My New HP Pavilion dv7 Laptop | A Tale of Woe

74 Responses

1. Buy dell refurbished and get the top warranty! 7 years, 2 laptops and countless instances of accidental damage (aka completely my fault) and I have #1-never paid for service and #2, my laptop has never left my possession!

2. Well, you threatened to blog about it… I hope they read it and feel shame faced about it. As you say nice computer but crap trim! Wont be buying one from them in future….

   I guess the old standby of “glue and tape” will have to do the trick until you can afford to replace it?! Hey you should post that picture and comment about that on twitter as well!!!

   How long does glue and tape last on an HP laptop?!

3. Wow, I’d heard terrible things about HP’s customer service, but hadn’t heard specifics. That is utter crap.

   You might try some epoxy putty to fix it. I’ve heard that can work well for laptop case issues.

4. I have had similar tales of woe with HPs. Heck, I have issues with most of the major brands out there (like Dell – I refuse to buy another Dell).

   Very long story short, I’m currently working on the third HP laptop in four years. Something inside of the second HP laptop I had caught fire (FIRE!), and after months of “fixes”, they finally bought me a new laptop because the old one just wouldn’t work right (considering it caught fire, I’m not surprised). But getting to that replacement laptop (this one I’m on right now) was such a pain-filled, frustrating journey, I can only empathize with you.

   On the flip side, I’m really glad I bought the protection plan on the second laptop, because the third one and all of the repairs for the second was totally free.

5. I am so sorry this has happened to you! It is so very frustrating when buying an expensive product and then get no help when something goes wrong. I learned my lesson years ago when I purchased a laptop online at a great price but then no one local to help when something went wrong. I have purchased my last two computers at my local Best Buy AND purchased their Geek Squad protection plan as well. They have never blinked an eye when I’ve hauled in my computer with issues, they’ve always been helpful on the phone, and they will come to my home if I can’t come to them. Well worth it the extra monies for the Geek Squad warranty plan. I work for a huge cell phone company and I can tell you tells of woe about the number of phones that are lemons! =) I had an HP desktop for 10 yrs and it never gave me a moments problem. Flipside, I purchased an EMachine laptop last summer that died in the first week! The company replaced it pronto though so it turned out OK. My goodness, didn’t mean to write a book!

6. Christmas present or not you really should have checked the laptop out thoroughly before the 21 day return period expired. But the cheap plastic trim is a known weak spot on the dv6/dv7 laptops, heard of a few who’ve cracked the trim by trying to lift the laptop one-handed. Despite this i still love my dv7, the fact is to get a laptop w/ similar specs from any other brand you’ll have to shell out close to $1500. Also, a friend with insider knowledge once told me that the laptops that get returned by customers for one reason or the other are then sent to brick/mortar stores. Don’t know how true this is but kinda makes sense, when you order directly from hp.com the laptop gets sent to you from china if you return this laptop for some reason they can’t exactly send ’em back to china…

7. I bought a Lenovo laptop and absolutely love it and the service. Bought it online and got a “in-home” repair service for – I forget how long. I bumped it when I was carrying it from the living room to the kitchen and it didn’t want to work. Left it set a couple days and called for service. The guy trouble shoot over the phone (it powered up when I turned it on) and he determined that it “must be the fan”. They sent the part to the house right away and said the the repairman would call the next day to make sure the part was there before he came. It had arrived 9:30am and the computer was fixed by 5pm the day after I called.

8. I am so sorry for your trouble with your laptop. My neighbor and I both had HP laptops with major problems with the video card. The screen would go black. I fixed mine twice but my neighbor’s whole computer just went out. No help from HP, so sad for them. My neighbor was in a class action suit, he got a new HP but a cheaper model, I went to Asus and got a wonderful laptop. Will not ever buy or recommend HP again. They say if you are happy with a product you tell 6 people, if you aren’t happy you tell everyone you can.

9. “Don’t buy from HP” haha. Great article tho.

