My HP Case Manager messed up my order...

This is a shame what Ken is going through, but not every product they produce has these issues. The chances that someone gets a faulty product mutiple times can't be very high! They sell thousands of products that have no issues. I have had many HP products and the only issue I ever had was a stick of ram failed after 6 months and they just mailed me a new stick. I believe that the money I saved on my newest laptop and the fact I love my product this time would make me still want to stick with HP if I had horrible issues with my next item! To each his own!

 

phifer, I'm glad to hear of your good experience because I've had nothing but trouble in the last 3 years.

This makes my fourth CTO laptop that's had to go back to them. One was the ZX5000 series that went in for repair within 3 months. Then 2 DV9700Ts in Dec. that had different hardware issues for return and now a DV9700T I'm stuck with past the return date that's LCD doesn't turn on.

Considering I don't even take my laptop off of my desk and never travel with it anywhere, I can't believe the really rotten luck I've had. The only laptop I've ever bought from them without a problem was a ZE1230 that's a monstrous dinosaur I've had for about 6 years.

That sucker is still ticking! Wish I could say that for my 32 day old DV9700T.

 

That sucks... I have been following this thread since the start and I feel bad for all the people chiming in with their own problems, but then again tons of people have no problems so they never bother with threads like this one!

 

Absolutely.

Hopefully, I won't ever have to send this thing in for a repair again. It's a shame that I'm having to send it at all, of course.

I've written in many threads how I would still buy HP but that was before this third one came in. Too bad I got it stuck in my head that the 3rd time was a charm. LOL

 

RealtorKen, that is the most amazing and sad tale of customer service I have ever heard, and I thought I had some bad experiences with different companies.

I had a recent experience with HP and ran into some of the same walls you detailed here (e.g. - no call back from CM, no opportunity to escalate issue since there IS no upper layer, etc.). After 3 days of calling my CM last week, on Friday I got her on the phone and she offered me a replacement for my laptop that has been in HP for motherboard replacement since March 3rd (a ZD7000 that finally succumbed to the Nvidia FX5700 burn-out that takes the whole motherboard down).

The new computer is a DV9700T and I am supposed to receive it around April 10th; I was actually feeling pretty good about the process until I read this post and am now fearful the thing will never come since I don't have an order number.

I almost wonder if my CM wasn't the one who posted earlier in this thread because my CM was truly very nice but didn't return my calls; however, she readily offered a replacement laptop when I spoke to her on Friday. Could be a result of having too heavy a caseload, as stated; that makes it a corporate HP issue and everyone should beat the drum to them.

Anyway, good luck to you; hope you get your money back and get a laptop (HP or otherwise) that works for you.

 

theseadragon - I've said it before and I'll say it again. Test that sucker every single day. Burn DVDs, play games, test everything more than once.

I'm on my third DV9700T since December and now my third one is in for repairs already and I've only owned it for one month. None of them ever left my desk, were ever used by someone else and never ever traveled outside one room in my house so these hardware failures are unacceptable.

Just be sure to test, test, test so you don't get 'stuck' with one. Like I always say, not everyone has these problems but just make sure you give it the good kick in the tires right away.

 

I hear you; I seem to remember, back when I first got my ZD7000, there was a free application, recommended by a member on another forum, that stresses your system. The intent was to let it run for something like 24 hours straight and, if something was going to fail early on, it would fail. The only thing it wouldn't stress were peripherals, like the DVD burner. I remember doing that with my ZD and I got 3 good years out of it before it failed (much longer than a lot of other ZD owners).

The ZD7000 has become pretty synonomous with poor product design; there is a class action suit against HP that was that will require HP to rebuild all the ZD7000s with new motherboards and ATI GPUs for the plaintiffs. I hope I'm not trading in one bad boy for another. Any word on when you might get back your (3rd) DV?

 

It's supposed to come back from repairs this Friday. I'm so nervous about it because I had to send in a ZX5000 series for a failed motherboard a few years ago and it came back looking like someone had tap danced on the lid. HP did right then and replaced it with a ZX5280 that's still going strong today.

I've had more good HP experiences than bad but for some reason, my only bad experiences have come with customized HPs and not something you'd pick up at Best Buy! Weird!

I used Orthos to test my system and it did great. I do see now that my particular problem with this DV9700T (LCD being black but you're able to use the laptop with an external monitor) is popping up on the HP Web site that they'll fix it and extend your warranty.

There have been a lot of DV9500T and DV9700T owners with this issue (not everyone) but I'm hopeful that this doesn't happen to you. So be excited about your replacement coming and try not to worry.

I think I've done enough worrying over this situation for everyone!

