Just bought a DV5000 - worth the hassle?

I just bought a DV5216CL from Sam's Club on clearance for $499 w/ free Vista Home Premium upgrade. I declined the 3-year extended warranty for $39 but I will be going back tonight to add it on now that I've read about the problems here with the keyboard.

The return period is 180 days and the extended warranty would be 3-years. If I have to send it in 3 times for the same problem (i.e. keyboard) they'll replace the notebook. Seems like IF I have problems, I really can't go wrong especially with the price of the extended warranty.

This is just a second notebook (couldn't pass it up) so if I have to send it in to get fixed it's not a big deal.

Worth it or shall I return it now and just avoid the hassle? I really like it but the keyboard problem concerns me...not enough (just yet) to return it immediately.

 

Don't buy the extended warranty from Sams Club unless you really don't want to send it out to HP .. everything should be covered for 1 year with HP.

 

hey i say you return it and get a dv6000t

 

Specs? The newest BIOS available claims to fix some sort of keyboard problem, so that might take care of that.

 

Specifications

Basically it's a Turion ML-34 / 1024MB RAM / 128MB dedicated 200M vid card / 80GB HDD. I haven't updated the BIOS or anything but I see that it had a ship date of 7/2006 so I'm sure it has an earlier version.

BTW, I did end up purchasing the extended warranty. I really wouldn't have kept the notebook otherwise. Looking in the DV8000 thread, too many people were treated like trash by HP when doing warranty work.

 

I say just return it and get something better

 

But what for? This is a second laptop.. It was cheap and no rebates - that's why I bought it. The DV6000 definitely looks sharp but I don't want to spend a lot for basically a spare computer.

 

Just for clarification for those asking about the warranty...

The Sam's Club extended warranties are true extended warranties. First year warranty is still done by HP, after that, it is done by the Sam's Club warranty and they let you know where to send it. Buying the 3 year warranty gives you 4 total years of coverage.

 

There is nothing wrong with having the DV5000 as a second notebook, especially considering that you got a decent price.

I have ordered and used three V5000s (Compaq equivalent) during their sales life and had no problems other than a bad power adapter on one. Have not experienced the "keyboard problem" that so many complained about.

You just have to keep in mind that the 5000 series is no ThinkPad, but neither is the price.

 

its a good price and the extended warranty is a good call to have if u wanna keep it for that long

 

Hi Island Boy,
That's a good price and the 5000 is a decent machine. I've had my DV 5030 for over a year and I have no problems. I think that some folks are of the opinion that if it's not a pocket version of a Kraig Super computer it has no intrinsic value. Oh well don't let the short sightedness of a few ruin a good deal for you. If the machine does what you need it to a price you are willing to pay then you got a good deal. ENJOY it!

In the peace and love of the LORD JESUS CHRIST...preachp

 

Quite honestly, I think you should try your hand at the lottery because you are quite lucky that you've had no problems with your dv5030us. I've read about more people having problems with them than those who are happy about them. Even a google search turns up more negative than positive results.

To the original poster, the DV5000 series isn't worth the hassle. It has too many problems. Infact, HP computers in general aren't worth the hassle. I just took my dv5030 in for a malfunctioning motherboard. Then the loaner computer I get from the store is defective itself! Thankfully, I decided to get a MacBook today and it's running 100% perfect. I couldn't be happier with it. It's nice to FINALLY have a computer that simply WORKS.