The Nvidia Defect Forum

Hi everyone on 13th July 2008 I bought a HP TouchSmart 790 computer which cost £700.00 that was not of satisfactory quality lasting a very short life span of only 18 months resulting in a complete breakdown of the Motherboard in March 2010. Since then I have been on a complete merry-go-round with PC World telling me I was out of warranty and referring me back to HP Manufacturer who later informed me there was nothing they could do because the parts for this all in one computer classed as laptop are now discontinued.
Since then I have learned from Trading Standards it was PC Worlds responsibility all along.

However I have since followed PC Worlds procedure of paying for an independent written report and yesterday after 3 months of this merry-go-round I was offered £387 which I rejected and then said he’s best and final offer was £420.

My question now is – is this fair or do I take this matter to a small claims court because nowhere can I get the same computer that is in the same league or comparison to what I had with a touch screen for the same price.

Hello Hpsucks and welcome to our forum.

Sorry to hear of the problems you are experiencing with your PC.

Well, if you were to proceed to court and they were to award a refund based on usage, then you would receive roughly £466 back.

I realise that this isn't nearly enough to purchase another PC of the same specification as yours and it is a scandalous situation.

I would contact PC World and tell them that you are not interested in a cash refund but want a PC of the same specifications as the one you had.

You should tell them that a cash refund is no good to you because you are unable to buy a PC of nearly the same specification as the one you had.

I would also let them know that you are more than willing to go to court in order to secure what you require which will end up costing them more.

Try this and see that they say and then pop back here and let us know and we will advise further.

If you have any questions then please let me know.

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.

Hello Lapcure Thank you for advice above on 24th June when I received the call last Thursday offering £420 I told him that I needed time to think about his offer and investigate further with Trading Standards and the Law Centre and would get back to him, he told me at this point I only have 21 days otherwise the case would be closed.
However I did send another email on 24th June explaining that the cash was not enough to get the same specification as the one he told me to look at on the pc world website entering product code search 118939 turned out to be a £479 HP Pavilion was nothing like the one I had with a touch screen.

About an hour later he rang back to apologize that it was his mistake for showing me this computer but it still didn't change things £420 was still his final offer. It didn't matter how much I protested saying that I should be offered a new computer like for like with a touch screen he just kept on saying he's done everything possible because it can't be repaired and the same computer no longer exists...I kept on and on about I should be offered another one that was almost identical and similar but obviously with different model numbers but still it made no difference to him he just kept saying £420 was he's final offer.

I mentioned court and he said that's up to me saying I probably wouldn't get much more because the offer was very generous I still continued to complained that nowhere can I get a all-in-one computer with a touch screen for the same money and was willing to accept one that was very similar but still he said this couldn't be done the offer was £420 I then asked what about the cost of the engineers report to which he replied well it was included in the offer but then increased the offer to £440. Trading Standards and Law Centre say this offer is acceptable but still I feel I’ve been shafted.
p.s the only avenue I haven’t tried is the Nvidia defeat fault and still would this make any difference I'm even not sure if my computer with Model No. HP TOUCHSCREEN IQ 790 is involved with the same Nvidia chip responsible for over heating and causing the motherboard breaking down but it looks like it I had a NIVIDIA Geforce 7600 gt with pure video technology but would definitely like to know more about it as this could give me more ammunition.
pps sorry for going on so long

Sorry update:- just checked HP Website and it now appears HP Touch Screen IQ790.uk has Video Graphics Nvidia Geforce go 7600 and chipset Nvidia Geforce 6100 not to sure which is responsible for overheating motherboard rendering computer useless.

Hello HP Sucks,

Well, if you were to proceed to court and they were to award a refund based on usage then you would receive roughly £467.

Like you said, it is unlikely that you will be able to purchase a similar system with the same specifications as your original system.

It is not your fault the HP are unable to repair the PC so I would keep on pressing for a replacement as the refund is simply of no use to you.

I would also argue this point if you were to decide to proceed to court.

At the end of the day, you were sold an inherently defective PC which was doomed to fail prematurely. If that were not bad enough HP are unable to offer any other solution except a lowly refund.

Your situation is a little unique as the PC had a touch screen and like you quite rightly stated, these systems are few and far between and cost much more than they have offered.

There have been plenty of customers who have received a 100% refund so why should you be any different?

You are not asking for anything that you are not reasonably entitled to so why do they have a problem?

If I were you I would progress to a small claims action on the basis that I don't want a refund but a PC with a touch screen that is not inherently defective.

What do you think?

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.

Hi Paul
Thanks again...Everything you say is exactly as I feel but everyone around me are saying to except the money as I am taking on PC World. I forget exactly who said it either Trading Standards or Law Centre that they could even ask HP for added support to make a case against me plus the stress of going to court and losing more money. But as you say Paul something inside is saying something is wrong in paying £700 for a computer that lasts 18 months is very very wrong and THEY SHOULD NOT BE ALLOWED TO GET AWAY WITH IT.

