Hewlett Packard Technical Support [i wish this is a joke]!

[moogoob]

Quote:

Originally Posted by iriverdude /img/forum/go_quote.gif yes because we all know Apple hardware never fails, and you can replace parts yourself from any computer retailer.

Untrue and an unfair knee-jerk reaction. Apple hardware DOES fail from time to time, anyone who uses one with any regularity and isn't a raging fanboy will tell you this. Want to replace the hard drive on my mac? I can replace it with an off-the-shelf component. Same goes for the RAM. I can plug a Microsoft mouse and keyboard and have them work perfectly. You can even install Windows on it if you are against OS-X - Apple will even give you a hand doing so. If I had a desktop Mac Pro, I can swap out just about everything but the motherboard, case and power supply for off-the-shelf components and if you're buying a Mac Pro, the motherboard case and power supply is pretty much what you're paying for in the first place.

 

[MD1032]

There are ways to make your own recovery discs. When I did my second reinstall on my Thinkpad, I created a new recovery disc and merged SP3 in with it. Then I finally just wiped the whole hard drive, including the restore partition, and made it all one partition.

 

[iriverdude]

Quote:

If I had a desktop Mac Pro, I can swap out just about everything but the motherboard, case and power supply for off-the-shelf components and if you're buying a Mac Pro, the motherboard case and power supply is pretty much what you're paying for in the first place.

A PSU is something that can die. Actually the last PC failure was PSU (Seasonic) So what if the Apple PSU dies? A replacement Corsair 450W PSU was £55, that's with 7 year warranty.

And Apple's price/warranty is...?

 

[marvin]

Quote:

Originally Posted by moogoob /img/forum/go_quote.gif Plus, the LED-backlit screen isn't bad and the thing does optical out to my DAC. Sure, the battery isn't user-replaceable but at least the glass screen cover is sealed to the bezel so stuff can't get in.

The glass outer layer on Macbooks can have the same poor seal issues that the HP does. The only real way around it is to buy a laptop without the glass (or plastic) overlay. The good part about the Apple though is that it's fairly easy to get a replacement or fix for this issue.

 

[moogoob]

Quote:

Originally Posted by iriverdude /img/forum/go_quote.gif A PSU is something that can die. Actually the last PC failure was PSU (Seasonic) So what if the Apple PSU dies? A replacement Corsair 450W PSU was £55, that's with 7 year warranty. And Apple's price/warranty is...?

Have you ever tried bringing in a BMW for service in North America? Same concept.

 

[ronnielee54]

I am so done with HP. Got an email from HP regarding hinge enhancement for 17" laptop. Was not having problems with laptop so I did not want to send it off and wait for it to return. Short time later hinge broke causing screen housing to separate. Called HP and was told that deadline had expired 12 days prior to my call. Computer still had 6 months warranty buy warranty did not cover physical damage. I stated that it was a design flaw and should be covered. He stated that it was not a design flaw. Asked the guy if it was not a design flaw why was the hinge enhancement offered. He said "it will make it stronger so it will not break". At this point I lost all control and many words were said. Because of the age of some of the members on this forum I will not repeat them. The guy said he would help me out and fix it for 300 instead of 400. Any guess's on what was said next. Screw HP. I am going Apple for my next laptop.

 

[iriverdude]

Quote:

I am going Aplle for my next laptop.

lol they're all the same mate.

 

[Khanate]

Quote:

Originally Posted by iriverdude /img/forum/go_quote.gif lol they're all the same mate.

"Huh, my ipod is not working"

"How is it not working?"

"Dunno, the sound is weird"

2 weeks later I got a new one, and I called on the last day of my warranty, because I had a scratch on the screen.

 

[iriverdude]

So that's why Apple's are so expensive you expect them to replace it when you've scratched the screen? Great.

 

[moogoob]

Quote:

Originally Posted by iriverdude /img/forum/go_quote.gif So that's why Apple's are so expensive you expect them to replace it when you've scratched the screen? Great.

