Electronics & Computers Deals here!
- Average user rating:
- My rating: 0 stars
Full user review
-
14 out of 15 people found this review helpful
1.5 stars
"Dead w/in hour out of box-Phone Support Horrific!"
Pros: keyboard "feel" excellent-my first notebook experience
Cons: Create Recovery Disc Process-didn't work & killed the PC
Summary: I bought the DV9220us from HP Home Store-arrived 3 days later. Setup went like a breeze until I decided to make my own recovery discs (since HP won't provide them w/o cost). Followed directions carefully and it killed my pc.
I went to the recovery manager-create recovery disc. Got message to wait while files were being collected. Took quite awhile before 100% of the files were gathered and then it continued to say "wait". After about 20 min. I got an error msg that said Windows unable to combine (some kind of file names). Program closing. Then another error msg came up saying something like Program error-application closing. Windows will advise you of a fix. Well no fix ever came and each time I tried to restart the program I got this last error. So at 7:08pm I called HP Support. I was in queue until roughly 8:20pm.
It took me quite awhile to get the tech guy to understand that I didn't get far enough to make a disc. He took me through the same exercise 3 times and then decided to set it back to factory defaults.
That recovery program didn't work either after 2 attempts. Then the computer would not boot up after he had me restart. I got a message "Boot mgr failed".
So he had me go into bios and do a hard disc check. The quick check ran and didn't show a response and immediately launched the extended check (85 minutes to run). He went to his supervisor and assured me he felt bad about it since the computer was fresh out of the box.
She got on line and I again explained everything that transpired. She said 1)she could send me a hard drive to install myself. I told her no way. 2) She said I could take it to an authorized repair group but she could not control turnaround time. I told her I needed a pc.
The third option was to buy a new "customized" pc and return the "old" new one for a credit. She said she could customize a better computer for less money. I said ok, as long as it was identically matched. She came up with smaller memory, smaller hard drive, and fewer features/hardware items than I had on this pc. When I would point items out that were different she would say "that was replaced with XXX because the other one didn't work right or this one is better". I was quickly losing confidence in the product and this pc in particular. She said the media remote had problems and got stuck. So they didn't offer it anymore. She said the Centrino 2 duo core was replaced because it was old technology and didn't work as well as the new 2 core product, she didn't include a webcam, etc;.
This was around 10:20pm.
She then transferred me to "Sales" to take the order. I couldn't hear or understand this man at all and he couldn't hear me. We went back and forth on the order and finally got around to my credit card number. He kept writing the wrong number down or something and my bank wouldn't approve the purchase.
After the 3rd attempt I finally lost my cool and told him I wasn't interested in buying the new pc and what was HP going to do for me. He said he would transfer me to Customer Support. It was around 10:40pm.
This person was not a foreigner but she didn't know what was going on and didn't seem too sympathetic. So after I told her that I was out of patience and ready to really blow, I went through the history again. She said that she didn't understand why tech support "is always selling new pc's when they have problems" and that she would exchange the pc. I told her that I didn't want long delays and she said FedX would be out today with a return lable to pick it up and return it. She promised a new dv9220us and told me it probably would work ok. I hung up somewhere around 11:15pm--spending over 3 hours on the phone and had talked to 4 people.
I have totally lost confidence in this product and my decision to purchase it vs. the Dell XPS. I based my decision on the positive reviews I had been seeing for this pc. I don't know what JD Power was reviewing for HP's customer support awards because, although polite, their techs seem "green" to product problems and I was amazed at the manager who trashed their own equipment--not to mention the language problems and telephone problems I encountered. I have my fingers crossed for the replacement. If it has problems, HP has lost a long loyal customer.Updated
Well, after waiting until 5 for Fed X who had not showed yet, I called the number I was given for Management support. Disconnected Number! Long story short, I talked to 3 people finally got a wonderful woman who explained that even though I was told an exchange would take place, THEY DON'T DO THAT! So I just finally settled on a credit and return instead of buying a new pc and hope that they credit me when the old one reaches them....Took over an hour on phone!Updated
3/19/07-I finally confirmed that the credit for the pc was applied to my account. So I am feeling pretty good again. It has been nearly 2 weeks and the unpleasantness is nearly out of my memory banks--UNTIL I get home and find a bill from FedEx for $95 for the return of the pc!
So I call HP and put in the Customer Care manager's extension I was given last and after a moderate wait, she can't help me. She agreed that she thought I should not be charged but she didn't know the "policy".
She sends me to the HP Home & Home Ofc Store. I call them and again get someone who promises to help straighten out the billing and then she goes into a heavy sales pitch to sell me a new PC. She is very apologetic but is more concerned that I buy another pc.
I told her that I was not buying anything until this matter is straightened out. She looks up my case number and says she needs to talk to her supervisor. After about 10 minutes, I am transferred to a young lady who is very apologetic and agrees I should not be billed for a returned pc and promises to take care of it. She says she has a FedEx specialist who will handle it and she will call back. About an hour or so later, I get a call from this young woman who says that her "specialist" is taking care of it but that they have not completed the transaction but not to worry. I got her first name and direct telephone number and extension (note-none of the other one's I have been given have gotten me to the person before or were disconnected) but I take it down just in case there are further problems. I thank her for her assistance.
That Dell XPS is looking better all of the time in spite of the slightly higher cost!
- 6 replies to this review
-
wowo after long time with hp as good custmor 6 laptops. i decided no longer to be with them.
bad tech support nasty and some are Ok .
window vista on this laptop is very bad, and no way to install xp on it to sata drive issue.
i gave them 1 for score for 17`` screen
i`m thinking acer were good to me when i had to fix my friend laptop.
good bye HP i know they don`t need me but what about 1000`s of us -
I can't talk for myself but for what I have read in Cnet forums there warranty service is very poor. Check some more before you change. Good luck.
-
Beware of any Dell problems that might occur. I had a Hard Disk failure which took 3 weeks and 13 people before I was able to get a limited amount of resolve and satisfaction. It cost me $250 and immeasurable frustration. I have been a Dell user for 20 years. I am now looking to change to HP, Sony or Apple
-
i've been on the phone with hp for hours on end before too. they've told me they'd replace my computer, i too waited for fed-ex and they never showed up. after months of having a non working computer and about 7 phone calls i got a new pc. if anyone ever has a problem with a brand new computer from hp, ask to be transfered to customer service and not tech support. it will save you a few hours on the phone.
-
I am looking at the DV9000 and after reading your review, the customer service at HP sounds like it is having a few issues!! This is really making me look back on my original intent to purchase the laptop!
-
And it seems like you still don't have a laptop. I'm surprised there's no exchange support. You'd hope if you get a lemon, that a replacement would be shipped right away and you could return the broken laptop for free. I just bought my first HP laptop (a different model) and hope I never have to use their support, especially after reading your post.
