If It Prints, I'll Let You Know

Defective HP Printer? Fax Original Receipt in the Next 30 Minutes!

I will have to be the first to admit that there are times when I am a customer service representative’s worst nightmare — because I will not back down and will give a rep an earful when I am stuck with a gadget or service that is not working properly.

I felt for this guy Ron from Utah who shared his less than pleasant experience (to say the least) with HP customer service on The Consumerist. And it is mainly because I had a similar experience – albeit with perhaps more pleasant-speaking reps, at least – with HP customer service.

HP printer Let’s check out Ron’s story. Apparently, he purchased what he presumed was a brand new HP photo printer. After registering the machine and receiving a confirmation from the HP website, he proceeded to set up the printer. Unfortunately, the printer was not working properly, so Ron called the 1-800 number provided.

And guess what he had to deal with while on the call? First, he learned that the warranty on his “brand new” printer is expired, and then talked to a rude manager, who told him that he had half an hour to fax his original receipt all the way to India. He reportedly complained to HP about it, but was simply ignored. It is a good thing that the store that he bought the printer from gave him a full refund.

This should be a wake up call for HP. It is the “little things” such as this, when accumulated, lead to a company’s being thought of as the least reliable among printer manufacturers. We certainly hope that HP does something about this.