Purchasing a new printer should be a smooth experience, but for one customer, their journey with HP customer service quickly turned into a frustrating ordeal. This account details a real-life complaint filed against HP, highlighting the difficulties faced when seeking support for a seemingly simple printer issue. While this particular case involves a printer, it raises broader concerns for anyone relying on HP products, including scanners, and needing to access Hp Scanner Customer Care Number or any form of technical assistance.
Initial Printer Issue and Contacting Support
On July 2nd, 2011, the customer purchased an HP Deskjet Ink Advantage All-in-One series K209a printer. Less than two months later, on August 25th, problems arose. The printer began blinking erratically, preventing any printing. Seeking help, the customer contacted the HP service center and lodged a complaint (Complaint No.: 8053249760). The initial phone support offered a basic troubleshooting step – removing and wiping the color cartridge. However, this advice proved ineffective, and the printer continued to malfunction.
The support representative then suggested the issue lay with the cartridge, classifying it as an accessory not covered under the printer’s warranty. The customer was instructed to personally take the cartridge and purchase bill to service centers located in Vikhroli or Andheri – locations inconveniently far from Navi Mumbai where the customer resided.
The Runaround and Onsite Service Fiasco
Despite the customer’s inconvenience and protest, the representative eventually agreed to arrange an onsite service visit (Onsite Request No. 3574114). An engineer was scheduled to visit on Saturday, August 27th. However, the engineer called late in the afternoon, stating he was on his way, but subsequently failed to appear – and without any follow-up communication or explanation. Monday passed with no contact either.
Finally, on Tuesday, another call came, promising a visit within 1 to 1.5 hours. True to form, the engineer arrived much later, around 7:15 pm, after multiple follow-up calls from the customer. Upon inspection, the engineer confirmed the cartridge was indeed faulty, using his own cartridge to demonstrate the printer’s functionality. Yet, despite confirming the issue, the engineer reiterated the need for the customer to personally take the defective cartridge to Vikhroli or Andheri for assessment. This continued insistence on inconvenient, off-site cartridge examination, even after onsite confirmation of a fault, began to highlight a pattern of poor customer service.
Dealer Visit and Further Disappointment
Frustrated with the service center experience, the customer visited Croma, the dealer in Vashi from where the printer was purchased, hoping for a resolution. They were directed to Santosh Patil at the Vashi HP service center. Unfortunately, this interaction proved equally unhelpful. Mr. Patil reportedly refused cartridge replacement and, mirroring the previous instructions, insisted on the customer taking the cartridge to Vikhroli.
This experience left the customer baffled and exasperated. Having a service center in Vashi, the demand to travel to distant locations for a cartridge issue seemed illogical and deliberately obstructive. The core frustration centered around HP’s classification of the cartridge – an essential component for printer operation – as a separate accessory outside of standard warranty coverage. The customer rightly questioned how a printer could function without its cartridge, especially considering the fault occurred with the original cartridge provided with the new printer, and after minimal use.
Warranty Woes and Customer Disservice
The printer was less than two months old, well within any reasonable warranty period. The customer believed they were entitled to a replacement cartridge. Instead, they faced a frustrating cycle of delays, misdirection, and demands to travel to distant service points – tactics that felt designed to discourage the customer from pursuing their legitimate claim. Even escalating the issue via email to Mr. Rakesh Rasalam (Service Head) is mentioned, indicating attempts to resolve the matter through official channels, although the outcome isn’t detailed in this complaint.
Beyond the cartridge issue, the complaint also references a prior negative experience with HP customer service during the initial printer installation. A request for onsite installation assistance was reportedly refused, with support limited to unsuccessful phone guidance. This prior incident further underscores a pattern of unhelpful and inadequate customer support.
This detailed complaint serves as a cautionary tale for anyone considering HP products. While the focus here is on a printer and cartridge, the underlying issues of poor customer service, warranty loopholes, and inconvenient support processes are relevant across HP’s product range, including scanners. For customers needing help with scanners, finding the HP scanner customer care number might be just the first step in a potentially lengthy and frustrating journey to resolve their issue. Potential buyers should be aware of these service concerns and consider them when making purchasing decisions.
