Hewlett-Packard Company Laptops Consumer Reviews - Page 2

O -- First off I got a computer that is a complete lemon. It is a year and a half old and I have had 3rd major break downs. I have had numerous software problems (vista which is all I need to say on that subject)I was able to fix on my own. But I have had 3 hardware problems and HP refuses to replace the computer. I called and tried to make a complaint with the corporate office and was told that I have to have the same 3 hardware problems to get a replacement. When I asked to speak to a supervisor about my problem they told me the supervisor would tell me the same thing & refused to allow me to speak to anyone else.

So now back to my current problem it has been almost a month now that I have been having the current hardware problem which is the disk drive door will not open and I need to send it in for repairs. First of all the tech support number you have to call is in the Philippines so even though English is spoken it sounds broken and they are hard to communicate with. When it was determined 3 weeks ago that my computer needed to be sent in they told me they would send me a box, I asked them if I could use the box from the last time they sent it to me and they said no a new one would have to be sent to me.

About 3 days later a Fedex guy showed up to pick up my computer and I told him I did not even have a box yet. I waited a few more days for the box and when it did not arrive I called HP back and they gave me a tracking# for Fedex and told me to deal with them. The 2nd week I worked with Fedex they told me that HP still had not sent them the box to wait a few days and call them back. Speaking with them again still no box. Week 3 was dealing with HP again I was told the order had been set up wrong, they had put in the computer that I was to ship it to them in my own box and they have been waiting for me to send it in.

Now they are turning it around & telling me something different when I have been talking to them & and Fedex about waiting for them to send me the box? So after this mess up they said they would have to cancel this order and I would have to call back on Monday to generate a new order because I could not have 2 open orders on my account on the same issue and this one needs time to close out. So now I am waiting for another week to roll around so I can start from square one again.

So my major complaints are not that I got a bad computer, I understand that sometimes when you purchase a product you can get a lemon but first off the company should stand behind their products and second they should offer the customer a good technical support team. I will not purchase another HP and I advise other consumers to think twice before purchasing one of their products because if you get a bad one they have lousy technical support and the company does not stand behind their products.

LEAMINGTON -- So my daughter 12 yrs old saves her money to buy a laptop $560 later and buys a Compaq which I tell her good choice because I recommend HP to everyone! 62 Days before the 1 year warranty is up she shows me the screen and it's filled with ink blotches and lines! I look it over no cracks no software issues and tell her it's something with the hardware and will send it back under warranty and get it all fixed up for her.

She treated this laptop so careful and the minute she goes downstairs and the laptop is sitting on the coffee table. She comes back upstairs and there is this damage! Never fell, wasn't closed nothing touched anything and the screen just changed to these images!

However HP treated us like crap both reps one starting with an S and another with an R since I can't post their names would not do anything for us. In fact when asked the question well are you willing to explain to my daughter of 12 that she saved $560 to buy this laptop that she's out of luck. They replied back with "that's unprofessional and I refuse to talk to a 12 year old about it". Funny though you were more than willing to take her money in the first place and to boot your more than willing to take another $600+ from her to fix it!

She's the consumer she purchased it but you refuse to talk to her about the issue. Funny I don't remember signs saying you must be over 18 to purchase this product! I've purchased 3 HP computers within the last 2 years over $2000 spent and not to mention all the hype I've given them to friends and associates. I told them I was willing to give them model numbers of each one so they could confirm that I was a good customer of theirs and their response "well we appreciate that you are a good customer of ours". We're speaking about this one computer and your other's don't matter!!!

Guess what I might have spent $2 K to get these computers but do you think I will ever buy another HP product again!!! All I have to say to them is thanks for saving me money in the long term! I'm only 33 years old figuring I buy a new computer every 5 years which is conservative and my daughter who is 12 same situation until the time were 70 at an average cost of $550 a computer you just lost over $10k in business over a cracked screen that wasn't the case when it left!!!

