HP Instant Ink: a happy customer service experience

After the recent Customer Service nightmare that I had when trying to order from 24hourwristbands.com, it was going to take an outstanding experience to restore my faith in the system.

Well, I can report that miracles DO happen, thanks to HP customer service.

On Thursday, my not-that-old HP printer broke, and needed to be replaced. What made matters worse was that I had JUST replaced the black ink with an expensive XL cartridge, and none of the replacement models use that size. (I ended up giving it to a friend, and in hindsight, I think that mitzvah resulted in the good fortune that was to follow.)

I looked online and scoped out another all-in-one printer/scanner/fax/copier model, and it was listed on Staples at a sale price of $79.99 (down from $99.99).  I considered ordering it right away and arranging pick up at my local store, but decided to go down and have a look at it in person first.

Smart move #1.

My new acquisition: an HP 3830 All-in-One Printer

When I got there, a sales clerk asked me what I was looking for, and said, "Oh, I think that model is on sale today, actually." The printer ended up being on special for only $49.99, despite what the website price said, and it included 2 months free of Instant Ink subscription.  The printer itself also came with 3 months free of Instant Ink, so I went ahead and purchased it. 

When I got home and started setting everything up, I had difficulty getting the enrollment card to "take" during registration, so I decided to contact the online "live chat" customer service rep.


Smart move #2.

Long story short: the rep identified the problem quickly, walked me through the online set up process, and without my even asking for anything, offered me an additional coupon code for 2 more months free, for a total of 7 months' worth of a free Instant Ink subscription. That, combined with the steal of a deal I got on the printer itself, made for a great customer experience.