The change came into effect this week on February 18, impacting customers in the UK, Ireland, France, Germany and Italy.

HP alerted staff in a memo, writing, "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,"

IVR stands for Interactive Voice Response, meaning customers would be directed to an automated phone menu system.

The memo continues, "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."

Upon ringing telephone support, customers will be played the following message.

"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 unable to navigate the online system, will be told to "please stay on the line."

Customers will be told that HP is "experiencing longer waiting times and we apologize for the inconvenience," and again remind them they may seek help online.

The change comes as HP pushes for customers to figure out their issues themselves via online support.

In HP’s words, the move is "Encouraging more digital adoption by nudging customers to go online to self-solve”.