 

So after three repairs my laptop was still broken so I guess I had to start the whole process of escalating my case again to reach a case manager. Instead of calling technical support I called executive relations from the start and told them my long story. No more than 15 minutes I was speaking to my Case Manager Susan. Susan was so nice and after explaining her my story she offered a replacement because I followed the rules and sent it in three times like they wanted. The replacement is much better than the laptop I own now considering it has so many problems. I was only on the phone for 30 minutes and I got a new laptop coming in 10-14 days.

 

Wow sounds like you did very well. I know there are some good people working there somewhere.


This is what I just received as a "FINAL OFFER" from HP via the BBB. My credit card dispute is still going on so no word on that yet.

 

Well I'll tell you my story after reading all this:

I have an HP Pavillion Ultimate d4996t desktop.

This thing works great. Compared to the Dell HELL I had with that desktop (a year of hell talking with tech support and finally I got a refund from them) this one still works great even after case manager experience.

My first case manager (can't remember her name) replaced the hard drive since it was making noise. She called me back promptly. I called the Indians, explained my issue, got a case manager, she had the issue fixed within 2 calls. Took all of 7 days from my first call to getting the HDD delivered to my house.

Now, after that, I still had some issues. Windows would randomly lock up (Vista, everything would go into "not responding". I could still move mouse around and click start menu, etc...

Called, got the case manager Michelle about 5 weeks ago. After a week, she had me send my PC in. Express shipping there, 3 days in center, and 1 day back is all it took. Now after that, I was able to get ahold of her to say everything was not ok. She said she would just replace it since the PC was less than 4 months old. After that day, I was never able to get in touch with her.

After my experience with Dell, I have mellowed out mostly because every call router person in the case management place has been so nice. I'll tell you though, I call about 3 times a day (have been for the past two weeks since she hasn't called me back in 3 weeks). I usually get a guy named Matt and someone else who I can't remember his name. Very nice guys, they look through the case and are "manually" getting this Michelle to slowly push the replacement forward. Today I called, had a nice convo with the guy about how I liked speaking to someone who didn't real off a troubleshooting sheet. I explained to him how I could most likely find the cause of the problem with a lot of time and effort, but I got the PC so that I could just sit on my butt and it worked (after all I spent 2200, 4-yr warrenty and all). He understood, he even said "Hey, if you pay all that cash for a PC you expect something that works and you have been out of a working PC for 2 months now. I'm going to take care of this.. etc etc.."

Now, you may be saying "All talk.. blah blah" but the guy did actually end up giving me an estimated build date (same date that is displayed when attempting to customize the desktop online, Apr. 24 + express shipping). I forgot to ask for the order number, but I don't care much.

It has to be understood here that 1., these guys don't work directly for HP. They work for a company called Stream ( www.stream.com). Basically a call center in California. They still do a hell of a job in my opinion. I feel spoiled talking to an American who I can carry on an intelligent computer conversation with (today, the guy I was on the phone talked to me about what could possibly be wrong and he definately made sense) compared to talking to an Indian all the time. I have no problems with Indian people, but they should be doing customer care for India, not America.

Anyway, all is quite well now. The guys that you talk to first before you get transferred to a case manager can't really do too much to your case or reassign you to a manager, but they can sometimes really push the case along. I have found that it is when you are truly honest and not threatening that they listen. They are paid hourly, not on commission for solved tickets or anything. They get enough calls from angry, ignorant customers all day. I know that everyone get's frustrated, especially having to call everyday and getting no response from the actual case manager, but the overall customer service from the reps over there and the quality of the computer is nice. When it comes down to product and service, the service really makes up for all the inconveniences for me as a customer. You need to have patience with them. I know it is unreasonable at times, but don't get too greedy and you will get the extra goodies.

I didn't even ask and the guy is including a 750 GB HDD from the 400 GB I have. They don't supply dual cores anymore for my model, so he's giving me the top quad core (2.8 GHZ) which is quite nice . Same 512 graphics, 6 GB RAM instead of 4 even though it has 32 bit and can only read 3.25 GB it can be helpful in the future. Wireless keyboard and mouse coming aswell and also a 7.1 surround sound speaker system instead of 5.1.

Alright so long post, but I hope everyone get's their issues solved. This is just my experience. And again customer service wise, compared to Dell - compared to Verizon - compared to Comcast, all of which I have spent endless hours complaining to, HP has served me best and even though it sucks to have to wait, they don't send out refurbs like Dell and I get to speak to an American who can really understand my issue and help resolve it based on their experience and that of their coworkers.

-Pat

 

Did they ever say what the problem was? I just opened a trouble ticket with hp because my DV9500 does the same thing. The computer is still running and I can move the mouse but I can not click on anything until I start the task manager then it seems to clear whatever is hanging up and works fine. I reformatted laptop back to factory ship state but it started doing it again a few minutes later. I am waiting for India to call back. Any ideas?

