Huge buyer's remorse

I bought an hp pavilion dv5-1159se laptop, but now i feel like i was cheated because i saw laptops with similar features in both lenovo and toshiba for much reduced prices. is there anything inherently better about hp or was i cheated as i fear i was?

 

Welcome to the world of computers or technology period. Prices are always shifting and what maybe the best will be 2nd best within the month...

I've found that HP offers the best overall value for features/performance point.

If you feel so cheated...consider returning the laptop if you are still within your return period

 

Which lenovo and which toshiba? What are you needs for your notebook? Without these information we don;t know whether your HP was a good buy or not.

 

Did you use the 30% off coupon?

 

You can only use those on CTO laptops purchased direct from HP.

 

I generally am pretty pleased with the hp features, just not with the price. It was at least 200 more than similarly equipped competitors.

 

And CTOs are only available to US...there are a lot of variables in the OP

 

If it makes you feel any better, HP stands behind their product. At least with me they have. If you ever have a problem, they would send you a new part overnight.

 

man i know this is harssh but as said above, is what happens in the computer world. For example bought kickass pc bout 2 months ago gpu and cpu are now outdated. All i can say is enjoy what u have mate. Otherwise the what ifs will keep getting you

 

HP and Lenovo are both solid... Toshiba, I wouldn't even bother putting them in the same category--the HP support and build quality are far superior pretty much across the board, from the HD beasts to the economy models. That said, if you are within the return period, print out a similarly spec'd lenovo, take that to the store (or call HP if you ordered directly), and explain the dilemma... if it's an online order, they'll likely find some kind of customer makehappy coupon if they are anything like they've been with me (then again, I've been hired professionally JUST to shop for people because I negotiate very well and got half those jobs through people I outwitted)... generally, act like you're kinda disappointed overall, you don't really want to keep it because of the cost, you are fully intent on returning... then see if they'll work with you. Worst thing that can happen... is a no. I've only seen that happen once or twice in many many years.

Lenovo is a viable contender. I've used Thinkpads for years and they are rock solid and run cool... that said, HP is flashier, more media rich... all depends on the Lenovo you were thinking of... buying direct from lenovo is THE way to go... well, Staples is good, too, but only once you get the online price that Staples is awesome to generally match

$200 is both a lot of money and not much... if you consider how much it's worth to have peace of mind and be relatively stress free in this day and age, the $200 isn't much to worry about... but if you already felt nervous spending that amount of money, maybe the stress to get the $200 back is worth it (if you eat ramen in order to game, there's an issue!)... just make sure it works for YOU for the next couple years and at least be happy you did pick a company with worldwide status as a customer service industry leader. Heck, my HP dealings have even involved speaking with Americans, which believe me... is worth the extra penny since the stress of dealing for an extra hour with an Indian who is reading screen prompts to me... *coughSonyVaiocough* is a nightmare. (I did that for a friend... I've never owned a Sony with darn good reason)...

Your model is a fine computer... you didn't choose it for no reason at all, I think it's safe to say! You didn't get cheated unless maybe it went on deep discount 2 days later... HP might have some coupons they can apply back (or they could upgrade something for free--they've done that for me before... just gotta talk to the people who know what rules they can bend!)

To clarify, yes, I just said to get pouty with them. If you're a guy, the way to do it is usually to talk like a business-savvy buddy to them and explain that you're wanting to get the most for your dollar because you would LOVE to use whatever feature your machine has to do whatever you wanna do-watching movies, making movies, editing movies, whatever. As a girl, just be sweet. It works. They need lovin' too.

 

Ok, I just looked again... if you got it at Circuit City, here are my rec's...

The HP you got IS more costly than the feature-identical (except you can expand the RAM to 8GB on the HP, which would be overkill for that machine in reality!) Lenovo.

Lenovo IdeaPad Y530-5243U 15.4" Laptop is $830 swaps a firewire for a USB, has HDMI out if that matters...
HP Pavilion dv5-1159se 15.4" Special Edition Laptop is $950 after a $50 rebate

Let me toss in a third one that may be a best buy if money is a concern (and you want to buy in-store specifically at CC):
HP Pavilion dv6928us 15.4" Widescreen Entertainment Laptop...

Why not that one? After instant savings then a $50 rebate, it's $700...

3GB of memory vs 4 is an easy fix but rarely a needed one in new machines (and there's the whole not using every last bit of the 4gb in 32 bit vista thing, something like 3.4 was it?) ... ... very slight bus speed difference... it does have s-video out that the others lack... slightly smaller HD that ... well, externals are a good way to keep the laptop from catching on fire (all are slower speeds than what you can get in an external, too)... so the video RAM is the main thing I see that is different and potentially important, but it's shared, not discrete, so the difference is not as major for shared memory... it might even have the turbo boost option, which I'm not too familiar with in all honesty...

OK so seeing the Circuit City comparisons, yes, if that's where you got it, I'd return it for an Ideapad IF THE IDEAPAD's SCREEN IS AS NICE. If you saw them both and the HP looked better, save your eyes! If you got it online, there are a slew of other machines that you can check out across many a site--tigerdirect sometimes gets wild deals with lenovo, and so does *techforless* which is like my little secret treasure trove (where I got a new Nokia N95 for under $300 and tacked on a 3 yr warranty extension for $58, for example)... so yeah, there may be better deals. I think you only have 14 days standard... best buy is GREAT about not making a fuss about that, mind you, if you stick to business within the store. Don't explain much, just say "doesn't work well" and get a different model if you can return it...

sorry to ramble. It IS late. Or Early or whatever this middle of the night time really is. Incidentally, I've had amazing luck at the retailer Best Buy when it comes to computers, add ons, and software this year... seriously paying half the price for some top notch stuff and feeling utter GLEE about it all. Do you have a Best Buy in your area?

 

i bought mine at circuit city and i would probably return it for the lenovo, but cc has this crappy 15% restocking fee on computer returns.