Posts about HP
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Installing a different operating system on a computer does not change its hardware. This is a simple enough concept...unless you work in technical support for HP. Their phone tech support have joined their Geek Squad brethren in insisting that a Linux-infested laptop was no longer under warranty.
Kyle didn't want to put Windows back on his netbook just so his problem would fit phone support's standard script. He tried to make tech support see logic...and eventually they did. (Or gave him a new battery so he would go away, but the end result is the same.) More »
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—>Ryan in North Dakota bought a very nice HP laptop in 2007. This particular model, he DV6000, has a certain flaw, and HP extended the warranty to cover inevitable repairs. But when the computer broke down for the second time at the tender age of two and a half years, and HP wouldn't repair it for free, he was angry. He had expected to get at least four years' use out of the laptop. More »
Hi Consumerist, More »
—>Reader Michael Dillon recently noticed that the Weather Channel's "printable" 10-Day Forecast page isn't exactly printer-friendly: it includes an ad that's roughly 80 percent solid black. Printing it out would mean wasting ink. That ad is selling... (drumroll, please)... HP printer's ink. More »
—>Jon wants us to recommend a good lawyer to sue HP for screwing him over on laptop repairs. We do not offer legal advice like that. We do, however, believe strongly in the power of small claims court. More »
—>Bobby thinks he's spotted a widespread problem with the HP laptop he bought a year and a half ago. His computer runs too hot and burns itself from the inside out, roasting its innards. More »
—>We know not all of our readers agree on our stupid shipping gang posts, but here's one we can all get behind: you probably don't need to deliver a ten-foot power cord in a large box on a wooden pallet. More »
—>Best Buy is an electronics store. The purpose of such a store is to allow customers to exchange money for electronic devices, then take those devices home and use them. Unfortunately, the Best Buy in Yuma, Arizona doesn't seem to take this mission seriously, and has given reader Elizabeth such a run-around that she isn't interested in buying a computer at all anymore. More »
—>Tyler needs his laptop repaired, but he's got the bad luck to own an HP product. If you read Consumerist regularly you know that Hewlett-Packard has one of the worst track records for taking care of its customers. The last time we posted a complaint, the person who reached out to us from the corporate side was a third party at a PR firm hired by HP, if that tells you anything about how little they care about doing a good job. Read Tyler's recap below and remember it the next time you're in the market for a computer. More »
—>We asked John, who wrote to us earlier this week about replacing the motherboard in his HP laptop, to send us a link to the listing he found for $150. Below is his response. More »
—>The hard drive of Chris's HP laptop failed within its warranty period. Technically, it was four days after he bought the brand-new computer, but who's counting? More »
—>CircuitCity.com, newly reincarnated as a Systemax subsidiary, has changed the return policy language that forbid returns from HP, IBM and Toshiba, ZDnet reports. Hooray. More »
—> Tipster Colin sent us this amusing snafu. Is this HP's grand plan to get back at Kodak for those aggressive ads?? More »
—>HP called Consumerist about our inquiry about Jillian's sparking and flaming HP dv2845se laptop adapter that she says burned a hole in her pants and caused a welt on her leg. Jillian had also alleged that HP customer service, regular and escalated, was both unresponsive and rude. HP told us.... More »
—>UPDATE: HP Calls About Pants Burnin' Laptop More »
—>HP announced today that laptop computer batteries have been recalled as a fire hazard due to risk of overheating. Affected models are HP Pavilion, Compaq Presario, HP, and HP Compaq computers sold from about August 2007 to March 2008. Find out if your computer is affected and get a replacement battery at HP's site. More »
—>Randy tried to get new O and P keys for his HP laptop. The outsourced, English-is-not-his-first-language, customer service rep won't sell or send him the keys and instead insists that Randy sit in for a $298 repair. Blithely indifferent to Randy's increasing incredulity and rage, the customer service rep suggests that for that amount of money, Randy should just buy a new laptop for $400. That's right, a new laptop because two of the keys are bad. The ridiculous chat transcript, inside... More »
—>Chris reports getting sweet satisfaction from HP after he searched for their executive customer service number on our site and gave them a ring: More »
—>A controversial retailer VS a computer company with a black hole for a warranty repair operation. Which will you choose? More »
