Repeated hardware repair failures (under warranty)

[jordan09]

Another update. The HP rep who messaged me on this forum kindly arranged to have the computer mailed back a third time to the HP service center, after seeing video documentation of the continued clicking sound. Since the second service attempt, the clicking sound had been coming and going utterly unpredictably, and it often grew loud enough that the computer was not usable in the setting I need to use it in. I will be replacing this otherwise perfectly functioning and quite expensive PC if HP can't diagnose and fix the problem.

The HP service center messaged me today that the clicking was not present during the time they had the PC powered on. I shared the video of the problem and reminded them that at the first servicing, the problem was replicated at the service center and was attributed to wires colliding with a fan. They tried to fix this with zip ties at that time, and at the second service attempt they added lots more zip ties. I said that because the problem recurred after the second service attempt, it seemed like there must be something else going on besides misplaced wires, and I asked whether the clicking sound might indicate a malfunctioning part headed toward an early death.

At this third servicing, HP added one more zip tie and mailed the computer back to me. I'll start using it again next week.

So it seems the problem has not been diagnosed or repaired. I expect it to recur based on the prior two service attempts that involved an identical intervention (zip ties around wires) The warranty on the PC expires this month sometime, so it seems I'll probably be out of luck. I've been told that any replaced parts are warrantied for 90 days, but no parts were replaced. Altogether a frustrating and disappointing experience that I will be sharing with colleagues, friends, and family who are shopping for PCs in the future. I have been buying HP products for over 30 years and had had good experiences with their customer support as recently as last year, when HP repaired a major display malfunction on an all-in-one PC I had purchased from them.

Fingers crossed that the latest zip tie somehow does the trick and keeps the problem away 😕 The HP rep from this forum kindly invited me to contact him if the problem recurs, which I will (if needed), and I will again update the forum on next steps. 

[erico]

Thank you for the update.

What a nightmare!

[jordan09]

One more update. Surprisingly, the clicking sound hasn't yet recurred after the latest repair attempt. So I'm obviously hoping that the final cable tie that they applied somehow made the difference! (Though I won't be surprised if the sound comes back.) Fingers crossed...

[erico]

I hope your issue is resolved.