Post your Experience with your HP Notebook

Under suggestion, I have created this thread so you can tell us how HP managed your new laptop.

You can post both positive and negative comments on the service.
This is a support thread for all of us, and I will happily take care of it with suggestions and information from you.

This accounts for:

1. Information on the Product from HP
2. Sales Rep Help
3. Costumer Service from HP
4. Delivery of the Product
5. Compliance with what was marketed
6. Post-purchase services
7. Support

We are having tons of reports, especially on the HP Envy 15 of disappointed users that plan to return the laptop, since HP did not fully comply what they promised.

We are interested to hear your story.
- What product was it?
- What happened?
- What was the condition of the product?
- Why are you returning the product?
- What are you planning to get instead of the HP cancelled?
- How was overall experience with HP?
- Would you honestly recommend someone else your product or the brand?

This is an open thread to all of us HP users/owners/gonna-be-owners/prospect-owners

Feel free to post about your experience and what you are planning to do.

 

Post reserved for extra info.

 

Post reserved for extra info 2.

 

Okay here it goes..


Since the announcement of the HP Envy 15 a few months back, people have been anxiously awaiting it's arrival. From the day it was announced we, the consumers, were expecting a machine that we never got. HP, on there own website advertised that it would have Edge to Edge Screen, Well HP, where is it? non existent. There was also speculation that it would have the capability to run two hdd's, Two ssd's, or ssd/hdd combo. Not with the first batch of Envy 15's that were just shipped. There where mixed reports from tons of websites that the battery slice and odd would be included or wouldn't be included- no definite answer from HP. And what the heck is this uv keyboard they were talking about? I don't see anything special about this chicklet keyboard. The beats audio, personally, I think it's overrated. As far as the cusomer support and thier knowlege of the product, we may as well just being sitting here waiting for the product intead of trying to get answers- they were as clueless as the rest of us.

From the gates, everybody that purchased this on it's sale date was taking a risk. We all were hoping and expecting but never got it. I will say that HP did come through with the i7, ati 4830 gddr3, the ability to run upwards of 16gb of ram, and a nightvision webcam that actually works. The ODD and slice battery ended up not being inluded and instead became accessories for the Envy 15.

One more thing that sweetend the deal was the 25% Bing cashback that HP was offering on October 18th. I think that this was a big reason that people decided to purchase the Envy 15. Turns out that some people, including myself were denied the cashback without reason or cause. We don't know if this is the fault of Bing or HP, but you can Read more here:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=430617

Delivery of the product was not so great either. All that ordered their Envy 15's on October 18th were all expecting a delivery date of October 28th.
Mine didn't leave until the 30th, and all of us were offered free two day shipping.
However, mine did arrive on November 2nd despite my tracking number saying it would arrive on the 4th. Because of this, nobody was home to sign for it so I had to go to the depot 20 miles away and get it myself. The box itself had dents and creases on it and nowhere on the package did it say fragile on it.
Read more about HP new product shipping here:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=427358

I get home open up the laptop and the first thing I notice is that the bezel has a one inch scratch/scrape on it right next to the webcam. Pretty disappointed to say the least. My expectations were set high, really high and HP did not come through for me. Here is my quote from another post:

I'm using the Envy 15 and I must say, I am pretty disappointed in my purchase.
1)The whole BCB drama.
2)The fedex lagginess, two day shipping, yeah right!
3)I miss the pacakage becuase the laptop comes earlier than stated on my tracking number and I have to go get it 20miles away.
4) I pick up the box from fedex and the outside of the box has dents and creases all over it. No fragile sticker anywhere on the box. Do they know that there is some expensive electronics in there?
5)I open up the the laptop and the first thing I notice is some scratches on the screen bezel right next to the camera.
6)I surf on the internet for about fifteen min. and the laptop gets considererably warm. I'm posting this message and both are my palms are hot, almost perspiring.
7)I, as well as a few others, dislike the trackpad. My trackpad is very finicky. Scrolling up and down is very cumbersome and the getures don't work very well on my machine. Others have had better luck.
8)The range of motion for the screen is not good for me either. I have to hunch over while i'm typing .
9)There is also a rattling noise when I move the laptop from side to side, not hard, just a very gentle rocking motion. I actually noticed it when I was unboxing the laptop. It sounds like some loose wires or something.
10)The worst part, right where the tub or bottom of the laptop meets the palmrests, there is an annoying sqeaking noise under my right palm at the seam. Where the two pieces come together.

