Never Hp Again, A Horror Story. Read This

I received my brand new top of the line HP Dv2500t from HP.com September 14, 2007. For the next two weeks the computer was perfect with all of HP’s junk and I truly thought that I made a great choice. I also don’t install any games only Photoshop, office and Norton virus scan. Later, the computer would not start up; it would just stop at the Windows Flash Screen with the Green Lime worm going across the screen. Left it on all night and stayed like that never boating into Windows. I called hp tech support and they told me they could fix it without me losing anything. At the end I had use Recovery Council to System Restore and lose everything. Then comes the next catch the recovery portion was corrupted giving me an error. Hp support said that they will send me a Recovery CD in 3 days. It’s been a week no CD, I spent a few hundred dollars buying Vista Business. I called again at the end of the Week and according to their records NO CD was sent as there was no record of my call or a CD supposed to being sent out. Please note to have anything sent out from HP you must transfer to numerous people each collecting the same information. The CD for Home Premium recovery arrives the next week in a week not 3 days even after the re-order. Totally it took 2 weeks and 2 calls. I don’t bother reformatting again as Vista Business is running fine and meets my needs. A week later the Webcam stops working, call HP they won’t help me as now I have Vista Business and they want me to downgrade or Pay for Support. I do neither as the webcam is not really important to me; the webcam starts working a week later on its own. The computer is great until last week, as the hard drive begins to make a ticking noise, busy light steady, computer locks up or lags for a minute or two. Call HP makes me run though all these diagnostics steps telling me to run it at night “memory diagnostics” from the BIOS. I told him it happens when Windows is running; he tells me that if the steps above don’t have error he wants me to remove the hard drive to isolate the clicking noise to the hard drive. Hello!!! I just said it happens when I launch a big application from Windows like Photoshop or after it boots into Windows and other random spots. So I call the next day telling them no error from the diagnostics, for the first time the person I speak to someone who has PERFECT ENLGISH and sound like an American. She sends me out a hard drive after taking my credit card as collateral. I receive a confirmation email and it says it will arrive 10/26. The order status says still says 10/26 on the 10/26, but no hard drive arrived as the order was never shipped. That call required me to be transferred to numerous people then the phone system disconnects me. I call hp later telling them I don’t want the hard drive as I am returning the computer. For once they sound happy and they EAGRLY tell me returns can ONLY made within the first 21 days of ownership. THE GOOD NEWS is that I can still return it as it bought through my company which has 90 day full refund policy. I ordered a Lenovo IBM t61 ThinkPad, so far everyone I have spoke to seems to be based in America they only downfall is the price and the build time is a whopping three weeks also they ship UPS ground. Also HP never apologized once or offered any sort of compensation even when asked. I lost everything I never made backups after transferring it to a new computer as it was a brand new computer. Also note One tech support told me that I should consider the Recovery CD compensation. Anyone else with this experience or similar, I really liked my notebook, I just hated the problems and HP lack of costumer service or care for the costumers? A lesson learned a lesson told.

 

I'm glad I didn't get a crummy notebook. But yeah, I've heard that the HP customer service is awful. It's too bad your experience with HP didn't go as well with mine.

 

People buy their laptops for other reasons besides their customer support and that is the quality of their laptops (business models only).

 

The Pavilion is intended as home entertainment machine. Pavilion is positioned above Compaq but the really well made HP notebooks are those in the business series.

Your complaint on HP lack of customer care is not new. However, this is completely a different thing in HP Singapore. The customer service here is top notch.

Anyway, your decision to switch to ThinkPad is a wise one.

 

business laptops

hp has good machines in that range (i never get them in for repair), but lappies they make for the plebos the people i mean
never reach nor quality nor longevity of their business counterparts.

unfortunately today laptops made so cheaply that you really dont know whats best anymore

 

I heard HP customer service won some award recently (JD Power?) but from my limited experience with them I wasn't too impressed either. A few months ago I installed a new hard disk in my DV1000 and wanted to install QuickPlay on it, but unfortunately HP didn't include a QuickPlay restore CD (or any other restore disc) with the computer. I called HP to request one and was told I need to order the recovery discs. I specifically asked and was assured the QuickPlay disc would be included in the set. The discs were "free" but I had to pay $40 for shipping. When the discs arrived, there was no QuickPlay disc. Another call to HP, and after being bounced around to a few different reps I was told the QuickPlay disc for my computer is no longer available. The last rep I spoke to got rid of me by telling me I could download the program at www.quickplay.com. Not true, but I'm not going to waste any more time chasing after this.

Having said that though, I've had 6 HP/Compaq notebooks, starting with an Armada 1120 back in '95 or '96. All have been quite problem free (knocking furiously on wood here), except I just tried to boot up the old 1120 (it still does boot!) but the keyboard and trackball don't work . Oh yes, one other problem with a video cable on an Omnibook XE3 that I fixed myself with a soldering iron and a couple bits of wire.

