Technosailor - Latest Comments in HP Gives Consumer the Middle Finger

Re: HP Gives Consumer the Middle Finger

Aaron Brazell — Tue, 27 Feb 2007 01:06:55 -0000

Comments closed. The Digg style personal attack can happen on Digg. Not here. Not in my house.

Re: HP Gives Consumer the Middle Finger

Bill — Tue, 27 Feb 2007 01:06:25 -0000

Is Aaron really Thomas?

Aaron says: No, I'm not. I've plainly said I'm a Mac man.

Re: HP Gives Consumer the Middle Finger

Jordan Lund — Tue, 27 Feb 2007 00:59:08 -0000

I think there are some fairly large pieces missing from the story. Was the laptop in question a stock model or was it heavily customized? If it were stock then there's no reason for a huge delay (not that I consider 10 days 'huge' when you're talking about a custom build.)

If, OTOH, he wanted a whole bunch of custom hardware and software then it's going to take time regardless of who he purchased the laptop through.

Re: HP Gives Consumer the Middle Finger

Aaron Brazell — Tue, 27 Feb 2007 00:58:17 -0000

Nor would I want to, DeathBeaver. I have no aspirations to customer service which is why I'm being an ass to you right now. You seem to think the consumer OWES the CSR something. The customer owes nothing to the CSR. The fact that the customer bought something and is a customer is payment enough. On the other hand, companies that handle customers don't generally hire CSRs who "put the customer int heir place" or who "can win an argument with a customer".

Show me one company that does and I'll show you a miserable failure of a company.

Re: HP Gives Consumer the Middle Finger

DeathBeaver — Tue, 27 Feb 2007 00:54:44 -0000

" Does it really matter how customers behave when it comes to customer service? "

This, this right here is the problem. If you do not understand how just asking this question is plain wrong then you will always have a hard time with customer service people.

You wouldn't last a week working customer service.

Re: HP Gives Consumer the Middle Finger

Carol — Tue, 27 Feb 2007 00:43:36 -0000

Well duh, of course we don't know. But it would be pretty amazing that someone as demanding and prissy as Thomas behaved would suddenly turn into sweetness and light. Bottom line is that he behaved badly when he should have started out on better footing.

Re: HP Gives Consumer the Middle Finger

Aaron Brazell — Tue, 27 Feb 2007 00:40:37 -0000

Carol: presumptions. We don't know.

Re: HP Gives Consumer the Middle Finger

Carol — Tue, 27 Feb 2007 00:36:59 -0000

When she suggested that Thomas call the number for the second time, she also suggested that he ask for a supervisor. I daresay he was probably as rude to the supervisor and threw yet another tantrum, so she/he was probably just as unwilling to help him as "Michelle" and "Denise" were. When you start a relationship with the words "I think it's ridiculous..." well -- what exactly do you expect will happen? Whatever happened to "Please"? I don't recall seeing "Thank you" in Thomas' emails, either.

Re: HP Gives Consumer the Middle Finger

Bill — Tue, 27 Feb 2007 00:36:12 -0000

Aaron: I think Denise was routing him to the shipping department. That's not unusual. He should have stayed there until he got escalated to the right person. Instead, he went back to the chat CSR, probably an outsourced script reader.

Re: HP Gives Consumer the Middle Finger

Aaron Brazell — Tue, 27 Feb 2007 00:33:35 -0000

Carol: I don't see anyone yelling in that conversation.

Re: HP Gives Consumer the Middle Finger

Aaron Brazell — Tue, 27 Feb 2007 00:32:04 -0000

DeathBeaver: Change careers. I don't care.

Noah: Does it really matter how customers behave when it comes to customer service? I mean, I don't think Thomas was out of line asking questions and not being satisfied by the results. HPs customer service is not stellar so his expectation of something not very different is not unreasonable. Regardless of how Thomas approached the situation (I don't see his first email as threatening - and definitely not inflammatory), HP has an obligation to customer service or they will take their hits in the public arena. Be real about it.

I think everyone ignores another part of this conversation. Unempowered CSR tells Thomas to call the call center. Which makes me wonder why her job exists at all. Then Thomas does and is told there is nothing to be done. He asks for other suggestions (is this an attack too?). The CSR then recommends calling the same number again.

Why the circular handling? What CAN Denise do? What is the point of her job if not to handle customer service?

Re: HP Gives Consumer the Middle Finger

DeathBeaver — Tue, 27 Feb 2007 00:24:36 -0000

Problem: Your friend couldn't get what he wanted out of HP.

Title of blog : "HP Gives Consumer the Middle Finger"

Behave like an adult? Remove hands from eyes and take own advice.

I have no stock in HP. I do not work for HP. I work in customer support and I deal with customer's like Thomas every day. When Thomas is unhappy, I am the one he writes or calls and gets angry with when he can't get his way.