—>Aaron is happy to report that he has gotten resolution with his complaint about HP's repair center sending him back his laptop filled with viruses. Good thing for HP that Aaron is honest, otherwise he could probably have three laptops right now, as three different HP reps contacted him about his story. On March 9th he wrote us: More »
—>HP is known for its incompetent repair process, but what makes Aaron's case special is that at the end they decide to kick it up a notch. When he sends his computer in and gets it back from the repair center, HP has so ever so graciously filled it with free spyware and viruses. More »
—>The boy whose HP was running 200°F and was told by tech support to "buy a cooling mat" used some of the higher-up phone numbers readers posted in the comment on the original post to get in touch with a Senior Case Manager. Despite being out of warranty, they reopened the case and had him send in his laptop. Lo and behold, they fixed it! "It is running great now," writes Travis. Huzzah! More »
—>Expedite a quagmired Hewlett-Packard issue by calling their executive customer service at 1-800-756-0608 option 7. A guy named Tim Metcalf might be the one who helps you, or Dan or Yunsil. Their lines open at 8am, PST. (Photo: orangegeeky) More »
—>Here's a story that should help to remind you to back up all your data — even if you're just getting a key replaced on your keyboard. More »
—>35,000 laptop batteries from laptops sold from 2004-2006 have been recalled for fire and burn hazards. There have been 17 fires and 2 burns associated with these batteries, so if you've got one, make sure you take care of this issue. More »
Highlights From Dealnews
- Graveyard Mall: Wooden Roll-top Desk Organizer for $9 + $6 s&h
- Amazon.com: Columbia Sportswear Men's Shoes from $19 + $5 s&h
- Amazon.com: Green Mountain K-Cup 50-Packs for $9 + $6 s&h
- Circuit City: Element FLX3711B 37-inch LCD HDTV $600
- American Express: Up to 5% Cash Back on Purchases with SimplyCash Business Card
- Geeks: Refurbished Dual AMD Opteron Rack Mount Servers from $200
- Hewlett Packard: $500 off $1399 HP Pavilion Notebooks w/ code NB0915
- Frys.com: Western Digital GreenPower 500GB Serial ATA/300 Hard Drive for $69.99 + shipping
- Edmund Scientific: $25 Off $50 or more w/ coupon code ES25
Highlights From Dealhack
- Abt Electronics: Sony Cybershot S750 7.2MP Digital Camera $129 Shipped
- Office Depot: HP AMD Dual Core Widescreen Notebook $550 & Free Shipping
- B&H Photo: Panasonic Viera 42-inch Plasma HDTV $830 Shipped
- Amazon: J.A. Henckels 8 Piece Stylus Block Set for $49.99 w/ Free shipping
- Walmart: Eastsport Mesh Backpack for $9.88 + $0.97 Shipping
- Timberland: 30% Off Coupon w/ coupon code: FALLEVENT4
- Geeks.com: Four Wireless Day / Night Color Security Cameras with receiver for $130 + $11 s&h
- Newegg: Creative ZEN X-Fi 8GB Portable MP3 / MP4 Player for $112 + free shipping
- Buy.com: Refurbished SanDisk Sansa MP3 Players from $22 + free shipping
- 6PM.com: DC Brand Shoes $20 + S/H, all sizes/styles, 856 to choose from
- Nicorette: free pack of Nicorette White Ice Mint (warning, site is slow)
- Circuit City: Panasonic SH-FX85 Wireless Multi-Room Speaker Kit for $44.96, requires in-store pickup
- Hewlett Packard: $400 Off $999 or more for Desktop Purchase w/ coupon code: DT1158 (Good for 2250 uses)
- NewEgg: Targus Notebook Wireless Optical Mouse for $8.99 w/ Free shipping after $20 off coupon code: EMCAKAKAK
- Buy.com: Av Lab Solar Backpack Charger for $29.99 w/ Free shipping after rebate
- Best Buy: Toshiba Satellite Dual Core Notebook PC $500
- Geeks.com: Canon Pixma iP6210D Color Inkjet Photo Printer $35 with Coupon
- Musicnotes.com: 20% or 30% off Guitar Guru Interactive Lessons with Coupons
- WarCry: Free Warhammer Online Beta 10 days
- Amazon: Kitchen deals for under $7, all eligible for 4 for 3 promotion
- Buy.com: Logitech G51 Gaming Speakers for $71.99 Shipped After Rebate
- Deal Extreme: Rechargeable Digital Pin-hole Spy Camera + USB Drive Disgused as Working Pen for $35.53 w/ Free shipping
- HP Home : New stackable Laptop coupon, up to $350 off $999 w/ coupon code NB3325
- OfficeMax: Oscillating 16" Pedestal Fan for $7.99 + $7.95 Shipping
- OfficeMax: Olympus FE-320 8MP Digital Camera $120 Shipped
- Shoebuy: Pay via PayPal & Save $20 off Shoe Orders of $50+ and get Free Shipping
- Bike Nashbar: Save 10%, 15%, or 20% off Entire Order with Coupon Discounts
—>Leading the stupid shipping gang takes creative incompetence, and Hewlett-Packard is clearly up to the task. Other companies might have turned to email when faced with the challenge of shipping sixteen software licenses. Not Hewlett-Packard! HP went looking for a box. A really big box, which they filled with sixteen smaller boxes, each containing two precious pieces of paper ensconced in a layer of protective foam. More »
—>The post office won't pay Alauna's insurance claim for a damaged Hewlett-Packard laptop unless one of their employees admits to intentionally abusing her package. More »
