In manipulative abuse news from #NotTheOnion: Updated HP Inc is trying to force consumer PC and print customers to use online and other digital support channels by setting a minimum 15-minute wait time for anyone that phones the call center to get answers to troublesome queries.The wait time was added on Tuesday, February 18, according to internal communications seen by The Register, and impacts retail patrons in the UK, Ireland, France, Germany and Italy, though we anticipate more countries could be added."We want to inform you of a change in the NL IVR (natural language IVR) in some countries and languages for Consumer Print and Consumer PC customers in EMEA, effective today," HP says in the memo.At the beginning of a call to telephone support, a message will be played stating: "We are experiencing longer waiting times and we apologize for the inconvenience. The next available representative will be with you in about 15 minutes."To quickly resolve your issue, please visit our website support.hp.com to check out other support options or find helpful articles and assistant to get a guided help by visiting virtualagent.hpcloud.hp.com."Those who want to continue to hold are told to "please stay on the line."On the fifth, tenth, and thirteenth minute, the recorded message will tell HP customers it is "experiencing longer waiting times and we apologize for the inconvenience," and again remind them they may switch to alternatives.To reaffirm the changes, HP says in the staff memo: "The wait time for each customer is set to 15 minutes - notice the expected wait time is mentioned only in the beginning of the call." The message will be read out three times during the wait time, after the initial reading.Source: https://www.theregister.com/2025/02/20/hp_deliberately_adds_15_minutes/. Note how the antisocial bastard who wrote the memo abused the concept of "nudging".