This is from my personal experience with the laptop. I am not in any way trying to give a negative review for the laptop, mileage will vary.

I am sure the latptop is a very powerful machine. However, the sweaty palms and hunching over and that sqeaky noise under my right palm just doesn't make this an enjoyable experience for me.

Sorry HP, but this laptop is getting sent back to you guys. Actually i'm not sorry, for a premium laptop, my expectations were so much higher.

As of right now I don't really know what laptop I want to get, I really thought this was the one. Maybe if HP comes through with their revisions and offers what they initially said the laptop was going to be I would reconsider.

I like HP and I would recommend this brand and product to someone else, but this experience kind of put a dent on their reputation.

I already spoke with HP and they offered me 10% off my purchase, I refused and I am about to call them again and get my RMA #.

 

I'd like to comment on HP customer service.

I few years back, I had a Compaq laptop. Can't for the life of me remember what it was. Just that it was silver inside and had a black lid. It was nothing special -- probably the cheapest laptop that Best Buy sold at the time I bought it.

One day, the keyboard stopped working, so I sent it in for service. Upon return after repair, the tracking number showed "exception" for a few days, but I never actually received it. I live in an apartment complex, so I figured maybe Fedex left it at my door and maybe it was stolen or something, or that it was lost in transit.

I got ahold of Fedex, who was completely and totally worthless (as expected) and stated that the package had been attempted to be delivered, failed, and if there was a further issue, I would have to contact the shipper (HP) for a claim.

So I contact HP. Apparently they have a special department for this type of thing which is employed primarily by fully-English speaking people. The lady on the other end eventually ended up filing a claim with Fedex but I would have to wait until they got paid to reimburse me. In my experience, this takes several weeks. That sucks, but it was out of my control. At least I had another computer to use.

Upon further investigation with Fedex, I discovered the HP actually screwed up -- when they returned my laptop, they put an apartment number on it that didn't exist. Fedex did attempt to deliver, never found the [non-existant] apartment, and after a few tries, they eventually return it to the sender.

I relayed this information to my contact at HP, who apologized, promised to take care of it ASAP, etc. I figured it was all bull, but the next day she called me up, and informed me they would be sending me a brand new laptop.

Next day (they shipped it overnight) I received a brand new Compaq laptop direct from HP. It was a newer model, and also a more expensive model (retailed for about $850, vs my $500 original model). Additionally, I told them that I had purchased an extended warranty from Best Buy where I bought the original machine, and they extended the warranty on the new machine an additional year at no charge.

 

Havn't RMA's yet, but probably do that call tomorrow.


- What product was it? Envy 15
- What happened?

Strike 1:
Bing cashback 25% disqualified for having access to EPP store. No call today from HP to resolve this, so probably closing the door on this and getting an RMA #.

Strike 2:
CPU temps are good or comparable to other I7 laptops, so the cooling solution is adequate, but a lot of heat transfers into the palm rests (and the entire chasis).

Heat continued, Under full load after a couple minutes the area to the left of the keys is dangerous to touch (feels like it could literally burn you). Bottom under full load similar.

Foul Tip:
HP previews did not reflect launch day machine. A lot of product misinformation from previews and HP own site for the launch and many days after the launch.
Ex: Hard drive bay and E2E screen being the big ones.

Strike 3:
Ports are in the way (right handed mouse). Power adapter on the side should come with an elbow jack instead of sticking out 2"-3". Asus below has the power on the back and has an elbow jack. Screen opening angle limited.

- What was the condition of the product?
Box did take some hits shipping, product fine out of the box.

- Why are you returning the product?
Were you following above? it struck out... Main issue it is not worth $2000. At $1450 I was debating it. Now looking toward picking up something with the CPU/GPU facing down instead of up.

- What are you planning to get instead of the HP canceled?

My short list:
ASUS G51J-A1 is on top of my list. Actual dual hard drive, GTX 260m GPU (better, but 55nm so hotter), solid cooling, similar screen, back lit keyboard. User reviews appear good on heat and there is room inside to stick on extra copper if needed.

Asus port layout is good (everything you need on left or back, extra USB ports and audio on the right).

MSI-1727 // GT740. 17" screen, but only a half inch wider than the envy 15. GTS 250m 40nm, should be better than 4830 and similiar heat.