—>Reader Amy's HP laptop is defective and HP offered to fix it for free—then changed its mind and wanted $800. Amy asked them to return the laptop, and when she got it back, she found that it was even more broken than when she sent it in. She contacted HP again and again they offered to fix it for free. This time, they let the laptop sit around for 3 weeks before calling her to let her know that they were voiding her warranty because of "liquid damage." Amy says the first repair ticket has no mention of this mysterious liquid damage... More »
—>A Consumerist reader called HP to ask whether they could help him with a broken computer. They couldn't, of course, but that didn't stop the CSR from trying to ever-so-politely upsell a brand new HP computer at a low, low price. Thanks for calling HP Total Care for Desktops! What can we do to put you in a new computer today? More »
—>You gotta hand it to Hewlett Packard—they're able to improvise quickly when it comes to making up excuses. Dustin wrote to let us know that so far, over the three weeks that HP has had his laptop in for repair, he's heard these reasons for why they haven't sent it back yet:
- laptop warranty voided because of dog hair under keyboard
- repair placed on hold because they need to reformat the hard drive
- hard drive needs to be replaced
- OS could not be replaced because product sticker in back was gone
—>If you own an HP Pavilion Notebook and you've had problems with it—specifically overheating, problems with the power supply, and an inability to update the BIOS—then you might want to contact this law firm and tell them your story. We know class actions rarely help the individual consumer, but they do succeed in punishing the offending company occasionally, and we can't think of a computer company more in need of a good class action smackdown than HP. More »
—>Reader Katy, whose laptop had disappeared into the black hole that is the HP repair department, writes us with an update. HP sent her computer back, but it's still sort of broken. She's going to work with HP to get the laptop fixed under warranty (so she can give it to her brother), but she'd had enough and went out and bought a Macbook. More »
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—>We're starting to suspect that HP's repair department consists of a giant warehouse inside of which is a nothing but a black hole that eats laptops. Stephen Hawking is their receptionist, and he makes sure the techs don't accidentally cross the event horizon when they're chucking your computer into oblivion. More »
—>There's something deeply wrong with HP these days. It seems that instead of just fixing your laptop's overheating issue, they'd rather accuse Amazon.com of selling fake HP laptops and deny your warranty. Reader Floria says that even though she got a letter from Amazon stating that there's no possible way they sold her a fake or refurbished laptop, and then escalated her complaint to a "senior case manager" who approved the repair, HP still hasn't fixed her computer. Is anyone in charge over there? More »
—>Despite three attempts, HP cannot fix the video vomit that is going on in Willy's laptop. After Willy sent it in for the third time, describing the problem to HP as "Video Related Problem: Lines, Spots, Scrambled," HP replaced the audio PCA and sent it back marked "Repaired." More »
—>This is Round 28 in our Worst Company in America contest, Sprint vs Hewlett Packard. Vote which sucks more, inside... More »
—>Reader D misses his laptop. A lot. He hasn't seen it in 6 weeks. Despite tirelessly working to escalate his complaint up the ladder at HP, he keeps getting shuffled back around to "Jim," an executive customer service rep who just keeps repeating the same old story about a delayed part. More »
—>Remember N? He last saw his laptop in December after shipping it to HP for desperately needed repairs. After posting the story HP reached out to N, who tells us that he just received a spanking new machine. Read N's reaction and his tips for handling similar situations, after the jump. More »
—>Matt's Officejet 6110 scans perfectly under Ubuntu, but won't play nice with Leopard. When Matt called HP for support, he was told that the company has no plans to issue new drivers so he should just buy a new printer. To soften the blow, the tech mentioned HP's trade-in program, which would give Matt a whopping $16 for his printer. More »
—>HP customer service has a bad rep and it seems they finally got around to noticing it. Here's a press release announcing the completion of what they call, "the most substantial investment in consumer technical support in its history." Highlights: More »
—>For three months, HP has promised to return reader N's laptop within the next ten days. N sent his HP Pavillion for repairs in December after his screen became a blurry mess incapable of displaying anything as basic as say, oh, a tracking page. HP insists that they fixed the laptop, but they won't ship it back to N. Conveniently, the one-year warranty expired last month. More »
