Never buy an HP laptop

NEVER buy an HP Laptop

Updated 16 Oct 2006

NEVER buy a notebook computer (laptop) from Hewlett Packard (HP)

This is the sad tale of how, over 53 days and three HP laptops, I was unable to receive a defect-free computer from HP and was left holding a carrying case, a USB mouse and a 1-year accidental damage repair plan with no computer for my daughter's Christmas/graduation present. (On Feb 21, I received a rebate check for the extended warranty after sending an email message to HP's CEO.)

The following should be read with the understanding that I spent six years in the US Navy as a computer technician and I have owned a number of brands of computers since 1983. I have never seen three defective computers in a row from IBM, Compaq, Dell, Gateway or Tandy.

December 16, 2003	Order HP Pavilion ze5385us notebook, carrying case, mouse and extended warranty
December 19	Order arrives. Notebook has a bad screen pixel. Returned for substitute.
January 6, 2004	Substitute ze5385 arrives. Mismatch between cord and A/C adapter prevents powering up computer. Returned and ordered customized HP Pavilion ze5600 for $1,600.
January 19, 2004	ze5600 arrives and appears to operate normally.
January 23	ze5600 starts making clicking sound. Calls to HP tech support resulted in long waits and transfers to the wrong departments. Computer voice activated customer service doesn’t understand plain-spoken English. Sent to repair center on Jan. 28 with explicit instructions, apparently ignored. “On January 23, I noticed it making a faint clicking noise every 1 to 2 seconds. The clicks are most audible near the telephone jack and from the bottom near the fan, although they can be heard while sitting in a normal operating position. The clicks are continuous and seem to have increased the time the notebook takes to run software. They also seem to cause the fan to run more frequently than before the clicks started occurring, indicating that perhaps the clicks are causing an increase in power consumption. “From January 23 to January 26 I attempted to eliminate software as a source of the problem. I have determined that the clicks occur even in Windows safe mode and in the F2 setup menu (bios settings). They occur both on A/C and battery power and with no CD installed. They also occur when the hard drive activity light is off.”
February 4	ze5600 arrives from repair center. Hard drive and SDRAM replaced. Still making clicking sound. Spend an hour with tech support, which reports hearing a clicking sound in another ze5600. In addition, original power supply not returned with computer. Replacement power supply connector falls out of computer plug-in socket with very little movement.
February 5	Spend another hour with tech support. Check HP laptops at Office Max, Staples and CompUSA and find a 4300 model that makes the same clicking sound. Other models do not. NO LAPTOP SHOULD MAKE CLICKING SOUNDS EVERY 2 SECONDS. Listened to Sony, Toshiba and IBM laptops and heard no clicking sounds.
February 6	Return ze5600 for refund. Refund not available for $99 extended warranty because 30-day return period expired—NO EXCEPTION FOR THE FACT THAT I TRIED FOR 2 MONTHS TO GET AN HP LAPTOP THAT WORKED! Vow never to purchase another HP laptop.

Aside from transfers to the wrong departments and an illiterate voice-recognition system, customer service and tech support were quite accommodating. However, in buying a computer, what one really wants is a computer that works! I have little confidence in HP’s tech support department to reliably restore laptops to original factory specifications.

I do not recommend that anyone purchase an HP notebook. In fact, I strongly recommend against it. If it works, that’s great. But if it ever fails, you’re taking your chances.

Finally, I note that I have owned three HP printers since 1986 and every one has been a reliable workhorse free from defects. In fact, the 1986 printer still runs!