MSI-1656 // GT640
15" model. GTS 250m 40nm, should be better than 4830 and similiar heat.

No idea on the cooling for MSI. MSI Screens are not the 'full HD', but that can be a pro as well so it can run more games at native resolution (16xx by 10xx is still pretty good). Chassis has been used for a while haven't dug all the way into researching this one. New model shipping soon, so will probably be patient this time.

Sagers new I7's are an option, but 280m is more heat than I want, and the chassis are ~2".

- How was overall experience with HP?
Hidden terms and conditions are not consumer friendly. Support that offers a resolution more expensive than if i canceled the order and bought directly from the discount store that I have access to that allegedly disqualified me from 25% cashback.

- Would you honestly recommend someone else your product or the brand?
Probably done with HP. I'll take my chances on the other major brands before I roll back around to HP.

 

is this supposed to be for all HP products?
because right now it appears to only reflect the negative experiences with the Envy 15

 

It started in the envy 15 thread, so traffic is coming from there...

Any HP experience could be valuable

 

oh ok thanks for clarifying

 

My story...

I bought the HP Pavilion dv9543cl (in sig) in August of 2007, luckily it came with a 2 year warranty because it was from costco

After about a year, it started having major graphics card problems (major distortion, driver failures, overheating), so I called HP, and they decided to take it in and completely replace the mobo with the graphics card.

I got it back, and it was as good as new, so I just continued on with my computer use. After 10 months, I noticed the driver failures were occurring again, and it was overheating. At this point, I became suspicious. I found the site HPlies.com where there were lots of people having similar problems. I discovered that the 8600m in the laptop was inherently bad. HP replaced it again, but I realized that it would happen again out of warranty.

Luckily, it failed for a third time and I got it replaced again under warranty.

Finally, it began overheating and I had had enough. I called up HP and explained to them that it was unacceptable. They agreed to call me back with a case manager.

Without even asking, the case manager offered a replacement. I was expecting a base config dv7. To my surprise, they offered the dv7 in my sig, a HUGE improvement over my dv9543cl.

So overall, my experience was quite good

 

I am not keeping my Envy 15 and won't recommend it until HP follows through with their original promises.

I believe everyone who ordered the 15 should return it to make a point to HP. That we won't pay premium prices for misleading advertising.

Even though some might argue the fact that some initial reviews said there was no E2E screen and dual HDD's. Not everyone saw those reviews. And, HP clearly mislead people on their site that it came with E2E display and 2x 250GB HDD's. They still have it pictured on their site with E2E. That's wrong.

Now I hear HP will release dual HDD options in 2nd week of Nov. I assume HP will offer the E2E display in the future. But, no word on when.

After only a few minutes of usage, the system completely froze during normal usage. I had to cold reboot. My Envy 15 has a few very unsightly dents/scratches. Even the DVD drive has some scratches. Overall the build quality seems nice if it weren't for those scratches/dents. Also, the touch pad really sucks since you cannot have your finger on the button while your other finger is on the pad without it jumping around. You basically can only use one finger, not two.

In conclusion, if HP can solve these simple issues: scratches, E2E, dual HDD's, then I'll purchase this laptop. If not, I'll wait until they do and continue to use what I have.

EDIT: now my G key keeps falling off for no reason during normal typing. Very cheap IMO.

 

I got my Pavilion dv9312 tx in July 2007. For the first 6 months, the notebook ran fine. But after that the faulty GPU showed its ugly head. First the fan stopped. I replaced it along with the keyboard. The service centre folks also recommended me to replace my motherboard.

In the second service, the system board was replaced. At that moment I read about the overheating problem across boards and decided to upgrade my warranty to 3 years.

Next time, my optical drive and quick launch panel died apparently without reason. Again I was off to the nearest service centre for the 3rd time. Got it replaced.

Couple of months back, the system board again went out. This time it also had an added casualty. The entire LCD screen was replaced and then the guys claimed they had not replaced it. This was my 4th service.

Moreover they srewed up my keyboard and my BIOS. The number now reads 000000000 in BIOS with the result that none of the HP softwares install as it checks the serial number in BIOS. Secondly, the keyboard keys have been jumbled.

I mailed Mark Hurd twice only to be intimated that my case would be handled on priority basis. I only got two calls both times asking me to once again deposit my notebook in the service centre. I don't have time to run from pillar to post for HP.

