Laptop Issues

Mshellster

Hey all,

I just had my hp laptop basically die on me - screen freezes/all grabbled/strange pink and green colours - (it's a hp pavillion dv9655ea) and it has that Nvidia 8400m GS thing in it. I bought it off dabs.ie over two years ago so I don't know if I'm covered by a warranty or what at this point as all I have is an e-mail receipt from when I bought it. I e-mailed dabs.com last night (as couldn't find contact info on dabs.ie website strangely enough). Haven't had any response yet but just noticed this thread and was wondering if anyone has had any success getting laptop repaired/replaced. Is it worth continuously hassling dabs or hp in Ireland? How should I go about making claim etc or is there any point?

I'm convinced it's the Nvidia card that's the problem cause I'm nothing but careful with the laptop and when I managed to get it to turn back on briefly there were yellow exclamation marks beside the Nvidia thing in my device manager.

Any advice would be great. Really annoyed, loved my laptop never gave me any hassle or anything and then few days ago BOOM it does this on me

aidan_walsh

Yellow Exclamation marks in the Device Manager usually indicate driver issues, so I would start by downloading and installing the latest drivers from the HP website.

Mshellster

I tried doing that from hp website but while they downloaded I couldn't get them to install, the laptop would either shutdown or just say it could install updates?

astrofool

What exactly do Dabs want you to do? Are they refusing to issue an RMA? You should also be able to get HP to deal with it directly, and repair it free.

I wouldn't even mention the graphics card, just "Machine went dead while web browsing, and won't power up anymore."

Mshellster

astrofool wrote: »

What exactly do Dabs want you to do? Are they refusing to issue an RMA? You should also be able to get HP to deal with it directly, and repair it free.

I wouldn't even mention the graphics card, just "Machine went dead while web browsing, and won't power up anymore."

Haven't had any response from dabs.com yet (bought it off dabs.ie but went on their website and hit the contact us thing at bottom but no info would come up which was odd - dunno if anyone has had similar problems?) and just e-mailed hp today. I mentioned what happened and about the exclamation mark beside the Nvidia Ge Force 8400M GS thing and how I'd never had problems with it before. Going to ring them in a few days if I don't get a response. I tried downloading Nvidia updates and what not from hp website but they don't seem to have fixed anything and some of what I tried to download just wouldn't install properly.

Not sure whether I should try and bring it into a laptop repair shop and just get their advice on the situation first? I wouldn't be computer savvy or anything so dunno what I'm at really...keeping hoping it'll all just go away and the laptop will start working properly again!

dudara

Posts moved to own thread

dudara

foggy_lad

be patient as this will not be fixed overnight!

dont give it to any repair shop unless they are an authorised HP or Dabs repair agent as doing so will invalidate your warranty and also negates your statutory rights!

you bought it from dabs.ie so keep trying to contact them here

and here

thay will probably tell you there is only a one or two year guarantee but you are not making a claim for repair under the guarantee but using your statutory rights as the goods must be of merchantible quality and last a reasonable length of time.

Mshellster

foggy_lad wrote: »

be patient as this will not be fixed overnight!

dont give it to any repair shop unless they are an authorised HP or Dabs repair agent as doing so will invalidate your warranty and also negates your statutory rights!

you bought it from dabs.ie so keep trying to contact them here

and here

thay will probably tell you there is only a one or two year guarantee but you are not making a claim for repair under the guarantee but using your statutory rights as the goods must be of merchantible quality and last a reasonable length of time.

Hey, thanks for all the post so far much appreciated. Ya not expecting anything to happen quickly just wanted to get the ball rolling on it and follow the path of least resistance (if there is one!). Haven't had a reply from dabs.com or dabs.ie yet.

This is the response I got back from hp this morning:

Thank you for contacting HP Customer Care.

We regret to inform you that after checking your warranty on our systems, your product is no longer covered by HP warranty. We did however read in your email that you have purchased your product less than one year ago.
Should you believe your product is still within the one year manufacturer warranty period, and you have a proof of purchase that reflects this, please send the proof of purchase in a reply to this email or via fax to +35316968228.

