HP refund after so many repairs?

Hi everyone,

I have a dv9700 that has had endless screen problems since I purchased it almost 2 years ago. The latest problem was a backlight that would light for 2 seconds upon opening the screen then go out. Long story short I was able to get HP to take it in for repair free of charge and at first I was quite pleased with the remarkably fast repair time (the whole process took a matter of days from the time I received the pre paid shipping box.) They replaced the screen assembly, video cables, and keyboard (not sure why this was replaced.) I got the laptop back today and just as I had finished re loading Windows 7 and transferring my files the exact same problem came back I am almost sure I remember reading about an HP policy where if your laptop is repaired so many times they will either refund or replace it with a new one, is there still a program like this in place? This will be my third time sending it back and honestly don't see what they could possibly do short of replacing the laptop completely to solve the problem.

Thanks!

 

Years ago I had problems with a Lenovo tablet I bought and they would not let me attempt to get a refund or equivalent until I had sent it in three times. The problem I had was recurring (like yours, apparently), so I kept sending it in and after the third time I finally got the case escalated and received a refund. Now, that was for a machine that was just over a month old; asking for a refund after two years of ownership is kind of hard to imagine. Nonetheless, it is still definitely worth the call to HP.

Is your machine still under warranty (I assume it is)?

 

HP does not have such a policy about a replacement after failure attempts of repairing it a number a times. I've dealt with a HP case manager who said it does not exists. I don't know if they were bullting me or if that was true. I got the case escalated and they still told me the same thing.

 

@Lemonspeaker What you've been informed is either a lie or misled information... I've talked to 3 Case Managers... 2 out of the 3 told me that I could not be issues a new laptop but the third said you can after the third repair and after parts have been sent to you to repair your self... But that's the minimum.

 

According to most of the stories by posters in this forum, the average is after 5 failed repairs they were offered a new unit or refund. But it depends on the failure and if the unit is still in production.

Sometimes, the replacement unit is of better or worse specification than the unit it is replacing. Especially when it comes to screen resolution. There are no 16:10 aspect ratio screens in HPs line up, so they offer 16:9 notebooks as replacement.

 

I had a full refund for my DV5 when they offered to replace it with crappy dv6. I ended up buying 2 refurbs from close out store and still had $100 left after that. My case manager lied to me saying he is not going to work for this department anymore. When I called back next week again he answered the phone.
The last repair took them 3 times to have power inlet fixed. And even then they forgot to connect headphones/mic cable. I had to disable it myself and fix it. It's funny right after that they send me e-mail asking to participate in the survey. Right on time! Their customer service is a joke. They waste company money and customers time.

 

They'll offer it after 5 but if you request they will grant you a different model I don't know about a refund..

 

I had a DV9514TX that went through 3 motherboards and 2 screens before they relented and replaced it. Just doing a clean Win7 install on my shiny new DV7-3108TX

I had to fight them to get the initial repair done as it was 16 months old. My model wasn't covered by the extended warranty for the NVidia overheating problem, despite having the same motherboard as ones that were. Once I got past the Indian call centre drone who was following the standard "How old is it?" script, and got hold of a local HP service rep, I used a bit of local legislation to my advantage.

In New Zealand, we're covered under the consumer guarantees act - basically goods have to last a reasonable amount of time, regardless of the offered warranty.

Do you have anything similar where you live?

BTW, new to this site. It's kick-a$$ for getting the latest drivers - kudos to whoever maintains the driver threads!

 

Thanks for all your replies everyone! The laptop will be sent back to HP for another repair this time, but my case has also been escalated to HP's "dispatch" team in order to look into the possibility of a refund or replacement. It actually was no longer under warranty for the most recent repair, but I was able to get them to take it in under the "limited warranty enhancement" program for faulty laptops with certain Nvidia graphics cards (in my case the GeForce 9400.) It is now being repaired for no charge again because of the 90 day warranty you get after any repair work.

Skaffen,
I am pretty sure we do not have anything similar to your consumer guarantees act, but its worth a look. Thanks for the tip!

Dan

 

Im in the middle of a similar situation. My laptop was actually replaced in late 2008 due to overheating. I have no had to send off the replacement 4 TIMES for the same overheating issues. All of the case managers have been extremely rude. I know there is a issue with the 8400 nvida card thye are using. I have essentially been told that im stupid, and that they will keep replacing it with the defective cards until my extended warranty runs out.

Im working on getting a hold of the ceo or board members, and have started www.hplikesfire.com, as the laptop almost set my office on fire. Im debating contacting my local news or going to court, but really dont want to.

I absolutely loved HP up until this experience.

 

Thats quite the ordeal you've been through with HP Ryan! I'm hoping I have a little better luck I just got my prepaid shipping box from HP but my backlight randomly started working again and now I can't seem to duplicate the problem! Should I still send it back to them immediately anyway, or use it until the problem returns? I'm afraid I will just get a call from them after receiving the laptop stating there is nothing wrong with it and I'll be without my only decent computer for another week or two for nothing. Apparently my case is being escalated, but I have yet to hear anything from HP's "dispatch" team.

Thanks

Dan

 

If you use your computer daily for IMPORTANT task and don't have another computer I'd keep it but every time you send it in it looks worse so it's better for you...

P.S. Don't send your hard drive.