Being partial to Dells, I was a little apprehensive about purchasing an HP. I had my previous Dell for nearly 8 years - upgrading it when necessary - however it was time to put it out to pasture. The features on this machine were too good to pass up for the asking price, so I took the bait.
The first 45 days were wonderful. Along with the 24" HP monitor, this machine was everything I ever wished for in a computer. Unfortunately, this love affair would soon come to an unnecessary end, largely due to HP's horrendous customer service.
At first, I noticed a slight whining noise, that progressively grew louder and louder until it sounded like a lawnmower. Having the machine at ear-level on my desktop didn't help any, but this wasn't a factor until the noise started. Since my office is in our loft, it was significantly noticeable in about 50% of our home, even with other background noises. I reluctantly opened the case, and soon assessed that the culprit was the graphics card fan. No problem, I thought - I'll just call HP and get them to send a replacement.
I initially chatted with a gentleman (with a thick, barely understandable accent, of course) from their support center, and after going through the basics, it was determined that it was the fan, and they could easily send me a replacement - but they would need to take my credit card info. "Hold on", I said. "Why do you need my credit card?" In case I didn't send the old one back, they wanted to charge me for the extra video card. Out of principal, I refused. My logic told me that it was their fault for putting a defective card in the unit, and I shouldn't have to incur any additional charges. The customer service rep said that he would refer me to a case worker, who would contact me within 24 hours.
True to their word, I received the call, but I was at work at the time and was unable to answer. I called back, only to get a voice mail. So, I e-mailed the case worker, asking for a replacement card and a return call. My response was an e-mail, noting that they are aware of issues with of incompatibility with the video card, noting that it is not doing any damage to the machine, and that they are currently not accepting any repairs for this issue, or sending any replacement cards. They suggested that I keep an eye on their web site for any possible solutions.
To me, this is the worst thing a company could possibly do - not standing behind a product after a purchase is made by refusing to acknowledge a problem, and/or by refusing to provide a solution. Their reason for not sending a replacement was that it would eventually make the same noise. While this may be true, at least it would have been a temporary fix until the permanent one was resolved.
So, here I am, with a new computer that has some wonderful features, but sounds like a lawnmower. I've even thought about purchasing a replacement video card, but out of principal I shouldn't have to do this with a brand new machine. Besides, the power supply is only 350W, and most new cards require anywhere from 400-500W power supply. Something else to consider when purchasing this unit - its upgradability is very limited.
So, while this machine has some wonderful features at a fair price, consider that it also has a high likelihood of an outrageously loud video card, and next to no support if anything goes wrong.
I have purchased my first and last product from HP.