How to Scan and Attach the Proof of Purchase (Purchase Receipt):

• Scan the Purchase receipt in such a way that the purchase date is visible for validation
• Save it in one of these file types (.gif, .jpg, .tiff)
• Attach this scanned document to your reply

Faxing the Proof of Purchase (alternative method):

When you are faxing, please write your service ticket-number on the proof of purchase so that we are able to link it to your case. The service ticket-number is available below the signature (valediction) of our emails. Should we support your claim and validate the warranty status of your product, we will update our records accordingly and provide you with warranty support.

Had you purchased your product more than one year and you would like help in solving your problem, downloading software or drivers, or obtaining additional product information, we would like to direct you to the HP support website. This dynamic website has free and easy to access support content, and is continually updated with answers to our customers’ most frequently asked questions.

Alternatively, you could visit our award winning HP Support Forum where knowledgeable users can help you to get insights, tips, and answers to your questions about HP products and solutions.

You can access free self-support on the HP support website and Customer Support Forum through the following links:

- HP Support website: http://welcome.hp.com/country/ie/en/welcome.html#Support

- Out of Warranty information, including information about product repair: www.hp.com/ie/oow

- HP Support Forum: http://h30434.www3.hp.com/psg/

Additionally we can offer you HP SmartFriend: a qualified support agent can assist you by telephone or email for a reasonable fee. For detailed information on the SmartFriend email or telephone service, please click following link:

http://www.best2serve.com/p,shop.smartfriend/cid,168378/show_flow,none

Or pay for SmartFriend support directly by clicking this link: http://www.best2serve.com/

For information on keeping your HP and Compaq products up and running, please visit our website at: http://www.hp.co.uk/diagnostics
Sincerely,
Marvin
HP Customer Care
http://welcome.hp.com/country/uk/en/support.html


I actually stated in the e-mail I sent them that I bought my laptop just over 2 years ago (so don't know if that still falls within the manufacturer warranty anymore - unless it's been extended)

Not entirely sure how to respond back to this e-mail. Any advice/tips? I was gonna stress that many people have had problems with the Nvidia card and clearly if the defect was inherent in the laptop then it clearly wasn't originally of merchantable quality or fit for purpose under Sales of Good and Supply of Services Act?

Kimia

Warrenty doesn't matter. The goods should be of merchantable quality and last for a reasonable amount of time. For example, if you paid €1,000 for a TV you would expect it to last 4-5 years. If you paid €100 for a TV it may not last as long.

Ask them for a repair/replacement and failing that a refund. You are entitled to this under the sale of goods and services act 1980 as far as i know. Don't listen to anything they tell you about warrenty - that has no effect on your statutory rights.

Elessar

Mshellster wrote: »

Not entirely sure how to respond back to this e-mail. Any advice/tips? I was gonna stress that many people have had problems with the Nvidia card and clearly if the defect was inherent in the laptop then it clearly wasn't originally of merchantable quality or fit for purpose under Sales of Good and Supply of Services Act?

The sale of goods act only applies in relation to the contract of sale. Your contract of sale is with the retailer you bought it from i.e. dabs.ie. So if you wanted to go down that route, it's dabs you have to chase not HP.

Mshellster

Ya I'm kinda confused about which way to play it because I think dabs.ie is UK based so would Irish sale of goods stuff apply there? In any event dabs haven't responded yet so will give them a couple of days to see what they get back with but I imagine it will be similar to what hp have said. Any ideas what exactly I could say back to hp that would make them consider repairing it etc?

Mshellster

Just got a reply for dabs.com saying the following:

May I first of all assure you that we pride ourselves on delivering excellent service for all of our customers, especially where there is
an issue regarding the satisfactory quality of the product supplied. Whilst our aim is always to ensure that the products we supply will
be completely fault free, occasionally faults do occur.

As you may know, when your purchased your goods from us, they also came with a manufacturer's warranty of [12] months, which commenced from the date of purchase. This essentially means that the manufacturer of your goods believed that those goods should remain fault free for a minimum period of 12 months, and accordingly, most faults that occur within that period would be remedied by the manufacturer.

As you purchased your unit in 2008your manufacturer's warranty has now expired. In addition to the manufacturer's warranty however, we also of course accept that we as the supplier of your product are also liable to you if your product develop a fault within a 'reasonable period' (as set down under Sale of Goods Act) from the date of purchase. Current consumer law does not specify what a 'reasonable period' is, as it very much depends on the product supplied and a number of varying factors in each case. Some products supplied will simply have a shorter life expectancy than others.