10. Exactly same problem with my Pavilion dv 7 and HP says it is accidental #$%@# I am sending this to FTC and Office of Attorney General of my state. If it is OK with you, I will add a printout of this page too.

    1. As I said earlier, I had the exact same problem. After I threatened them to take to small claims court and complaint to FTC, they fixed it free of cost. Guess what, it has cracked again , and this time out of warranty.
       Is there a class action suit ?

       1. If there is, let me know. I LOVE this laptop…but the trim is ridiculous! They made the mistake in design. They shoud fix it FOR FREE!!!

11. I have what sounds like the same computer. I like mine as well. Mine sits on my dinning room table, I don’t ever move it. I appears that is a good thing. I have only called for support once, it went ok but I did have a hard time understanding and speaking too the rep. I was having an update problem. Bottom line I think most companies have sucky customer service anymore. The only exception I can think of is Otter cell phone cases. Good luck with your lappy. I don’t use or know much about Twitter but I would post a link to this blog in as many places as you could. I would write nasty letters to them until they replace your lappy. I would send letters to all the board members of both HP and Staples. Send posts to fourum on both their web sites or maybe on one like laptop reveiw. if they don’t replace your laptop make sure it costs them 10 fold in sales. I know I might not have bought mine if I have read your blog first. you did a very good job.

12. Same thing just happened to mine….same exact computer

    1. I have the exact same computer, got mine for Christmas 2011 as well and have the exact same design flaw and broken front strips as well. I don’t move my computer around much either; I’m careful about it when I do, I don’t knock it into things. This is just an all in all design flaw on HP’s part. These two little thin strips of plastic are right where a person’s arms rest – unless all of HP uses the proper hand placement taught in 7th grade, keeping their wrists parallel to the surface and not touching the desk/computer keyboard. ARGH. Sorry you were given such the run around by HP. How annoying when it’s their fault! And to have to pay, as you said, a quarter of the expense of the computer?! BOOOOOOOOOOO to you, HP. Thanks for sharing your experience and for the warning to other consumers.

13. Oh no! What did you do (if you don’t mind me asking)?

    We have a similar story to tell about our ISP. Customer service was in India (so the names sound familiar). For two years we have tried to get our getting-slower-month-by-month problem fixed but, because we speak to a different person every time, there has been no resolution. SIL works for a different branch of the company (he deals with mobile phones) but told us about a special hotline for friends and family. We called them and finally got some answers from someone in Australia after having to deal with the folks in India again! It seems that the ISP was taking on more customers in our area than they could handle! So we have a new ISP!

14. I purchased my dv7 in Nov. 2011 also. The plastic cracked in the same place as the picture BUT the plastic also cracked in both corners of the plastic trim (bottom) on the screen. Why would HP make such a great product and put cheap plastic on it.

15. I have the same laptop with the same issue front right speaker cover is cracked. this is due to very weak plastic on the front of the computer case. I have had 6 other hp laptops and never once was there a spot on there cases that has cracked like this without some sort of serious trauma. Its a great functioning laptop however the under side of my forearm will be raw and the completion of typing this comment. HP quality is definitively lacking when it comes to product design. I mean really who field tested this POS.

16. Same problem on my HP dv7, purchased at Costco in Nov, 2011. This is my second HP, but I will not buy another.

    1. I have the exact same problem. Talked to Costco Concierge Service who just refer me to HP who tells me that than cannot help, cannot repair under warranty and in fact as I am not willing to pay for the repair will NOT even make a not in the system that I call.
       Guess this is how they don’t have a lot of complaints, they don’t keep record of any complaints unless the victim/customer pays for repair!