Re: HP Gives Consumer the Middle Finger

Noah — Tue, 27 Feb 2007 00:23:27 -0000

I agree with the others who pointed out that Thomas was acting like a whiny little beotch. People in the USA have been conditioned to become "the squeaky wheel" until they get what they want. They figure if they cry and stomp their feet and yell that sooner or later they will be given whatever they want. They were brainwashed into believing that "the customer is always right!" (even when he is OBVIOUSLY wrong....)

So, suck-it-up Thomas. You fucked up! You made a mistake when you placed your order. As others have pointed out:

a) You should have chosen a "ships today" laptop instead of the custom-built one

b) Your mistake is no cause for HP to have an emergency

c) You started out making threats to the customer service rep.

Whatever happened to the expression: "You attract more flies with honey than vinegar" ?? If Thomas had started off by being nice to the customer service people he probably would have gotten what he wanted. But, Thomas comes out with the "guns a blazing" and threats the Support people (and HP). They were like: "No... fuck YOU Thomas.... fuck you in your stupid ass"

Re: HP Gives Consumer the Middle Finger

Carol — Tue, 27 Feb 2007 00:17:38 -0000

I think there's a marked difference between business customer service and "home user" customer service. My POS system is from Dell, and I have my own customer service rep. I call, he answers, and has always been able to fix the problem or answer the question. I had to replace the cord on my receipt printer -- presto. A new one was shipped overnight at no charge to me.

No outsourced CSRs, no inexperienced "Ma'am is your computer turned on?" nonsense...just solutions, and quick ones. On the other hand, when I call, I don't make unrealistic demands and I don't yell at the CSR.

Re: HP Gives Consumer the Middle Finger

Kevin A — Tue, 27 Feb 2007 00:09:08 -0000

Thomas should never shop with a huge company like HP, Dell, Gateway, etc. He should go to a company like say Voodoo PC. Smaller companies like that actually give you one on one customer service. You pay a lot more but problems like the ones Thomas is now having usually don't occur. Even if they do, they will take care of you. Come on Thomas, you should know better.

Re: HP Gives Consumer the Middle Finger

Dave — Tue, 27 Feb 2007 00:03:27 -0000

I will never purchase from HP again. I ordered a PC and it arrived DOA. HP said the warranty expired the day it shipped and that the wrong warranty was included with the PC. They had the nerve to tell me that I would have to pay for the repair on a system that never booted up.

The system was returned. I was not offered repair or replacement. Never again will I order from them.

I called 3 or 4 times and emailed several times. I couldn't get to a supervisor that had a clue.

Re: HP Gives Consumer the Middle Finger

eman — Mon, 26 Feb 2007 23:59:52 -0000

I'm willing to wager that a nicer response would have been sent if the original inquiry were not so hostile.

Thomas initiated his conversation with:
"I think it is ridiculous that it is going to take to the 28th of Feb to build my computer, when I ordered it on the 17th."

Having some customer service experience I can say that the tone of the conversation was probably set directly to nasty as soon as Thomas submitted his first inquiry.

You will (almost) always get better customer service when you are nice or sweet talk the support. Think about it, if your job was to respond to emails like this you would likely immediately dismiss, ignore, or put off any messages that were hostile or accusative in nature, and if you had the ability you would send it off to an underling or auto response bot.

Having initiated a conversation like this I am surprised that Thomas received a response at all.

Re: HP Gives Consumer the Middle Finger

UserX — Mon, 26 Feb 2007 23:59:02 -0000

It doesn't matter who you order from, they all treat you the same way, none of them care about anything once they've got your money PERIOD. Dell is just as bad or worse. I deal with them daily and it's a constant battle. I'm amazed that this issue is getting so much attention. I go through this weekly.

Re: HP Gives Consumer the Middle Finger

Aaron Brazell — Mon, 26 Feb 2007 23:35:35 -0000

Jump on the mudslinging bandwagon, Mr... erm, DeathBeaver.

I am an Apple guy. I did not buy the computer. And if you actually read, no one is complaining about how long it took to process the order. Take your feet out of your mouth and behave like an adult. I am not the one whining here. Makes me wonder if you have stock in HP since you're such a fanboy.

Re: HP Gives Consumer the Middle Finger

DeathBeaver — Mon, 26 Feb 2007 23:31:07 -0000

You and your friend Thomas are ridiculous.

Thomas broke his laptop. Laptops are expensive pieces of equipment and as a business PC that Thomas relies on this laptop's worth is even greater. "Freak Accident" = "Stupid and Careless"

Now with a major problem and a clear deadline, Thomas ORDERED a PC. A custom PC. One that was going to take time to build, test, and ship. A ten minute trip to a computer store and he could have avoided all of this. Not thinking clearly, more like clearly not thinking.

And yes I said test. HP isn't stupid enough to build you a PC and send it off without testing it. Because a customer like Thomas or you would boil them in oil if you received a PC that didn't work absolutely perfect. If you take a minute to think about how many (hundreds) of these orders they do in a day. It's amazing they can do it all in 11 days.

