My NEW nc6400 is a REFURB! Please Advise...

Hello, as some of you know I got a new nc6400 from HP Small Business Sales. When I received the notebook, I noticed that it had fingerprints all over the laptop, a small scratch on the cover, the stickers on the battery were smearing, and the windows xp sticker was peeling off. I thought it might have been poor quality control on HPs part, but after chatting with tech support about some other hardware issues, they confirmed that the unit is a Refurb. After asking more about this, the tech then went on to say that because my laptop was a custom to order, it is a refurb. I really didnt understand that. He claimed that the processor, video, and so on was new. That may be true, but shouldn't the whole thing be new? I was never told nor did we discuss a refurb with the sales guy. What should I do? At nearly $2000, I feel ripped off. Also, with other problems I'm getting pretty upset.
THanks everyone.

 

man, if you spent $2,000 you need to get a supervisor on the phone and demand that somebody from HP personally deliver your new laptop as promised or that you will sue the panties off them!!

 

No...custom to order's are not refurb. They screwed up and that guy is lying to you. You paid the new price, you didn't visit the refurb/outlet section, you are entitled to a new notebook.

Call them back and tell them your order was quoted specifically for a new unit and not a refurb. Advise them that they are not honoring the terms of the sale and that you have a right to a new notebook or a refund. If they give you trouble, tell them you'll be contacting the BBB. If the BBB doesn't help, I'm sure the courts will.

 

Oh, and from here on in you should probably only communicate with HP via online tech chat. That way, you'll have a written record of what was said in the format of a downloaded HTML file. That way no one can claim the didn't say anything without you giving proof they did.

 

Hp does have a 30 day full refund policy, so I guess I'll return it. I just wanted to confirm that I wasnt being too picky. What a pain... I'm actually angry enough that I dont want to buy it again, but I like the lappy so much.

 

Well, if you want you could return it and then get another one. I don't think they'll screw up twice...

At this point, I'd take a step back and consider the nc6400 again along with a few other notebooks. Since you've already seen one notebook, that might help you weigh the pros/cons of the other models against the nc6400 even better now. While I wouldn't blame you if you didn't get HP this time around, don't just knock the notebook off of your list without considering all the options.

Think on the bright side...you get a second chance to reevaluate the decision on specs, size, and models.

 

I would be very pissed if I brought a new laptop and then I found out it was refurbished. Call them back and tall them you want to return it and get your money back then place a diffrent order

 

night04, it funny you mentioned reevaluating my decision. First, I had a Sony SZ series which was great, but I couldnt stand the keyboard. I returned it. I then got a nc6400 with the Core Duo (not my choice) and I liked it except I wanted a Core 2. I finally received the Core 2 nc6400 with refurb issue. I had both models side by side so I was able to compare the condition.

Update: I called 2 different people at Hp and asked them to check the serial on my notebook and they both claim that its new. Do you think they put a note on my account or serial number to tell me its new? I dont know what to believe! Ah!!

 

I don't think they would stoop that low...not to mention HP is learning a hard lesson already with ethics (see the pretexting scandal).

I'd take pictures of the notebook, ask for a full refund because you received a notebook that appears to either be a refurb or damaged in shipping. Then go to the BBB...HP tends to listen when you go to the BBB.

 

ur laptop clearly has been used by someone else and the first call proved this, i suggest u demand compensation either in a refund or replacement to something better for the troubles theyve put u thru and the fact that now theyre lying even about the refurb shows just how much compensation u shud get. i dunno where u live MN i wud gather is somewhere in the states (minnesotta or something i dunno), anyways if they dont rectify this matter, have a friend impersonate a lawyer or get a real one to shake them up a little. u probably shuda taken pics of the laptop the moment u found the problems, for purposes of evidence and such but oh well.

 

If you impersonate a lawyer you (1) are doing something wrong and (2) will force HP to just forward your case to their legal department...which means you'll have to deal with lawyers from now on.

However, you do need to contact HP and tell them about the first conversation and that by being told otherwise now you clearly believe they are trying to deceive you and it isn't working.

Get the pics now, be nice but firm - you want a refund given the circumstances and nothing else will suffice given HP's apparent dishonesty.

 

If I were you, I wouldn't hesitate to threaten them with a lawsuit and if they still do not take you seriously, get legal advice immediately. Obese corporations such as HP deserve a lesson in business ethics if they are genuinely in the wrong here (seems to be the case judging from your initial post). This is a low margin business, so in their quest for bigger profits in the face of price competition, you won't believe what they can do to their business practices.

 

Another Update:

I chatted with an HP tech again last night and was able to have them confirm that they believe its a refurb. I asked them to share whatever info they had and they gave me a link to HPs warranty check site. After typing in my serial and model numbers, it shows alot of info. It does not say REFURB anywhere, but the tech explained that my product description "BU RCTO 128M nc6400" implies refurb because of the "R" in front of the "CTO". I believe CTO stands for custom to order. That's the only info they have. I was told that the processor, video, etc were all new, so I'm guessing that the case and MB were a return item and HP simply upgraded the parts.

I did check the description of the other nc6400 I had, and while that was as preconfig model, I didnt see the "R" anywhere.

Anyone out there with any model CTO custom to order willing to check the warranty check website? I'd like to know if "R" truely stands for Refurb.

Here's the link:

http://www6.itrc.hp.com/service/ewarranty/warrantyResults.do

Thanks again.

 

While my current notebook was a preconfigured model, my old HP zx5000 from two years ago was a CTO. I've still got the papers for it (including the warranty check from HP) and it doesn't say RCTO. I know mine can't be considered conclusive, but I wanted to give you a heads up.