17. I am having the same issue with the DV7 I purchased at the beginning of last month. You can imagine my disappointment when I heard the “CRACK” of that little piece of plastic breaking on a computer that was only a couple of weeks old!
    I was very pleased with my DV6 and that was the main reason I went with the DV7, but this is clearly a design flaw. They HAVE to know that touch typers are going to rest their forearms on the front part of the laptop which coincides PERFECTLY with the position of those unreinforced little strips of plastic.
    In any case, I took the PC abroad right after purchasing it so I haven’t even tried to report it to HP, but experience has already taught me that even if I did it would go nowhere. Problems like this are almost always chalked up to wear and tear and never to design flaw.
    So, at the end of the day I have a month old laptop with crazy glue and electrical tape holding the front together. Great advertising for HP, eh????

18. Mine cracked in the same place and is still hanging on by a thread. The plastic around the screen also cracked in both bottom corners. the hard drive has also gone out already and it was bought in the end of November 2011. Hard drive was replaced on warranty, but the rest is “cosmetic” I have babied this thing like a new-born baby. I guess HP sells so many of these that they don’t care about the customer.

19. I am also struggling with cracked plastic trimming on my HP dv6. It is cracked in 2 places. I took your advice and created a twitter account just to post on HP support page. Within hours, someone responded to my post. Within 2 days, I spoke to a case manager at HP who offered to fix my laptop for free. I am so thankful to you!

20. I thought I was the only one!!!
    I am also struggling with the plastic framing above the speakers. Both sides have chipped, and the frame around my screen on the bottom left has also cracked. I opened my computer one day and POP. My brother and father both have dv7 also, but my computer is the only one to seemed to have been cursed with bad framing. Luckily, we have extended warranty -accidental damage and spills- from QVC. I’ll contact them to see what they could do.

21. Update: I opened a Twitter account for the sole purpose of complaining about this defect and after the initial contact with the U.S. customer service guy, “Eddie” (I really wonder if those guys change their names from 9-5 every day, but that’s a whole different thread, I think), my case was referred to Italian HP customer service. E-mails back and forth, photos, etc. etc. and they finally told me that they would arrange to have my laptop picked up and repaired. There were only two problems: 1 – I would be without my computer for at least 10 days (“Alessio” said 10 days at the most, but as a professional translator, I translated that from customer-service-speak into everyday language), and 2 – the broken chassis frame would simply be replaced with the same, flawed-design piece which broke in the first place. I politely declined and told the guy that maybe I’d take it back where I bought it the next time I’m in the States. What’s the point of being without my PC for 10 days (which is a real hassle for my work) just to get in back in the same1 ready-to-break condition it was when I bought it?? One would think that HP would come up with a correction to this design flaw to reinforce those sections that break instead of simply cranking out more of the flimsy things. Maybe they’ve got a ton of them in stock and they’re trying to get rid of them?

22. The exact thing has happened to me, on both front speakers! HP, very very poor design to use such cheap flimsy plastic.

23. The more I thought about it the more it really ticked me off, so this is the e-mail that I just fired off to “Eddie”:

    Hello Eddie,

    I just wanted to touch base with you further to the customer service claim that you had handled for me.

    I was contacted by an Italian HP Customer Service representative and asked to send photos and some more information on my machine. After doing so, I was finally told that repair under warranty had been approved (with, of course, the proviso that, once they had my computer in their hands they could still go back on that and determine that it was accidental damage).

    However, I politely declined the offer because of 3 key problems with this proposed solution:

    1) I would be without my PC (which, as I explained to you before, represents my livelihood) for at least 10 days in the best case scenario.
    2) On top of the time I would be without my machine, there is still an “off”-chance that it wouldn’t be repaired under warranty anyway, thereby making the time I am without the computer a complete waste with absolutely no advantage to me.
    3) (and this is the main issue) The broken piece of the chassis, which is most definitely a design flaw, would be replaced with the exact same part. In other words, it would only be a matter of time (and the first time was a whopping 2 weeks!!) before the piece would break again.

    This proposed solution is entirely unacceptable (and I am NOT the only one who has experienced this issue!). HP has designed and manufactured a product which is prone to breaking due to the strategic position of these two weak points. They coincide precisely with the place where any touch typer’s forearms will rest on the chassis and will therefore break sooner or later (most likely sooner!). This is not an opinion, but a fact… a fact that the design engineers should have caught and rectified BEFORE mass production. At the very least, these computers should have been recalled from the stores in order to avoid further embarrassment and cost to HP long before I purchased my computer at the end of June 2012!