 

Wow, that is just impeccable. I have a story to top this off. I have a Pavilion dv6227-cl. This laptop has all kinds of problems and I am experiencing all kinds of disrespect myself. HP back in the day was a great company and seems to have fallen apart sense the changing of the label to HP.

Well here is my story to add to all this and I must say that aside from realtor, I have a far bigger problem. I have had this laptop sense oh spring 2007, and I will say that it is a great laptop, till the motherboard that is openly sad to be defective. This models Motherboard has a bad voltage regulator. I began having problems with the voltages spiking months after purchasing. HP continued for 3-4 months denying the defect which is able to be found in other areas of the internet if searched correctly. Okay so I convinced them that something major is wrong after months of chat and phone support and I finallly get in contact with a case manager yet again. Yes I was one of few that had actually been called back, but as soon as I got the call the problems started. It took about one week using all kinds of technical terms that for the intelligence the HP reps I bet more or less confused them, and they just submitted. I profited on this by receiving a WLAN+Bluetooth Mini-PCI adapter to troubleshoot the mini-PCI slot which was in fact toasted and blackened on the first few pins. Okay great I have me a free $210 device the case managers told me to keep for future trouble-shooting. Nothing to complain about and it had free next day shipping and WLAN Card; this begins the steps to kissing my but a little. I allow the to talk me into a factory restore another time, because the voltages are getting really crazy now and beginning to get in the way of normal operation of Vista and it's security features which lock down the kernel. About a week later, the Vista Kernel begins blocking access without an option to allow and eventually blocks the welcome screen (Where the user logs into the desktop) this was the issue that convinced HP to admit that the Laptop has issues out of the user’s ability to run around.

Okay so we have about 5 months now of troubleshooting and frequent restores. Oh yeah I got a free Factory Restore DVD, and a 6 month Pin for Smart Friend (call it Dumb Friend) retailing about $150 for free. This is the beginning to another complaint which was found about Feb. this year (2008). Anyway, I get a repair center Repair ticket with specific instructions to replace the motherboard with the revised version. By this time we are now in November, sometime around the 8th. I contact this awesome Case manager named Susan. I cannot recall her last name right now but she was great. I quickly convinced her to send me a box and label to get this in to the shop and replace the mobo. This is the really screwed up part, I sent the laptop in on Nov. 12 2007 and I received it back late Nov. 14 2007. Despite I received a work log and extended warranty listed in this work log (Work Performed) saying the mobo was replaced, what really happened was the mobo was only repaired making the voltage regulator function correctly for another 3 months. Conveniently the symptoms come back and I am back to step one which by now was about 10 months of my ownership and purchase date. Now that the old hardware was harmed from the previous voltage problems, the stuff happening again took out my DVD-ROM, Hard Disk, Battery, Power supply, and also the USB 2.0 is floozy now. HP refused at this time to replace the motherboard but was whiling to replace the DVD-ROM Light-Scribe optical drive, but had to wait to resolve the Hard Disk. Well I get the DVD-ROM nice and quick. I could complete a burn Data, Video, and Audio. Now I bet that the first techs feel stupid for saying that the Codec's were broken (Yeah they said that the DVD-ROM required compatible Codec's to burn to disk). Okay so now the DVD-ROM is done (Which should have been 2nd priority to the Hard Disk) I could begin doing the trouble-shooting on the HD in there protocol. Okay what you are about to read may make you angry with humor. I use nTune for troubleshooting and benching then compare results with HDtune. These tools come to conclusion that the HD is bad. HP requires you to use the tool built into the BIOS. Okay this is fine, I will submit to this given that the test will be accurate which being a BIOS tool is incapable of doing to on many levels. Okay I wait 12 hours to test the disk and no errors. Needless to say I am still on that HD. Well By now it is April 24 2008 just short of a year of owning this. (Let me mention I had these problems mostly in Vista and I used XP most of this time which isn't as demanding on timings) I contact Phone support to locate a temporary work around for the few little things which are wrong, and they told me that I had to spend 150 for an extended support plan. I told them I had a complimentary pin already and it is a total waste. I was calling because I was having security issues with privacy.

