Is it possible to complain to HP Instant Ink if they fail to provide the service you paid for?

[takayama1]

How do I complain to Instant Ink?  I thought I was guaranteed ink?  That was the service I had paid for. But I was sent a faulty cartridge that didn't communicate with HP (as I found out when the Instant Ink support line went through diagnositcs this morning) so HP didn't know I had run out. I had to run out last night and buy a £28 cartridge to print out material I needed at 7am this morning. The Helpline was closed at 1030 when I was working and the online virtual agent told me my printer was out of guarantee so no help available!  Failure all round by HP!  The woman on the support line told me she didn't know the answer about how to escalate this. She first told me she didn't have a manager and then conceded she did have a manager!  But that she didn't 'the option' to help me with my issue!  I don't see why I need to foot the bill for the cartridge if I have 'guaranteed ink from HP'!  Does anyone know?  Does HP care?  Or can they just take my money and run and do whatever they wish because I am so small compared to them?

[Echo_Lake]

@takayama1

Thank you for posting on the HP Support Community.

Don't worry as I'll be glad to help, in order to bring your issue to the attention of an appropriate team within HP. I am sending you a private message. Please check the mailbox icon at the top-right corner of this screen.
 

Hope this helps! Keep me posted for further assistance.
Please click “Accept as Solution” if you feel my post solved your issue, it will help others find the solution. Click the “Kudos, Thumbs Up" on the bottom right to say “Thanks” for helping!

[takayama1]

ECHO LAKE:  To be honest, I am a little surprised by some of the personal questions you have asked in your personal message to me. They don't have anything to do with my complaint. I've pretty much given the details above. Why do you need to know my family name, my HP printer serial number, my home address, my personal email details and so on?  Why not just put the solution here?  I deal with scammers as part of my day job, and I have to admit your email to me sounds like the first step to a scam. I'm going to see if there's a way I can report you to admin - or you can try to resolve my solution here, in the open. 

[takayama1]

ECHO LAKE:  You've just emailed me again saying there are limited boundaries of how you can help. Let me explain why your email looks suspicious. This is what you write:

First Name: 

Last name: 

Country: 

Case Number: 

Email address:   

Telephone Number:  

HP Model number: 

HP Product Number: 

Product Serial Number: 

Description of the issue:

• (Ensure you do not share any of your personal information in public such as serial, phone number, email ID, etc...).

So you see, on the one hand you ask for my serial number, phone number, email id, and at the bottom of the email, you warn me not to share it!  

Look, I was promised a certain level of service. Guaranteed ink. I was sent a faulty cartridge that did not communicate with HP when it was running out. Unfortunately it ran out late at night. HP support was closed and the virtual agent didn't help. So I had to buy a cartridge in a shop to do what HP had guaranteed to do. I WAS SENT A FAULTY CARTRIDGE!  I can send the cartridge to HP if you want. Then HP can examine it and LEARN from it so it doesn't happen again. Excellence in customer service is that easy. Learn from mistakes. So I would like to engage someone who is able to say something beyond 'computer says no' as that's all that HP customer service seems to provide. I am trying to be helpful!  If you want to be helpful, ask for the MINIMUM amount of personal information and then you can find me on your database!  That's all you need to do!  

[Bob_Headrick]

Sorry things are not going as you wanted. I had initially asked to have your case escalated. @Echo_Lake is a legitimate HP Support agent.  The reason she asks for the information is to verify who you are and be able to access the proper account.

As for the personal information, the information she asked for is personal information, and is needed to address your case.  You highlighted the wrong portion  - you said:

Description of the issue:

• (Ensure you do not share any of your personal information in public such as serial, phone number, email ID, etc...).

A more appropriate highlighting would be as follows:

Description of the issue:

• (Ensure you do not share any of your personal information in public such as serial, phone number, email ID, etc...).

The important thing here is to not share private information in public - like the open forum here.  The private messaging system is private.  As long as you are communicating in the private messaging system to a legitimate HP Support agent your information would be safe.

If you do not want to deal with the HP Support agent through the private messaging system I would suggest you go to the HP Instant Ink site, the phone number will be listed in the lower center of the opening screen.   You can also find the phone number near the top of the page in the Terms of Service document here:  https://instantink.hpconnected.com/uk/en/terms.

Note: I am *not* an HP Support agent, and I will not ask for any personal information, either in the forum here or through the private messaging system.