    I understand that it would be extremely expensive for HP to redesign the entire laptop in order to fix this problem, but it is absolutely ridiculous for them to throw money away on replacing one defective chassis with another identical defective chassis.

    At this point, at least to save a little bit of face and restore a modicum of dignity to customers who have purchased this flawed design model, rather than offering to provide another flawed piece, you could at least offer to compensate me (and the many other unsatisfied customers out there) for the inconvenience of owning a brand new HP computer which will either scratch my forearms to the point of bleeding or look like an old junker because of the home remedies I’m forced to apply (crazy glue and electrical tape)!!

    I will be expecting your reply with an acceptable proposal to resolve this issue and restore my faith in HP products and customer care.

    Best Regards,

    1. That’s a great letter to HP. I hope you get the results you expect and deserve.

24. Hey Candy the same exact thing just happen to me and i have the same exact computer with the same exact crack on the frame and like you said there customer support sucks!!!!!!!!! They told me the same thing and i never even moved it from my desk! I am so pissed its not even funny!!! $270 in more then my car payment!!!

25. Same problem just happened to me tonight. Any update from HP? I’ll take it apart and repair it myself before I pay HP or send it to them. Like you this laptop is used for my work and I cannot be without it for even 1 day.

26. I will be contacting HP support and will post an update after.

27. After my angry E-mail I was contacted AGAIN by the same guy from Italian HP Customer Service offering to have my unit picked up and repaired (with the same defective chassis) and once again I refused. It’s not his fault… he already knew what my answer would be, but he was under orders to call and ask. Then I was called by someone who supposedly was higher up on the food chain who, without going into the details of our phone conversation, basically told me that Italian CS was doing U.S. CS a favor by even talking to me since this was really their responsibility, so there was no way I was getting any compensation from them and the only thing they were willing to do was what they had already offered. I refused and Have covered the front of my laptop with electrical tape and clear packing tape (the electrical tape has the right consistency to fill in the gaps and keep me from scratching my forearms, but it just slides off, leaving a sticky mess unless I put packing tape on top to hold it in place).
    As far as I’m concerned even contacting them was a colossal waste of time. I resolved nothing and they have no intentions of taking any concrete steps to solving the problem for me or anybody else.
    Unless I see a product that REALLY impresses me, after the life of this unit I am off HP.

28. hi guys!
    I have the same problem with my hp pavilion dv7, an obvious design flaw!!! HP, wants me to paid nearly 300$ (970 zł – in Poland) for replacement this part (outrage!), which is just a faulty design of this device, does not admit to defect in the design!

29. Same thing just happened to mine. All HP’s Ive owned are crap and that’s why they are soooo cheap to buy. Sooo powerfull and soo much offered in such a pile of crap case. You get what you pay for!!!

30. Exactly the same spot as yours and it’s both sides. This is definately a design flaw and not a defect. As Ryan commented above, didn’t these test this POS. Would have taken it back to Costco but 90 days has past so now we’re stuck with this badly designed laptop.

31. Hi, I thought I was the only one with this problem until I googled it! The same has happened to mine, along with the frame issue & not to mention the glossy patch on the trackpad! HP housing quality is terrible & I will definitely consider another brand next time. Their service is equally frustrating here in South Africa.

32. Hey, Same happened to my dv6. A week after buying it one side went, I bought it for use on a project so couldn’t afford the time to take it back. Spoke to HP who said it would be replaceable under warranty. But because I bought at PC world they have the warranty not HP, Im waiting to hear back what they are going to do about it! Not happy.

33. I have a HP DV7, about 2 years old. The warranty expired, and shortly after the case begins to separate at the hinge. Many people have the same problem, because at the HINGE there is one METAL SCREW that threads into PLASTIC. Of course it breaks. HP wont acknowledge the problem is on their end, despite the fact that I have always treated my laptop with care.

