New or Refurbished

So i bought a HP laptop dv9500t that was ordered brand new and unfortunately the instant i powered on the screen for the first time vertical lines appeared on the screen. Hp understood the problem and replaced the laptop without any hesitation. However the replacement laptop i received seems to have a lot of issues such as HD DVD problems (never worked), webcam problems (seems everyone on his forums has problems with the webcam too) and random crashes for no reason

I originally ordered the new laptop in august (2007) and the replacement laptop came a few weeks later. So my question is if its possible to tell if i have a refurbished laptop. The sticker on the bottom of the laptop that has all the windows info/ serial numbers looks pretty worn (good portion of it is missing), As its a 17inch desktop replacement type it rarely ever leaves by desk i dont understand why that would be like that. Im staring to get concerned that HP gave me a refurbished laptop as a replacement for a 100% brand new laptop that i ordered online

So im not sure if i can call HP and complain or find a way to return it or even find out if i do in fact have a refurbished laptop. Any help would be greatly appreciated

Thanks

Specs:
Core 2 Duo 2.2Ghz
2Gb RAM
2x200GB 4200RPM Hard Drices
256 8600 GS Video Card
1440x900 Bright View LCD
HD DVD Drive
Webcam+fingerprint reader+microphone

 

The Windows sticker you're talking about is normal. That's how the stickers come for security measures and authentication.

 

You sure man? i remember i had reformatted my original laptop from HP, thinking the vertical lines may be software related and the sticker was in perfect condition. The replacement laptop has half of the sticker missing (important info is all there though)

If thats the case then they may have given me a new laptop but it still has way too many problems for a brand new laptop but thanks anyway

 

I'm just as suspicious as you tzastrow. That's why I did not want them to replace my notebook with a pre-built one because they might just toss me a refurbished. So I had them custom built mine with extra things so they can't find a configuration like that in their refurbished sections. Hopefully I get my replacement before January 1st though. Ask for another replacement or ask them to custom build yours saying you demand some upgrades for all the hassle.

 

http://www.microsoft.com/resources/howtotell/content.aspx?pg=coa&displaylang=en
This page has a pic of what the sticker should look like. And to see if it is a refurb. You enter your product number (from the sticker) into the HP website and it should say if it is a refurb

 

hey caveman, where in HP's website can you find out if your system is refurbished or new? will it say "new product" vs. "refurbished" or something? gonna check once my notebook replacement comes, hopefully next week after x-mas. just wanna make sure since mine is supposedly being custom built. even got to choose which parts i want, so hopefully they have no choice but to use brand new stuff.


*sorry for over-taking the thread tzastrow, just a quick question anyway.

 

well i got a compaq desktop refurb and if I enter the model sr1920nx in the search it will give me two options either Compaq Presario SR1920NX Desktop PC
» Compaq Presario SR1920NX Rfrbd Desktop PC

so it should say if that model has a refurb. Or I think that if the product number (not model number) has AV in it, it may be a refurb (don't quote me on that though)

 

Completely untrue. AV designation doesn't mean refurb. Refurbished units have a different product number from new units. If you lookup the full description, it will say refurbished. If it doesn't, it's not.
Several other ways to identify from my knowledge:
i) Refurbished units usually have different packaging (the box is not a retail box).
ii) Refurbished units have an HP Certified Refurbished Unit documentation in the box stating the QA process that the unit has gone through etc.
iii) Refurbished units do not have a security seal on the laptop's plastic bag.

Chances are you will not be given a refurbished unit.

 

When I ordered my custom made tx1000 I was happy because I had never ordered a custom laptop before. When it arrived, it looked new, it smelled new, it even tasted new , however when I booted windows I found that someone had already put a username and information (time zone, country selection etc etc) on the laptop.

I called HP and asked why that was the case. I know from other owners that when you receive a new laptop windows asks some information before it finalizes the setup. The HP representative insisted that it was a new laptop. He could not explain how that information was put on the laptop though. He put me through to his floor manager who told me that perhaps a technician had to log in in order to check the laptop to make sure that everything was working fine and most probably forgot to restore the laptop to factory settings. He did offer to exchange the laptop but I was scared to take the offer because my laptop is working perfectly and did not want to end up with another one which would be messed up.

This is my story. The messed up thing is that I never felt the excitement of switching a brand new laptop for the first time and finishing the windows setup.

 

kotsos, that's freaking crazy man. well, as long as it looks new and there are no scratches or any signs of "usedness" then i guess there's not reason to exchange it, especially if everything is working fine. make sure all buttons work and all usb ports work to make sure. congrats on the new notebook. hope i get mine soon. first thing i'm gonna check is if all ports and everything works. and that there are no scratches or anything.

 

You never know with refurbished machines. Sometimes they're impossible to tell from brand-new machines; other times, they've clearly been (ab)used. My Dad purchased a refurbished Dell Latitude D820 about 8 months ago, and not only did it arrive in brand-spanking-new condition, he hasn't had a single problem with it to this day. The only way you can tell that it's even refurbished is that there is a "REFURBISHED" sticker on the bottom.

Unfortunately, it appears that HP occasionally (not often) likes to market refurbished machines as new. There was a thread here several months ago about how someone ordered a brand new nc6400 (I think), and it was clearly used. HP acknowledged this, but then said that all CTO machines are refurbs (Which is total BS). And judging by the responses here, it appears that they still do this.

However, this thread and that other thread are the only reports I've heard of of HP doing this, so if indeed they practice this, they don't do it very often.

 

That is all untrue. The previous topics dealing with CTO are brand new units. RCTO doesn't mean Refurbished CTO, it means Regional CTO. A lot of people like to think a few fingerprint marks (because some assembly line workers may not wear gloves ) and a torn Windows logo (which is how genuine stickers look like) means refurbished. Like I said, the best the OP could do is check if there are the items/properties I listed because refurbished units will have those. HP will not sell refurbished units as new as this is a breach of consumer laws, which you are entitled to sue if you obtain enough evidence.

If the security sticker is still intact when the goods is received, my guess is someone at HP probably tested the unit prior to delivery since this is a 1-1 exchange. If the new unit is still exhibiting defects, just return/exchange it again until you get a unit you're happy with.

 

How do you explain my case then? I am not saying that they are all refurbished, I am just saying that sometimes they may send returned units for new.

 

Thanks everyone for responding to my thread, it seems im just gonna have to call HP and see if they will do a full replacement as a new build