I blame HP Manufacturer but the law says its PC World responsibility so I believe it's up to PC World to put pressure on Manufacturers I believe if more people stood up and shouted for there rights then they wouldn't be allowed to get away with it.

PC World reasons for such a reduction of the partial refund offered is because I had 18 months use of it.... so how do I argue with that? and the other question is how do I prove the motherboard died because of the faulty NVIDIA VIDEO CHIP geforce Go 7600

Thanks Paul

Hello HP Sucks,

You should not worry about going to court against PC World, plenty of people from this forum have done the same so you have nothing to fear.

How did you pay for the laptop? If you paid by credit card then that would be excellent as the card company are equally liable with the retailer for the inherent defectiveness of your PC.

In order to prove that your PC has failed due to the Nvidia GPU you will need an engineers report that will detail the tests done and the results of those tests - which hopefully will point directly to the Nvidia GPU.

You are quite within your rights to refuse their offer of a refund as you would not be able to purchase a similar specification PC with the money they are offering.

It is up to you now how you proceed with this. I personally would sue them and would then convince the judge that only a replacement PC with a similar spec will suffice.

But that has to be a decision you make.

Fingers crossed that you paid by credit card.

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.

Hi Paul
Unfortunately I paid by Debit Card so no luck there. I had an Independent Written report but it does not specifically state that the cause of the motherboard failure was due to the Nvidia chip...It only state as follows

This is report from computer clinic is to describe the problem diagnosed with the system listed
Serial: CNH81900FG
Model: IQ790.UK
Product: KC741AA-ABU

After hours of diagnostics we have come to a conclusion that the computer in question has 2 faults reported back to us based on the symptoms at hand.

Systems = turns on, lights appear but no signal sending to monitor.

Hardware diagnosed - SYSTEM RAM, HDD, CPU DRIVE, PSU, MOTHERBOARD out of the list above the faulty parts are-

1 DVD Drive failed based on read failure.
2 Motherboard failed to signal to monitor.

the outcome of the report is as follows-

price for repair and parts if available.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Motherboard fault if can be repaired = Motherboard repair price £250 to £300
if needed a new motherboard = (trying to source part expected price fitted £400)
New dvd rw + fitting £100
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Due to the unique design of this all in one system the motherboard is very difficult to locate because of its shape and port locations, this will cause the price to be high due to the part being hard to find.

When diagnosing the system, we did not identify any physical damage and believe this fault has occurred on it own accord.

IF MORE INFORMATION NEEDED PLEASE CONTACT ME ON THE NUMBERS ABOVE QUOTING JOB NO.....

Paul my question now is ---is this report specific enough to fight in a court because I rang the engineer today to ask if checks had been made on the Nvidia geforce 7600 video graphics as I had found out on this website about defeats with it overheating causing the motherboard to malfunction rendering the computer useless and was told they couldn't possibly check every single chip because there was so many chips therefore I asked if they could be aware of it.

Hello,



No, it is not specific enough. It needs to state that your PC has failed due to the inherent defect in the Nvidia GPU.

Are you able to go back to the engineers and ask them to recheck the Nvidia GPU? They will need to do a quick rework test on it but if the GPU is indeed at fault then you should find that you see a display on the screen.

If they are prepared to do this and then add that information into your report then you should have no problems in court.

It is very important that the report details the fact that there is an inherent defect in your PC if this is indeed the case.

Once you have that you really cannot lose.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

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.

Hi again
Well now I'm about to give up….. As I have now contacted the engineer in question who said to check if the motherboard failure was due to the Nvidia 7600 video chip overheating was responsible for motherboard dying it will cost £130.00.

He said he would have to try and fix the video chip and then if that works then that would definitely be the cause of the motherboard dying and would have to send the motherboard away for further testing to prove it.

He said he has no problem doing this but I should take the money because all the hassle it will cost me in going to court. I said was so angry with HP, PC World, and Nvidia because they have done everything in their power to keep this quiet with the onus on the customer to find everything out for themselves (if they ever did or do find out).

I am really angry that all 3 companies have hushed hushed this sweeping the Nvidia chip problems under the carpet from unsuspecting customers whilst still taking their hard earned money from them whilst purchasing computers that they knew were doomed to die from the minute they opened the box but still making out they don’t know why motherboards where dying and are still dying.

I feel that this is nothing more than a shameless cover-up with all parties involved BUT PROVING IT IS ANOTHER THING at the customer’s expense.

I really don’t want to give up on principle, by giving all these companies the satisfaction of getting another disgruntled unhappy customer off their backs whilst making big fat profits but what choice do I have, but to take the money and run, as I don’t have another £130 to prove it.
If I was very rich then I would do “just on principle”.

£130

Paul will do it for you for half of that - plus you'll be getting a report from this country's expert on the defect

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Please note: I am not legally qualified and therefore any postings I make are just my own personal opinion based on my experience of working for a number of years at a busy County Court.