HP Pavilion Notebook Computer Display Problems

On January 31, 2007, the Santa Clara Superior Court certified a consumer lawsuit to proceed as a class action against Hewlett-Packard Company. Plaintiff Degenshein was named the class representative, and is represented by Green Welling LLP of San Francisco, California, and Kershaw, Cutter & Ratinoff LLP of Sacramento, California.

The class action complaint involves certain HP Pavilion models of notebook computers that contain defective inverters. An inverter is the component that regulates voltage to light the display screen. When an inverter fails, the screen becomes extremely dim or flickers, rendering the computer useless. A simple test which may indicate an inverter failure is if the laptop exhibits dim, dark or flickering display symptoms, but is able to operate normally when plugged into an external monitor. Typically, an inverter costs less than $20, but HP quoted consumers $650 to fix the problem, which Plaintiff Degenshein claims HP knew about before it sold the computers.

When the defective inverter caused Plaintiff Degenshein’s display screen to malfunction during his warranty and shortly thereafter, Plaintiff Degenshein contacted HP for a repair. HP refused to admit the defect and demanded $650 to fix the problem. Plaintiff Degenshein says HP should permanently fix the problem at no cost or replace his entire computer with a defect-free equivalent or better model, and that HP should do so for every other consumer whose HP computer has similar backlight display problems. He also wants HP to return any money it has collected thus far to repair the defective computers. The Court’s January 31, 2007 class certification order is a significant step in that direction.

"HP's own policy is to fix known defects like this at no charge. It is really surprising that HP refused to fix Mr. Degenshein's computer and collected money from other consumers to fix the known defect," said Jenelle Welling of Green Welling LLP. "But, then again, this occurred during a time period where HP seems to have made other unfortunate decisions," she said, apparently referencing the board room spying scandal and HP's alleged espionage against rival Dell Inc. "It has been a hard fought battle, but we are pleased to finally move forward toward trial to get consumers the relief they deserve," she said.

Green Welling has been contacted by many consumers with similar complaints. If you have experienced this problem, a similar problem, or would like more information about the lawsuit, please contact us at (415) 477-6700 or by clicking here.