HP: That print-free-for-life deal we promised you? Well, now it's pay-per-month to continue using your printer ink
- Reference: 1605181510
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2020/11/12/hp_free_printing/
- Source link:
"During the pandemic, home printers have become far more important to our lives," said Cory Doctorow of the digital-rights warriors at the EFF. "It's hard to imagine a worse time for HP to shove its hands deeper into its customers' pockets."
What's happened is this: HP runs a thing called [1]Instant Ink , in which you pay a monthly fee, and periodically get sent ink cartridges to fit into your printer. The amount you pay dictates how many pages you are allowed to print. For instance, $25 a month lets you print up to 700 pages in that period, of which you can rollover up to 2,100 unused pages to subsequent months. After running out of your allowance, you must pay $1 per 15 pages. Don't pay, can't print.
Customers chose when setting up their HP device whether they want to go down the Instant Ink route, or go out and buy cartridges themselves. If they [2]cancel their Instant Ink plan, they have to send the cartridges back to HP – the supplies won't work anymore with the printer, anyway – and buy their own standard ones instead.
For users who don't need to print much, and to lure folks into the subscription system, HP [3]marketed a print-free-for-life tier that cost nothing, though it was limited to 15 pages a month, and $1 per 10 additional pages. The idea being: you buy a printer, you sign up for the Instant Ink free tier, and get enough supplies gratis to print a few things a month during the device's lifetime.
[4]
Those were the days ... A sample of HP's marketing for its print-free-for-life scheme
Well, not anymore: the free tier is being scrapped, and now folks have to pay. Below is a typical email sent to customers at the end of last month. One print-free-for-life reader told us he has to start paying HP a monthly fee from December 26, or his printer will stop working unless he buys his own fresh cartridges. The fees start from $0.99 a month for 15 pages, just like the free tier albeit with the ability to rollover up to 45 unused pages.
[5]
HP's email, redacted by us, announcing changes to the pricing tiers ... Click to enlarge
An HP spokesperson argued that the IT giant's print-free-for-life plan was "an introductory offer," adding:
We notified our customers in October via email that our Instant Ink subscription service now includes new printing plans that allow for more roll-over flexibility, options and benefits. As a result, some subscribers may see a change in pricing.
The free printing plan, which included up to 15 pages a month, started as an introductory offer for our Instant Ink subscribers about two years ago. We are now adjusting our offerings to enable customers to enjoy more flexibility and options. As a result, we are ending our free printing plan offer starting this December for existing customers, and we have ended our free printing plan as of November 4 for new customers. However, customers can still access very affordable printing plans, with the lowest-cost plan priced at $0.99 per month for 15 pages.
EFF special adviser Doctorow is having none of it. "HP's latest reinvention as a wallet-siphoning ink grifter is a sad turn indeed," he [6]thundered . He reminded us HP emits [7]firmware updates for its printer models that quietly prevent them from using cheaper non-HP ink cartridges.
"US law – section 1201 of the DMCA, and the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act – allows the companies to get away with this, giving them tools to attack refillers and remanufacturers who act as a corrective for their bad deeds," Doctorow told The Register . "The industry is so concentrated, thanks to lax antitrust enforcement, that there's little competitive pressure to drive companies to make binding promises not to do this."
Last month, HP [8]clumsily revoked its printer support software on macOS, leaving customers unable to print on their Macs to their HP devices without jumping through hoops.
And this month, HP Color Laser Jet owners [9]complained they were suddenly unable to print after getting "Supply Problem" errors; it [10]appears another firmware update was pushed out to devices to [11]block the use of third-party cartridges.