On top of being so short-sighted about his purchase, Thomas was rude and childish from the very begining of his emails with HP.

"I think it is ridiculous"
"So, customer service does not seem to be a priority to you."
"I buy two to three cmputers a year"
"it is taking you FOREVER to build it"
"The computer is for business, not video games!!"
"I will not forget this."

When you act like you are a two year old brat. What do you expect in return? You made similar childish statements Mr. "Technology Ninja"

And again on childish. I like how you made a big deal about Thomas being willing to pay for the special shipping he wanted. He damn well should! It was not HP's fault that Thomas was in this situation, and it is not thier job to dig him out of it. He's a big boy for heaven's sake.

If HP made custom shipping arrangements for Thomas, they would have to for you. Because you would go crazy if they denied you after he got it. And then your friends and family. And Thomas' co-workers, and soon everyone who thinks they deserve something for nothing. Which is a big pile of people these days. And if you would like to fund and organize the department that will handle and arrange all of these shipping requests. Then maybe HP will consider it. But right now they're too busy building laptops for people like you who have been calling them because thier laptop is taking FOREVER (11days) and they have a business trip, and they buy 3 PCs a year.

Re: HP Gives Consumer the Middle Finger

Josh — Mon, 26 Feb 2007 23:30:34 -0000

I'm sorry but, to me, it just seemed like Tom was being a complete and utter douchebag to them from the start. 12 days to get an order processed and built is not a long time at all; especially for a company the size of HP. Maybe Tom should stop acting like he's the king of the fuckin' world and read shit BEFORE he agrees to it. Tard.

Re: HP Gives Consumer the Middle Finger

Bill — Mon, 26 Feb 2007 23:22:03 -0000

What is frustrating to me is what I call unempowered customer service. people being nice to you but not solving your problem is even more frustrating sometimes than if they were rude. As I said Thomas was whiny but also seemed a be un-proactive. If you have an issue, you have to be politely agressive. One method I use is to find the right person and instead of threatening them, tell them I'm going to write a note to his supervisor praising him for helping me out. And I always do write.

Re: HP Gives Consumer the Middle Finger

J.R.English — Mon, 26 Feb 2007 23:06:01 -0000

One afternoon during my 20+ years as a Service Mgr for Mercedes-Benz. I returned from lunch and was told that one of my service Reps had failed to resolve a complaint and had been dis-courteous. I was also told that this "Problem" client had left an envelope on my desk. For several years now, I have used the contents of that envelope to illustrate the fragile bond between customer & company.

"I'm Your Customer Who Never Comes Back."

I'm a nice customer. All merchants know me. I'm the one who never complains no matter what kind of service I get. When I go to a store to buy something I don't throw my weight around. I try to be thoughtful of the other person. If I get a snooty clerk who gets irritated because I want to look at several things before I make up my mind, I'm as polite as can be; I don't believe rudeness in return is the answer. I never shout, complain or criticize and I wouldn't dream of making a scene as I've seen people doing in public places. No, I'm the nice customer, but I'm also the nice customer who never comes back.
That's my little revenge for being abused and taking whatever you hand out, because I know I'm not coming back. This way doesn't immediately relieve my feelings but in the long run it's far more satisfying than blowing my top. In fact, a nice customer like myself, multiplied by others of my kind, can ruin a business. And there are a lot of nice people just like me. When we get pushed far enough, we go to another store where they appreciate nice customers.
He laughs best, they say, who laughs last. I laugh when I see you frantically advertising to get me back, when you could have kept me in the first place with a few kind words and a smile. Your business might be in a different town and your situation might be "different," but if your business is bad, chances are good that if you will change your attitude the word will get around and I'll change from the nice customer who never comes back to the nice customer who always comes back and brings his friends.

Re: HP Gives Consumer the Middle Finger

Diego Madiedo — Mon, 26 Feb 2007 23:05:06 -0000

Thomas was whiny? Yes. But is his right to be whiny, being the customer. I know from tech support perspective that a whiny customer is the last we want, but they have the right to be that way.

On the other hand, I work for an IT company, and we are HP authorized resellers. Do you want yo guess the brand for all the consultants laptops? Dell. Why?, HP machines are better, but (at least here in Colombia) Dell customer and technical support is 10000% better than HP. And for "road warriors" this counts more than anything. With a Dell computer, I have never waited more than 24 hrs to get a solution, compared to 10-15 days from HP. If your laptop is an "office on you shoulder" you can't wait that long.

Re: HP Gives Consumer the Middle Finger

Carol — Mon, 26 Feb 2007 23:03:38 -0000

Cat, now that you've taken out the boilerplate...it makes Thomas look like an even bigger crybaby.

As far as I'm concerned the customer service person seems to have tried their best with an unreasonable self-important blowhard of a customer. I wouldn't have been able to stick with it that long.