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In July, we started shopping around for a nice Hyper-Converged infrastructure with HPE. We did the demo, talked the talk for a while and I though we decided that unfortunately, the HPE product was a tad too expensive for a Non-Profit Organization such as the one I work for to purchase much less even request into our budget. We both had good talks and even promised to call each other back next FY (Fiscal Year). I thought we were friends…until you stabbed me in the back by giving my contact information to one of your “marketing agencies”. Now here I sit daily, receiving calls from a marketing Agency on behalf of HPE trying to sell me hyper-convergence…or anything we may be interested in. Here is how it goes:

phone rings

Me: IS, this is Mike.

Caller: Hi this is (name omitted) calling from HPE looking for (name of staff member)

*I look at caller ID and it says (name omitted) Marketing

Me: This says you are (name omitted)

Caller: Well yes but we want to see if you are interested in HPE’s hyper-converged solution or any other HPE product.

Me: I already have an HPE rep. Please don’t call again. We do not take calls from marketers as we usually have more important things to be doing.

Caller: But Sir, we have this great deal…

Me: You have a good day

Hangs up the phone

1 minute later

phone rings again

Me: IS, this is Mike

Caller: Hi this is (name omitted) calling from HPE looking for (name of different staff member)

Me: Ma’am I told you once and I won’t tell you again. Stop calling.

Hangs up the phone

instant phone ring

Me: This is Mike

Caller: Hi this is (name omitted) calling from HPE looking for (name of yet another different staff member)

Rinse and repeat again and again and again. Day after day this happens. Unfortunately, HPE since you can no longer contain your hound dogs, I am honestly considering removing you from our vendor list altogether. You took my trust and eagerness to learn more about the solutions you have to offer…and you have now corrupted it like a bad mbr…

@HPE

40 Spice ups
2

Burn them, burn them hard.

Henry Gomez is Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing and Communications Officer for Hewlett Packard Enterprise.

Finding a working email for him is an exercise left for @OP

[edit]

You tried being nice, you tried being blunt. Now it’s time to Not Be Nice and use Blunt Objects.

4 Spice ups
3

It seriously made me want to crucify my phone at times.

1 Spice up
4

If I do not know the number…I do not answer. They can leave a message and I will call back if I want to talk.

5 Spice ups
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Thats just it, It’s a help desk line they have somehow gotten ahold of.

1 Spice up
6

I’d answer and put them on hold ‘while I am looking for person x’, not.

Just leave them on hold until they hang up. ¯_(ツ)_/¯

15 Spice ups
7

Yup, that’s what I do for my cell phone.

Can’t do that with the work phone lol

3 Spice ups
8

That or transfer to a void number that will give them endless hold music. Or to the never gonna give you up hotline.

1 Spice up
9

I’d ask them to never call back and supply free t-shirts

My work number/email is now all over the place from attending conferences and events for IT. Over the last year I’ve given up on talking/emailing sales people back. Not trying to be mean, just don’t have the time. The worst is picking up a call thinking it’s someone from a support ticket you opened and it ends up being a sales call. Hate it!

1 Spice up
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Or hotline bling, whichever is worse

You could always just tweet him - https://twitter.com/magicgus
or Redirecting...
I also have a home address and phone number… but I don’t think you want to go THAT far.

1 Spice up
11

I feel some of your pain!!!

I get these as well, although not that often. I get them where they say they are HPE or even Cisco. At this point we don’t answer UNKNOWN or blocked caller ID’s, nor do we answer any ID without a name. I am tired of them trying to spoof local numbers to get you to think it is someone local. Just because it is my area code does not mean I will answer.

You cannot tell me that they generate enough business from these silly cold calls to make it worth while. All they do is piss everyone off, and any money made is negated 10 fold by pissing us off.

12

Ask them for a credit card number, tell they you charge $4 per minute.

2 Spice ups
13

There is a company that keeps calling here asking to send me white papers.

They call like three times a week. I got really tired of it.

So I took their number and made a call queue that doesn’t ring anywhere. It just plays hold music. Then wrote a rule to transfer this white paper company to the blackhole queue.

Every once and a while I look at the log to see how many people get sent to that queue and get a laugh. They sit there and listen to hold music for about 5-10 minutes before they hang up.

14 Spice ups
14

You would think that they would get the message. Not really going to change my mind after the umteenth call, oh wait here is my credit card send me your product.

2 Spice ups
15

I screen every call that is not internal or a known number. The only reason I have voicemail is for salespeople lol. 90% of the time they don’t even leave a message.

1 Spice up
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Hey Mike! I’m so sorry to hear about this experience, and completely understand how you could be frustrated. I just wanted to make sure you know that we’re looking into this for you and will provide you some more answers ASAP! In the meantime, Haley and I are here to help or answer other questions if needed.

Sorry again!

@haley-for-hpe

1 Spice up
17

Mike - quick follow-up to Kelsea’s note. The reason you got the call is you attended a recent event and someone was following up. Honestly, the reason we do events is to find customers that are interested. It’s never our intent to annoy anyone.

My wife and I have stopped answering our phone at home unless we know the number so I definitely feel your pain and hear you loud and clear.

In your case, we we have removed you from our calling list. Appreciate you calling this out and feel free to contact me directly if you need something in the future.

4 Spice ups
18

Unfortunately, your statement isn’t accurate.

1: If you are looking at my username and seeing the contact info I put down there…wrong. I attended SW last year and register my username and email to all events separate from my Company.

2: They are asking for staff members that have never even heard of HPE AND have never attended an HPE event.

3: They are calling the help desk line and going through a list of names and employees that frankly, we have no clue how they got.

5 Spice ups
19

It’s s**t like this that would make me want to never order from a company again.

If I need something, I will call you. If you don’t hear from me, it means I don’t need anything.

Calling me out of the blue will only achieve me shopping other vendors on basic principle.

2 Spice ups
20

Isn’t there a law that requires telemarketers to take you off their call list if you verbally request it?

1 Spice up