Id call or email a few times to make sure you or the laptop stopped existing in their merchant system before deciding to keep the laptop

NO you cannot get charged for fraud or theft. You dont even fall into either offences. You never decieved or mislead them in any way and its not stealing if they know exactly where it is and who has it.

Companies CANT just charge you without giving you notice. Unauthorised transactions are protected by federal law. Even if they do, call up your credit provider and put it down as Unauthorised transaction. It happened to me before and got my money back =D

 

paid2get, flipfire,

yeah, I was thinking the same way.

but I can't really use the laptop for anything other than to surf the web since I can't personalize anything.

also, most of you seem to have a dv26xx-27xx, the constant fan noise doesn't bother you considering the money you all spent?

my 2003 compaq presario tank knows how to be quite once in a while, running w/ a P4, used it mainly to test out linux distros
(sidetrack: if any you are considering trying linux, go w/ PCLOS as it is closest to WinXP, familarity-wise. Also, its main attraction, for me, is the "control center" sim. to XP's "control panel." I'm running the gnome version
experience: PCLOS .93?, PCLOS '07
SamLinux ?, SamLinux '07
PCLOS '08 minime <--too bad cpufreqd won't open
**PCLOS Gnome ver., my install, most functional "out of the box"**
briefly installed ubuntu 7.10 but lacking "control center").

 

Nopes i dont usually notice it unless its really quiet. My laptop coolers fans seem to just go over the laptops fans noise.

I have to put my hand on the back exhaust to feel warm air to see if the fan is is on

It might have to do with the AMD processor

 

Almost resolved.

As it turned out, OD attempted to p/u the item on 3 occassions. Their, or the p/u service person, only oversight was neglecting to leave behind a notice of p/u, or a phone call/mssg would be nice, too.

They'll send out for a p/u.

But this time, I'm posting a note on the door w/ a pencil so that both parties may effect a desired solution.

Thanks all for replying.