Should I accept HP’S ’s ‘wrong hard drive’ excuse?

QA friend gave me an HP 15 laptop that she’d bought in the US. The hard drive has failed, and despite it having seven months warranty, HP in England refuses to repair it. The reason given is that the hard drive in the laptop isn’t the same as the one HP has in stock. Can you help? Charles Larman

AWe’ll do our best, because HP’S excuse sounds lame. But what’s puzzled us is why HP didn’t point that it’s under no legal obligation to honour a warranty meant for the US market.

Instead it’s muddied the waters by claiming that it doesn’t have any compatible hard drives, which we think is unlikely. Many hard drives are interchangeable. It’s one reason why a retailer can’t refuse to take back a faulty computer that it built to a customer’s specifications, such as including a certain graphics card. A customised PC isn’t like a bespoke suit that’s been tailored to fit an individual. Its components can be replaced with others.

We’ve asked HP if it will offer a repair as a goodwill gesture, or at least tell Charles what hard drive he needs. We’ll also ask it to consider ordering the correct hard drive from the US. HP would, however, be legally entitled to charge Charles for postage.

Alternatively, Charles could buy a hard drive and install it himself. But if he does, Microsoft may regard his computer as new again. This would mean Windows would need to be reinstalled, invalidating his licence.

Incidentally, we did check whether Charles had an international warranty, which would have applied in the UK as well as the US. But it was Us-only. Some manufacturers, such as Lenovo, offer an international warranty by default on certain laptops. If you receive an international warranty, you should ask whether it has specific exclusions, such as having to pay to return the product.