That was my experience friends.

 

My experience with an HP business machine...

Bought a 2nd hand nw9440 off eBay, still had 2 years onsite warranty left on it. Used it for a year no problems at all, so only 1 year remaining on warranty... then... I started using a docking station with a DVI port for the ext monitor, and thats when it happened. The "colour of death"...

The GPU would instantaneously overheat and cut power to the laptop based on certain colours being shown on the external monitor. HP tried to fix it with a new GPU but obviously it was a design fault. Many other users also discovered this problem.

So I had to chase HP for 2 months to get a resolution, and I got it in the form of a brand new 8710w (the current top of the range model at the time) with a new 3 year warranty. About 2000 pounds worth of laptop at the time. Not bad considering the nw9440 only cost me 600 pounds, and I had good use of it for a year too.

So to sum up, in my experience, HP will do whatever they can to fix the issues, but sometimes you do need to chase them. For this reason I fully recommend HP business models.

 

i received my hp dv6t quad today and it works great (6729 3dmark06) but sometimes when i open the lid there are flickering vertical lines going across the left side of the screen about 3 millimeters wide i suspect that it is a disconnected cable but i am pissed because i finally got this after a week and a half and now i have to send i t back and the lid in general is flimsy
so if you have the money don't buy an hp

 

How is the battery performance?

 

Have 2 HP laptops. Or rather own one and one is on pre-order for my sis.

DV 9605EA
Runs extremely hot but its a desktop replacement which means I can work around it. Also it's partly AMD's fault so I guess they can be forgiven on it.

I'm having some problems with it recently though. Hopefully it isn't chipset failure as it's out of warranty. If it is hopefully HP would treat me as one would expect them to.

So a provisional pass on this laptop.

CQ61 330SA

Ordered it directly from HP. Was told by email it should arrive roughly on the 3rd ofc with a caveat that they can't guarantee it. I check the status on HP UK on the 3rd and notice its still on backorder and I can only expect it on the 17th. So a bit disappointed about this but can't comment on the laptop until I see it.

So a reserved judgement on this laptop.

On the whole yes I'd recommend HP (and have) because they have decently priced laptops. However I'd recommend them to keep an eye for reports on any faults with the model they have towards the end of warranty, so they can upgrade the warranty if needed and not be at the HP's mercy as I've heard some DV9000 laptop owners are.

 

Dell mod posting in HP? Blasphemous...

HP TC4200

I was looking for a tablet for drawing and for travel, and my first two choices, the TC1100 and the X41T both made too many compromises. So I bought my third choice, the TC4200, for $450 on eBay about 20 months ago... and it was pretty much the best $450 I've spent in a long time.

Coming from a long line of Dells, I really wanted an XT, and I wasn't planning to keep the TC4200 too long, but it's really proven itself time and time again.

This machine is a secondary, but I've averaged three or four hours on it everyday since I bought it, many on battery. It's now on its fourth year and the battery still holds a full charge. All 44 watt hours. With a bit of tweaking and conservative use, I still get upwards of four hours of battery runtime - that's a helluvalot better than an XT.

Build quality's pretty good too. The anti-wear stuff they put on the keyboard and palmrest is amazing. Keyboard's got a fair bit of shine now, but the palmrest looks new. Considering how much I eat over this, they should be wrecks. IPS display is easily the best I've seen in a notebook, and with the exception of the hinge, this thing's like a tank.

I could go on, but all in all, I've been very impressed. Unless Dell pulls out a showstopper with the XT3, I'm buying a 2730p next.

 

one word describes my experience with my hp pavillion "GREAT"

 

same here, for 2 different computers

 

Yes Hp failed me here goes.

I tried to order on the 18th with the bing cashback. Hp wouldn't let me because my shipping and mailing address was different. I'm in college and my billing is back to my house at home.

So i lost my cash back. Then on the 22nd I ordered again with academic discount. supposed to ship on the 3rd. on the 4th they sent me an e-mail with a 50 dollar discount saying it is delayed till the 16th. So i canceled my order.

Took them until today the 9th to get my ordered canceled and my money back. So i went back online and ordered the quick ship model with the coupon. 3 hours later i get a message saying that it is out of stock sorry. I went back on Hp's website and it says they have it in stock. So i tried to order again but my 50 dollar coupon doesn't work anymore.

