Hewlett Packard - Rude Customer Service Karma?

About four years ago I purchased an HP laptop. It was assembled from features listed on their site (Pick and choose options). It started malfunctioning not long after I started using it. I contacted the company and was told while there was a recall underway mine was not included (apparently because of the difference in serial numbers due to the online configuring). No amount of talking to them did any good, even when I showed documented behavoir of the laptop that was identical to the recall problem. The laptop was useless for what I needed it for so I put it away and purchased a cheap Acer - It was all I could afford and really couldn't afford that but needed it for work, etc.
Many months later I got the HP laptop out and rebooted it just to see what would happen. I get a message that the laptop is under recall. I immediately call the company only to be told the recall is no longer valid. I explaind the whole story of what happened previously and was told that it was too bad, and that it was my fault for not insisting they open "a ticket" on the problem. I argued politely but firmly that it was HP that was at fault. The man finally said "we will fix it." I said, "Really? You will?" He replied, "Yes, just send us the laptop and $289.00" He was rather smug. I said I was currently using an ACER laptop that was half the cost of my HP and that before I sent them any money to repair the faulty HP laptop I would add $50 to the $289 and buy another ACER. As a side note, my cheap acer is STILL working well. He continued to give me attitude and said it was not their fault I missed the recall (even though I tried to tell them of the problem initially). I finally said, just forget it, and that thanks to their customer service I would NEVER buy another HP product. I told him he was rude and he worked for a sham of a company and I could hardly wait to see HP go down in flames because it wouldn't last with customer service like I had been shown. At the time the company was still a top company. Today, I sit writing on my trusty ACER and watching HEWLETT PACKARD as a company suffer a major meltdown. I would like to think I am just that powerful, but actually, It's just simple Customer Service Karma. Muwahaha!