Hardware maker Hewlett-Packard has been growled at by an Aussie consumer watchdog after more than 190 complaints were received about the company's sales of personal computers and printers.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission said that HP was slower than a tortoise on its way up Mount Everest without oxygen and with a heavy load of shopping. ACCC chairman Graeme Samuel said some complaints related to difficulties in contacting and/or receiving consistent responses from Hewlett-Packard or its agent.

On its website, HP claims that it takes approximately 75 calendar days for claims to be processed, some Aussies have waited a year with little communication from HP other than automated responses. A lot of other complaints said that the process to claim the small cash back was so complicated and time consuming that they didn't bother. This is not the first time that HP has been caught skimping on its promised refunds. In November last year, US shoppers were promised 40 per cent refunds on everything in its online store but only delivered 3 per cent.

The ACCC raised its concerns with HP late last year and as a result the company has changed the service provider it uses to manage its cash back and gift promotions. HP said it had streamlined its promotions processes to speed up reward fulfillment and was "now averaging around 40 days for cash back claims to be fulfilled, from validation of proof of purchase"