So i gave up and brought it from best buy.com. I wouldn't' have brought HP but there just isn't a better performing laptop in such a nice package. Also because of the delay I really need a laptop ASAP and can't wait anymore.

HP FAILED ME BIG TIME. I eneded having to pay 2111 for it too. Up from my customized 1817.

 

Hi all fellow owners!!

There are some very different replies here.
Some go that it was a mess, some other that it was wonderful.
Intriguing this discrepancy.

I invite other owners to post your experiences and let everyone know how HP treated you!

 

I have an HP ze4400 that's still running strong at 6 years old. Never had to use HP for support, so I have nothing to add on that.

 

Summer of 2007 I ordered a Pavilion DV6t? Awesome laptop but had something wrong with the sound so I called HP up and returned it. Very friendly and understanding and gave me every penny back. August of 2009 purchased an HDX 16t also had sound problems returned and they gave me my money back. They have been very helpful and caring and don't charge restocking fees which is a major plus which keeps me coming back. I can't stand Dell's customer service and Toshiba's OMG!!!!!!! ):

 

1. Information on the Product from HP
Everything was spot on. I did research on my Dv5t listed in my sig.

2. Sales Rep Help
Didn't need one

3. Costumer Service from HP
Good. Always polite but sometimes hard to understand and often repetitive...

4. Delivery of the Product
Arrived a few days early of the expected arrival date. I checked in regularly to say the least on fedex tracker so I found out. Came spotless with no scratches.

5. Compliance with what was marketed
Refer to number 1, I knew what I was getting and it was exactly what I expected.

6. Post-purchase services
My graphics card had a meltdown. Required two phone calls to HP support that were each an hour long in order to convince them that they needed to fix it. My laptop was within the 1 year warranty. It was determined that my BSODs were the result of the graphics card failure. So they replaced the motherboard, heatsink and fan. Took about 2 weeks as expected. It was returned with no additional scratches than when I shipped it out.

7. Support
Never required it.


Overall, I was pretty satisfied with my laptop. HP did everything I expected it to, however, it did not go beyond my expectations, which is good enough. However, the laptop does tend to get very hot. I was aware of this problem before I got it but I still got it because it was an insane deal last year. I am afraid that the graphics card may fail again but this time its out of warranty. The next laptop I get I am planning to get one that is more well built with a better cooling system since I do game. For its price it is a good deal, but you get what you pay for.

 

And nothing about dealing with reps pre-purchase?
Shipping? Everything as marketed?
Never had post-purchase reps? Nothing>?
Then that is the best so far! lol

 

Nice thread! Ive been really "dillematized" by this company.
As you can read in the posts here; It seems as if you never know whát to expect from a HP notebook. Heating issues are common and rattling fans seem to occur sporadicly.

I eventually did go for a HP with a i7 in it.
I made the decision to purchase a dv6t-quad last week.. seen a lot of good responses but a couple of bad ones as well.

Wont risk it and want to purchase a 2 year Care pack for it.
Does anyone know where I can buy a European one? Should I call with HP?

I'll make sure to post my experience with my first HP notebook.

 

My DV4t is so far so good.
I will however not recommend to my friends for HP's lousy CS.

 

Well, I've been fighting with HP as well, so instead of retyping everything out, I'm just going to copy and paste some things over.

So, in the end, they made it right, but it was a long 2 months of nothing but a constant battle to keep them from forgetting about me.

 

Wow, Larmie1997, thanks for your tribute! Really good to know.

Could you tell me how to reach the given number from Europe?
Just in case..

1 877 917 4380 EXT.93

Im not familiar at all with the EXT. option? Never called to the states though..

 

Well, thanks for the thanks lol.

I don't know about other countries, so it will probably differ for you, but in an answer to your question, all the EXT number is is just a way for them to "Transfer" your call so to speak. That 877 number goes to the case managers in general and the 93 code goes to the laptop CMs.

All You do is call the 877 number and then once you hear their welcome note, enter 93, or wait until the automated voice prompts you.

Why don't you try to call that and come back and see if they actually dealt with you, or told you to go elsewhere since I haven't been sure on that.

I know best case would be to use the outsourced repair center number (When you get to talk to people outside of your country) and raise all kinds of holy hell and make them escalate the case. That way HP has a file open on you instead you just calling cold so to speak.

Hope this helps.

~Laramie1997~