Hewlett Packard No repair for my laptop Nationwide

In 2013, shortly after I had relocated from the U.S. back to my home country (Netherlands), I bought an HP laptop. The model that I wanted was not available in the Netherlands, and when I contacted HP, they recommended that I buy the model in the U.S. with the help of a friend, which I did.

When I got the laptop (in the Netherlands), I immediately noticed that the keyboard was not mounted properly, but was curved in the middle, as if the board was too wide for the opening in which it was fitted. I quickly noticed also that keystrokes were not always detected, and that certain keys—especially those in the middle—often had to be struck twice to be recorded.

Sadly, when I contacted HP in the U.S., they said that my international warrantee was only valid in the U.S., and that I had to contact HP in the Netherlands. They, however, were unable or unwilling to help because my model was not sold in the Netherlands.

Luckily, I was traveling to the U.S. and I had informed HP that I would send in my laptop for repair. They acknowledged the issue—the picture attached was also sent to HP—and assured me it would be taken care of. On the last day of my trip, HP returned the laptop by mail. To my surprise, the keyboard was left untouched. As I needed the laptop and would not be traveling to the U.S. any time soon again, I decided to take the laptop back home with me.

Back home, I switched on the laptop and got another bad surprise: HP had replaced my hard drive, which had been working perfectly fine and was never reported as a problem. As a result, I lost on my data (and still suffered from a poor keyboard).

Ever since, I have been arguing with HP to compensate me. I have suggested several alternative solutions, including that HP arrange for shipment of the laptop to and from the U.S., or that they instruct HP in the Netherlands to take care of the problem after all. Every suggestion was rejected by HP. They simply refuse to accept any responsibility for the damage done. In the meantime, my warrantee has expired.

My 12-year old daughter is using the laptop for an online typing course. She is immensely frustrated that her keystrokes are often not recorded and, as a result, she does not get the credits she deserves. She has learnt a valuable lesson early in life: do not buy an HP.