Not to mention the old adage of 1 bad customer customer tells 10 potential customers not in this day and age! I'm going to approach every site, every paper and by the time I'm through you're at min. Look at losing at least 100 customers conservatively which now brings you over almost a half a million dollars lost! Nice work considering you already are the worst in customer service according to Consumer Reports and companies are struggling to survive in the current economic environment! All you had to do was return her laptop back to the condition it was when it was working! Which was under warranty! And she had no wrong doing! I always take of my customers maybe you should learn the same!

HUTCHINSON, KANSAS -- I bought a HP Laptop nearly 3 years ago from Best Buy. I bought the warranty directly from HP, my worst mistake. My first laptop developed some minor speaker problems about 6 months after I bought it. We sent it in for repair. They at the repair facility left all the USB ports loose, the sound problem was never fixed, and they never hooked up the cord so when you closed the lid it would not turn off no matter if it was programmed too.

Plus on receiving the same laptop back after one of their so-called attempts to repair it, it came back with someones finger smudge on the inside corner lower right hand of the screen. HP replaced that laptop because they claimed they were unable to fix it. I had a nice laptop until HP Repair got a hold of it. HP replaced that laptop with another supposedly an upgrade, it made my first laptop problems like a walk through a park. I began to wonder if they sent me a refurb.

When I first received it the DVD player did not work, some USB Ports were loose, and some keys on the keyboard did not work. I fought with HP for a while concerning repairs on it. It was an uphill battle because either HP Repair would not repair the issues at hand or they would break something else in the laptop they would not own up to easily.

So they replaced that second laptop with what I currently have right now a DV6500. Within a month after receiving it one speaker went out on it. I was afraid to send it in for repair, and I told the Case Manager that, she said she would personally oversee the repair. For a change I got a good manager that proved her word was good. I actually got my laptop back without anything else broken in it, and it actually worked.

About 8 months later the DVD player stopped working and the fan cooling system stopped working. I sent it in for repair, when I got it back and they took 2 weeks to send it back and they did not even fix the issues at hand. When I got it back all USB Ports were now loose. The DVD Player still scratched DVD's and CD's. So my Case Manager decided to replace the laptop with a DV5t and it was the laptop from Hell. Nothing worked in it, could not even program it. In the meantime HP laid off my Case Manager. Some other Case Manager took over this case and I am sorry to say I don't think he really cares.

I sent the DV5t instead of my DV6500 to be disassembled, because at least my DV6500 at least did more than turn on. I asked for my DV6500 to be repaired at a different facility where they had sent the others to. And without contacting me first they sent my laptop back to the same place where they couldn't fix the first time.

My Case Manager claimed they didn't have a choice. They did have a choice of calling me being that they had all phone numbers to reach me at, before sending it to another Repair Facility. I only found out after the fact from the Case Manager. My laptop has been gone for 15 days and I am having to use my husband's laptop to even type out this review. At this point I am so sorry I ever bought an HP Laptop or an HP Warranty.

Bought the HP Pavilion dv7-1240 laptop on January 17th. On January 19, I opened it up and not one program was responding. Called HP Total Care CSR (located in India) and spent 5 hours on the phone with him until he accessed my computer and did a Complete System Restore. The CSR then went on to reinstall all the programs. Out of the box, a laptop needs a complete system restore? I should have been told to by the CSR to ship it to into them for service or exchange it for an actual working computer. The HP CSR will not tell you that you only have 21 days from purchase to exchange your defective laptop for a working one.

Their mission is to keep you from actually shipping anything back to HP. On January 27, again programs not responding. Called HP Total Care CSR and this time spoke with a Canadian CSR person. The CSR did a remote access, like the previous one, and went on to disable and remove HP Total Care Advisor security updates. The last straw for this lemon was on March 10th, when the computer would not turn on or off. The power light appears but there was only a black screen and no boot up. Called HP Total Care CSR and was directed to India once again. Spent a half hour trying to have him understand how to spell my last name.

Eventually, I made it all the way up to a Canadian who understood English and she went on to prance through all the technical mumbo jumbo, and eventually came up with the proclamation that it was a "Defective Motherboard". She then went on to say that we have to ship it in for service. When I stated that I wanted to ship the piece of junk back and have HP send me a laptop that actually worked, I was directed to a "Case Manager". He politely stated that the HP dv7 was a great product and if you ship it in we will have it fixed, but you need to act quickly because you only have 60 days warranty on this product. News to me!!