—> Ranjit Bedi, a Californian, has filed a lawsuit against Hewlett-Packard and Staples in a U.S. District Court in Boston, accusing the two companies of colluding to prevent the sale of third-party ink cartridges in Staples stores. Bedi is accusing HP of paying Staples over $100 million to get it to stop selling lower-priced ink refills, but none of the news sources we found supply any evidence to support that figure, so we hope Bedi has more than just a gut feeling about this. More »
—>Hewlett-Packard took over three months to fix reader Mark's ailing laptop, which they then shipped to the wrong address. HP charged Mark several hundred dollars for the repairs in July, and gave an expected delivery date of August 5. In early September, Mark was told that the laptop would definitely ship by September 24. On October 10, Mark learned - after sending an email to the CEO and leaving ten messages - that his laptop could not be repaired, and that he would instead receive a new Compaq Presario by October 23. The laptop finally shipped on October 25 to Lavergne, Tennessee. Mark lives in Iowa. More »
—>Everyone hates the office printer, including scientists who blame the printers for emitting dangerous amounts of ultra-fine particles. Scientists from Queensland University examined printers from Canon, Hewlett-Packard, Ricoh and Toshiba. Their findings don't condemn any one brand: the HP LaserJet 4050 emitted no particles, while the the HP LaserJet 1320 and 4250 raised the particle count of the surrounding air tenfold. From the LA Times:
Morawska did not originally set out to study printers. She was invited by the Queensland Department of Public Works to measure air quality inside a six-floor office building near a busy road. More »
—>Sick of looking fat in pictures of yourself? Buy a camera that stretches the photos vertically so you look thin. No, really. Now you can do to your family photos what MySpace sluts have been doing to theirs for years! More »
—>If you bought a laptop at the end of last year, you probably qualified for a free Vista upgrade. We did and although it took 6 weeks to get the disc in the mail from our laptop manufacturer, we didn't run into too many hassles. No so for a lot of people, according to PC World:
"I was told it would be an easy process," says William Bond, of Tampa, Florida. But, he says, the process has been anything but simple. Bond purchased a Hewlett-Packard Pavilion desktop in November at Circuit City and is still waiting for his Vista upgrade disc from ModusLink, the company handling the program for HP. More »
—>HP seemed to have "lost" David Barzelay's laptop when he sent it in for repairs. After a month of no laptop, HP wouldn't replace it or return it. More »
—>Vocal Laboratories, a company that helps other companies improve customer service by surveying customer calls, is working on project to improve tech support at Apple, Dell, Gateway, and HP, and you can participate. More »
He recorded the call, made in Colorado, a one-party consent state, and uploaded it to YouTube. A slideshow of Colorado scenery plays in the background. More »
Loosely in honor of 9/11, here's an American soldier in Iraq expressing his dissatisfaction with an HP printer. With his automatic rifle. According to the original post on Break.com, after they sent this in to HP, they received a free new printer in return. More »
Have compassion when you call tech support. That's a real live human on the other end of the line (eventually). More »
—>Fresh from his non-disclosure agreement expiring, an anonymous tipster writes in some dirt about 3000 series HP printers. More »
—>And with the proud forward march of technology comes one more reason not to trust that Match.com profile picture: the newest Hewlett-Packert cameras include an automatic "slimming" effect that can transform even the tubby, the amorphous, the morbidly obese into slender sylphs. More »
—>While Ben continues to burst aneurysms out of his skin like tiny out-of-control fire hoses in his efforts to cancel his MySpace account, here's a reminder that impenetrably convoluted instructions to get support aren't limited to community websites aimed primarily at Popken and his sulky teenage emo girl peer group. More »
—>A Fidelity laptop containing customer's personal data was stolen on March 15th but one man didn't find out until last week, April 13th. More »
—>Reader Nick A's experiences with HP's tech support are disappointing, to say the least, especially when he finally fixed his problem with his HP computer by finding the solution on their website himself—after calling their phone support twice. More »
• It involves a rebate—a big, $150 one no less—but when you can pick up a TiVo Series 2 40-hour DVR for just $12, it might be worth the trouble. Dealhack has the coupon codes and rebate information. The discounts also apply to the larger-hour versions. More »