Jumping ahead a month or so this may give or take I had a HP Update alert telling me that I had an option to replace the motherboard. Sure enough I check the Audit I had made before mailing it out in Nov. it was Identical with the exact revision number. Of course I am pissed off now and don't understand why they lied like that, but then explained why I had an expired Warranty that should be active now. HP only warranties for 3 months on refurbish hardware. So I remove XP again install Vista plug it into my network here, and to my finding I have some 200 alerts in my Virus Scanner log, with very bad results. Before releasing this information, let me say the only disk in this laptop at the time was HP Factory Restore DVD. It appears that all of the HP utilities like HP Update and iConnections use a malware called or know as Virus.Win21.Tenga.a to function, and this is proven because the presence only came from this area in HP folders. I lost all me Executables in shares that the laptop didn't or wasn't suppose to have access to yet. File sharing wasn't enabled on the laptop yet. So I just blow it off I needed a full clean install on that PC anyway so big deal. So back to the laptop, I decide to start opening the help files and read me's in the said infected areas with word hoping to get the infection to spread, then when done scan this laptop using KasperSky 7.0. I chose to use this because well it wasn't preinstalled with the laptop and should have no agreement with HP to ignore the malware. The results are astonishing and HP denies all presence of this. The only infections on this laptop are HP tools nothing else, and the DL.exe file is loaded and running. dl.exe is the host file that actually initiates this malware into memory. HP as of now refuses to replace the Factory DVD restore disk I have, and I am currently looking to take more aggressive approach in a legal manor, because HP will make you pay for a $150 subscription to smart friend to be told what it does. This request apparently is out of scope for the tier 1 levels on the phone and online.


With all this deception just to fix this POS and sell it so some one who doesn't care and that I won't know, I am still waiting for call backs from smaller issues in summer 2007, and will be using the box that I have to mail it in hopefully getting my replacement motherboard. I guess the good news here is that I will never think about HP again, and never allow the TV to remain on a channel that will advertise HP, and burn anything I see with the HP logo. I totally feel for you realetor, I really do and I am glade I haven't paid anything. This just goes to show all who read this that it isn't just issues with replacements and upgrading hardware, it is backing there products as a whole, even offering you information about there own software. There are even reports on zdnet.com about usage of malware and other sites that even HP security departments say about spying in emails within the company back in 2006, and probably today, if you receive a confirmation or any email from HP your very personal information could be at risk.

Please protect yourselves, if you must Buy HP because they are cheap, while configuring your new laptop takes advantage to the new OEM EULA and request a down grade to XP Pro. The revised EULA is active and posted under the name Microsoft gone greener or something like that in the library economists.com. This site is in many online schooling libraries including Phoenix online and this is how I found this article in the first place while searching for assignment materials. All OEM manufactures are required to buy law to perform this request. Yes it is available even if not in the typical configuration options, you have to ask for it. And Also don't use security software that HP suggests, these software will not locate this malware/worm I spoke about. Maybe HP meant it to be there, maybe they didn't, what I do know is that now after 2 months I still haven't gotten a replacement DVD.



Talk a bout not Caring about there customers, I just hope I can find a lawyer to back me up here, but I doubt it, and if I do well HP I hope will fall. I just hope there many worthless reps can recover and find replacement jobs which are better then HP work habits and expectations. I don't hate you HP reps, I think in my mind that your employer should take it in the pooter and just open up and admit to there losses...

 

Just a slight update, HP finally decided they will swap video cards....SO I am sending my laptop in today....(No scratches, never been off my desk)

 

Get the case managers involved no matter what imo. I had trouble with a brand new defective laptop, and once i got my case manager involved and threatened to take my business else where, he quickly got me an exchange for my dv2700t with $250 worth of upgrades. HP can be quite nice, you just gotta complain hard and not take crap from the foreign techies, get your case manager involved and keep calling, never settle for waiting for them to "call back". My case manager did in fact call me back quite quickly but i have heard that they often don't from other people.

 

Dear Customer:



At HP our products are designed, manufactured and serviced, to meet our high standards.



We apologize for the possible delay in delivery of your service; however, we are diligently working on expediting your order.

Service Order Number # XXXXXXX
Model # XXXXXXXX
Serial # XXXXXXX



We are striving to meet our estimated delivery date; in case where this is not met due to various reasons, an HP representative will attempt to contact you to communicate a new date and/or discuss possible alternative support solutions that could better meet your needs.



Please paste the link below into your browser to get shipment status updates and contact information:



https://warp1.external.hp.com/cso_status/order_lookup.asp

Or contact 1-800-HPINVENT, where we are always ready to serve you.

Please do not reply to this email message, it was sent from an address that is not monitored.



Sincerely,

HP Americas Consumer Support



Date: 7/18/2008

 

Ok just when I thought I was FINALLY going to have this entire mess resolved, I pick up my laptop from FedEx today and..............

ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!

(Remember...It was being sent back because my last case manager when issuing me a replacement laptop, accidentally downgraded my video card from the 8600 to the 8400. So it was only being sent into have the video card/motherboard replaced)
1. Minor issue- Not really going to whine to much about this but, even after placing a post it and writing on the service ticket,
"As you will notice there are no scratches or blemishes on this laptop. I understand you are really busy but please care for this laptop as it was your own"

What happens...Theres a small couch on the wrist rest. ANYWAY unimportant

2. I notice on the top of the lappy is a note that says please return to customer. It was my 2gb ram, bonus maybe...(they replaced my RAM and sent me my working RAM back)

3. I notice on the checklist they replaced my hard drive...Ummm Ok, it had tested fine at home but a new hard drive isn't bad right? WRONG! They replaced my 120GB 7200rpm hard drive with a 120GB 5400rpm ACK!!!!!!