I've found Dell customer service to be much better (my last 3 desktops have been Dells), but I'm sure you'll find a lot of horror stories there too.

 

Yup! I've said this somewhere before, mounting problems from Hp computers, takes them a long time to fix/build good drivers for their computers(quicklaunch and webcams) and horrible costomer support. I called Hp just yesterday about my backup problems...i got fustrated and hanged up! the person i spoke to doesn't know a thing about computers. But poeple keep defending them. If this was Dell, this post would be flooding with negetive comments.
Like Toyota, Hp USED to be good but not anymore. Its time we start voicing it out, so the they will change.
My next lappy will definatively NOT be Hp.!

 

I'd agree that HP support in Asia Pacific is top notch, but Dell still beats it. Don't know why HP has to make US support such a painful experience.

 

HR cost in AP is unbelievably low than America. So HP may be able to hire some experienced technical support specialists in China or India and also provide comprehensive technical training for less knowledgeable employees.

In this country, hiring a person really a pain in the ass. So don't expect you would find high level support in B2C market.

 

so would a personal hp laptop be a bad idea? after looking everywhere i could, the dv6500t seems to be the best deal. just waiting to see if a coupon shows up now. should i go for something else then?

 

My son owns one of these laptops. He got it from Best Buy. He is happy with it, but it does have small issues (like all laptops) I would advise purchasing from a retail outlet like Best Buy, unless you are getting the business models. You can get a Best Buy warranty and never have to mess with HP. I belive there are other retail outlets that you can use if Best Buy is not avalible where you are.

 

I'd say there are far fewer horror stories than there are success stories.

 

Offhand, I can't think of any major builder which hasn't had at least one thread like this posted. Even the boutiques have had some major issues which have been discussed. Nothing posted in this thread is nearly as bad as some of the things posted here at NBR and a lot of other sites, about several other companies (no examples because it would just start a nasty flame war). If anything, I'd guess that HP does better than most as far as being the subject of angry posts/threads and just plain rants. And, no, I'm not an HP fanboy; my own notebook is a Mac (also the subject of several similar threads ).

@OP: good luck with the Lenovo. I hope your experience with them is a big improvement.

 

Let me ask you this? Did they ever suggested, you need a case manager? Because even thou you only have 21 days to return your product but in your case your having problem with your laptop. I believe they need to transfer you to a case manager. My suggestion to all HP owner whenever you had problem with your product and tech support can't solve it always ask for a case manager. Because as always HP tech support sucks, but they have the greatest case manager, and they are located in canada so you don't need to worry which part of the world they will connect you too, under the name of aladdin or banji.

 

Just remember, this is a forum - a place to get your problems solved. There's going to be a ton of threads about something going wrong, but not many people are going to post success stories. The HP Pavilions are some of the best consumer notebooks out there.

 

yeah, i'll have to agree that HP Singapore customer service is excellent. Plus HP computers here are quite good in my opinion. i have had no problem at all with my HP DV2500t yet, save for the universal webcam problem. my dad has been using his dv1000 for more than 3 years and hasn't had to call HP tech support even once. never encountered any problems.

 

just say the truth dude HP is not as good as it used to be

 

You should not judge based on a single experience. For example, I just wanted to ask if there is a restocking fee when returning Dell laptops or not and I had to talk to ten people to find out and I got many different answers. However, when I called HP, I talk to a very professional agent that told me everything I need to know about my DV2600 laptop. However, I will never say that HP's customer service is better than Dell only based on that experiences.

Anyway, other than possible keyboard flex, DV2600 is awesome and I love it.

 

You bought a HP Dv2500t, had problems then bought a T61.

Makes me wonder, if you had the budget for a T61, why did you get the HP Dv2500t in the 1st place?

Makes me wonder...

 

I had good CS experience with HP. After walking me through to revive the laptop I finally ended sending it back, free shipping to and fro. Use your warranty. My case manager was excellent, upgraded my laptop because they didn't know why it died. It's true that HP is not the only company that has been having trouble with their products... Dell, Sony, Toshiba, etc has all their shares.

 

Why? I did not really research computers before, I bought a HP because all my friends had one and it looked cool compared to the ThinkPad which my dad and mom use at work. In regards to my budget not really sure my parents never told me how much I could or could not spend only that I put on my American Express card. I think my parents get Delta miles or something not sure. The HP was $1372 the T61 cost $1,874 same specs as the hp except it does not have a DVDRW drive and a second battery. It does have Vista Ultimate and some Intel Turbo Memory. T61 smaller drive at 100GB at 7200RPM. HP 160GB at 5400RPM. I just hope this does not get delayed it took HP a week and half to build and 3 days to ship. IBM 2 to 3 weeks minimum without delays the rep said and ground shipping is like 5 days. Also please note I HAVE NOTHING AGAINST HPs, I think they are good computers all my friends like theirs without problems, I think I just got a Lemon. btw I think the IBM is not a good for gaming as the HP because it have some Nivdia Quadro or something.

