(OT?) Buying new calculators from "third party sellers" (aka: calculator non-warranty)
#1

I just had a very strange (and unpleasant) experience with HP "product support".

Last May I bought a (brand new in sealed package) 30b to flash it into a 34s. For various reasons I didn't get around to flashing it, though I did play with the 30b as a financial.

(I must also note that the keyboard of the old 30b was pretty poor from day 1, with quite a few keys that did not click at all... They were very "flat". I did not want that keyboard for the 34s. Last month I decided I was "ready to flash", but thought I'd buy a second 30b in order to keep the original one with its original ROM and bad keyboard. A couple of weeks ago I received the new calculator. It's now a happy 34s.)

The strange thing is, the old calculator seems to have just died a spontaneous death. It's plain dead (tried changing batteries, resetting, etc. Nothing. It doesn't have have the excuse of a re-flashing gone bad.)

Assuming the calculator was under warranty (since it was bought under a year ago), I called HP. I was told that the calculator had been manufactured in 2010, and since I bought it through an "unauthorized reseller" (namely a third-party seller in Amazon), its warranty has expired and I'm S.O.L.. I made some sarcastic comment about my idiocy and hung out on the representative rather than breaking into expletives. I mentally cursed my couple-dozen strong HP calculator collection. (Then again, I know that new HP <> old HP = deceased HP.)

I had no idea that new-in-the-box electronics (with a dated receipt) could be sold effectively without warranty, at least not without some *very clear* warning to that effect. The serial was 4CY0240... Is that manufactured the 24th week of 2010? Then the calculator was practically out of warranty when I bought it!

Is this situation "common knowledge" among calculator buyers? I cannot wrap my head around this!

#2

Quote:
The strange thing is, the old calculator seems to have just died a spontaneous death. It's plain dead (tried changing batteries, resetting, etc. Nothing. It doesn't have have the excuse of a re-flashing gone bad.)

We've noticed that unconverted 30b's do this quite often in the presence of their upgraded cousins. We didn't include any code in the 34S to do this. We assume that they are just very jealous and throwing a permanent temper tantrum.


- Pauli

#3

I guess the only thing left to do to try to revive the dead 30b is to "flash it back from the ashes of death" as a Phoenix-like 34s!

#4

Eduardo:

Have you tried following-up with the Amazon seller? Maybe they would be willing to stand behind their sale.

Unfortunately, an "unauthorized seller" is a reality, and it does make some sense. For instance, let's say that I bought a 30b from the HP website two years ago, and kept it in the box ever since. Then, last week, I sold it to you. At that point, the warranty has already expired. Even if *I* had access to a warranty from HP on the original middleman/wholesaler purchase, HP won't trust me *or* you that the calculator just emerged out of the box for the first time last week! Your Amazon seller may have even bought the units at a discount from HP, with the understanding that HP would not warrant them. Or maybe they were imported from another country. Who knows? (In the old days, when I bought Minox cameras, I would buy from "gray market" retailers, who sold the brand-new imported cameras at a substantial discount from retail, with the understanding that they had no warranty from Minox.)

That all said, the Amazon reseller *absolutely* has an obligation to let you know that the units may have no warranty from HP! I would *politely* try to plead my case with the Amazon seller, and hope to get something from them. If they are unfriendly, then you *may* want to mention that it is illegal to sell "gray market" goods without *clearly* stating that the manufacturer may not warrant the goods!

Good luck,

Bruce.

#5

Quote:
We've noticed that unconverted 30b's do this quite often in the presence of their upgraded cousins.

Maybe they literally die of fright, upon seeing the virile, potent WP-34s!

#6

I would certainly contact the seller and also check the relevant consumer law. I see you are in the USA and assume you purchased the calculator in the USA? I'm not familiar with US civil law but here in Scotland there is an implicit warranty period of 5 years from the date of *purchase* (not the date of manufacture) and the contract is with the retailer and not the manufacturer. I know in England it is 6 years and across all of the EU, there is a minimum of 3 years and the manufacturer cannot over-ride this, only offer an additional warranty. Goods must be free of manufacturing defects and fit for purpose under normal use for this period. It is surprising how few people I speak to here know about their rights in this matter. I would certainly check how the situation stands in the US!



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