 

Mine is a CTO model, and has "BU IDS 256M nx8420" as the product description. I don't know what the "RCTO" and "IDS" tags mean, but if I'm not mistaken, I can purchase a new base unit nc6400, and they too, have "RCTO" in their product description. From the looks of it, you've got the EH521AV model, which is the base unit, but can be configured with any parts you want.

 

Chrixx, where are you able to see new nc6400s with RCTO as the label? I checked the HP website and couldnt find it. Thanks guys for checking your tags.

 

if they give any grief just file a chargeback with your credit card company. It's that simple. You have the item and can demonstrate the condition so HP has no basis to dispute the charge back even though they might.

I would couch the idea to HP as a question...something like "...well, can you just send me a relacement or should I simply file a chargeback with my credit card company.??.." I suspect you will be xfer'd to a supervisor instantly. Even companies such as HP bow down to credit card companies and chargebacks. That is the beauty of using a credit card.

btw, you got seriously boned by HP on this deal...that is just, well, WRONG...

 

Thanks for the suggestion, I'll do that if they arent willing to work with me.

At this point, I'm still trying to figure out if this really is a Refurb, it seems that it may actually be new if chrixx's info is correct. I dont want to make a big fuss and end up being wrong. Anyone else able to check their warranty description? I'd be interested in hearing if somone has a custom model with the description CTO, not RCTO.

 

If it looks refurb you need to argue even if it is new...that isn't right for them to ship cosmetically damaged goods. Take a few pics and post them here.

 

I got it off a 3rd party. Anyway, if you want to know the standard warranty for your model, you can just enter EH521AV with any valid serial number and it'll still display "BU RCTO 128M" because that's the product description afaik.
Regardless of this fact, you got a unit which seems to have been damaged cosmetically, so you should be entitled to an exchange.
You mentioned your Windows XP sticker is peeling off, but I'm pretty sure you're aware that all new XP stickers have a hole through them and look as if they are peeling off, but actually isn't. Perhaps, a picture might help us here.

 

ahkim123,
Have you found any resolution on your problem? I'm interested in your case because I've got my friend a similar unit.
I configured an EH521AV and it arrived today. It looks as new as any other units. The RCTO stands for "Regional Customize to Order" and certainly not refurbished. The HP tech who told you that will probably be in a lot of trouble.

 

What really grinds my gears is how you never know when ordering from HP if you're getting refurb parts.

Now, I'm all-for refurb parts when I know that's what I'm getting. I buy factory refurb tools and electronics (mostly from Sony; my Minidisc player was marked significantly off retail and has functioned flawlessly for 6+ years) all the time and love the lower cost.

However, what HP does (and they make no bones about it, read your laptop warranties) is sell you partially/entirely refurbed parts at full price.

As far as I'm concerned, that's flat-out lying to the consumer. When I pay new prices for hardware I expect to get new hardware the first time, not after two botched servicings and a whole spate of angry phone calls later (strike that, I'm hoping my replacement shows no signs of refurbishment, I haven't gotten it yet).

Please, HP, if you're going to sell refurb parts, at least label them as such, and charge less for them, since, in my experience, the QA on returned parts that are then re-used is absolutely poop.

 

Well, my experience with buying a CTO model from HP is also not quite favourable. I live in Czech Republic and configured the nc6400 through HP TopConfig service available here. While mine doesn’t look as a refurbished machine, it still shows signs of a rather slovenly assembly and lacking quality control. There were one or two small scratches on the base and the switch cover wasn’t properly seated in the base of the notebook. Also the packaging didn’t seem as solid and neat as with the preconfigured models.

 

My nc6400 is built and assembled in Singapore, direct from HP's production facility here, not an ODM as far as I'm aware. I'm not sure if there's any difference since the parts are imported from all over the world anyway. Are all nc6400s made in the same location too?

 

My nc6400 was assembled in Hungary according to the sticker on the box. Incidentally, chrixx, I saw your other thread requesting comments on the WXGA+ screen. Did you get this version in the end? What does it look like? I’ve been having a model with WXGA+ screen for a while now and I’m still finding it difficult to put up with its mediocre quality. Significant light leakage at the bottom and poor vertical viewing angles are the most annoying for me. It’s a shame, as it’s otherwise a notebook that perfectly fits my needs. I’m slowly leaning towards selling it and buying a newer model (probably Core2 Duo) with lower-resolution WXGA display.

 

Yes, I got the WXGA+ screen. Certainly not the best display on the market, but I know what I'm in for, and I appreciate the higher resolution. The viewing angles are OK, but not as good as my nx8420. I'm just using this as an affordable replacement for my Toshiba M50 that I bring to uni, work and everywhere else. The only thing about my unit is they put a standard Windows XP sticker instead of a Vista Capable one for me, although I still have the Vista Capable leaflet in the box.
I plan to put out a review for it soon. I sent a short message as the sticky said, but has not received any replies/info from NBR. Do I just e-mail my entire review to them or something?

You can check where your notebook is made from the bottom of your notebook. The sticker with the HP and CE logo will state "Product of xxx". The serial number should also begin with CN(China), SG(Singapore), etc.

 

I checked the sticker and it confirmed that mine was made in Hungary (the serial number starts with "HU"). But I think it doesn't quite matter, these are just "assembly" plants after all. I'm looking forward to your review. I have no idea how to place a review on the main page of notebookreview.com, but surely you could post it here in the forums any time. Would you please include a few pictures of your display too? Especially from different angles and with black background to demonstrate light leak. I'd very much like to have a comparison, whether mine is worse or if I'm just expecting too much. If you didn't want to include them in the review, I'd be grateful if you could send them simply by email.