 

Although it is not really the answer to bad HP CS, people should realize that they can do something so that they do not need the CS in the first place. The original poster for example would not have to go through the whole thing if he just BURNED the recovery disks. This is the first thing one should do when buying a new laptop. Burn the recovery disks and then make a copy of the SWSETUP folder.

SO if anything happens to your laptop you are ready and you do not need HP CS then. Long story short, if you know about the bad CS then you should educate yourself how to fix your laptop so that you don't need them.

 

I could not burn those discs as my computer always gave me an error half way through the process. I tried numerous DVD and CDs

 

Have you tried to press f11 on startup?

 

Note quite agreed, true that everyone should better off knows how to fix computers. but its like saying, if your senior could do all you could then he should not have hired you then. since they charge a portion for the warranty and support, all they need is to provide the support as needed. (you payed for it).

I had some bad experience with HP as well (well not so bad but never as claimed top notch..& i live in Singapore) called their tech support only to find their rep don't really know their own product. well must say their CSO (officer level been very polite). Also a big bad thing is they do not offer return policy here.. so buy at your own risk (if anyone could confirm this?) otherwise would have return my unit!.

Built quality is ok but not too sure about mine.. the more closely i look at it the more flaw.. just realize i could see the light leak from the screen frame, looking closely could really see the metal bezel (please, someone tell me this is normal) its solid but just assembly flaw! mine even come with scratch on lid brand new!

Just hope i am alone... by comparison would says Dell is a notch better overall

 

Ive had my HP pavillion dv9000 since june and not one problem...I love it, its fast, stable and has expansion room. and the monitor is one of, if not the best monitor available now...I do ALOT of photo editing and its very acurate, and I have the home system monitor too 2207... I love it.

 

i fix laptops

and HP non corporate! isnt worth the money you spend on them, honest!

if you have had all the laptops i had and reinstalled and installed windows as many times as i did and on as many different laptops as i did then yeah OK IL listen to ya but you all just people(users) that had wow max 2 laptops in their life (and never ever been inside of them) and too freaking scared to admit that quality gone down! why coz they produce all of them on 3 plants (no choice) 'soilent green' 'is on its way dudes'

what i wanna say ? just that some brands are not only brands but thought through designs and designs of motherboards! thats main! and some gone using just their brand names!(for marketing) but like toshiba,advent,packardbell
etc all of which for example made by ASUS some appleS made there too...


so who do you trust apple? or ASUS? or you trust DELL? or you trust apple built by same guys that do for DELL?? myself i trust quality yet ,and at last apple built by those who do for dell will be more reliable than ASUS (toshiba packard bell advent?!)
ibm (i get them very very rarely with minors and u can resale them many times and price/productivity is 3 times better than in other brands (panasonic gone down in price so worth a look coz panasonic is really good)

 

This "horror story" is not indicative of why no one should consider a HP notebook. Every manufacturer and retailer of computer laptops has similar "horror stories"; HP is no exception.

 

Not to be an ass, but a little punctuation never hurts you know.

 

Not just the punctuation, the whole post needs to be re-written.

Hey, dude, this is a laptop forum, you're not the only one who's a tech.

 

really...I dive into every notebook I own. and I dont care who makes it, or where it was built, my HP is a great notebook, fast, quiet, awsome monitor...the hp bloat ware sucks however. once I get a new copy of MCE it will be fixed up! I have yet to see a monitor that is as good as my HP's...

again that guy is not the only tech here.

 

again HP DV2500

pros:
- One of the best monitors on a Consumer class laptop (other than fancy 500 nit screens)
- Solid and sturdy
- Nice and appealing design
- cool and quiet
- fast and smooth

Cons:
- Fingerprint magnet lid
- Possible flex in arrow keys

I love this machine!

 

Yeah that is what I did when I bought Compaq notebook 2 months ago and they offered me 5 years warranty. Not bad I hope so.

 

I've loved every HP laptop I've used, except for the fact that they don't offer better video cards. HP's customer support is a hit or miss for the most part. I've dealt with customer service and tech reps that were great and some that were bad. For the most part though I've had great service from HP and I love their laptops for everyday usage. Every manufacturer has its ups and downs, so you can't judge based on one experience, even though if I was in your shoes I would feel the exact same way and would never own one as well. This shouldn't however turn everybody away from buying from HP, because they really are great laptops.

 

sorry for going off topic. i need to ask a n00b question. why do we need to make a copy of the swsetup folder? u mean if i am to do a system restore, it wont install the swsetup folder? also, since u say i'm supposed to make a copy of that folder...if i do a system restore, i'd just need to copy that whole swsetup folder that i had earlier burnt into the C drive or what?

 

i im sorry for my level of english , but i hope that my point was understood