HP: cat hair is a "biological hazard," voids your warranty

Cory Doctorow 7:10 am Sat Dec 10, 2011

HP refused to service Chris's busted, warranty-covered Elitebook, because a small quantity of cat hair in the fan and on the board constituted a "biological hazard."

He seemed to relent later, and he pretty much agreed with me, so he talked to his supervisor (to make an appeal). Then he gets back on the phone with me and says that the supervisor said that there was SO MUCH cat hair that it's considered a biological hazard. That's absolutely ridiculous, and he wouldn't even give me the number for his supervisor or transfer me to him (why not?).

I probably have more cat hair on my shirt than what was in the laptop. Am I a walking "biological hazard"? I don't think so. Why don't they lock me up and throw me in jail for sending such a dangerous computer into HP's service center? Oh wait… because that's just an excuse to get out of a warranty.

Cat hair or not, I just want my computer fixed. It's a manufacturing defect, and it just so happens that the laptop is sprinkled with a bit of hair.

Can Owning A Cat Void Your HP Warranty?

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