Are you always this abrasive? Did Steve Jobs run over your dog?

 

[marvin]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ronnielee54 /img/forum/go_quote.gif I am so done with HP. Got an email from HP regarding hinge enhancement for 17" laptop. Was not having problems with laptop so I did not want to send it off and wait for it to return. Short time later hinge broke causing screen housing to separate. Called HP and was told that deadline had expired 12 days prior to my call. Computer still had 6 months warranty buy warranty did not cover physical damage. I stated that it was a design flaw and should be covered. He stated that it was not a design flaw. Asked the guy if it was not a design flaw why was the hinge enhancement offered. He said "it will make it stronger so it will not break". At this point I lost all control and many words were said. Because of the age of some of the members on this forum I will not repeat them. The guy said he would help me out and fix it for 300 instead of 400. Any guess's on what was said next. Screw HP. I am going Apple for my next laptop.

Apple had a similar hinge problem with the Macbook Air. Most of the early cases were treated exactly how you were treated by HP, except that repairs were in the $800 range. It wasn't until the issue became very widespread and got some media play that Apple started routinely making good on the hinge defect. And, of course, there were all those terrible thermal issues on the Macbook Air that they didn't fix until Rev B.

These days, pretty much everyone uses the same ODMs and unsurprisingly have the same issues with their hardware. The better brands have better support, but you certainly pay for it up front.

 

[Currawong]

Ignore iriverdude, he's just trolling.

All the manufacturers will blame the customer until pushed hard enough. The reason for this is, ironically, because so many customers try to screw them over when they are at fault for breaking their computer. Sounds though that HP as good as admitted that their hinge was poorly made. I would escalate it and insist on a refund stating that the laptop was never working properly in the first place. Surely you have consumer laws there?

 

[ramintop]

I had the worst experience with a hp laptop and I cant risk going through what I've been through again. I live in dubai and I bought a hp dv9000 laptop for $2,400 3 years ago (it was a big buy then but I wanted to buy something that'll last). when it was in the warranty period it overheated 4 times but I didnt know then because the screen would just go black then they fix it and it goes back to normal, then when the warranty was over it overheated again, when I told them they explained that it overheated and the graphics card was destroyed but they cant fix it alone so they have to change the whole motherboard!! and I had to pay $400 to fix it, so I looked up my problem in google and I found out that this was very common along with the hinge problem, I told them about it and that hp fixes the laptops for free but they said that there is nothing they can do! so I fixed it at some computer repair shop for like $50 and it worked, so one day I was using it and as I was closing the lid I hear a very loud cracking noise and when I looked the hinge was broken and the lid was open, AAAAAANDDDD it overheated AGAIN! so now I have a laptop thats battery is dead, has an overheated graphic..... motherboard, broken speakers and a broken hinge!! basically useless.

 

[skitlets]

They're all the same. Anyone remember the nVidia mobile GPU fiasco? Tons of gpus went belly up and completely died. My dell laptop died 3-4 days after my warranty expired. The company blog even admitted it was a manufacturing defect and that a new bios was issued to up the cooling fan, though that definitely does not fix a hardware issue. I couldn't even talk to a tech support rep because my laptop was out of warranty. I had to argue with out of warranty repair to get transferred to regular support, then to a mid level manager who couldn't help me. I was told that the highest department would get back to me. Mid-level managers at Dell don't even have the phone numbers of their bosses... So the higher ups leave me a voice mail... AND THAT'S IT. I called the contact number back for weeks and never got a response. I finally got fed up and called back to mid-level management and made some poor woman feel terrible. She agreed to open a new ticket for me and get it replaced. After all was said and done (a month without a working laptop)... Dell publicly owned up to the GPU problem and extended the warranties on all affected laptops for a year. Screw them. I'm never buying from Dell or nVidia again. The whole support system is set up so that the higher ups can give you the run around indefinitely.

 

[Audio-Omega]

Is it worth spending more on a laptop ? I have always bought cheap compaq laptops.