Jessie and the HP DV6-1230us prohibitively large battery

Jessie bought a laptop! After months of deliberation and study, Jessie decided on purchasing an HP laptop in a DV6 chassis with a T6500 processor, 4 GB of RAM, and at least a 250GB hard drive. Fortunately, OfficeMax not only has a great deal on one (a DV6-1230US), but there's a $50 rebate at PriceGrabber on the model! Fantastic, right?

Not exactly. We noticed that OfficeMax (and BestBuy) display the models in the store without a battery installed. We figured this had something to do with preventing anyone from stealing a battery, and it was nothing we should worry about. When we get to the checkout line, we notice that the side of the DV6-1230US box says "12-cell battery". We both wonder if that's a typo. 12? Really? Certainly they meant 6. Right? How could it be 12? That must be one fancy long-lasting battery, right?

Not exactly. It's just two 6 cell batteries shoved into the same package. Note that the DV6 chassis is designed for a 6 cell battery. As a consequence, it looks like your laptop is sitting on top of another battery to prop it up. Here's an image from the side (with laptop upside down to see the battery):

Here's an image from the back (again, with laptop upside down):

Check out the size of that wart! That's not portable! That's not going to fit in any laptop bag/pouch/etc!

We could purchase a 6-cell battery on-line for around $80, but for all we know the DV6-1230US needs the extra under-laptop space for ventilation. It's crazy upsetting. I guess it's not surprising that you get screwed when you ask for "service" from a company that goes by the name of "Huge Pecker."