I had a defective HP cartridge under warranty and explored their website to see how to handle it. I spent a lot of time looking, but it appeared to be impossible there. They do have a great program recycling used cartridges, so I was just going to forget it and include the defective cartridge when I had enough empty ones to warrant sending them.
But when the envelope and instructions came, they said include only empty cartridges. The system was seriously messed up so I decided I should say something. So I phoned the number they gave and eventually got a person who was trying to help. After a couple of holds while she was trying to figure out what to do, she was embarrassed to tell me she couldn’t handle it because my computer is a Mac, not a PC. Did I say the system is seriously flawed?
Anyway, she transferred me to a fellow who took some information and agreed, the cartridge was defective, it was part of a bad batch…they would send me out a replacement. I thanked him and said I wasn’t really interested in the cost of the cartridge, my time was worth a lot more than that, I wanted to give them some feedback on their system. They connected me to a supervisor who tried to help but the connection was bad and I heard an echo of everything I said. He tried to fix it but we were cut off on his second try. No problem, he couldn’t have done any good anyway.
But, of course, at this point I waasn’t about to give up. I went back to the web to find a way to contact their main headquarters and found this:
Connect with HP
If you have any comments on how HP Inc. can serve you better, please e-mail them to me by using the form on this page. If you need help, other information or wish to send an e-mail about particular HP products and services, please go to the Contact HP page.
Although I cannot personally respond to your message due to the volume of messages I receive, comments are often passed along to my colleagues throughout HP Inc. Your comments are important to HP, and the HP team frequently takes actions based on them.
Thank you.
Enrique Lores President & CEO,
HP Inc.
OK, I could do that. So I wrote:
I received a defective printer cartridge under warranty and you don’t have any easy way to tell you about it. I spent a lot of time on your website and had no luck. This morning I tried your phone service and spent a couple of hours, first to get to an agent, then to get to the right department. It turns out my cartridge was part of a known bad batch so they are sending a replacement.
Clearly my time was worth more than the price of the cartridge, but I prefer to deal with companies I can trust. I wish your company was serious about honoring cartridge warranties by making it easier to contact you about defective ones. Please let me know if you change your system to do this.
Hopefully….
I didn’t think anything would come of it, but at least I did my part. It was good practice being patient, using my time wisely by waiting on hold, and being friendly with the agents I talked to.
It turns out I was wrong. A woman from their Executive Escalations Department phoned to listen to my concerns. She gave me some numbers to call, including her personal number, if I ever have problems again, and sent a $75 coupon to be used on HP products (with some strings attached) to make up for my time. It was a nice gesture, but I’m still hoping they can eventually do the work involved in straightening out their messy system. I do realize that’s a much bigger problem.
Was perseverance a waste of time in this case? No, it wasn’t even before she phoned and I’m glad I did it.
June 18, 2021
When I first started reading your post, I wasn’t sure if it was “worth it” but maybe one small fish with a way with words, that didn’t say I’m angry-as but rather when will it be easier for “everyone to use” – made an impression…
I decided this morning to let my new phone-tech dude off the hook of helping me with some of the provided apps and a couple of other things – he came back with “what do you need?” and a messenger chat has evolved, where he suggest both uTube and try them out, you don’t have continue using anything if they don’t work out…
so looks like I might have to take up some perseverance myself
Yes, new technology takes patience and perseverance. 🙂
Before I read this I’d say yes, it can be a waste of time.
But reading your post, it definitely was worth it.
I once emailed a magazine about their latest issue and my great disappointment with it, along with exactly what I thought could help improve it and the editor emailed me back!
Another time I contacted a cereal company about a TV commercial and how I was horribly offended and I’d never buy their brand again and I sure there are others who felt the same. I don’t know if they received other comments but I never saw the commercial again. (in the commercial a teenage girl and her mother are sitting eating cereal and the mom said something along the lines -well someday I won’t be here! after a comment from her rude daughter, and the daughter says I can’t wait. I said I thought that was a horrible thing to say as many people including myself have lost their mothers at a young age and would give anything to have them back so it wasn’t in anyway humorous.)
Nowadays… I’m more of the mind to not bother about the magazine/cereal and just toss the ink cartridge, but good for you and your perseverance! It paid off and made you feel better!
Thanks. 🙂
Kudos for your perseverance. I had a similar experience with a facial cleanser made by a very well-known company. Without getting too technical, it basically had a pump dispenser that would release a “foam” cleanser that I liked a lot. But before about 1/3 of the bottle was used, the pump would no longer work. This happened on every bottle I purchased (hitting myself in the head for continuing to buy it). I sent an email to their “contact us” email address explaining the problem. Between mulitple back and forth emails anda couple of phone calls, the customer service representative took all the information, claimed no one had ever complained before, asked me to send photos of the product and the UPC code. All I ever got from them was a “thank you” for your input. I stopped buying the product for several months and then foolishly thought to try it again. Duh – no change, same problem. I wasn’t really looking for any money from them, but at least a refund or a coupon or something would have been nice:)
At least you gave them a chance to show their true colors. HP surprised me on this one.
As my wife once said while working as a bank teller to a customer who apologized for arriving with a huge cash deposit minutes before closing time on a Friday, “If you’ve got the money, I’ve got the time!”
😀
Wow, seems they went over and beyond what would have been expected of them. And thinks to you, they may even be changing some things. Have fun spending the coupon!
We’ll see about the changes…I’m sure it would be a major effort. But they certainly did try.
Good for you sticking with it and following through. This is one of those situations where I would probably get frustrated and give up.
It’s nice to hear about companies who care enough about their customers to get back with them.
Yes, I have a much better impression of HP now.
Good job, gave you lots of practice on research, perseverance, patience and you did win in the end… i am one of the toss it or return to where I bought it.
PS, had another thought. It just amazes me how some websites can turn the simplest thing into major. at times when dealing with our health insurance web site, i lose my temper
Some websites are gems, others are complete messes. 🙁
Great letter! Only once did I reach out to a company’s marketing department. The lotion I loved was sold solely in ‘pump’ containers, so I asked if they might add the option to package product in a tube container — appropriate for travel. Their response? A form letter and two 50-cent off coupons.
I think perseverance is waste of time only if you don’t HAVE the time. This is something I never would have done while working and commuting 10 hrs. a day. I wonder if that’s what companies are banking on.
I agree completely.
I would have just sent it back and demanded a refund. I just can’t deal with stuff like this. More power to you. (I have a nephew who is a retired HP exec…he’d help me…if I HAD their products. ?)
I had planned to ignore it, then got in the mood to see what would happen. I didn’t expect it to go that well.
My computer is fine. My HP printer is fine. My internet is fine. So at the moment, no need to test my levels of perseverance! But I’m very persistent at getting the lowest possible rate for our car and house insurance. If I complain about the high price, they invariably reduce it. Unlike some companies, I guess they want to keep their customers rather than letting them go elsewhere.
Good for you!