rmms :
I purchased an HP Multimedia laptop at Costco about 2.5 years ago for
close to $2000.
( HP Pavillion zd7000 series; specifically zd7168cl)
Unfortunately, the first year under warranty, we used it only a few
times as that year we moved and then my father became progressively ill
and suddenly passed away.I was traveling back and forth to Virginia, to
assist my Mother and 7 sisters with funeral and estate matters.
When things settled down, the one year warranty was almost over. It
was then that I started using and having problems with the computer.
The first thing we noticed was that the computer would get hot when
in use and we would have to have to prop it up or protect our legs with
additional clothing. It then starting shutting down after about an
hour of use. I poured through the instruction booklet to see if we were
doing something wrong. I then took it to several shops to see if a
computer tech "geek" could help define the problem. I was then told that
the fan was not working well and I should consider purchasing a fan
that sits under the computer to help with the cooling. I decided to go to
HP for help. Since the HP warranty had expired, I paid $100 for tech
support.
HP tech support could not identify the problem over the phone. They
suggested I pay their fee of $299 for it to be looked at. It turned
out that the fan and battery had to be replaced. Keep in mind, this
was a computer that had been hardly used!!
About 8 months later the laptop started shutting down again. I again
had paid the annual $100 to get help over the phone. This time I was
told that it was probably the Mother board that had to be replaced. The
cost would be $299 plus an additional cost if it was in fact the
Motherboard had to be replaced. Right now it is just sitting unused in my
study as it will not turn on at all. Hardly a satisfactory situation
after all the expense, frustration and expended energy!
At some this point the cost to keep this laptop in working order does
not make sense. I am disappointed that my experience with HP has been
so expensive and frustrating! Given the current experience I would not
consider purchasing HP products again. I would think HP management
would want to know of this. I would like to think they would consider
compensation of some type. I encourage you to pass this along.
Second, I now am suspect of any electronics sold at COSTCO. I
wonder if the discounted cost has anything to do with defective items.
not sure what to do now....any suggestions out there?
Amazing how similar our and others experiences with HP are! This is what I said in the HP forum:
"Welcome to the HP experience. We have two problems, one much like yours. Have an HP all-in-one that recently quit under warranty. HP fairly quickly sent us a 'refurbed' unit. Good deal, until it failed to work out of the box! Issue still not resolved.
"Other problem is with the laptop dv6700 I had built by HP on their web site for use by my granddaughter. Long story short, after months of frustration over the phone with HP techs troubleshooting this thing, it finally went to dark screen mode and will not boot beyond that - though the mouse still works, if you like watching the arrow cursor move. A self-inflicted problem occurred when my grandkid's other granddad took the machine home to try to get it to boot up. By the time he discovered it was not going to work and returned the thing, it was now 19 days out of warranty.
"Without going into further conversations with HP tech and managers, I have since mailed Mr. Hurd a personal letter describing this issue. HP, at least, received that letter on October 7, 2009; I have yet to receive as much as a courtesy reply.
"My understanding is that HP had/has problems with their dv model laptops."
This laptop had far less than a full year on the clock in use and was not cheaply configured ($1200)! Unlike you, I refused to pour more money down the drain with offers of $50 for this fix or $100 for that fix - which none would have worked, since my computer guru guy (built my current rig) told me it was probably the motherboard and HP had been having problems with many of their systems in this regard. As noted, my letter and email were never afforded the courtesy of a reply - HP probably did not want to put anything in writing that might be used in a lawsuit.
Bottom line recommendation/solution: If your paperweight is in pristine condition, as mine was, you might try to "trade" it in on a replacement unit. That was my solution. I had my guy build my wife a new machine and gave the HP to him for a couple hundred off the price - the screen and a couple other internal pieces are reusable as replacement parts. Whatever your decision, NEVER consider HP or one of its subsidiaries for ANYTHING! My guy recommended Toshiba as a replacement laptop for my granddaughter, and that's what I bought.
HP used to build quality stuff, before all their manufacturing was moved out of this country. After reading various sites regarding HP quality/service/repair, many posts dating back 6-7 years, I only regret I relied on Consumer Reports and a couple internet review sites such as CNET only, in making that decision to buy HP! Although I think competition suffers when you lose a competitor, HP needs to follow the Circuit City model! My consternation is that so many retail outlets continue to sell HP junk. They are not doing their customers any favor by carrying HP stuff - thousands have suffered and thousands more will continue to suffer the HP experience!!
Sorry about the long post - hope someone sees and heeds it before joining 'our' frustration. . . .