    The repair is $255. F* that. I’m going to buy the case bottom and repair it myself. I used to be an HP fanboy. Now, notsomuch.

    1. Scott,

       I (and one of my friends) have HP dv7. Both of us have the same problem with the laptop as yours. The left hinge seemed to be broken. We opened the case and saw that it is not the hinge but the case (the plastic bottom) which is broken.
       The cheap plastic holds the screen with a single screw and the screw has come out of the case by breaking the plastic case.

       By the time you buy a case, you can remove the screw from the hinge to avoid it causing more damage to nearby parts (thats what we did, but that requires opening each and every part of the laptop – SO DO NOT DO IT WITHOUT A GUIDE/MANUAL AND WITHOUT HAVING ALL THE TOOLS).

       Also, please let me know it the case is available separately because I did not contact HP support to avoid wastage of time in explaining things to them and so I dont have any direction to “repair” this by my own.

       Hope you find a workaround to make laptop usable for 2-3 more years 😀

       1. I know this is awhile after the original post, but I too also have the exact same laptop with the broken part by the speakers, plus the broken hinges! SO frustrated…it actually ended up cracking the frame casing over the screen and now the hing won’t even move at all on one side so it ended up pulling on all the screws and broke all the plastic parts on the screen that the screws were supposed to go into. Have no idea how to fix the hing so it will move the way it’s supposed to…tried WD40 with no luck at all. Anybody know if there are any recalls on this?? VERY disappointed with HP!

34. I’ve had the same issues with my Dv7-4165.Both sides the plastic broke off and twice it was sent in to repair the top left corner because the screw breaks on the inside. I now have duct tape on the corner to keep it from coming apart <—This isn't working so I replaced my palmrest only to find out the base plastic screw part broke as well. The next day the top of the palmrest broke off again . I'm back to duct tape :(.

35. I have exactly the same problem with my dv7. Just bought it seven months ago. HP is implying that it’s my fault somehow. I’m forwarding this website to Tolga, my Tolga Case Manager
    HP US TCO Escalations Team. I will NOT pay for this repair! It’s clearly a design flaw.

36. Same crap with my machine. You can find my rants on my FB. I have in home accidental and they still won’t fix it!

37. I have the exact same issue and I was looking online for anyone who had the same problem. It’s inevitable since the design on this is absurd. The plastic isn’t even attached to the laptop and it’s so thin! And what possible repair could fix this flaw?

38. Same problem, same place, with my DV7T. I purchased it a year ago online from HP, and sometime later I noticed a crack on the right front. Giving HP the benefit of the doubt, I thought maybe it was something I did. About 3-4 months ago it broke and fell off. Two days ago my wife noticed a crack on the left front in the same place. I’m wondering how long it will take it to fall off too.

    This thing sits at the same place on my desk and has only been moved three times… once when I took it downstairs to watch a sporting event on my HDTV, and twice to take on vacation trips. Other than that it stays on the desk falling apart.

    Has anyone tried to fix this on their own rather than dealing with HP? I still have the piece that fell off and thought about trying to super glue it back on, but I’m afraid of getting glue in the computer.

    1. @Bob: I eventually gave up trying to get anything out of HP… not worth my time or the hassle (and I’m sure that’s what they counted on from the start), but I tried to super glue the pieces at first. Unfortunately, if you don’t get it just right (and it is NOT easy holding those pieces in just the right position to super glue them seamlessly) you wind up with a sharp super glue residue that scratches your arms as you type and normal super glue doesn’t adhere to the hard plastic very long anyway, so it breaks off again fairly quickly. (I’ve been told that there is a special super glue out now which is specifically for hard plastics and I might try that at some point…) In the meantime I ended up using electrical tape, but that eventually slides down, leaving a sticky mess behind, so I put transparent packing tape on over that and then used an exacto type cutter to slice the tape away where the speakers and SD card slot are. It looks ugly, but it’s functional and doesn’t scratch the dickens out of my arms.

