Typical HP Parts Store problems, I don't have an exact link, however its well documented that HP Parts Store is the absolute pits for anything, which would probably explain why you got a remanufactured printer, and could explain the poor service. I agree that that QoS is pathetic on their part though, and that (among other reasons) is why I haven't purchased an HP product in almost 10 years.

Another thing to note on HP support (and most printer manufacturers) if the printer costs less than the ink, they won't offer support for it (even if they say they do), and will instead just try to replace the unit without asking you any troubleshooting questions (because the printers are designed as throw-aways, internally). This may seem advantageous, however I personally don't want a product thats designed to be trashed every 4 to 6 months because its cheaper to do that than it is to provide technical support for it.