China quality watchdog says some HP laptops faulty

An employee walks past a Hewlett-Packard logo in Hong Kong December 5, 2006.

BEIJING (Reuters) - China's quality control watchdog said an investigation into Hewlett-Packard Co showed the company had sold some faulty laptop computers, and ignored consumer protection regulations.

The General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine said in a statement on its website (www.aqsiq.gov.cn) that after consumer complaints, it had found several models were affected by defective video cards and display screens.

Faulty video cards caused overheating, crashing of computers and black screens on some HP Pavilion DV2000 and Compaq Presario v3000 laptops, the report said. Six models including the HP 541 also had problems with their screens, the findings added.

The statement did not say how many computers were affected overall.

HP said on Friday it was aware of the watchdog's report.

"HP acknowledges the findings of the AQSIQ. We are working on a detailed action plan to ensure all points are addressed and will

publicly outline this plan soon," it said, adding its customer care program would look into its customers' needs.

The Chinese watchdog's report said that in its handling of the complaints, HP also ignored rules to protect customers with "three guarantees" of a refund, replacement or repair.

Some 170 people have filed complaints over faulty HP laptops, with their lawyer saying the problems dated back as far as 2007. Their case prompted the quality investigation.

The group that filed the initial complaint wanted the government to investigate and order HP to recall all faulty laptops in China, but the watchdog's report fell short of that.

It has sent its findings to the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and the State Administration for Industry and Commerce, the statement said.

The three bodies will now monitor HP's activities to ensure that it complies with China's consumer protection code, it added.

HP generates more than three-fifths of its revenue outside its U.S. home base. Last month, it said sales from fast-growing emerging countries Brazil, Russia, India and China leapt 41 percent from a year ago.

(Reporting by Emma Graham-Harrison; Editing by Ken Wills and Valerie Lee)