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I work in tech in a decision making capacity on an Analytics team, and have just moved positions in the last couple of months.

In my former role, I inherited a team using a data analysis product, well known in our field, that seemed well suited to the needs of the organization from a reporting / analysis standpoint.

However, our experience with the product was not good, support was lacking, the product itself was expensive, and new features the product released seemed like they were taking the organization in a direction that would not make it any more useful for us.

The software would periodically ask for feedback on how we were using it, and whether we'd recommend it to peers. I took every opportunity to provide a low rating and some reasoning each time I was asked, but didn't specifically speak to our representative due to being busy with other tasks. The product still worked technically for our use case and it didn't seem worth creating an issue based on our frustrations with the product. There were bigger fish to fry.

Now, in my new role, a salesperson for the same product has found me on a networking site. They know my former role and that we were customers, and have reached out to ask me to set up a meeting with my new employer.

I am in a position to recommend new software and solutions in my new role, but obviously I'm not at all interested in recommending this product to my current employer. We already have a suite of data analysis tools, which, while not perfect either, are an improvement over the product on offer.

Now, here's my dilemma. I've been bugged in many roles by persistent salespeople who want to get a conversation started. I don't blame them, although I find it distracting and would prefer to avoid having multiple conversations to convince them I'm not interested. In this case, I can supply a laundry list of reasons why I was dissatisfied with their offering in my former role, and I feel like it would be quicker to just explain that my prior experience was not a good one, and that I would not under any circumstance recommend their product, rather than remaining vague and giving my usual answer (something along the lines of "we already have a satisfactory platform implemented", which doesn't sit well with salespeople who want to convince me their product is superior).

Is there any reason why I should avoid being honest and explaining that I'm a dissatisfied customer? I don't think it reflects poorly on my current or previous employer, and I'm not speaking for anyone who would like to consider new products in this area as it's ultimately my decision, but I paused on the send button and want to make sure I'm not about to make a mistake.