4. THEY DIDN'T REPLACE THE VIDEO CARD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I STILL HAVE THE DAMN 8400gs in there!

I can't believe how ridiculously incompetent all the people who have "helped" me so far from HP and there service facility.


I left a message for my case manager but what do I say to her...

 

Ok, just got off the phone with my case manager. She is going to replace the whole system again. Replacement #2 coming up...lets see if that one is ok

 

Ok so does anyone wanna place some bets what is going to happen now? We didn't build the computer together so I don't know what she is thinking about doing but...

My DV9700t has: HP Imprint Finish (Radiance) + Fingerprint Reader + Webcam + Microphone!!

The Fingerprint reader and the webcam are no longer an option together on the 9700t....So what is she going to do?

 

Hopefully you'll be getting a loaded brand spanking new dv7t.

It's almost been a week since my dv9000t was sent in for repairs for having green dots all over the screen. As of two days ago, repair status showed in warranty, now it's showing out of warranty with huge service charge. Reading this thread just scares me to death and hope this is not the beginning of my nightmare.

 

inlvnv, thats what I am hoping for but, I am wondering if I should point the fact that there is no longer an equal in the dv9700t family. That for my laptop the dv7t series does have comparable options. Or do I just not call my case manager and hopes shes knowledgeable enough not to accidentally downgrade my laptop again by not including the webcam AND fingerprint reader. I don't want to call her up and basically second guess her, and risk ticking her off. Hoever in the same sense I don't want to have to go through all this again.


I need some input from everyone on what my best plan of attack is.


btw inlvnv, I've been watching your thread and it looks like your in for a long ride as well. Sorry to hear it

 

Ken,

In ways, I can relate to the problems you have had dating back to earlier this year. HP had replaced my laptop but it ended up being defective according to my HP Case Manager. Since, the DV9700T that was posted on the website no longer included all of the same parts as mine I mentioned the DV7T. The parts were comparable and he agreed to send that to me. I also told him of every part I wanted and he added it in there. He had to keep the same display size and ram of course, but 3GB is more than enough.

Here are the specs of the DV7T expected to arrive this wednesday:

Genuine Windows Vista Ultimate with Service Pack 1 (64-bit)
Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Duo Processor T9600 (2.80GHz)
17.0" diagonal WSXGA+ High-Definition HP BrightView Widescreen Display (1680 x 1050)
3GB DDR2 System Memory (2 Dimm)
512MB NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT
HP Imprint Finish (Mesh) + Microphone + Webcam + Fingerprint Reader
FREE Upgrade to Intel(R) WiFi Link 5100AGN and Bluetooth(TM)
High speed 56K modem port
320GB 7200RPM SATA Dual Hard Drive (160GB x 2) with HP ProtectSmart Hard Drive Protection
LightScribe SuperMulti 8X DVD+/-RW with Double Layer Support
No TV Tuner w/remote control
Extra 8 Cell Lithium Ion Battery
Microsoft(R) Works 9.0
Mobile Stereo Earbud Headphones (1 pair)
HP Color Matching Keyboard

He even threw in a 4 Year Extended Service Plan with Accidental Damage Protection.

Current Value: $2,903

I have successfully helped several people obtain replacements from HP while under warranty. So if you need advice on how to accomplish such an outcome please PM me. Just be sure to include your notebook's model number, list of problems and what HP has done thus far to correct your problems.

- Infamous

P.S. Ken, if by any means necessary you are able to PM me the info to track my replacement or the info in general, could you do that? It would be kept strictly confidential and I would be willing to provide any advice in return.

P.S.S I will be making an unboxing video and review here on the Notebook Review website. Pictures and all included so look forward to it.

 

Thanks infamous for the offer! Looks like you got set up pretty nice there!

***UPDATE***

Well I called in today to make sure that they were not going to accidentally downgrade me once again.

Can you believe that once again they are downgrading me "accidentally"

This is the 2nd case manager that has downgraded my system. This time they placed the order (and of course can't cancel) this morning (3 hours before I called in) the following downgrades...

