Where do I stand?

[beda]

Hi guys, just looking for a few opinions:
Little bit of background -
I'm in my 3rd year of uni, and before i started uni (September 2003), i bought a Compaq HP Evo n620c. It's 1.5 centrino processor, 512mb ram, 60gb Hdd, and fairly lightweight. Anyway, it has been trouble from about a year after i bought it, having gone wrong 6 times, resulting in trips back to HP (business laptop - 3 year warranty). It basically acts like it's being switched between AC power and battery power, and then dies and refuses to play. It did it to me when i was doing an internship in America last summer, and various other tedious times. I got it fixed over christmas, having lodged a big complaint with HP customer services, who said they'd return my call, but when it returned fixed, i decided (naively perhaps) not to chase them. They had replaced the system board (i think) for the third time.
It died again last week, and the guy from the technical staff told me it was ridiculous it kept messing up, and put me through to customer services. After much chasing, as my customer relations manager wouldn't call when she said she'd call (interesting definition of customer service), i spoke to her today. In a complete turnaround from the service i'd been (not) getting previously, I spoke to my person today and she told me that she expected to be calling me tomorrow to tell me i was getting a replacement.
Excuse the long-winded nature of this post, but basically, bearing in mind all this, if HP offer me a replacement laptop, do i have the right to demand a (very) similar model. I love my current laptop, in shape at least, as it is powerful, light etc etc.
If HP offer me a laptop, can i not be picky? or am i allowed to be tricky? I know i's kind of them to be considering replacing my laptop after 30 months of ownership, but it has been broken more for more than half that length of time.
To conclude:
Do i have any rights if i am offered a replacement? ie can i be specific about a matching model, as i'd like a centrino chipset, and similar HDD, RAM, graphics and weight
If i don't get offered a replacement, what are my choices? (other than throwing it away a few weeks after the warranty runs out when it dies again)

Tedious post, but any opinions would be hugely appreciated!


PS if this post breaks the name and shame policy (not my intention), i'm sorry and please edit it moderators

>> Edited by beda on Friday 10th March 00:54

[orgasmicliving!!]

yes, you can demand whatever you like, even a better model. 30 months of hassle and poor customer service -- if you were to chase them in court (and you do have valid grounds) then it would cost them many times more than their most expensive laptop.

ask for whatever you like, and ask like you expect it, not tentatively. if you do not like their response, ask to speak to their manager...keep escalating it till you get to a Vice President.

you should absolutely ask them to make up for your trouble.

>> Edited by orgasmicliving!! on Friday 10th March 16:43

[beda]

Thanks for that, much as I hoped!
I got a call back today and they are sending me a nc6230 laptop, which, even at it's lowest spec, would still be marginally faster, with a better graphics card, and built in wireless, which is sweet!
For faster, i mean it has a faster celeron chip in it, equal ram, 512mb, and a minimum 60gb Hdd, both of which are the same.
Thanks for your reply