In short, where a fault does arise, then we consider a number of
factors in deciding on what remedy (if any) is appropriate to ensure
that fairness is achieved for all parties involved.

In your particular case we do accept that taking all relevant factors
into consideration, the product that you bought from us should have
lasted longer without developing any fault(s).

However, as you have already been in possession of the product for
some considerable time now, and had considerable benefit and use out
of the product for over 24 months, then we are not obliged to provide
you with a full refund.
We are however willing to offer you a partial refund of 381.97 plus VAT euros but please
note that the faulty product must be returned to us before we can pay
you the aforementioned partial refund.

Please note that our offer of a partial refund is a final offer and
shall not be increased further. If you wish to accept this offer in
full and final settlement of this matter, then please reply accordingly.



Any thoughts on this???

jor el

How much did you originally pay? They're offering you a €460 refund, which would buy a decent enough laptop from any online store right now.

I say take it. You're not going to get the original amount back, so depreciation will have to be taken into account.

Elessar

How much did you pay? Tbh You're probably better off taking it and buying a new machine, it's a bit of hassle taking the small claims route (might be more difficult since you may have to go the european SCC route).

Mshellster

I paid 964.56 for it originally. Is that like saying though that by taking the 381euro plus vat means if I'd had it for 4 years I basically wouldn't get anything (when laptops could very well last beyond that?). Ya maybe taking the money is my best bet still kinda feel very hard done by seeing as I know I haven't done anything wrong with laptop. My only concern though is that I have to return the product to them before they will pay refund. What if I send it to them and they end coming back with some response like "oh our technicians discovered it wasn't a fault on our part so we won't be paying the refund"? Or wonder how I protect myself against that possibility?

Any point in me asking them to fix it or anything?

Elessar

To be honest, it's up to yourself. You have a right to a repair/replacement/refund, and it's between yourself and dabs to come to an agreement on which one.

You don't have to accept their half refund. If it went to court I would imagine you would get all your money back (if you're awarded a refund). If they find there is no fault they'll send it back to you, presumably fixed. If you do decide to take their offer, make sure you get them to pay for shipping. Sending it back should be at no cost to you.

What do you really want from this?

Mshellster

Elessar wrote: »

To be honest, it's up to yourself. You have a right to a repair/replacement/refund, and it's between yourself and dabs to come to an agreement on which one.

You don't have to accept their half refund. If it went to court I would imagine you would get all your money back (if you're awarded a refund). If they find there is no fault they'll send it back to you, presumably fixed. If you do decide to take their offer, make sure you get them to pay for shipping. Sending it back should be at no cost to you.

What do you really want from this?

I'd prefer them to fix it if at all possible (which I mentioned to them in the original e-mail) but their reply seems to imply that partial refund is all I will get? I don't really want the hassle of going down the courts route cause I'd imagine that's just a burdensome path but I also don't want to be getting screwed over either (sorry about the general indecisiveness I can't seem to make my mind up on this one!)

I think I more want to find out what other people in similar situation have done or how they resolved it. I mean if this Nvidia card was the subject of a class action suit in America surely it's affected loads of other people here too? Also don't know whether or not I should write back to hp and see if I can get them to accept any responsibility. I know I can't "prove" it's the card at I'm by no means computer literate and I know the laptop is out of warranty but it just seems like they should try and fix it if it was an genuine original manufacturing problem.

Sorry for the random train of confused thought, I just can seem to figure out what way I should play this!

Elessar

If it was me, and I had the cash, I'd save myself the hassle, take the money and go buy a new, better laptop (with the new Corei5/i7 processors).

However, if you don't have the dough and need it fixed, go all the way. You're entitled to it.

EDIT: If you want to get it fixed, email them back and demand a full refund, a repair or a replacement. Since they already offered you cash, it's likely you'll get another option.

Mshellster

Elessar wrote: »

If it was me, and I had the cash, I'd save myself the hassle, take the money and go buy a new, better laptop (with the new Corei5/i7 processors).

However, if you don't have the dough and need it fixed, go all the way. You're entitled to it.

EDIT: If you want to get it fixed, email them back and demand a full refund, a repair or a replacement. Since they already offered you cash, it's likely you'll get another option.

