Send to HP or get money back for irritating DV6000?

So I bought a DV6426US from Circuit City less than 14 days ago for $650. I really feel like I got a good deal because good design usually comes at a higher price. I only use it for internet and office applications and nothing else in the sub $1k class of laptops appeals to me.

I have absolutly no complaints except this incessant TEEEEEEEEEEEEEE whine that I thought I could live with because of the price. I didn't think it was a big deal and I'd replace it in a year or two with more advanced tech.

After using this thing for a week, I'm going out of my mind with the high pitched noise. Every solution I've tried to remedy it, including RMClock, replaces the whine with obnoxious fan cycling on and off - which is almost worse.

I contacted HP and went through their standard procedures, the final step is for me to send it in to them for repair. I'm not feeling optimistic about getting a solution after reading the "HP In-Warranty Repair Woes" post because no one there has actually had their laptop returned fixed. After talking to engineers at work, I'm not confident that it will be fixed unless they actually replace board level components and calibrate it for resonance - fat chance.

Here's my situation: I have until Monday to return this laptop to Circuit City for a refund...but they have a 15% restocking fee for open box returns. I feel this is unfair if there is an actual defect. Does anyone know if they will waive the restocking fee (about $120) if I complain loud enough?

If I send it in to HP, what are the chances that the high pitched noise will actually be fixed? Like I said, I'd like to keep this laptop but the noise is killing me. There just isn't a better designed laptop out there at the $650 price point.

What would you do?

 

So just after posting this message I went to the device manager and checked the USB controller "Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power" instead of unchecking the box like everyone here suggests. The noise has been suppressed.

this is my frustration: no one really knows what they are talking about, I might do something totally different and get results, i can't tell if something I do will last short term or long term - this noise is so insidious. I think I can live with it at this moment but i don't know if it will change.....again - and I only have three days to decide.

 

HP descibes it here

 

Wow, resurrecting a very old post. In hindsight, I would definitely recommend against the DV6000 series. I exchanged the notebook from above for another one and it had the same irritating noise. I exchanged it again for an AMD version, but couldn't live with the heat it produced. I think the DV series got better but the 6000's were terrible IMO.

On the positive side I learned a way around CC restocking fee: They'll let you keep exchanging laptops over and over. I exchanged a total of four laptops and got away with not paying the fee. When I finally decided to give up, I exchanged the laptop for the cheapest one in stock (in this case it was $350). I took it home and returned it the next day unopened. They didn't charge a restocking fee because it was unopened and I said I just changed my mind. Worst case scenario they charge 15% on $350 instead of the $850 I originally paid.

 

You know one thing that I have noticed is that there are more problems from HP's that are bought thru stores other than hp.com. I mean how are you going to compare the quality of a custom ordered laptop to a mass-produced one. Also I used to work for Best Buy and I remember that we would treat a $5 accessory and a $3000 laptop the same, in the sense on how hard we threw them. It was not uncommon to have a box totally crushed. Also there are a lot more hands that touch laptops from brick and mortar stores then one delived directly to your home from Hp.com. So next time I would highly suggest to anyone buying anything that expensive to just buy from the manufacturer. Thats my two cents.
M.R.

 

I hardly notice stuff like this myself. My ears ring so constantly and loudly that people around me complain!

 

I disagree, it’s not like they put extra care into the laptop just because it’s ‘custom’ - custom doesn’t mean ‘hand crafted’ and mass-produced doesn’t mean it’s made by robots.

Anyway, there were so many people complaining about the whine from the early DV6000 series. They bought them from both retailers and direct from the HP. I think it was a poor design from some ODM’s that affected several manufacturers like HP. Everyone kept telling me that all laptops make this noise and that I should just live with it…that was just BS. I settled on a ThinkPad that is so much cooler and doesn’t make one bit of noise.

I haven’t seen many complaints about the DV6500 series, so I’m glad they finally worked it out. It’s just too bad they put so many hot, noisy machines on the market.

 

Just a note on circuit city. The reason they charge a restocking fee is because the notebooks have literally no margin on them. In fact a lot of times they take a loss on the notebook just for the chance to sell you a bag or something else to make your laptop a better experience. They rarely have open box laptops because if it gets sent back to the manufacturer they get credited back for it, as opposed to selling it for a loss as an open box. Anyway, circuit city is a good place to shop, if you honestly talk to a manager about what is going on they will do whatever they can to take care of you. They'd rather keep you as a customer rather than screw you over on a laptop.

 

Yeah…right, CC sells laptops at cost or loss. Low maybe, but there is profit on a laptop. They don’t give laptops away at cost to make twenty bucks on a bag.

The store near you may be different, but I haven’t seen any evidence that the two on the outskirts of Los Angeles metro really care about the customer as much as volume. The lethargic teenagers who run the place follow the return policy to the letter. If the box is open, there is a restocking fee of 15%. They will not waive the fee if it runs hot, noisy, or you just don’t like it. They will, however, freely exchange the laptop for another.