       Hope that helps!

       1. Thanks Jon. So far it’s not bothering me too much except for the appearance, so I guess I’ll leave it as is instead of possibly making it worse.

    2. Well it took just about a year, but the left side finally fell off too. Now it seems like CoolSense is running the fan way more than it used to. Wonder how long until something burns out.

39. “This thing sits at the same place on my desk and has only been moved three times…”

    Actually that’s not quite true. My wife likes it about an inch closer to the edge of the desk than me. So when she uses it she moves it forward and inch, and when I use it I move it back an inch. I guess all that heavy moving must be more than it can handle.

40. Thanks for sharing. I have this exact same issue on my wife’s DV6. I tweeted HP, we’ll see what I get.

41. Aaaaaand now the down arrow key has popped off (it stuck a few times over the last few months, but now it has come completely off).

    I am SO off HP.

42. Same issue here,cracked speaker plastic,left side.Dv7 is about a year old.

43. My HP laptop is only a little over a year old. It stays home. No kids or pets. I don’t handle it roughly. It now has two cracks in the rim. I keep buying HP for some strange reason although I seem to have problems with each one. They seem to last a couple of years. The last one had an issue with the top/screen coming apart from the base/keyboard. There is a long warranty with Costco, HP, AmEx but they are not so easy to deal with any longer.

44. Just Like to add that my 6 month old dv7 has the same problem with the speaker grill. has anyone had any like with Hp.

45. I have a pavilion dv6 15.6″ and have the same issue the first side happened while under warranty but I just couldnt be without my laptop and was told it most likly wouldn’t be covered as they consider it accidental damage. Now the other side is broken and it isn’t even 2 years old.

    1. Sounds like I was very lucky to have had mine fixed free under warranty by pcworld. !

46. Exact same problem. Has anyone been able to find the part number? I’ve been trying to find it so I can just order it myself. It can’t be hard to replace.

47. I got the same issue with my DV7, both of my speakers have now lost the flimsy plastic strip – I lost one after just 3 months and the second after 15 months today!…HP need to stop lying about the problem not existing as I called the Service Desk to complain, they closed the ticket suggesting they tried to call me with no response!!

48. The same problem!! any solutions??

49. I had the same problem. Nobody wanted to give a guarantee on design flaw. I decided to use the simplest way – publicize the problem. Private blogs do not read a lot of people, many read leaderboards like fb walls. Here is how I solved my problem. HP solved the problem at their own expense (2 hours later after i put my post on their wall i had a call to send my dv7 to service).

    So my idea is fuck blog, go global!

    https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=529856887026774&set=o.156275271073602&type=1&theater

50. The support may have had one terrible person for support but there are a few considerations when purchasing any product:

    -Detailed research. If possible try it. This includes inspecting the entire product but this makes you a more informed buyer.

    -Warranties cost a lot true but they are insurance. Another way of looking at it is like a meal. If you can afford the food but not a tip then don’t buy. Consult your budget.

    There are horror stories for multitudes of products and from people but its just preference when it comes doen to it.

    1. From my point of view this has very little to do with “one terrible person for support”. The issue is a DESIGN FLAW that HP refuses to own up to. When I contacted support they were willing to replace the broken part for me, but that is NOT a viable solution. The part itself is flawed in that it is weak at the points where the front speakers are framed, which coincides precisely with the spot where a touch typer’s forearms rest on the chassis. If they had offered to replace the part with an IMPROVED version which is reinforced in those two spots I would have gladly given up my computer for 10 days to have them do it, but it is ridiculous for me to be without my PC for 10 days only to have the exact same part which will INEVITABLY break again in the same spots.
       At this point, the only thing that would give me any sort of satisfaction is monetary compensation from HP and public recognition that this chassis design is flawed.

