How do I send a laptop in to HP for repairs?

[Pentium386]

I have an HP Pavilion laptop with a cracked screen. This is the second time the screen has cracked. The first time we had an HP tech come to the house to repair it. He seemed somewhat inexperienced and nervous and had difficulty getting the display opened up to pop in a new LCD. Apparently he must have damaged something internal in the process, which went undetected until the second time the screen cracked and had to go in for repairs. So this time I brought it to Staples, where the tech services guy was very helpful and was able to get the screen popped in no trouble, but now the laptop won't turn on. He said it's an internal hardware issue and not a hard drive or battery one, because when the laptop is plugged in, the power-source light is on signaling that the computer is plugged in (and he tested the hard drive for problems; the OS and data are intact and the drive works fine).

What the Staples guy also found was that the plastic display casing had been held together with electrical tape (probably from the first guy who repaired it a few years ago) and that in the process of the first guy prying open the screen, some internal component (he didn't say what) had gotten bent; most likely this was the culprit preventing the laptop from turning on. I left the laptop at Staples for a few weeks while they ordered a new "part" in hopes of getting it up and running again. They just called this morning to say they'd installed the new "part" but that it still wasn't turning on. I'll be going to Staples later this afternoon to pick it up. I am not ready to let it go to the dustbin and want to try sending it to HP in hopes that they can fix it in a factory environment. I don't know if it's still under warranty (got it as a Christmas gift in 2010), but am able and willing to pay extra even if it's not.

I searched online to find out how to mail in a computer for factory repairs and got this page:

http://support.hp.com/us-en/document/c00064570

 
...titled "Preparing Notebook for Mail-In Service at an HP Certified Service Center." On that page is a paragraph with information on how to contact HP for a service request:

How to schedule a service repair

For service in Canada and the United States, contact HP to schedule a repair with a certified HP service center. The HP agent will determine if the HP notebook PC needs to the repaired at a service center. If a repair is needed, they will schedule a pick-up of the notebook PC. The repair generally takes 5-10 business days including shipping.

I'm on the service page now but I don't know firsthand the make and model of the computer. I just know it's an HP Pavilion Ultrabook (obviously I can't run the auto-detect tool because I'm not on that computer). Although I don't know if Ultrabook is the proper term for it; when I got it, I thought it said Ultrabook but maybe is just a "slimline notebook" if there is such a thing. (It has a 14" screen and no internal disc drive or numeric keypad. I figured small-form laptops without disc drives and numeric keypads were called ultrabooks but maybe I'm mistaken.) The search form gives only one result for "Ultrabook" for the U.S., and I know that's not my model. I know it's not a netbook either. Is it just a regular laptop without the extra amenities, then?

TL;DR, I know, but what I'm hoping is that someone can provide me with a phone number or that I can call to get general support and request a mail-in repair service (and maybe inform me of a way to image a hard drive that needs to stay in the machine that can't turn on to run a backup program). If it turns out that the laptop is DOA, I'll just see if I can get an identical model through Amazon (or even if I have to go through eBay -- HP in their "infinite wisdom" doesn't offer affordable Windows 7 models anymore, which sücks just as much as Microsoft's useless replacement does). Right now I just need to get this baby STAT into the ICU.

EDIT: The left hinge on the laptop has also come loose, as another user described in this forum post:

http://h30434.www3.hp.com/t5/Hardware-Upgrades-Replacements/Hinges-problem/td-p/3945328

Presumably this has something to do with it too, as that user also said the screen hinges were wonky and the computer wouldn't turn on. (Possibly that "part" the Staples guy mentioned also has something to do with the hinge, or they're two separate problems just part of a coincidence.)

[ManjunathTech · Accepted solution]

Hi

Please find the links given below to call HP technical support.

If you live in the US, contact HP Here.

If you are in another part of the world, start Here.

[Pentium386]

Thanks for the direct link. I printed the page and am bringing it with me when I go to Staples in a few minutes. I might buy an external drive bay and image the hard drive from there before popping it back in when I send it to HP. I'm crossing my fingers that it can be fixed.