Web Exclusive
CCTV exposes ‘cockroaches’ in HP laptops
By Zuo Likun (chinadaily.com.cn)
Updated: 2010-03-16 11:57
 |
Large Medium Small |
China’s Central Television’s muckraking report on Monday night quoted a Hewlett-Packard employee saying their laptops have seized up because of “the horrible cockroaches in students’ dorms”, the China News Agency reported.
Yuan Ming, a HP Customer Experience Manager, denied any quality glitches in their laptop products and ascribed the failures to dusty environments.
“None of us could solve it. It’s the cockroaches in the Chinese students’ dorms. They are horrible,” said Yuan, in a video taped by CCTV on December 17.
On March 5, more than 170 consumers filed a group complaint over overheated video cards and blackout screens of HP laptops to the country's product quality control watchdog, the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine, which launched a probe into the case on Monday.
A statement of apology was issued on Monday morning by HP global vice president Zhang Yongli, “for the inconvenience brought by its products and services.”
Falling short of the consumers’ recall demands, the IT firm, one of the largest in the world, has come up with other stopgaps, including extended warranty periods and beefed-up after-sales services.
The CCTV report on Monday, the Day of World Consumer Rights, is the broadcaster’s annual event known for its muckraking scrutiny on junk products.
