Digital Camera Goes Kaput
Your options when an HP camera fails and is out of warranty.You can e-mail Aquino at onyourside@pcworld.com.
My HP PhotoSmart 612 digital camera was scarcely four months out of the one-year warranty when it conked out. I read the forums on HP's site and found complaints about the same problem happening with other 612 units shortly after the warranty ended. I have not located any explanation of the problem in HP's online tech support. The only option that HP leaves people is to pay to replace the PhotoSmart 612 with a refurbished model and hope that the problem doesn't happen again.
Alex Nord, Clarkston, Michigan
On Your Side responds: This issue has affected less than half of 1 percent of PhotoSmart 612 users who have called HP tech support, says Jim Kemp, HP's director of consumer and support planning infrastructure. The fact is, Kemp says, "cameras fail." If a camera fails and is out of warranty, the user can exchange it for a current, refurbished HP camera with more features. Upgrading to a PhotoSmart 635 will cost $120; a PhotoSmart 735, $160; and a PhotoSmart 935, $280. These cameras come with 90-day warranties.