So, HP gives only 21 days to exchange a lemon, when their whole shtick is to have CSR tech support prevent anyone from returning a product then you have only 60 days to actually have it "repaired". When I attempted to ask what does that mean for me, if I get it back from service, and it is not fixed after the 60 days? No response to that question from the "Case Manager".

I have spent the last two days attempting to contact my "Case Manager", for clarification as to whether I include the battery in the return box for service. He is either on the phone or in a meeting. Way to go HP for keeping the customer happy. I have contacted the BBB and hope to receive a response soon. I want a computer that works, or my money back. Right now, all I have received from HP is over $800 less in my pocket, and a big freaking headache.

Bottom line, don't buy an HP Pavilion! They sell junk and then try to prevent you from either exchanging it or getting your money back. Their bottom line is more important than your satisfaction as a customer. Be aware, that there is wind of a class action lawsuit involving motherboards in HP Pavilions.

CHANDLER, ARIZONA -- 32Circumstances: I am writing you regarding an issue with a laptop that I purchased for my daughter late last year (11/15/08). My daughter ** is a college student at ASU and needs this computer to do her school work. I purchased the computer because it was on sale via Big Lots online store and until two weeks ago the computer was working fine. All of a sudden the computer lost connection with the hard drive and I worked several hours with HP's customer care to determine the issue. They were kind enough to send out a replacement hard drive and boot discs.

The case number is **. I got the hard drive and boot discs and had some difficulties with the brackets on the hard drive (they were the wrong ones). I called customer care and they walked me through switching out the brackets with the old drive. I thought I was home free when I went to boot up the computer and an error message presented itself and the system shut down.

My level of frustration was at a peak and I simply couldn't bring myself to pursue HP's recommended solution any longer. I'm simply not much of a computer technician anyway! I have six hours of my own personal time invested in this project and I don't want to put anymore time into this failed venture. I actually have a computer (an HP) that I use myself and have had no issues with it as of yet (thank God) and have been very happy with the product. I am however very unhappy with the laptop that I purchased for my daughter and am also extremely dissatisfied with the low level of customer service HP has given.

When I called them I spoke to their customer care and I told them what I wanted which I think is a reasonable request under the circumstances: 1. Replacement of the computer which is defective or 2. Have a technician come out to my home to repair this computer or 3. Give me an HP credit toward the purchase of another HP laptop. Obviously in the case of replacement or store credit I would give them back the malfunctioning computer.

My daughter has been without a laptop for two weeks now and as previously mentioned she is a full-time student and has to have a computer. I'm going to have to go out and buy another one if I can't get satisfaction. The person that I spoke to at customer care about my issue was totally unsympathetic, kept interrupting me, and was obstinate in his unwillingness to allow any of those options to happen.

Obviously I got angry although I was totally professional in my approach to the conversation. I told him that he would leave me no choice but to pursue other outside means to achieve my aims including making a full formal complaint with the BBB against HP, and filing a full grievance with the Arizona state attorney general (consumer protection division).

On that note he informed me that he couldn't help me any longer and hung up. I submitted my complaint to the higher ups at HP and got another call from customer care today. ** is her name. Her number is ** and her extension is **. She parroted the same line that the previous customer care representative gave which was that they don't do refunds, or exchanges.

I believe in view of the very short amount of time that has transpired that I should be able to get my money back or at least get a replacement computer instead of having to wait weeks or months to get mine repaired. The least they can do is send out a technician that can repair this computer on site or give me a name of someone who can do the service work. I'll be happy to drop this off to whatever facility they recommend.

