My XT963 has an apparently bad CD-RW:  noisy, vibrating, slow reads.  The unit is under warranty.  I can easily replace it myself if HP would just send me the CD-RW (I thought the warranty provided for replacement parts), but HP will not send just the drive.

I could get it replaced at a local HP Service Center, but HP won't allow that on its KR series.  The KR series is strictly a total unit replacement item!

The unit HP shipped to me as a replacement, with my credit card as collateral, arrived defective (loose parts sliding around inside it).   HP wanted me to send back my original (working except for the CD-RW drive) with all my programs and data installed on it back to them within seven days, or my credit card would be charged for the replacement (defective) PC.  The defective replacement was to be returned for bench repair and would take seven to ten days to get fixed.

Meanwhile, I am without the computer and all my programs and data would be on the original PC I was to send back.

I asked if I could just take the CD-RW drive out of the unit they sent as a replacement and send it back with the defective CD-RW drive in it; I could not.  I offered to send the defective replacement back, keep the defective original, and go to Best Buy to get my own replacement CD-RW drive and forget the warranty "service."  I was told I could not send the replacement unit back and had to send the original back within seven days because the units have to arrive back at HP in the order they were entered into their computer system.

Otherwise, my credit card would be charged for the replacement, even though I sent it back!

It is not my fault that HP has such a poor computer system.  It is not my fault that HP has such illogical rules for "service."   After much bantering with Melvin (a manager), a second replacement will be sent to me (also using my credit card as collateral and I will now have three PCs here) by Friday, but today is Wednesday.  I will still have to get the original back within the seven day period, so that means it is due back to HP by next Wednesday.

I still have to transfer all the installed programs, data, and configuration settings to the second replacement and try to erase all of it (clean wipe) from the unit being sent back.  I have to get the first replacement back within seven days from the day I receive the second replacement.  This seems to be extraordinarily expensive and illogical for HP --- a replacement CD-RW drive would take care of the entire problem.  All of this took 50 minutes on the phone at my expense!   HP does not provide toll-free customer support telephone numbers.

Does HP realize how irritating is to be asked if I mind holding of course I mind, and then being thanked for holding... at my cost!

I was on the phone 50 minutes this time and 30 minutes the first time.

Ted Saari, topazmn@att.net