Windows Vista Home Premium with Service Pack 1 (64-bit)
# • Intel(R) Core(TM) 2 Duo Processor T8100 (2.10GHz) DOWNGRADE FROM MY 2.2 (HPs site no longer offers this option)
# • 17.0" diagonal WXGA+ High-Definition Ultra HP BrightView Widescreen Display (1440 x 900)
# • 2GB DDR2 System Memory (2 Dimm)
# • 50% OFF 512MB NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GS
# • HP Imprint Finish (Radiance) + Microphone + Webcam DOWNGRADE FROM WHAT I ORIGINALLY ORDERED....DOESN't INCLUDE FINGERPRINT READER
# • FREE Upgrade to Intel(R) PRO/Wireless 4965AGN Network Connection and Bluetooth(TM)
# • 240GB 7200RPM SATA Dual Hard Drive (120GB x 2)
# • Blu-Ray ROM with SuperMulti DVD+/-R/RW Double Layer
# • High Capacity 8 Cell Lithium Ion Battery
# • Microsoft(R) Works 9.0


The case manager "John" that answered when I called in was extremely friendly and compassionate when he heard a snippet of my saga and said he would go to the lunchroom and let my case manager "Terry" know that theres a problem. Sure enough within 5 minutes Terry called me back and told me the same instructions as last time...Wait till the new computer gets here and then ship my old one back and then she will order another one and emailing me the specs before ordering.

I feel like I am back to January when this entire saga first started. I am going to stay nice as pie this time once again but this is absolutely disgusting.... Two replacements in a row I have been downgraded...

 

I feel for ya. At least they stand by their products though.

If I were you, I would call HP Corporate Headquarters.

Here's the info:

Hewlett-Packard Company
3000 Hanover Street
Palo Alto, CA 94304-1185 USA

Phone: (650) 857-1501

AND, according to your signature you've been downgraded by more than what's marked in red.

 

To RealtorKen: I disagree that HP stands by their products since I have been thru a 4 month nightmare with HP support (see thread http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=249826). I believe some exec worried about next quarter earnings decided to cut support to the bone and farm out everything to the lowest bidder (might be coming back to bite them.) My case managers lied numerous times to me (many details in other thread) and tried to blame damage HP repair did on me. I got nowhere with letters to HP corporate (CEO, COO, Board) - they were just forwarded to the case managers. Your case managers actions are not "by accident," but they try to make you think they are. They operate under the belief that most people will give up and go away (probably correct). I had to sue in small claims court to get HP to own up to their contractual warranty obligations on a ONE-MONTH-OLD laptop! Bottom line: Don't trust them, get everything in writing and don't feel you have to be nice - they will just take you for a chump.

 

Actually, you were the one that wanted to be greedy. They offered a refund to you, which is rarely done past the return policy.

You're going to short claims and making a big story out of this. They offered to help you by granting a refund. Sure they want you to send it in. They need to check the product. When you file for a return with any other store they receive the product before you are awarded a refund.

If you have scratches from the repair center and they deduct money from the refund value then that's another story. The only reason it's been 4 months is due to the fact you are stubborn.

I am satisfied with their service. They make every attempt to satisfy me and keep up to their warranty. I'm just more or less appreciative rather greedy.

I'm not trying to make an enemy out of you, but you're going too far.

 

I agree with you infamous that he needs to send in the laptop BUT.....How many times do we have to go in circles with HP.

My credit card dispute was denied because I still had possession of the laptop even though I couldn't get anyone to tell me where to send it.

I send the laptop in to get the MB and Video Card replaced and they replace everything but

I'm being sent for the 2nd time a downgraded replacement system. Once again I am assured that as soon as I receive the 2nd replacement a 3rd replacement will be sent out with the correct specs.

How long to I keep playing their game? 8 more months? It has been 10 months since I purchased the original system, after 1 month the HD drive went and even after replacing the drive it wouldn't work. I have been fighting HP for 9 months...

I too will be turning to the courts if they don't get it right, after this next replacement... After that they could offer me a refund and no I wouldn't take it either. It would then be all about the principal, they made me spend all this time and money trying to just get what I originally ordered, I will make them spend the money defending themselves in court. Where I think with all the Prima Facie evidence and logs I should have no problem winning a motion for summary judgment.


Anyone, I am still keeping my fingers crossed in hopes that they fix this mess.

 

Infamous, I believe you should have read more of my thread before launching into your personal attack. HP didn't offer the refund until over 2 months into things and AFTER I had sent them certified legal notice of my intent to sue (required by my state's consumer protection act). They had 30 days to respond, but did not. They eventually offered the refund based on my posts here. I asked them to put it in writing by responding to my notice, but they refused. Mainly as a matter of principal, I also asked them to cover fees/costs incurred by me in having to fight them for two months (including the certified notice), but they refused that as well. And they NEVER admitted causing the damage done by HP repair, even though I sent them before & after photos. So I would have been an idiot to turn over my evidence (the laptop) before payment, based on a promise in a phone call, especially after they had repeatedly lied and acted in bad faith over two months. In short, I DID NOT TRUST THEM. Going to court gets me a court-enforceable judgment that would include my costs. As RealtorKen said, accepting a refund only gets you back to where you started before the support nightmare. I'm not bought off so cheaply and don't give up so easily.