       1. Like I said before I had it repaired and they next day it broke again. Now my update on this almost the whole left top side is gone now. HOT HOT HOT did i say it’s hot OMG if you skin touches this area your going to feel it.Gorilla tape is keeping the case from coming apart for now.

          I think we need to find a replacement case that we all can use. If anyone finds another one we can use please post it.

51. Update……..
    I now moved to gorilla duck tape which is working well at keeping the Hinge mount together. The plastic base on the left side is breaking off around that area now. Finding the part # for the DV7 4165 base and palmrest is difficult. If anyone knows this please post it. I have no choice but to replace the base now and risk more damage.
    I’ve had HP call me a few times about this and they won’t do anything for me. I’ve stated this was repaired by them once already. I wish they would come out with a replacement part .You could drill a hole in the Hinge mount and place a washer and screw threw the top part. The only thing is closing the lidas it might damage the screen,so that’s out.

52. I had the same problem with my dv7 over a year ago… above the right side speaker trim. I found the solution… a custom made black rubber perimeter wrap (open on the sides with two notches for the hinges). It goes around the entire bottom case perimeter. The only drawback… the front speakers are covered but there are no further cracks or breakage issues on the fromt trim even with the glued back piece.

    Does anyone know the part number for this silver colored plastic trim? (HP… It should be metal or graphite.) I would like to replace this trim now that I found a secondary solution to this obvious HP design flaw.

53. Ahhh!!! Same computer, same problems! The thing is literally falling apart! However, I do move mine a lot, I try to be careful but these are laptops aren’t they meant to be mobile??? Don’t get me wrong, I’ve loved what is inside of this laptop but dang, I’ve got plastic falling off every other day! My screen is wobbly because the plastic on the hinges is giving too (it’s already been fixed through square trade once). Live and learn I guess? Tough lesson at $700 a pop.

    Oh and Donald, this should help ya with part replacement! http://h10032.www1.hp.com/ctg/Manual/c02642701.pdf

54. I am having the same issue! They had better fix it for me!

55. I am on the phone with SAM at HP for the second time for this very problem and the first time I demanded that something different be added as this was clearly a design flaw yet I got it back with the same exact look and feel. I use the PC with the slight gap and noticeable raise in plastic hoping this time it might last under normal ware and tare. Yet it only took a very short time to break again. This time I an mot going to settle on the same repair to only have this crack again. NO WAY. Currently waiting for a better solution. Refund or Replacement, etc.

56. By the way, on this same model if you suddenly lose the built-in webcam and mic, don’t be surprised. The little plug connector eventually works its way loose and you have to pull the case apart where the cam is and make sure the male and female ends of the connector are snugly fitted together.

    Have I mentioned that I am REALLY off HP for my next laptop???

57. Exact same laptop, bought in November 2011. Pieces broke off the same places but also above USB ports. Can’t pick it up because I don’t want to break anything else off. Case I’d also coming apart. I may not have to worry about it though. I had the extended warranty through Staples. I just took it in for suspected hard drive failure and when I went to ask when I was getting it back, they weren’t sure where it was. The depot had filed it has being sent back, damaged in transit…although staples rep didn’t know what that meant! Maybe it’s toast!! It worked great for two years, bit has been crashing, freezing up and heating up like a frying pan for the last month. My first HP had the HD fail within a year and got progressively worse as time went on. I can’t figure out why I bought another HP. Next time Apple or Asus?

58. Other than the two plastic strips above the speakers breaking up. I’ve loved my dv7. Anyone have any suggestions for a replacement piece, since my only issue with the strips missing is aesthetics? I read epoxy as a solution. Is it possible to just buy some moldable plastic material to glue into that space?

59. I have had the exact same problem. Many superglue jobs later it keeps breaking! It really irks me.

60. HP dv6 coming apart just like your’s. HP is awful. This is my third. First one was so bad I was fully reimbursed by the credit card company as was my husband’s. One key comes off as well. The battery didn’t last a year. My next will be a Mac.

61. I have the same problrm with my lappy.. the silver shell has broken from the right speaker.. pathetic