How Good Is Your laptop And What About Service?

Geezzzz,, Poor . Goose…

It Looked Like He made his Mind-Up…
Now He’s . Gunna . Have to think . Some-Moe…

My Gateway Laptop with XP .. I Got 3 years ago
Keeps Tickin .
AND . with All the Ram I could Cram in it .
I’m Runnin . VISTA - ULTIMATE . ON . IT

I just sent my 4 month old HP dv9700t laptop off to California for repairs. After zero issues, booted up one morning to a dead display. This is my fourth HP and likely my last. I like the computer, but it has a cheap feel to it and the shift key on the right side of the keyboard being the same size as a regular lettered key drives me nuts. I did find (India) support to be very courteous but it took me two days to convince them that a black screen does not heal itself and come back to life. Turn around on the repair is March 11th (mail in) to March 24th (slated return date) - I think that is a long time - way too long!

Hi, I used to work in a chain called Dick Smiths, sort of like Tandy. Except Australian.

Anyway, we used to have to call and lodge a lot of warranty claims on laptops. I have to say I found HP fairly average, while Lenovo / IBM was probably one the best support lines I’ve been on, ever.

Word of advice, avoid Toshiba, because although they have decent products, their service is the lowest of low.

HP is the only company that I absolutely never consider buying one of their products again. There are other companies that I may look for alternatives before deciding to purchase. But only HP hold my distinction to never even consider one of their products.

This started out in 1999 as concern for their lack of long term support for the products. My personal point was buying an HP consumer printer because it had duplex printing drivers. Well they worked in Windows 98, but HP refused to do any drivers for windows 2000. Their stance was use only Windows 98 or use the basic standard built-in drivers in Windows.

From then to now I have had nothing but problems getting HP drivers and functionality to keep pace with the Windows versions. This includes a 6-months old $1000 HP network ready printer / scanner that could not be installed on WIndows Server 2003 for sharing in the a small business environment.

So my advice to everyone: stay away from HP period!

Hi everybody,

Thanks for the comments and for sharing your experiences with us. It is appreciated,

To add to my comment above, I just received notice that my HP notebook was on its way back to me. I guess HP service over estimates return time to give themselves a cushion.

Hi Bruce,
That is fairly normal for most companies. I just had to send back a Corsair memory chip and turnaround was like 7 to 10 days. But it was actually only 2 days. This makes one feel that they are doing a good job.

The bottom line is this. Was the problem fixed? Mine was since Corsair replaced both matched 4GB RAM chips.

Let us know if HP fixed your system to your satisfaction or not.

TIA, Ron

I’ve been using my HP laptop (dv9000) for a couple years now. I bought it refurbished, so there was only a 90-day warranty. The only issue I’ve had is a broken hinge. It turned out to be a common problem on my model, so they made it a recall issue (free repairs, even beyond the warranty period).

I’ve been extremely happy with this computer. I had previously owned a Sony Vaio, but the HP is much better. The one thing I would suggest on any HP (or any other brand, for that matter) is to clear out all the “crapware” (sorry for the language, but I don’t know another term for it) that comes preinstalled BEFORE launching any of it. Some of the things they include can be problematic.

Also, you should note that Toshiba and HP are basically the same computers. If you are getting the extended warranty, then it probably isn’t through the manufacturer. So the customer service will be the same, regardless of what computer you buy.

Focus on your needs. If you need a desktop replacement that is portable for occasional trips (like me), then a large screen (17″) and full size keyboard & a dedicated video card would be important. If portability is the highest priority, then focus on size & weight. If all you need the laptop for is e-mail and web browsing while you’re at the coffee house, then netbooks are fine and will save a lot of money.

The final thing to remember is that MOST (but not all) laptops are manufactured in Asia by a handful of no-name companies. The major producers just add the finishing touches like OS & software. So oftentimes, the hardware and manufacturing quality is nearly identical between brands.

Thanks everybody. At least I know what NOT to buy. (Dell, HP)
I really wanted that HP but I think I should look around…….

Poor…..Goose……
…………If thats the One U want then . GET-IT .

>>> . I think there . # 1 . Now

OK…..I bought the HP laptop today at Costco. I even bought a new HP printer. All I have to do now is replace my Dell router and I will be free! Thanks for all the help everyone…………

Hi Goose,
Enjoy your new computer and printer. Let us know how you like your new toys.

Later, Ron

Hey I called HP 24/7 support on Monday morning for the first time. They couldn’t help me because it was a e-mail problem, but I was able to talk to a tech within a total of 5 minutes and he also spoke English!…..I’m impressed (so far)