[Eril-l] Perhaps a common sort of question re research on the Internet

[Walter Miale]

I'm not a librarian, but in the past list members have taken my 
queries and communications in good humour, so I'll try another post.

You have no doubt noticed that corporations, on websites and 
elsewhere, tend to make it difficult ---more so than in the past--- 
for customers and the public to communicate with it. Addresses and 
coordinates are often concealed, and often Google does not help very 
much.

For example, I have a fairly new printer/fax machine from 
HP---Hewlett-Packard. The user guide is quite long, but the set up 
instructions for so simple a task as sending and receiving faxes are 
contradictory and impossible. Actually. I called HP tech support and 
waited  --actually-- on hold for about an hour before being 
accidentally (I'm sure) disconnected by the "specialist" located in 
the Philippenes. I was crazy enough to call back, and this time after 
only about ten minutes was informed that I would have to be 
transferred to another department. At this point it was mainly 
curiosity that got me to endure the telephone music on the 
speakerphone. The rep promised he would do the transfer efficiently 
and would stay on the line till there was a response, but guess what, 
I was on hold for 90 minutes  --yes, 90 minutes--  and then noticed 
that it was then a few minutes to what was given as closing time, and 
then guess what happened.  This was day before yesterday.

I have found that often corporations (for example, phone company and 
electric company) provide a much higher tier of service when there is 
a referral from the executive office as a result of a consumer call. 
I did a Google web search for HP and got to a company page that has a 
listing for investor relations  ---this was about six hours ago--- 
and left a phone message saying I had a question about the company. 
The info I seek is for the name and coordinates for the CEO at HP, to 
whom I had it in mind to post or fax a letter if I could not get 
through to the secretary. I guess that is still my plan if I ever do 
back from Investor Relations.

My next thought was to phone the local library tomorrow, where the 
incredible service actually includes inter-library loans: if the 
Waterloo library does not have a book, they will try to get it from 
the library in Granby. Imagine!  (In the small town in Texas I lived 
in forty years ago the public library would provide a book from the 
UCLA library or elsewhere within a few days.) And then I thought of 
Eril-L, with the idea that my problem may be of more general 
interest. Is it?

I hope so, and even hope it may be useful.

Thanks.

Walter

Walter Miale, PhD
Green World Center
Waterloo, Quebec
w at greenworldcenter.org
www.greenworldcenter.org
www.itsyourmovie.org
www.imagesmiale.com
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