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.”

Screwed up video display is a problem dear to our heart. In Willy’s case, the video problem didn’t happen until HP had taken the first crack at fixing his laptop and charged him over $400. They didn’t fix it the second time he sent it in, so he sent it once more, again specifying that the video display “has lines, spots, and it scrambles.” HP diagnosed a faulty audio component–which Willy says worked just fine before he sent it in–and offered to repair it for $300 more. Willy sent HP an Executive Email Carpet Bomb and has spent hours on the phone with customer service, but it still came back unfixed–but with a shiny new audio PCA. So Willy is disputing the charges with American Express.

I have had this laptop for a good long while, about four to five years, and since then, migrated to a new one, but this one was still old reliable for a while as a backup. Well, as all good computers do no matter what, they eventually develop something, and this one developed an issue where it wouldn’t turn on.

Now keep in mind that yes, this is a somewhat old laptop (Compaq R3000) but I have been trying to get this fixed for a while. This has already been in repair three times in one month time. I understood the first time that I would have to pay for the repairs as it is beyond the warranty. At the time, I didn’t care; I’m one of those people that would like to see older computers running and being used. The unit does not turn on. I had also requested that the unit be –inspected extensively– and make sure it still runs properly, as I wouldn’t know if there was problems since it doesn’t turn on.

That was March 26 and I paid $417.90 for the repairs. The repair number for this is:

I get the laptop back on April 1st and immediately found that the computer was making unnecessary fan noises (as if the fan was hitting something inside the computer) as well as developed video problems; the screen was looking like a blur with vertical lines along the screen.

called again to have the unit sent in and the unit arrived at the center at April 7, and received the unit back on April 10. The fan noise is gone but the video is still having the same exact problem. Basically, dead on arrival. That repair number is:

Now I have the unit sent in for the third time (April 11, new repair number: ) over the last four weeks and now they claim that the AUDIO JACKS are broken and I must pay a cost of $312.90. Now I DO know that the audio jacks works as I’ve tried them through headphones when I had the laptop a second time before the video issue. Unfortunately, this so-called “repair” is not even related to the video problem that came in the second time, and I suspect that would not even get fixed. For the most part, that should have been inspected in the first place at the original repair.

I have been on the phone with HP Support ever since it has entered into the repair facility for the third time. I have asked for supervisors and managers, and they have instead just put me to agent to agent, with some of them even hanging up on me. I’ve been at my wit’s end trying to figure out why they have not repaired the unit, or even replaced it, and why they did not inspect the laptop the first time properly so I wouldn’t have been sending it in all the time.

The strange irony of this is that I MYSELF work for technical support for a competing electronics company which deal with EXACTLY THIS class of both technical problems and servicing problems. From my perspective of this and comparing it, you are doing far worse than I remember. I remember it used to be quite quick, snappy, and reliable.

I am sorely disappointed by the support that I have been provided for the notebook, and the difficulty of getting answers and a satisfactory resolution to this problem. Since I have made this charge on my American Express card, I have decided to also dispute the charges to this and halt payment, as I’m not satisfied at all at the quality of the repair and workmanship that you have done with my laptop and I have not gotten any resolution to this.

Guess that big tech support investment HP made last month hasn’t fixed everything. If Willy’s able to get his money back, it sounds like the best idea would be to find a different repair place. Below are Willy’s diagnosis form that he gave HP, and the repair log from his third repair.

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