To Mike Hurd, CEO, HP

This is the email I sent to HP earlier.  Unfortunately they limit you to 3500 characters or one page in length. Bleh! :(

Five years ago I purchased a custom built ZV6000 through a "build your own" program at Office Depot and while technology has moved on I never thought my computer was lacking in anything and for that I've been very satisfied.  Recently, however, the laptop stopped.  It powers up but will not boot from either the CDROM or the HDD.  I inserted a new blank HDD and tried to load WinXP with no success.  I'm thinking maybe something on the motherboard finally gave out.  Therefore I'm in the market for a new laptop and will purchase one in the next 7 to 10 days.

While researching my next purchase HP has been on the forefront of my list due to my extreme happiness with my ZV6000.  That being said, I am also financially strapped and must make a shrewd decision involving what form my next laptop will take.  While researching options I remembered a Trade-in program HP had a while ago so I called the main customer support number to discover if my ZV6000 would qualify for any sort of trade-in rebate.  I choose option 2 then option 5 and speak to a woman who cannot answer my question but sends me to the Trade-in department instead.  Okay.  Once I explain what I'm looking for, the woman there replied, "Okay, um..." I head a couple of bleeps and I'm back in the main menu to which I dialed into in the first place.  I was not pleased.

I then spoke to a man, explained that I wanted to talk to the Trade-in department about a laptop who, instead of sending me there, decided to send me to post-purchase support where I spoke with Aubrey (she's the only name I received).  Aubrey seemed like she was reading from a script and even though I informed her (fairly angrily at this point) of my desire to speak with someone from Trade-in support, she kept asking me for my purchase order number.  I then told her I wanted to take the customer satisfaction survey I was asked to take when I first dialed into HP's customer support line.  She was unable to transfer me due to a need for a purchase order number.  I couldn't believe that.

Is HP only interested in customer satisfaction of new purchases?

When all was said and done, Aubrey was very helpful and found the answers to my question regarding the Trade-in program and how it is only for printers right now; however she went right back to the script and asked me what kind of printer I wanted to trade back to HP.  I had to tell her, again, how I was calling in reference to a laptop and not a printer.

Suggestion: Customer support should receive better training.  I know a script is easier and less expensive but it doesn't give customer care the ability to take care of customer needs in a timely efficient manner that satisfies the customer. I have worked in and managed call centers before, all without a script, and received high praise for customer relations and satisfaction.  It is possible to break the corporate mold.

I could get deeper and break it down a little more and offer more suggestions, but I am limited to 3500 characters and have probably surpassed that already.