Readers weigh in on telemarketing, printer ink, and poor HP service

Gripe Line readers are a vocal bunch, lending noteworthy insights on other readers’ unfortunate tech plights. Here are a few entertaining and insightful reactions to recent gripes.

In response to “How to sue telemarketers and win,” reader Jerry writes, “I hate telephone survey agents so I have a bit of fun with them. I tell the caller that I’m happy to help but I will first need their billing address and credit card number. When they ask why, I say, ‘Do you get paid to do this survey work?’ The answer is always yes. So I reply that I get, too, paid for my work and that my rates are $75 per hour, with a four-hour minimum. And if they are willing to pay my rates, I will gladly answer their questions. After a stunned silence, they are gone and I have a laugh. No one has paid me yet!”

[ It’s not too late to have speak up in the Gripe Line: “The myths and strange science of printer ink” | “How to sue telemarketers and win” | “Disgruntled HP customer meets happy resolution” | Frustrated by tech support? Get answers in InfoWorld’s Gripe Line newsletter. ]

And Fred reports that the many informed and pertinent comments from readers on “The myths and strange science of printer ink” made for good reading. I have to agree. After reading those comments, I feel as if I have been to school on using remanufactured and refillable ink cartridges. I might even try it again.

Fred also points out that not all printer manufacturers are as open-minded as HP when it comes to using off-brand cartridges. He bought a Lexmark 605S all-in-one printer this year and had to agree to use only Lexmark Ink cartridges.

“It was printed on the box, and I had to agree to it during setup,” he explains. “If I was planning to use off-brand cartridges, it informed me, I should return the unit to the store for a refund.” He kept the printer and has found the ink cartridges to be very reasonably priced.

“The printer displays the amount of ink left in the cartridge, and it works right down to below 5 percent,” he reports. He is very happy with the printer: “It is a full-function copier and scanner. It even prints double-sided. We use it entirely with  802.11n wireless. So I can even print to it from my 10-year-old Thinkpad.”

In response to my recent saga on HP support, “Disgruntled HP customer meets happy resolution,” P.B. who owns an IT services company, reports, “When it comes to PCs and laptops, I have been an HP ‘fan’ for at least six years.”

P.B. has purchased HP systems for himself and for customers, but his goodwill toward the company was tested by a series of unsatisfactory support experiences. “I’m typing this email on my HP desktop,” he says. “But in 2006, I started having issues with HP support. The customer service I’ve received from them has been getting worse with each call. Two years ago, I spent five hours (yes, five hours) being transferred from one department to another, in one country or another — all in Asia. One of the guys in India was so rude that told me to [bleep] off. I’m glad I didn’t have them on a speaker; I was calling from the customer’s site and didn’t want to expose my customer and this language.”

Finally, after a journey around the world and an education in spice words, P.B. spoke to someone who was able to log into his computer remotely and fix the problem. “It took less than 30 minutes to fix. But he was the first person to try a fix.”

Ironically, after that support call journey, he got a survey asking about his support experience.

“I shared my experience and left my phone number, thinking that since it was such a horrible experience someone would call me,” he says. Nobody did.

“I really hope that HP makes the right move with their tech support,” he says. “The company used to make good computers and provide great tech support.”

Got gripes or questions? Send them to christina_tynan-wood@infoworld.com.

This story, “Readers weigh in on telemarketing, printer ink, and poor HP service,” was originally published at InfoWorld.com. Read more of Christina Tynan-Wood’s Gripe Line blog at InfoWorld.com.