HP intentionally made customers hold for 15 minutes for telephone customer service, then quickly canceled it due to backlash

Official render of the HP LaserJet Pro 3002dwe, one of the printers being discontinued.
(Image credit: HP)

According to The Register, HP put up a 15-minute waiting time for its customer service to encourage its customers to move to digital channels like the support.hp.com website or its virtual agent at virtualagent.hpcloud.hp.com. However, a subsequent report says that the company has canceled the policy due to customer and staff backlash.

HP recently instituted a mandatory 15-minute wait time for customers calling its hotline for service. The interactive voice response (IVR) says, “We are experiencing longer waiting times and we apologize for the inconvenience. The next available representative will be with you in about 15 minutes,” even if there’s no telephone queue.

The 15-minute hold policy first went live in HP’s UK, Ireland, France, Germany, and Italy contact centers earlier this week but was canceled just one day after The Register published its story. Thus, the company seems to have finally caved into external pressure.

Still, a source previously said to the publication, “Many within HP are pretty unhappy [about] the measures being taken and the fact those making decisions don’t have to deal with the customers who their decisions impact.”

Customer service staff likely gave this feedback as they would have to deal with irate customers who, on top of encountering an issue with their HP device, are made to unnecessarily wait a quarter of an hour to talk to a human being.

The company defended its previous action by saying, “We’re always looking for ways to improve our customer service experience. This support offering was intended to provide more digital options with the goal of reducing time to resolve inquiries.”

HP then added, “We have found that many of our customers were not aware of the digital support options we provide. Based on initial feedback, we know the importance of speaking to live customer service agents in a timely fashion is paramount. As we result, we will continue to prioritize timely access to live phone support to ensure we are delivering an exceptional customer experience.”

HP’s support website and virtual agent are often helpful for basic troubleshooting; however, not everyone is technologically inclined to find and follow these solutions. Furthermore, those who know their way around computers would likely already have visited these support pages and are calling telephone support as a last resort. So, adding a 15-minute wait time is like HP shooting itself in the foot to reduce its customer service personnel.

Jowi Morales
Contributing Writer

Jowi Morales is a tech enthusiast with years of experience working in the industry. He’s been writing with several tech publications since 2021, where he’s been interested in tech hardware and consumer electronics.

  • Jabberwocky79
    So the way HP wants to educate its customers about digital customer support alternatives is to make customers so mad they give up trying to reach a human. That is the most HP thing I've ever heard about HP
    Reply
  • DS426
    I'm just glad that HP isn't like this on the business customer side.
    Reply
  • Co BIY
    HP is the most anti customer organization I am aware of.
    Reply
  • Jabberwocky79
    Co BIY said:
    HP is the most anti customer organization I am aware of.
    In the tech sphere for certain - and that's saying something.
    Reply
  • DS426
    Co BIY said:
    HP is the most anti customer organization I am aware of.
    I'm pretty sure that honor either goes to Apple or Microsoft.
    Reply
  • Jabberwocky79
    DS426 said:
    I'm pretty sure that honor either goes to Apple or Microsoft.
    I dunno... I've been a customer of all 3 (Apple, MS, and HP) and as the family tech guru, helped relatives who were HP customers, and based on my experience, HP has been the most insidious, anti-consumer company I've ever dealt with, no contest. And that's saying something, because I hate Apple too.

    If you want specifics, the proprietary equipment that doesn't work properly, the dark patterns they employ in their UI, bloatware, and downright criminal behavior with their printer subscription ink program all get them the top award at sucking.
    Reply
  • hotaru251
    We as a society need to literally just unite and never buy HP product :| They do their best to screw the consumer at every chance.
    Reply
  • Sluggotg
    When I have an issue with a product, I, (Like most of the people on this forum), exhaust all online resources before I call a support line. Long wait times are a reflection of how the company treats is customers overall.

    HP used to be a great company, (decades ago). A mandatory 15 minute wait? That shows they have Zero respect for their customers. This will not go well for them.
    Reply
  • RTX 2080
    DS426 said:
    I'm pretty sure that honor either goes to Apple or Microsoft.
    Like @Jabberwocky79 said, I think it’s actually HP.

    Microsoft loves overcomplicating simple things (nobody asked for widows recall) and can’t seem to release a significant Windows update without breaking something, but otherwise I think they’re fine.

    Sure Apple is expensive and everything is proprietary, but they generally stand behind their products and are pretty good at repairing stuff for you so long as your device isn’t legacy status. For example, they are one of the few smartphone manufacturers that I am aware of that will replace your smartphone battery for you. They also support their phones with security updates much longer than most Android manufacturers do, so I don’t understand all the hate Apple gets for planned obsolescence.

    HP though is on another level than anyone else. They are legendary for their scummy tactics in the inkjet printer business and they cost cut their consumer PCs so hard in the late 2000’s that my Dad’s HP laptop from that era was the last PC he ever bought. (He had been buying HP since the 90’s). It was so bad that he switched to MacBooks after that!

    This, amusingly, sounds exactly like the kind of counterproductive boneheaded tactic that HP would try to save a few bucks. They can’t help it, it is ingrained in their toxic cost-cutting corporate DNA.
    Reply
  • Jabberwocky79
    hotaru251 said:
    We as a society need to literally just unite and never buy HP product :|
    I've certainly been doing my part for the cause ;)
    Reply