So, “CamBlack” from my chat room tells me about this problem he’s been having with an HP laptop. I immediately pass his message along to my friends at HP (who were quite instrumental in getting HP to sponsor Gnomedex this year). The story has a happy ending:

My mom got this HP ZD7010us Laptop. It turns out, that the first mistake was during the ordering process. A BRAND NEW laptop was ordered and paid for but somewhere, someone at HP typed in ONE wrong number and she ended up getting a refurbished computer. She didn’t really know it at first but then the problems started. First, about a month after she got it, the screen started to flicker on and off. You had to get it in just the right spot to make it stop. Then, the next problem, a few weeks later, It would just turn off whenever it felt like it. My grandparents came up to where we live (Michigan) from Florida and my grandmother made the first call to HP, Who then told her to, yep, you guessed it, reformat. Of course that did no good.

Well, then the next problem, the CD/DVD Drive would not read or write. Then, she called HP again to get the same ‘solution.’ Reformat. Did not good. Then, the laptop started to overheat and die. Hp was called again. Mom was on the phone for 5 hours with them and then they FINALY said that they would come and get it and take it in for repair. The laptop was gone for a LONG time. It was gone such a long time that when it was returned, the warrantee was expired and absolutely nothing on the laptop was fixed. Even though when it came back, it came with a paper that showed everything that was ‘fixed.’ But the problems were even worse then before it went in, in the first place. So she gave up on it, because the laptop was still useable. But NOW, the darn thing wont even boot, it does the windows loading screen and then it does then it flashes the BSOD and dies.

Mom has a serious disability, many herniated disks in her back which means she cant work, and neither Social Security or workers comp will pay her anything. So thus, she cant afford to get it fixed. So I decided to email you about the whole thing to see if you could come up with something. Then, the next day, I get an email from Jeff Utigard from HP requesting my contact information. Thus, I responded and he replied back saying that it would be taken care of. Then, maybe 30 minutes later, Jeff Utigard calls and gets all of the information about the laptop, and then he tells us that someone will be calling very shortly. He then called someone else, who called us.

The woman who called has us tell her all of the info again, and then she said that we WOULD be getting a new laptop sent to us. She told mom that it would take about 2 weeks to build a computer with a 17 inch monitor, which we have currently on the computer that doesn’t work. So the woman on the phone said that there are a lot of problems with the 17inch monitors because they bend easier and could cause it to break. So she suggested a 15.1″ screen. I mean this computer is WAY better then the one we have.

The model is a HP dv6565 us. It is loaded with features, and she included a TON of extra features with it. Example: An HP Courier carrying case, an extra lithium ion battery, Microsoft Office 2007, and HPs best warrantee, a 3 year warrantee including accidental damage (a $400 warrantee.) Everything totaled up to be just shy of $2000 which is about $400 more valuable then the current laptop. The new laptop will be shipped on Monday. And it was all thanks to you Chris. I can not thank you enough. If there is anything that I can ever do for you PLEASE let me know! The link for the new laptop if you would like to look at it is here.

I’m glad I’m able to play ombudsman for people who otherwise feel lost in the shuffle. The only thing you can do for me, CamBlack, is stay active with our community and pay it forward. HP is certainly to be applauded for this resolution!