The Nvidia Defect Forum

I have a Pavillion DV6853 purchased directly from HP just over two years ago. Needless to say it contains the infamous NVIDIA Ge Force 8400M GS.

About a month ago it refused to start up. I quickly discovered the hard reset work-around and currently have to use this every time to power on the machine. After much argument the so-called "MD's Complaints Office" in HP agreed to a no-charge repair, but the machine was returned, minus its battery, with a "no fault found" report. The pronblem, needless to say, is still there.

After much further argument I received a call this morning from an HP engineer. He was brilliant - immediately acknowledged that the fault was due to the NVIDIA problem, and that the symptoms are likely to worsen. He said that he was only able to authorise a replacement motherboard but that this would not solve the problem in the long term. He wrote to the manager of the MD's Complaints office to confirm this, but she refuses to acknowledge this and merely keeps repeating the mantra "We will provide a free repair".

It seems now that I have to start down the legal route to obtain a refund or a replacement laptop. Why are these big companies so stubborn - it will only cost them a lot more in the end!

Hello Jonesmj and welcome to our forum.

Sorry to hear of the problems you have been experiencing with your laptop.



Why can't HP get it into their thick skulls that these laptops are the boards used to repair them are doomed and the whole lot should be sent to a scrapyard.

HP have, in my opinion, behaved absolutely atrociously and their manner towards their customers is the height of unprofessionalism.

All they seem to be bothered about is their own profits and how best to save costs at the expense of their faithful and loyal customers.

They have sold probably hundreds of thousands of these defective laptops worldwide and still they try the tired old line "it's not on our list so it is not defective" or "the laptop failed due to overheating because of the blocked fans"

If truth be known these laptops are so badly designed that if they didn't fail from the Nvidia defect then they would have probably failed from something else.



Well I guess they work on the basis that if 100 customers claimed a refund and they fobbed them all off and then 40 people gave up and purchased a replacement whilst the other 60 proceeded to litigation then even with court costs it has still cost them less.

HP have in the past been likened to Del Boy of Only Fools And Horses; I personally think they are worse and in my opinion they should be prosecuted for attempting to charge their customers for repairs to laptops that they fully know are inherently defective.

There is a step by step guide on this forum that will help you reach a positive resolution and that is here:- post13.html#p13

If you follow my advice in that guide then you will be successful.

The key to success is persistence. HP my try and fob you off; they may try and offer you a repair that is probably doomed to fail; if they continually insist on a repair then you should ask for 2 things:-

1) A written guarantee that states the following:-

"The mainboard being used to repair your laptop is from a completely new batch and is 100% free of the Nvidia defect. If, at any point in the future, it transpires that the mainboard is inherently defective due to the Nvidia GPU then a refund or replacement will be offered"

2) The part number of the mainboard that will be used. With this I can then check the history of the laptop.

If they fail to provide both of the above then you are well within our rights to reject their offer of a repair on the grounds that they have failed to provide you with sufficient evidence that the board being used will be of a satisfactory standard.

I hope the above helps.

If you have any questions or need any advice along the way then please let me know.

Please keep us updated on your progress.

Good luck and best wishes

Paul
The Admin Team

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Please note that I am not legally qualified and I only offer my own personal advice. You are advised to seek professional legal advice for formal clarification of advice I give.

Paul - I seem to have reached a dead end with HP now - they still maintain that my version of the conversation with their engineer is wrong and that I "misunderstood him". Josephine Neilson, the manager of the so-called "MD's Complaints Office" has refused my request for a further discussion with the engineer to clarify, has refused to send me a copy of the email she claims the engineer has sent her, and has told me that HP will not be replying to my letters. She is still offering a repair, but has of course refused to offer a guarantee that the replacement board will be free of the NVIDIA defect or to provide a part number.

My credit card company are being much more receptive and are asking me for an independent report detailing the defect and explaining why the laptop cannot be repaired. From my description of the problem, can you say how likely it is that your inspection will be likely to provide the necessary information for them?

Thanks.

Hello Jones,



The tests that I perform are 100% conclusive and are irrefutable so if your laptop is indeed inherently defective the report will win the case for you.

With well over 500 reports under our belts we have had success with virtually each and every one and though the likes of HP et al may squirm and try to obfuscate matters they simply cannot defend themselves against the indefensible.

I have to question why HP are so unwilling to let us know the part number of the mainboard that they intend to use. Over and over again they refuse to divulge this information. Is it just me being cynical or do you think is is suspicious?

I would have no more communication with HP now and would concentrate on the credit card company as HP are obviously blinkered to the overwhelming problem that faces them.

Any questions please let me know.

Best wishes

Paul
The Admin Team

_________________
=======================================================
Calculate the minimum refund that you would be entitled to.
FAQ's
Why you should not accept a repair
Links to evidence
What is the Nvidia Defect?
Step by step help to getting a refund
Do you need an engineers report?
=======================================================

If you like what you see on this forum and would like to help then please post links to this forum in other forums or blogs. The more people we can help the better.


Please note that I am not legally qualified and I only offer my own personal advice. You are advised to seek professional legal advice for formal clarification of advice I give.

This issue has now been resolved in a most unexpected way and I just want to highlight the excellent service I have received from Paul. I sent my laptop for inspection and Paul could find no fault. It wouldn't start at home, but it started everytime for Paul. We came to the conclusion that the only difference was that when I tried to start the machine at home, it was connected to a USB hub and that in some way this must be the cause of the problem. Despite this, Paul kept the machine on test for over 24 hours and found no sign of a fault - NVIDIA or otherwise. Paul refused to charge me for the inspection and I paid only a nominal sum to cover collection and return.

Now the machine is back, I have confirmed that the USB hub was indeed the cause of the problem.

I still think HP are rogues, and I wish every success to those who are battling with them. When we have to deal with companies like that, it is good to know that there are people like Paul in business. Thanks again, Paul - may your business go from strength to strength!

Hello Jonesmj1,

It is a shame that I cannot say well done on your success but I think that a few bottles are in order just for the fact that your laptop is not inherently defective

The USB hub problem could be caused if the hub is unpowered - i.e draws power from the USB port rather than having it's own separate power supply - and a device is drawing too much power.

If the problem reoccurs try removing each USB device one at a time and see if this resolves it. If the problem re-occurs after trying all the devices then I would consider changing the hub.

[quote]
I still think HP are rogues, and I wish every success to those who are battling with them. When we have to deal with companies like that, it is good to know that there are people like Paul in business. Thanks again, Paul - may your business go from strength to strength!
[quote]

Thank you very much for your kind words. It is great to be appreciated so thank you for that.

I hope that this is the last you see of problems with your laptop. If the defect does rear its ugly head then you know where we are.

Good luck and best wishes

Paul
The Admin Team

_________________
=======================================================
Calculate the minimum refund that you would be entitled to.
FAQ's
Why you should not accept a repair
Links to evidence
What is the Nvidia Defect?
Step by step help to getting a refund
Do you need an engineers report?
=======================================================

If you like what you see on this forum and would like to help then please post links to this forum in other forums or blogs. The more people we can help the better.


Please note that I am not legally qualified and I only offer my own personal advice. You are advised to seek professional legal advice for formal clarification of advice I give.