About me:Really busy just now but will catch up on reading & rating as soon as I can. Give me a reminder if I...
Member since:29.07.2007
Reviews:185
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Review rated by 28 Ciao members on average: very helpful
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My company presented me with a HP Compaq lap top for work use in May 2005 with the Windows XP operating system loaded on it & this is a tale of those two & half years of daily use. The cost at the time this lap top was on the market was £999.99. My first impression of this lap top was its weight, despite the figure of 3.5kg from HP it actually weighs over 5kg which for carrying around every day is quite heavy especially when you consider the weight of the power lead/adaptor etc to add to that.
The general finish is quite good with a decent keyboard & screen; it features three USB sockets, two at the rear & one on the side. On the left hand side of the lap top is a phone connection socket, socket for a 3G card & floppy drive. On the other side you have the CD/DVD drive, headphones & microphone sockets & one USB socket. On the rear of the lap top are the older style printer sockets, two USB sockets, power lead socket & what looks like two 'S Video' sockets.
From day one battery life was pretty good with about two hours from the battery, but six months after I first got it, HP announced a safety recall on the batteries. My replacement battery arrived with days of ordering it but when it was fitted it wouldn't hold a charge, not even enough to switch the machine on. I contacted HP by their web site but after sending five messages that they didn't reply to I contacted the UK office. They informed me to contact HP direct in the USA as the recall was being handled by them & despite no answers to five emails they would eventually reply.
Another five emails & another five ignored, I had to end up getting my company to threaten them with legal action before a replacement battery was sent, 10 months later!!! The battery they sent me would hold its charge for about 50 minutes; I guess HP supplied a new battery of inferior quality to the original to save money, now I am lucky to get 30 minutes use from it.
Whilst waiting for the first battery to arrive the two controls below the mouse pad stopped working & these were changed under warranty. They failed again just before the warranty expired & the current ones are playing up again, I think these must be a weak point in these lap tops. The screen stopped working (it went blank) & had to be replaced, the technician who replaced it told me that this is a common problem with these models. The power lead adaptor stopped working & this had to be replaced under warranty but it took HP nearly 14 days to send the replacement to me from the UK, when it arrived it had the USA electrical plug on it so I had to wait another two weeks for the proper replacement.
Now the CD Rom has stopped working & will need to be replaced, it the space of 30 months this machine has proved to be pretty unreliable considering that I do take care of it. I find HP's customer service non existent & although most items have been replaced under warranty the company drags its feet when you want decisions made regarding the warranty. Although I have a HP printer & HP PDA, the expierence with this lap top & the poor customer service would put me off ever buying another HP product. Recently when I purchased my own lap top I went for a Sony Vaio which has proved 100% reliable & very light to carry around.
Excellent review. I do have a soft spot for laptops and have tried quite a few. I agree wholeheartedly with steering clear of HP Compaq & I Love my Sony Vaio to bits. Hmmm... May have to do a review on it, when I can work up the enthusiasm. Hehe. Thanks
by (89%):
30.12.2007 22:22
a interesting review happy new year
27.12.2007 20:54
Excellent review. I do have a soft spot for laptops and have tried quite a few. I agree wholeheartedly with steering clear of HP Compaq & I Love my Sony Vaio to bits. Hmmm... May have to do a review on it, when I can work up the enthusiasm. Hehe. Thanks
24.12.2007 15:55
Good Review