TENNESSEE -- I have recently purchased two HP products, a Laser Printer and a business Laptop. I have had more problems than is reasonable with both, but particularly with the fact that the two do not work together (see case **). The issues I've had with the laptop include:

DVD not able to load OS--support fiddled around a while, then sent replacement disks that were not for the OS I needed (XP x64), later with tech support they were supposed to look into sending the right disks, promised to email or call and never did. Apparently this notebook is incompatible with the new printer, so I either have partial function, or none at all. Some of the software mentions bluetooth capability, for this notebook, but the documentation is vague, I still have no idea whether or not this notebook is bluetooth enabled!? And after the strange interactions I've had with support in India that barely speaks English, was afraid to call and ask.

The printer also has issues: Unable to receive faxes, the fax picks up maybe half the time. Unable to communicate with computer. Software for HP Solution does not load from the disk properly, after installing, it asks for disk in location "1", and I have to browse to the proper folder and install that part of the software. I always get errors (on every PC when installing regarding flash player and something called hpqdummy)

I have had some crazy interaction with tech support as well. They all refuse to let you speak to a supervisor. I think one even lied about being a supervisor. I've had them troubleshoot the wrong product, give me steps in the wrong order, and I even had one tech call my house after midnight, waking my elderly father. I am thoroughly disgusted with HP, and at this point just want to give up and return it all.

WINSTON SALEM, NORTH CAROLINA -- After your fourth, and futile attempt, to repair my laptop, I have come to the conclusion that your company has no concern for its customers. This was confirmed when your case manager informed me that the consumers who have purchased your, knowingly defective, HP dv9000 Pavilion laptops, represent less than 1% of your customer base when I requested a replacement on our 3rd attempt to repair my laptop.

Evidently, HP's answer to this defective product is to replace the system board, even more evident, with more defective parts since the board only seems to last just beyond the 90 day extended warranty. HP's answer? Purchase their extended warranty for $200 or $300 more... Honestly, what would that really get me if (after four attempts) your company can't even fix my laptop now.

What I am failing to understand about your company is why you would continue to put faulty system boards in a knowingly defective product? Did someone in your purchasing department get you a "deal too good to be true" on these boards so you need to unload them on your unassuming customers?

Hopefully, all HP consumers with these bad HP products will purchase somewhere else and you will no longer have that less than 1% to worry about. According to your 10K filing, you address these 3rd party defective parts and your own company's effect on your gross margin and revenue issues (Item 1A: Risk factors, pg 16).

"Finding solutions to quality issues can be expensive and may result in additional warranty, replacement and other costs, adversely affecting our profits. If new or existing customers have difficulty operating our products, our operating margins could be adversely affected, and we could face possible claims if we fail to meet our customers' expectations. In addition, quality issues can impair our relationships with new or existing customers and adversely affect our reputation, which could have a material adverse effect on our operating results." (Publicly available on HP Investor Relations web).

Based on your 2007 revenue results for PSG, that less than 1% your case manager so effectively informed me would only result in around 364 million dollars in lost revenue for your company with other defects in your other PC systems. A loss that I am sure HP could rebound from in these economic times??

To date, since December 2007, the following issues have happened to my computer: December - LAN card failed - laptop was within one year warranty; however your company repaired my computer under the known defect with the system board. When I received the laptop back, HP had replaced the system board, LCD cover, bezel, top and webcam.

May - After attempting a Window's update, screen would freeze up in a checkerboard pattern which required hard reboot until reboot quit responding. HP replaced the system board... Again. September - Checkerboard display issue rears its head again and had been getting a yellow line at boot up on computer since the previous repair had been completed. HP replaced the Thermal Pad and Heatsink fan... And yes, once again, the system board.

November - Muddle screen display, operating system crash. Still getting yellow line on boot up. HP replaced the LCD Cover, Hard drive replaced and reimaged, LCD cable and... Once again, the system board. I received the laptop back from this last repair the day before Thanksgiving and am still getting the yellow line on boot up. I even sent pictures of the checkerboard display issues and the yellow line this last time since, it appears, that the problem is duplicated but still not fixed.

In addition, if the dv9000 consumers represent less than 1% of your customer base, how much would HP really be losing in doing a complete replacement of these computers to the unhappy customers with extensive issues with their laptops? Or, extend a better warranty to this class of consumer (other than off-loading more system boards on us). This has been a year-long battle with your company that will ultimately and most likely result in a class action lawsuit, again noted in your 10K filing as a concern on gross margin and revenue for your company.