P.S. Many of us posting here have had both good and bad experiences with HP support. I suggest in future posts you make an attempt to respond to those you disagree with without resorting to personal attacks and name calling. That is unproductive and adds nothing to your argument.

 

They are a big company. There are policies that they must follow. Otherwise, their business would fail. It's to protect the company from possible problems, such as defrauders and scammers.

Sure you had a big nightmare, but them offering a refund and offering you a chance to take your business elsewhere is good on their part. They shouldn't be obligated to pay for your legal costs when they aren't even obligated to give you a refund, which was done in good faith and after months of dispute.

Going through the legal process is a gamble. It might not end in your favor.

You should put yourself in their shoes for a change. It's your word against theirs.

I'm not trying to make an enemy out of you. I'm just simply stating my feelings towards your encounter with HP. I apologize if I upset you.

 

Man I can't believe they downgraded your processor. Wait...did they give you a dv9700t or the newer dv7t?

 

LoL I wouldn't have minded as much if they game me the dv7t, as I would probably never notice the difference.

They built me another dv9700, the same model that I had to pay extra for the 2.2.

 

That sucks man...if they downgraded you because of the model, then they should have given you the other model...

I'm in the same situation (sort of)...if HP cannot fix my notebook, they can't replace it with a dv6700 because the highest processor is a 2.16 GHz and my notebook has a 2.2 Ghz, meaning they would have to (or at least better) give me the dv5t since that has a 2.26 GHz processor. It has to at least match my old notebook's specs. But to be honest, I'd rather have HP fix the problems with my current notebook. Here's to hoping they do so, otherwise, please HP, replace it with someone equal or greater!

By the way why are they making you pay extra for 2.2 if that's what you had originally? That's weird.

 

Sorry I wasn't clear...What I meant was, when I originally purchased the laptop, the 2.2 was not the base model it was an upgrade $$.

 

ARGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH!!!

Well I received my temporary replacement yesterday and spent the night loading it up and transfering some files from the old one to the new one. However I encountered a major problem...

This new one the monitor lamps keep going out!!! All of a sudden the screen goes dark, and last night I couldn't see anything cause I only had a small desk light on, but today I noticed the screen doesn't go all the way black. I can still see the text as long as the light from the skylight is shining on it. Its a good thing I purchased another 9700 2 weeks ago, that way I know I have at least a working computer.

This is absolutely ridiculous....

For anyone keeping tabs on my laptop replacements, it goes like this...

December 07 purchased a dv9500t with 2.2ghz, 2gb RAM, Finger print scanner, Two 120gb 7200 drives, UltraBrite monitor, and the high def dvd drive.

I immediately had problems with quickplay playing movies in HD, sent a replacement drive (didn't fix it), sent laptop in (didn't fix it)

January 08- Sent replacement with downgraded video card went from 8600 to 8400. Spent months trying to get a replacement.

July 08 - Assigned a different case manager "Terry" who had me send in the laptop to have the motherboard and videocard changed back to the 8600.

Laptop came back with a new battery(not the extended), a new hard drive (5400 instead of 7200, the old drive was fine), a gouge on the wrist rest, replaced RAM (old ram was fine)

Aug 08- Received another replacement laptop this time with the right video card BUT downgraded processor 2.1 (had 2.2) and no fingerprint reader. Also laptop is possibly deflective as monitor lamps keep going out at random times.


Edit:
By the way I have decided that if I don't get some compensation in the form of upgrades for this nightmare I will be just filing a lawsuit ARRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGG the monitor lamp just went out again!!!!!! My screen now looks like someone put like 4 of those antiglare things they used to make for regular monitors (also known as the privacy shields)

I called my case manager today and asked about a refund and she told me that they could issue a pro-rated refund. So what that boils down to is even though I have a 1 day old defective laptop I would lose 8 months of the value of it. That is completely unacceptble to me. Ok time to stop straining to see what I am typing and restart this piece of crap..

 

That is complete bull crap.

How do you lose 8 months of value to the laptop? How do you judge the value of a laptop based on time with almost the same specifications? I mean what if you just kept the laptop in the original box?

There wouldn't be much of a difference between the 9500 and 9700.

 

okay, what you need to do is contact the BBB. I had a similar situation and I got all my money back plus a free laptop!

 

I think he already tried that.

 

Yeah, Infamous is right....I have gone through the BBB and they just closed the case even though HP sent me this defective and downgraded laptop. I just sent in the "old" (couple months) laptop this morning.

We will see what happens once they receive it and I call my case manager. Some people may disagree with me on my next move but you haven't lived in my shoes...

