HP replaced motherboard, returned with new problems

((Backstory: I purchased my HP dv2200t in February 2007. Already had
motherboard failure in November 2007 and HP replaced it under warranty. I also had hard drive failure at the end of January 2008. They could've replaced it within days, but they dragged it on past the warranty expiration date just to make things difficult. I didn't get the replacement till mid-March.

Out of warranty, my motherboard failed again in the middle of May 2008. I couldn't afford to get it fixed. But on this forum I found out that HP was doing an extended warranty for owners of my notebook model. Unfortunately, I didn't have the right product number. So I called HP anyway. They said that if enough people with the same/similar product number as mine called and complained, that we could qualify for the replacement out of warranty for free.

A week later, I called back and requested to get in touch with a case manager. After being on the phone for 15 minutes, I got to talk to tech support and I told them my situation and how I knew that there was motherboard failures on certain models and that they were being replaced for free out of warranty. Although I didn't have the right product number, the guy said he would try to talk to his supervisor. After a few times on hold, he said a case manager just happened to be within several feet of him and they gave him the green light to replace my motherboard, even though my motherboard was different than the ones which failed, supposedly.))

HP replaced my motherboard and returned it to me on July 7th. But since I've had it back, I've had some minor issues.

Every so often, my screen blanks out (goes black) for 1 or 2 seconds, and it's not even when I'm idle. It happens when I watch video, listen to audio, or just go online.

The other problem is that all my audio is skipping. It sounds as if I improperly ripped all my CDs. It kind of crackles when it skips, and it's not always at the same spot in a song. I'll rewind a song to the place where I heard it skip, and then it won't skip, so it's totally random.

So are these new problems a result of the new motherboard?

Parts replaced: 6K.4A0MB.001 MB PACK AKITA12 GM FF PAV w/O CP

 

I don't know if the issues are because of the new mother board but, I have had a similar experience, I purchased a dv9408 series last August, this past June I sent it in to have the system board changed under a enhanced service. Got my computer back everything was working less than 24hrs later hit the power button and nothing at all happens, call HP back sent back to HP they replaced my LCD Screen, Web Camera, and Hard Drive. Get the computer back and get back from a weekend trip hit the power button on the computer nothing at all, call HP again, and finally getting the issue resolved.

Thankfully it was still under warranty.
My experience has been with HP Canada

 

Consumer Reports gave HP a bad review based on customer support. I hate having my call directed to support in other countries where it is hard to understand what they are saying with their thick accents. I have had to hang up on them before because I couldn't understand what they were saying.

 

Sounds to me like another bad motherboard, or a bad install. Of course, who knows what else HP repair might have damaged while doing the install (they are not exactly careful with repairs, as attested to by my mangled laptop). After two motherboards and a hard drive, I would call them and demand a replacement laptop, not just another replacement motherboard. Good Luck.

P.S. Does your laptop typically run hot?

 

Not only that but I hate the VOIP phone they use. The lack of clairty negatively impacts upon being able to understand the Indian accent. I find their chat is a fairly good service. Gotta have a little patience with it though since some of the CS reps who type aren't touch typists. Also use email. Being redundant only serves your cause.

 

My notebook always ran hot, it was worse after the motherboard was changed.

 

Excessive temps with laptops can be a real problem and is something you should check. Various motherboard components are heat sensitive and can eventually fail due to excessive heat. Hard drives are also heat sensitive over time due to the contraction and expansion of the platters. Western Digital estimates that consistently running a hard drive 10 degrees F hotter than normal can reduce operational lifespan by as much as 50%.

So, if things keep failing, you might have a heat problem, which may be the result of a poor design (insufficient cooling), which I think HP would be very reluctant to admit or address (recall?). They'd rather just keep swapping out MBs and hard drives. So check the temps. If it is a continuing problem, ask for a replacement with a more recent model.

 

I am currently waiting for a replacement laptop, but I don't even want to start on the process or trying to get in touch with the case managers and executive what ever.

 

I too am bugged with a bad HP mother board. I bought my Pavillion tx1000 tablet PC laptop in May 2007. As rightly pointed out here, my laptop used to throw excess heat than usual. Slowly all it's functionalities started dropping off. In Dec'2007, it's quick play buttons on LCD screen stopped working, then HDD used to fail to boot. After repeated forced switch offs and switch ons it started. In Feb'2007 it's wireless stopped working. In May'2008, mother board died all together with a blank screen left for me. I have reported the issue of wireless to HP support in USA and that customer support guy made me try all the software options for 5 hours while I repeatedly requested him that this is a hardware issue. He did not generate any case ID for my call and hence, now HP has no record that I had reported issue with in it's warranty period. Later I came to India in May'2008 where in after expiry of my warranty, now HP service center claims INR 25,000 in hard cash for the replacement of mother board and battery. DELL folks atleast send a h/w support person to your door step, but HP does not!! After all the mental harrassment, i had with HP, now I see, that there are many more who have the same problem... Isn't there any way that we all can escalate this to HP and media and get our laptops replaced?

 

Last time I was on the phone with HP, I did mention to them that I would like a notebook replacement. They of course weren't going to do that. I would love a replacement.

My screen still flickers a lot every so often and my audio is crackly and when I listen to music it sounds like I'm listening to vinyl. On top of that, my disc drive is slowly dying. Some CDs I put in try to spin at ungodly speeds causing my notebook to sound like a garbage disposal. When I try to rip a CD, it clicks and whirrs and beeps. A way around it is to open and close the CD tray a few times. Burning music on a CD is not a good idea as all music skips horribly and causes any CD player to lock up when playing the music burned.

July 7th is when I got my notebook back. It was under a limited 90 day warranty which ended October 7th. I could've asked them to fix it again, but I'm sick of going through the whole process, and I feel like it's such a bother to do so. I feel as if I have been raped by HP and that I'm just too afraid to speak up. I don't know if I'll buy from HP again.

 

Trust me aaaaron, they have a 3-strike policy. Just get in touch with a case manager and tell them that you have sent it in twice already. Each time it came back, it came back in worse shape than when you first sent it in.

After 3 failed repairs, your case manager is obligated to send you a replacement.

 

sendmarksmail, what about the fact that it's been a few days over the 3-month extended warranty for the new motherboard replacement? October 7th was the last day I could've called. My video card used to be an nVidia GeForce Go 7200, and they returned it with something else (probably to fit the new motherboard?). That's not cool. Other than all my songs sounding like vinyl records, and my screen blacking out for a few seconds every 30 minutes or so, there's no other problems. Would I still have enough issues to complain to them?

 

Just be firm, but polite. Tell them that they did not solve the problem with the repair they made. It's only been a few days. Try getting a case manager. Tell them your issues. Demand a case manager, no matter what. They will be the ones to help you. Not the tech support.

 

I second that: get a case manager. I talked with tech support and with customer service, who both insisted that my computer wasn't one of the ones affected by the faulty GPUs. When I spoke with a case manager the next day (and only because the customer service rep had sold me a "warranty" by misrepresenting its coverage), the case manager started off by saying they would replace my motherboard and GPU. I'm guessing the tech and customer support people are not allowed to help anyone without the specific serial/service tag numbers, which is really shady, since the problem is obviously not limited to those.