Essentially, I received 8 defective free months with my HP laptop, equating that to price, it adds up to a little more than $100 a month to happily use your product. The irony of this is that I have a four year old Dell desktop that is much more reliable than your product. I have not had one problem with it and it only cost me $700.

It is apparent to me that Hewlett-Packard, and its subsidiaries, are the Edsel of the computer industry. Because dependability are the most important features of owning a computer, I will be taking my business to Dell... A company who knows how to build a reliable product! An Ex-HP customer.

JUPITER, FLORIDA -- I have purchased an HP Pavilion dv6449 notebook PC in September of 2007. From the first month I started using the PC, I had issues with it. The first major problem I noticed was that the battery would not hold a charge, and the laptop would almost always turn off as soon as I unplugged it from an A/C adapter. Regardless of how long I had it plugged into a direct power source, it would not hold the charge. I proceeded to have it checked by a Firedog center in a local Circuit City store. They told me I would need to go through HP for help.

I contacted HP who guided me through the diagnostic testing which reported a failed hard drive. I was told by a ‘tech support' person that it would take 6-8 weeks to analyze and do repairs on the computer and then I would be charged for anything not covered in my 1-year warranty. That seemed absurd considering the computer didn't work properly out of the box, and I didn't have the option to return it to the store of purchase because I did not buy their warranty as well. I decided to not send the PC back to HP and replace the hard drive myself. I lost all of the data on the failed hard drive

I took it to the IT center at my school. I was told that there was further damage done to the inside of my computer that looked to have come from a part of it overheating and that the internal temperature had reached over 70 degrees Celsius. I had noticed the computer reaching increasingly high temperatures, despite having a cooling system under my notebook at all times.

My notebook continued to get so hot that it actually burnt my thighs while on my lap more than once, and that of my roommate as well. It also got so hot that the touchpad mouse and the area around the keys were too hot to even touch. By February of 2008, my laptop was reaching such high temperatures, that it would shut off from overheating, and sometimes not allow me to turn it back on. The battery would not work unless it was plugged into a power source, and would sometimes shut down in the middle of my using it. The notebook became useless.

I spent over 3 hours on the phone with representatives of the company between the 30th and 31st of July 2008, explaining the situation and what I would like the resolution be. On August 1st 2008, I spoke with a tech support case manager named Andy. Again I was told it would take 6-8 weeks to repair. I told him that I felt that 6-8 was far too long. Andy hung up on me.

I called back later to speak to someone about sending back my laptop for an evaluation. I was told that I would have to talk to Andy, who was “no longer in the office for the day” and that I would “get a call back Monday, [August 4th 2008].” I did not receive a call August 4th from anyone at HP. I made my own phone call at approximately 2 pm August 4th 2008 and waited on hold for about 22 minutes, only to be disconnected. I then waited on hold and was passed on to 3 different representatives.

I finally reached another case manager that informed me that my situation now needed to be dealt with through the Health and Safety Department due to the overheating and I would receive a phone call from someone by the end of the day. I never got the phone call.

HP did send a box, however, to mail my PC to their Health and Safety Department. I mailed it and a few days later got it back in the same condition! When I called the department, they told me that my PC works when they put their battery and hard drive in it, so they sent it back in the original condition without calling me first. I told them that it needs to be fixed and that it is still under warranty. So they sent me another box.

Once again I sent it out. I got it back, again this time with some new parts and now it won't even turn on. Plus and to top it all off, AC adapter they sent back is not mine. How do I know this? Because the one they sent is damaged and has electrical tape on it.

So I called yet another case manager, George who is even ruder than Andy. They want to try to fix it again. They also claimed that the hard drive was never replaced. I then requested all of the documentation they have on my computer and they refused hung up on me again. I am being sent a new box to get this computer to their tech support. I intend to keep sending this laptop back until they get it right.

