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eopiela
Tablet PC Trainee
USA
4 Posts
My Tablet PCs: |
 Posted - Feb 04 2005 : 08:40:30 AM
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I just got off the phone with HP Technical Support and feel like I am in a nightmare. Bought a refurbished TC1100 from PC Connection and tried to upgrade the memory from 256mb to 768mb last week. Computer wouldn't boot with memory in, would boot with it out. HP Phone Support diagnosed it as a defective memory slot and I was sent out a mailer. I get a call yesterday that, even though it was well within warranty, they have determined that the memory slot was defective due to a "bent pin" and claim it was "user inflicted damage". They offered me two options: pay $600 to have the motherboard replaced as an "out of warranty repair" or pay $125 to have it sent back to me. I escalated the case through customer support all the way to corporate with no avail. I'm now faced with suing HP just to have my own property returned to me--not to mention the fact that they refused to honor their warranty.
Needless to say--never buying an HP product again.
Eric Opiela
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Tablus Maximus
Tablet PC Thinker
USA
149 Posts
My Tablet PCs: TC1100
(Treo 600)
(Newton MessagePad) |
Posted - Feb 04 2005 : 11:07:48 AM
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Sorry to hear that.
I'm sending my unit in again for repairs to the case. The screws have never stayed in properly and I suspect that two holes had threads stripped at some point during one of the last service visits.
I asked them to repair this during the last service call, but they ignored the request (a note indicating the problem was taped to the back of the unit - and was actually holding the screws in!) When the "repaired" unit came back, I pulled it out of the box and two screws promptly fell onto the floor...
Now that's service for you!
Other than this issue, I've been pretty happy with HP. Had a bad motherboard, and a bad WiFi card. Both promptly replaced by HP at no extra cost.
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I think that many companies hate the fact that they have to warranty their products. Especially with user-upgradable hardware (RAM, WiFi, HD). These parts are very easy to damage and many users improperly insert RAM, or bend pins. In fact, your "refurb" may have had the damage all along!
Did you contact PC Connection?
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minimage
Tablet PC Intellectual
USA
469 Posts
My Tablet PCs: Viewsonic V1250 |
Posted - Feb 04 2005 : 3:37:50 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by Tablus Maximus
I think that many companies hate the fact that they have to warranty their products. Especially with user-upgradable hardware (RAM, WiFi, HD). These parts are very easy to damage and many users improperly insert RAM, or bend pins. In fact, your "refurb" may have had the damage all along!
I think HP goes beyond hate in their attitude towards warranties. Often their warranty periods are significantly shorter than those of their competitors.
Inkjet printers: HP 90 days; Lexmark 1 year
PocketPCs: HP 90 days; Dell 1 year
My HP inkjet printer died after about 6 months of almost no use. I have Lexmark printers purchased in the 90's that still function; they just don't have the resolution I want.
I interpret HP's warranty policy to reflect that they know that quality is not their #1 goal. I will stay well away from HP and advise others to do the same. In my mind, they're Averatec with a larger market share. |
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alienrat
Tablet PC Guru
United Kingdom
1386 Posts
My Tablet PCs: HP TC1100.
Previous:
HP TC1000,
Viewsonic 1100,
Fujitsu Sytlistic 3400 |
Posted - Feb 04 2005 : 3:46:25 PM
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Except the warranty on a TC1100 is 3 years, rather than one.
Just looked on the HP website, they seem to have 1 year there. I looked on the US one too, as a one year warranty is the minimum a manufacturer can offer in the UK. |
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eopiela
Tablet PC Trainee
USA
4 Posts
My Tablet PCs: |
Posted - Feb 04 2005 : 5:11:15 PM
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Just an update--
still with no resolution to the issue by the close of business today, I faxed and mailed a notice letter to HP that if they did not return my computer in the next 14 days I would be bringing suit against them under the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act. Texas DTPA law requires consumers to provide 60 days notice before bringing suit. I hope it doesn't have to get this far--it might be mid-Spring before I see my TC 1100--fortunately I have my data. Texas law allows consumers to recover triple damages against companies like HP which do not honor their warranties, and conduct fraudulent business practices such as holding a customer's property hostage unless they pay "to release it." BTW to answer Maximus's question, PC Connection has a 7 day return policy on refurbished items. I'll keep y'all posted.
Eric Opiela |
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Tablus Maximus
Tablet PC Thinker
USA
149 Posts
My Tablet PCs: TC1100
(Treo 600)
(Newton MessagePad) |
Posted - Feb 04 2005 : 6:17:10 PM
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| Say, did you find that information on a Website? Do you have any idea what versions of those laws are like across the rest of the country or is that law entirely specific to Texas? |
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eopiela
Tablet PC Trainee
USA
4 Posts
My Tablet PCs: |
Posted - Feb 04 2005 : 8:15:39 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by Tablus Maximus
Say, did you find that information on a Website? Do you have any idea what versions of those laws are like across the rest of the country or is that law entirely specific to Texas?
I happen to be an attorney licensed to practice in Texas. Texas Attorney General Greg Abbot has set up a website describing the Texas DTPA and other consumer protection laws at: http://www.oag.state.tx.us/consumer/consumer.shtml I cannot comment as to whether there are equivalent laws in other states. General Abbot and the Texas legislature have been quite progressive in regards to consumer protection, I believe the Texas DTPA is one of the strongest nationwide. You should go to your state attorney general's site for details. With HP's acquisition of Compaq (a Texas-based company) it has a Texas nexus for application of the DTPA. Consult your own counsel to see if you might have a claim under Texas law.