When I bought my laptop it was pretty much top of the line. Since I have not had the laptop I originally purchased since the beginning of January, I am going to ask for $200-$350 in upgrades. I have made up my mind, if the case manager won't do that for me I am going to file a lawsuit. Only because of all the hassle this has been. Then they offer me a pro-rated refund B.S.! We will see what happens though, I am really hoping for the easier way out.

 

Hey Ken,

Wait at least a month before you contact a case manager. After that one month is up they lose assignment to your case. At that point, you can talk to another one that will most likely side in your favor as I mentioned in a pm to you. Just let me know when that month is up and PM ME! That's an order (in a nice way)!

Demanding something from a manager that wouldn't already help you won't do a darn thing.

 

Well, folks I caved...

I spoke with my case manager today and she put together a replacement system for me. Not exactly what I dreamed of but... At least there are no downgrades. It is an upgrade to my original system considering the newer technology and the 1680x1050 monitor but whatever... The weird thing is she said no to upgrading the processor but threw in a extra battery, the price would have been the same without the extra battery...Go figure

Here are the replacement specs:

HP Pavilion Entertainment dv7t customizable Notebook PC

* Genuine Windows Vista Home Premium with Service Pack 1 (64-bit)
* Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Duo Processor P8400 (2.26 GHz)
* 17.0" diagonal WSXGA+ High-Definition HP BrightView Widescreen Display (1680 x 1050)
* 2GB DDR2 System Memory (2 Dimm)
* 512MB NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT
* 320GB 7200RPM SATA Dual Hard Drive (160GB x 2) with HP ProtectSmart Hard Drive Protection
* Webcam + Fingerprint Reader
* HP Color Matching Keyboard
* Intel(R) WiFi Link 5100AGN and Bluetooth(TM)
* High speed 56K modem port
* $100 OFF Blu-Ray ROM with SuperMulti DVD+/-R/RW Double Layer
* No TV Tuner w/remote control
* Extra 8 Cell Lithium Ion Battery
* Microsoft(R) Works 9.0
* HP Home & Home Office Store in-box envelope


1 $1,789.75 $1,639

 

Call her back and tell her that free upgrades could easily be justified. Explain the problems and hardship you went through and how there is a 14 page post on a popular notebook site about it. OTHERWISE, you can talk to a Case Manager that picks up the phone and have him or her sort of take control using a procedure called "Second Opinion." They can review the case and do somewhat of an override.

 

Wow, is that what you had originally purchased? Or at least somewhat like that? That is one nice system.

Maybe you could post the specs of what you originally had.

 

The original was a ZV5000 (4 years old) lol

15.4" screen
AMD Athlon 3200 2.0GHz
512 RAM
80 GIG HD

I'm good with convincing.... The screen upgrade took a lot of talking lol

 

WOW.

I have no idea how you got such a nice system when your previous laptop was that old, but I have to give it to you. I wouldn't be surprised if you were a lawyer or lawmaker or something...


Was that ZV5000 expensive by 4-years-ago terms?

 

It wasn't that expensive. I got it at Circuit City for like $1400.

 

Yeah Infamous, that was amazing!

Anyway for everyone thats following my saga...

Yes, they finally ordered a laptop to the right specs...It should be shipped out today or tomorrow BUT!!!

I am not going to keep it after all that. LOL

With the 30% off coupon that is out currently I built a top of the line HP notebook for only $1650 so I figure I can sell the one the case manager is shipping me and just pay the difference of a couple hundred to have the 2.8 ghz plus all the other upgrades.

On a side note, does anyone know if I could just return the replacement laptop directly to HP and have them just credit my order from today??? That would be sweet but I highly doubt its possible. LoL

Anyway, here is a comparison of the two systems. The first one is what my case manager built me and the second one is the one I ordered today and should be shipped on the 4th. The Ram wasn't upgraded because I got in on the newegg 4gb of OCZ 800mhz for like $57 deal.

Order this today instead

 

Infamous, you got a laptop worth twice what you had originally spent? Seems like you practically got the most expensive upgrade out of all the categories, lol.

 

That old laptop is worth like $200-250 right now on ebay, so it's more than twice lol

 

You lucky bum...

I'm still puzzled at how you got such a nice replacement system.

 

You have to be friendly, yet aggressive.

When you have a problem, add emphasis. It's at their discretion and proper justification is required for each upgrade.

Explain all of your issues legitimately while you hold your cool. Would you want to work with someone who is obnoxious and out of hand? The Case Manager is more inclined to assist someone that is willing to work at their pace and with a positive attitude.

Work in a casual conversation. Greet them when they answer and ask them if they had a busy day. They are people just like us. Jobs everywhere need to be filled and he/she selected Case Management as an occupation. Comment the job and try to relate.

Keep in mind they get a lot of annoying and angry callers. So if they come off aggressive at first, just cope with it and let them know you don't bite (not literally).

A person is more willing to help another person that is friendly towards them.