Happily, I own 2 Macs at home and use Macs in both of my offices (I have 2 jobs). There is an Apple store nearby and their service is exemplary. However I never need to get my Macs serviced because Apple makes a great product. If you do have a problem with your Mac, they will either fix it the first time or give you a new one. I will never go PC again (especially HP).

Here is the text and who would want to go through all this? HP Product sucks and even worse, their Customer Service is pathetic! Note that I have 2 non-working laptops from HP- in warranty! :-( I need both fixed immediately or my money back! I'm going to file Credit Card dispute for claim and BBB complaint within 24 hours now.

We purchased our daughter a Pavilion Laptop 6000 for university. She has a learning disability so is extremely reliable on this machine. It was purchased at the end of August 2007. By January 2008, it stopped functioning. My daughter contacted HP and spoke with them in regards to the problem. They told her to send it in to them for repair and it would be 2 weeks to a month before she got it back. I then called HP and told them that it was unacceptable the length of time, and that this machine was extremely important for her education. They told me that they would have a case manager call me within 48 hours to discuss this situation.

After 48 hours we did not receive a call, so I called them back and went through the whole story all over again. They transferred me to someone else who then transferred me to another individual. The case manager was not available and he would call me back. I refused to allow this and asked to speak with a case manager immediately. They put me through to one who told me to take it to a local HP repair store because they could repair it quickly and it would save us time. So we did. The motherboard was gone and the company tried to put in a request for a new motherboard, but could not, because HP had placed a case number on it.

I called HP to find out what the heck was going on. They told me they would never had told any customer to do that, and that there was no file on the case and gave me another case number and to send it off to them right away. It was sent off to them. A week later I called HP to find out, if they had a chance to look at the computer and tell me how long it would be. Their response was they could not find it on file that it had been repaired yet, but it would more than likely be to me within four days.

Guess what the next day the computer arrived. Five days later while working on her term paper the windows program went down. It said it was a pirated copy and that it was not registered. So my daughter called HP, they told her they could do nothing about it and to call Microsoft. Which she did. Microsoft wanted her to pay a fee to restore the windows program. Now this was the original program that was put into the computer when we bought it.

So the next day I called HP. Explained the situation to them, and they made contact with Microsoft and we repaired the problem. Two days after that the keyboard stopped functioning. Now I am really mad. I contacted HP, they would have a case manager call me back in 48 to 72 hours. No call came, so I called Hp back and after being shuffled from one person to the next, they finally put me through to the technical supervisor who said he would talk to the case manager and have him speak with me.

After being on hold off and on, he finally came on and told me he was unable reach the case manager, and he promised twice to me on the phone that the case manager would call me back before the end of the day. I waited and no call. I called back the following morning, was put from one person to a second to a third, who then told me that I should wait for a case manager to call me back in about 72 hours.

I informed him that I had waited a week for a case manager and I was not waiting any longer. So he gave me a phone number to call to register a complain. Made that phone call and ended up with the receptionist who was just as rude as the rest of them had been, went all through the info that I had given them and now gave me a complaint number, but would not do anything about our problem.

I then called HP back and asked to speak directly with Mark Hurd who is Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer and President Hewlett-Packard Company in Canada. I was told I could not speak to him directly but if I called back at 11:00 they would direct my call to the executive director of Customer Service in California. So I did just as they asked. When I got the gentleman on the phone and explained the situation to him, he informed me that he did not deal with Canadian products and had no idea why they would even transfer the call to him.

He then gave me a phone number to call in Canada, I looked at it and told him it was the exact same number I had just called. He apologized and hung up. So I called HP again and asked why they would even transfer the call when they don't deal with Canadian products. The womans response was "I guess the girl didn't know where else to send the call!" I asked if there was a Canadian Customer Service Executive I could speak to and her response was no.

I have spent a great deal of time and money on this problem. I think my best recourse right now is a letter to the head of the company and a letter to all media Editorial departments warning consumers of the problem with HP. I am also sending something off to the BBB. I have warned everyone I know not to purchase an HP, and my daughters at school are doing the same. WE have four more children going off to school this year all requiring computers... and guess what.... it won't be an HP! An extremely annoyed Mother!