Ergotherpeut1 Posted January 31, 2007 Share Posted January 31, 2007 We are thinking to replace our aged laptop and have seen a couple of HP ones in Leclerc for 499e. As I have previously been disappointed by the quality of some goods I have brought here in France, thought I would ask if anyone has experience/advice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will Posted January 31, 2007 Share Posted January 31, 2007 HP is one brand where service isues are always handled by the manufacturer rather than the retailer, so in theory that should be good, as customer service is often an issue with French stores. However, I would be very wary with HP. I do not know exactly how the French side is organised, but HP international policy is to outsource all after-sales service outside the USA. In the case of the British end, once you get through to the people who are contracted to actually do the repairs, they are very good. But in order to get this far,there is no way you can avoid dealing with Indian call centres, which are a total nightmare (I even tried routing my problems through the US outfit, which was sympathetic but inflexible in the extreme). I cannot imagine the French system will be any better. The call centre may not be in India and the repairer may be in France, but there will still be the same long-winded process, I am certain. I had enough difficulty communicating with HP's Indians, so the thought of me as a non-native French speaker trying to communicate with a remote call centre does not fill me with confidence. Maybe the call centre people will speak English and French, but somehow I doubt it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChezShells Posted January 31, 2007 Share Posted January 31, 2007 HiWe bought a Packard Bell laptop a couple of years ago, they are not known for quality, probably less so than HP but we have never had a problem with it.If its that much of a big deal go for a Sony but more than double your budget.Make sure it has at least 512mb.Lee Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deimos Posted January 31, 2007 Share Posted January 31, 2007 HP's after sales service is terrible. I will no longer buy anything from them as it is just not worth the trouble.Ian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zeb Posted January 31, 2007 Share Posted January 31, 2007 Why not go for a Dell laptop? They always have several specs on offer, you can buy an English keyboard model in France if you want, and friends who have bought Dell are happy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pierre ZFP Posted January 31, 2007 Share Posted January 31, 2007 Dell are fine for laptops but I wouldn't have a desktop again. It works OK (not brilliant but OK) but my main gripe is that the motherboard and the case innards are non-standard so that makes third party upgrades very difficult Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tracteurtom Posted January 31, 2007 Share Posted January 31, 2007 You get what you pay for, bottom budget equal low quality and / or poor spec. Have a play with the proposed purchase first, then make your mind up. Acer seems to be a star at the moment for the price vs spec vs build quality balance. Keep your eye open for any good deals on XP spec machines as with the recent Vista launch, there should be some good deals to be had. But then if it were me, I'd get Vista, hang the cost as you'll regret it in 12 months if you don't. Just my 2 euro cents worth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ergotherpeut1 Posted January 31, 2007 Author Share Posted January 31, 2007 Thank you for your responses, it'll really helps us to consider options. Best wishes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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