ECO |
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minimage
Tablet PC Intellectual
USA
469 Posts
My Tablet PCs: Viewsonic V1250 |
Posted - Feb 04 2005 : 11:21:57 PM
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| Woody: I wondered what the TPC warranty was; thanks! Since my own TPC has a 1-yr warranty as well, I cannot throw stones at HP for THAT product (unless they don't allow one to purchase extended or accidental damage warranties, then I'll hurl away). |
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alienrat
Tablet PC Guru
United Kingdom
1386 Posts
My Tablet PCs: HP TC1100.
Previous:
HP TC1000,
Viewsonic 1100,
Fujitsu Sytlistic 3400 |
Posted - Feb 05 2005 : 04:58:13 AM
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| As far as I know, they do sell extended warranties although I clart know much about them. I don't known if they sell accidental damage cover here though as that tends to be part of normal house insurance here. |
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swcruz
Tablet PC Intellectual
USA
580 Posts
My Tablet PCs: TC1000 |
Posted - Feb 05 2005 : 07:07:11 AM
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quote:
Originally posted by alienrat
Except the warranty on a TC1100 is 3 years, rather than one.
Just looked on the HP website, they seem to have 1 year there. I looked on the US one too, as a one year warranty is the minimum a manufacturer can offer in the UK.
Actually, HP offers two warranties: 1 year & 3 year. The tablet with the 3 year warranty is more expensive & is typically the business model. I've always bought the models with the 3 year warranty; never had a problem with warranty work. |
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alienrat
Tablet PC Guru
United Kingdom
1386 Posts
My Tablet PCs: HP TC1100.
Previous:
HP TC1000,
Viewsonic 1100,
Fujitsu Sytlistic 3400 |
Posted - Feb 05 2005 : 10:12:35 AM
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| Yes - I wasn't clear what I meant on that post - the 1 year I was reffering to was on PocketPCs bought from the HP site, in response to minimage |
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toksaun
Tablet PC Ponderer
USA
62 Posts
My Tablet PCs: M1400, NEC Litepad |
Posted - Feb 05 2005 : 7:58:00 PM
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I'm not understanding how you can get "bent pins" on a RAM install. it's a socket, fer chrisake. and what's to say that they didn't cause the damage after receiving the unit? could just be some junior tech (no offense to anybody out there) trying to cover his/her butt...
putting all of that aside, if indeed it is a bent pin, why not just replace that socket? annnnd, if it's a bent pin, it would likely be causing a short even without the ram board in there. I'd have to see the actual damage that they're claiming, at least a picture of it, that should be easy enough. as an electrical engineer, I've seen many bent pins, and it's a pretty unusual case when you cannot bend the pins back and get the unit working again. but as a female EE, what the hell do I know?? ;)
my first instinct is that their tech screwed up, possibly bent the pins, and toasted something on the board. rather than fess up, it's just easier to say "it was like that when it got here", so they don't have to cover the cost of MB replacement.
good luck, tok |
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alienrat
Tablet PC Guru
United Kingdom
1386 Posts
My Tablet PCs: HP TC1100.
Previous:
HP TC1000,
Viewsonic 1100,
Fujitsu Sytlistic 3400 |
Posted - Feb 05 2005 : 8:22:12 PM
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It is possible to get a bent pin on a ram install, I have seen it. However, the ram chip either has to be pushed in so badly that it is very stiff, with a great deal of force, or the socket has to be slightly unaligned in the first place.
Generally with the amount of force required to push a SO-Dimm in incorrectly, it wouldn't be possible to get the pins bent back, without weakening the socket too much.
As to replacing the socket, if I was doing it commercially as a repair person, I wouldn't consider doing that on what I assume is at least a 4 layer surface mount board - it would be cheaper and more reliable to replace the motherboard, which is I assume why they are doing it.
The bit about the tech screwing up though, that I have seen a few times and wouldn't be beyond the imagination that it has happened here! |
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minimage
Tablet PC Intellectual
USA
469 Posts
My Tablet PCs: Viewsonic V1250 |
Posted - Feb 06 2005 : 2:46:59 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by alienrat
Yes - I wasn't clear what I meant on that post - the 1 year I was reffering to was on PocketPCs bought from the HP site, in response to minimage
Ok, I'll admit ignorance, here. The 90-day thing was what I was told on a PocketPC forum by an HP user and by a friend of mine who has a couple of iPAQs, and my own PPC is a Dell, so I don't have any firsthand knowledge. Seems to me if they have it in writing on their web site, it must be warranted for a year.
The 90-day warranty for inkjets came to me directly from HP tech support, so I'll stand by that one, even though I know tier I can often be wrong 
Yeah, I know deskjets are a lot cheaper than computers!
Hee hee...I had to correct that last line. TIP translated "I know" to "lemon," proving this TPC is one brilliant piece of work! |
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alienrat
Tablet PC Guru
United Kingdom
1386 Posts
My Tablet PCs: HP TC1100.
Previous:
HP TC1000,
Viewsonic 1100,
Fujitsu Sytlistic 3400 |
Posted - Feb 06 2005 : 2:54:19 PM
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I think lemon deskjets are not entirely unusual. I had an epson 830U and that was a complete lemon.
Don't know what HP deskjets are warantied for there - they are a year hear, but as I said, that is the minimum they can get away with! |
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swcruz
Tablet PC Intellectual
USA
580 Posts
My Tablet PCs: TC1000 |
Posted - Feb 06 2005 : 4:48:21 PM
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| There are several different levels of equipment we are discussing here: new and refurbished. New equipment from HP typically has a minimum one year warranty; refurbished equipment may have as little as a 90 day warranty depending on the reseller. If buying refurbished equipment from HP, I I've always gotten a one year warranty. |
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HP Technical Support Nightmare 
