2:44pm: I faxed my Chapter 93a demand letter to HP.
3:48pm: My case manager left voicemail asking me to fax him copies of my receipts.
4:59pm: I faxed the receipts.
5:30pm: My case manager called. He agreed to refund my money. However…
Apparently unwilling to go down without a fight, he informed me that he would be unable to refund the sales tax on my purchases. I informed him that since I was returning the products to the company from which I had purchased them, it was in fact illegal to refuse to refund the sales tax; that I was done negotiating with him on his terms and it was his term to negotiate with me on mine; and that if he needed to get someone to authorize him to refund the sales tax, he’d better go ahead and do that, because otherwise I was just going to go ahead and sue HP as I explained in my letter. He put me on hold for a minute and then came back and agreed to refund the sales tax.
However, because he apparently just couldn’t resist trying to make this experience as bad as possible for me in every respect, he informed me that I would have to take the two replacement printers to a FedEx drop-off location, although he would send a pick-up label for the original printer. I once again informed him that I was no longer interested in negotiating on his terms, and that he was either going to send me labels to have all the items being returned picked up from my home at HP’s expense, or I would be filing suit against HP in thirty days.
He again informed me that he was not going to authorize home pick-up for the two replacement printers, at which point I cut him off, told him that I was finished discussing the issue, he had my terms in writing, and he should get back to me when he was ready to abide by them.
He called back a few minutes later, but I ignored his call and deleted his voicemail without listening to it. I then sent the following letter by fax:
Case #__________
April 14, 2008
I will no longer discuss this issue on the telephone. If you call and I answer, I will hang up. If you leave messages, I will ignore them. I am finished arguing with you on the telephone.
You may correspond with me in writing via mail to __ ___ Street, ___, __ _____-____; email to jik@alum.mit.edu; or fax to ___-___-____.
As I explained in my letter, I expect the three printers, cartridges and photo paper to be picked up from my home at HP’s expense, and I expect to be refunded for their full purchase price, including sales tax, as shown in the receipts I faxed to you earlier today.
I will not allow any of these items to leave my possession until I have written confirmation from you that I will receive a refund of the full amount, $354.78. Please note that the total in my last letter was incorrect due to an error, as you can confirm by adding up the totals on the receipts.
It’s outrageous that you attempted, in violation of the law, to refuse to refund the sales tax I paid to HP.
It’s outrageous that you refused to send a delivery service to pick up all the packages from my house. After wasting more than nine hours of my time, do you really think it’s worth tarnishing HP’s image even further by refusing to pay $16 to pick up the four packages (three printers, plus a fourth box with the cartridges and paper)?
The fact that HP has resorted to customer “support” whose goal is clearly not to make customers happy, but rather to eke every possible penny out of every customer interaction, is yet another proof of the depths to which HP has fallen. I have used HP products for over two decades. I remember when it wasn’t like this. What a disappointment.
When you are ready to pick up the packages and refund my $354.78, you may send four pickup-authorized return labels to the address listed above, along with written confirmation that I will receive a refund of $354.78 within 30 days of when the returned items are delivered to you. There is no reason to contact me again if you are not prepared to do this.
You have thirty days to comply before I file suit against HP.
Don’t waste your time or mine attempting to contact me again by telephone.
Sincerely,
Jonathan Kamens
I have been going through a similar ordeal with HP. I totally relate to your experience, and I thank you for posting this. I am disgusted with HP.
Good for you!