If I take the money (which is defo easier option) I have to send it to them first. What's to stop them checking it over and then saying something I did was the fault so we won't be giving you the refund. Is there a way I can protect myself against that happening? Otherwise I'd be kinda screwed I imagine - obviously this is me imply the don't act in good faith and don't want to give me the refund and lie about the cause!

jor el

Mshellster wrote: »

I'd prefer them to fix it if at all possible (which I mentioned to them in the original e-mail) but their reply seems to imply that partial refund is all I will get? I don't really want the hassle of going down the courts route cause I'd imagine that's just a burdensome path but I also don't want to be getting screwed over either (sorry about the general indecisiveness I can't seem to make my mind up on this one!)

It probably can't be fixed or replaced, as the laptop is probably not manufactured any more, and spares will be near impossible to come by. As such, they're fulfilling their obligations by giving you a partial refund. You've had 2 years of use out of it, so add to to depreciation of the laptop, and that the price of new ones have come down, then I think a 50% refund is more than sufficient.

Take the money, as it's more than they could have offered, and they could have forced you to go the courts route. Many companies would have simply told you to go away. This is a far simpler and neater solution.

delllat

take the cash man

Mshellster

Thanks for the replies. The thing is I'd read the problem could be fixed (with a replacement motherboard or something to that effect) and that HP had extended the warranty - but don't know if it's extended to include the length of time I've had it. Might try e-mailing hp back first and weigh up my options. Getting some money would be great but I'm kinda broke at the moment and would like to salvage my laptop if possible because beside this incident it's worked perfectly and I won't be able to get a similar one without forking out a good bit more I think. Also just a bit annoyed in general, if it was an original internal defect I feel they should just fixed or replace it but I'm probably just dreaming to be fair.

zenno

Mshellster wrote: »

Hey all,

I just had my hp laptop basically die on me - screen freezes/all grabbled/strange pink and green colours - (it's a hp pavillion dv9655ea) and it has that Nvidia 8400m GS thing in it. I bought it off dabs.ie over two years ago so I don't know if I'm covered by a warranty or what at this point as all I have is an e-mail receipt from when I bought it. I e-mailed dabs.com last night (as couldn't find contact info on dabs.ie website strangely enough). Haven't had any response yet but just noticed this thread and was wondering if anyone has had any success getting laptop repaired/replaced. Is it worth continuously hassling dabs or hp in Ireland? How should I go about making claim etc or is there any point?

I'm convinced it's the Nvidia card that's the problem cause I'm nothing but careful with the laptop and when I managed to get it to turn back on briefly there were yellow exclamation marks beside the Nvidia thing in my device manager.

Any advice would be great. Really annoyed, loved my laptop never gave me any hassle or anything and then few days ago BOOM it does this on me

your graphics card has failed that is why you have these colour lines on it. if all else fails and you can't get it fixed cook the graphics card in the oven that will fix it just fine. tutorials on how to do this are on this site. it has a 100% success rate if done right. it is definatly the graphics card. you do not need to replace the motherboard

jimoc

zenno wrote: »

your graphics card has failed that is why you have these colour lines on it. if all else fails and you can't get it fixed cook the graphics card in the oven that will fix it just fine. tutorials on how to do this are on this site. it has a 100% success rate if done right. it is definatly the graphics card. you do not need to replace the motherboard

Its a laptop, the graphic chip is integrated into the motherboard, thats why it requires a motherboard replacement to fix.

zenno

jimoc wrote: »

Its a laptop, the graphic chip is integrated into the motherboard, thats why it requires a motherboard replacement to fix.

are you sure about that i was sure it was seperate from the mobo a discrete graphics card.

zenno

it is not integrated. Nvidia 8400m GS that can easily be fixed. The GeForce 8400M is the entry level series for the GeForce 8M chipset. Normally found on midrange laptops as an alternate solution to integrated graphics. so yes if you know someone that can take the heatsink apart then you will have no problem fixing this with the method mentioned.

Mshellster

Kool thanks for that. Gonna wait a few days and see if I can get anywhere with dabs or hp and then figure out what to do before cook the card (I'd imagine I would mess that up somehow!)

TheReverend

The problem is the GPU is damaged, HP extended their warrenty for that issue on your laptop as the problem is quite wide spread

Mshellster

Ya I e-mailed hp about it and mentioned about warranties being extended cause of the defect but all they said was my laptop is outside it's warranty. Not sure whether to contact them again and ask them what the situation is with that and why mine isn't covered by the extension etc.