In late 2005, I asked a friend to buy me an HP Laptop in the US. We
configured a DV1000 as per my requirements & he bought it for me. I
received it with a faulty DVD Writer. So, I had to send it all the way
back to the US for replacement. They admitted they had installed a
faulty DVD Writer.
I used the laptop for a year with small
problems on & off. Then, after a little over a year when the 1 year
warranty was over, the laptop died on me & would’nt come on. I had
it checked in Pune from their authorised Service Center. They said it
would need a new motherboard which would cost about Rs.20000/- which is
half the price of a new laptop. And, the new motherboard would carry a
1 month warranty only so if something went wrong after a month, its
back to square one. So, I just decided to buy a new one. I had loads of
accessories (extra battery etc.) for the DV series so I decided to this
time buy the same series in India so that I could serviced here is
anything were to go wrong.
I bought a Dv1743TU this time in Feb
- Its March now, just fwe weeks over 1 year when the warranty has
just run out the speakers stop working & so does the LAN card. When
I call one of the Authorised HP service centers in Pune, the guy who
answers tries to convince me to have it repaired from a third party
since HP would take too long. He give me a mobile number of a guy which
turns out to be his own personal mobile number so that he can earn the
money on the side.
So, I go to the other authorised service
center. They tell me that if the LAN card is spoilt, I’d have to
replace the motherboard. The cost - approximately Rs.20000/-.
I
have another friend who had an HP DV series laptop with a bigger screen
than mine. He faced the same problem with his laptop. He had bought it
in Dubai & within 3-4 months the motherboard died. He had it
replaced under warranty in Dubai since he has family there. Now its
just over a year & beyond the warranty period & his motherboard
has died again.
I now hear from various sources (and by personal
experience) that the DV series laptops are known to break down all the
time, usually the motherboard being the problem.
I warn everyone
who is planning on buying an HP laptop because it looks sleek & is
priced well - you will suffer & pay in some way or another.
Stay away from HP Laptops. They are bad news !!!