Either CPL or HP, suck…

Dear Computers and Parts Land (CPL), and/or Hewlett-Packard (HP),

Yesterday, a nice sunny Friday afternoon, I bought a printer. A HP LaserJet 3052. It worked moderately well, to scan (xsane does multi-page PDF scanning, I like), and it worked as a networked printer for about a dozen or so pages. The only reason I bought the printer was that it was a Laser printer, that worked over the network, and was relatively affordable.

However, it seems to have stopped working, in under-24 hours. Is this HP quality? Now, everytime I try to print, or even turn the machine on, all I hear is a loud grinding noise. One would think that there was a paper jam, but there is no paper to be found anywhere. Printing now gives me this magic message, “jam in output bin”. And I have to hear the loud, grinding noise.

So, I decide to call CPL up, to see if they would give me some warranty service or an exchange. After all, I purchased this machine at about 11.30am on a Friday, and I’m calling at about 2pm on Saturday. I finally get to speak to one of their consultants, and they tell me that they can’t do anything, as I have to call HP up first! On a Saturday!

Naturally, 131347 is their number, and they are closed on a Saturday; I now have to call them back during working hours, on the earliest possible day, Monday.

So, who sucks here? Is it CPL or HP? Let’s find out on Monday.

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6 Comments

  1. Dennis Wollersheim says:

    Looks like a lovely machine, I have been looking for a multi page scanner for a while now. Tell us how it goes.

  2. aussieaubs says:

    clearly its CPL – they are as good with service and warranty as MSY :P

    definitely damaged during shipment. HP will fix it but your screwed if HP say its grey market and wont honor the warranty – of which u then go back to CPL and complain somemore… eitherway i am sure HP will honor your refund, but if it was bought at a mainstream site (harvey normans or officeworks – they would have done the exchange.)

  3. l3v1 says:

    “hp quality”… well, that doesn’t mean the same as a few years ago; we also have a number of printers, samsung, minolta, hp, not cheap ones btw, from simple laser printers to multifunction scanner-printer-fax machines, and all of them [and I mean all] had some issues which needed service calls, and pretty early in their lives, some needed servicing multiple times; it seems that, as we also can see in other areas, companies try to reduce costs by building crappier products; not a good policy in the long term

  4. craig says:

    agree with aussieaubs – clearly it’s CPL – but for a different reason.

    in this country, the Trade Practices Act prevents retailers from just fobbing you off onto the distributor. they sold it to you, they are your point of contact, they fix it.

  5. byte says:

    Thanks @aussieaubs, @craig.

    I called HP up. I scanned my invoice and sent it on its way. I’m waiting for them to send me a form via email, which I have to print (see the irony?) and take back to CPL so that CPL can give me an exchange. I’m now just waiting for the form…

    @l3v1: They’re cheaper products now, guaranteed. And the term “quality” is surely going down… I just didn’t expect it to not work within 24-hours…

    @Dennis: When I get a new unit, I’ll be sure to write more about it…

  6. aussieaubs says:

    clearly its CPL – they are as good with service and warranty as MSY :P

    definitely damaged during shipment. HP will fix it but your screwed if HP say its grey market and wont honor the warranty – of which u then go back to CPL and complain somemore… eitherway i am sure HP will honor your refund, but if it was bought at a mainstream site (harvey normans or officeworks – they would have done the exchange.)


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