HP has confimed that the Instant Ink policy has changed globally. ®
Get our [12]Tech Resources
[1] https://support.hp.com/us-en/document/c03760650
[2] https://support.hp.com/us-en/document/c03767641
[3] https://pathtopurchaseiq.com/staples-supports-hps-print-free-life-offer
[4] https://regmedia.co.uk/2020/11/10/free.jpg
[5] https://regmedia.co.uk/2020/11/12/hp_ink_announcement.jpg
[6] https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2020/11/ink-stained-wretches-battle-soul-digital-freedom-taking-place-inside-your-printer
[7] https://www.theregister.com/2016/09/19/hp_ink_stink/
[8] https://www.theregister.com/2020/10/23/hp_printer_macos/
[9] https://h30434.www3.hp.com/t5/Printing-Errors-or-Lights-Stuck-Print-Jobs/HP-Color-Laser-jet-Pro-MFP-M281CDW-quot-Supply-Problem-quot/td-p/7844016/highlight/false
[10] https://kevin.deldycke.com/2020/11/revert-hp-printer-ban-on-third-party-ink-cartridges/
[11] https://www.ghost-white-toner.com/firmware-update-warning/
[12] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
Oh well
It made me laugh.
Re: Squashed trees, in this century?
"You need to print out your COVID-19 test result and produce it with your passport, boarding pass and ESTA ID (if applicable) before you will be permitted to board the aircraft"
Of course, saying "I could not print it out since I have exceeded my allotted HP prints for this month" is not going to be a valid excuse.
print-free-for-life plan was "an introductory offer,"
What, so "Print-free-for-life" is just a meaningless name that doesn't actually imply anything in terms of customer expectation?
That's pretty low. Perhaps HP will enjoy prosperity-&-good-fortune-for-life as a result.
Re: print-free-for-life plan was "an introductory offer,"
Agree - we're used to see companies weaselling their way out of earlier promises, but saying that something described "for life" was just an introductory offer just took things to a new level that even TomTom would struggle to justify. Maybe HP will start bricking their printers and then say the offer referred to the life of the printer, or I guess there's also a more sinister solution they could impose...
Re: print-free-for-life plan was "an introductory offer,"
Like three pills of speed which were also an introductory offer from the new dealer in the neighbourhood?
Re: print-free-for-life plan was "an introductory offer,"
It's free for the life of the introductory offer. Much as I dislike these kinds of things, HP will get away with that argument.
I've used the argument to close a membership group where people had paid life membership - which they assumed was for their life. The terms were clear - life membership of the club. Charities Commission agreed with my interpretation. There were some pro-rated refunds etc. to ease the pain, again agreed with the Charities Commission.
Re: print-free-for-life plan was "an introductory offer,"
You still come over as a dick for using the 'life' word. Your club did not have a life, only animals and plants do.
Re: print-free-for-life plan was "an introductory offer,"
"It's free for the life of the introductory offer. Much as I dislike these kinds of things, HP will get away with that argument."
In the US yes, in other jurisdictions, possibly no (e.g. in the EU the substance of the contract can't contradict the headline advertisement).
Re: print-free-for-life plan was "an introductory offer,"
Often 'free for life' offers that companies market, are for the life of the product not for the life of the customer. So one easy way for HP to weasel out of it is to send a firmware update to brick those printers and then claim they have reached their end of life and so the free ink can stop.
I am glad that my nearly 15 year old Epson Stylus is continuing to pump out pages and a full set of ink carts only costs me around £5, Being the age it was meant it wasn't Wi-Fi enabled but with OpenWRT on my router I was able to plug it into the USB port and share it over my wireless network that way.
Re: print-free-for-life plan was "an introductory offer,"
Of course there is always the other alternative, leave the printer working and terminate the user.
Re: print-free-for-life plan was "an introductory offer,"
I have an Epson Stylus Photo 1290 (which replaced an 1160 because that had a failed power supply, which replaced an 880 which suffered permanently blocked nozzles) being used the same way, except that it's attached to the USB port of a NAS device rather than a router.
Only problem is that the Windows drivers are getting more difficult to install, but the ESC P language is sufficiently generic to allow it to work with other Epson drivers that can still install, and most of my printing is done from Linux anyway.
Does make it difficult for my kid's windows systems, though.
Think I'll look at setting up a Linux system, maybe a Raspberry PI or even my old ASUS EeePC 700 as a Postscript print server to allow generic printing. That had previously been used to drive an HP LaserJet 1000 (disgusting low cost laser printer without it's own imaging engine), so probably still has most of the needed stuff still installed.
Re: print-free-for-life plan was "an introductory offer,"
I envision the (class action) lawsuits being filed by the hundreds if not thousands. If I bought something advertised as "free for life" only to have the device maker rescind the offer ~2 years later, I know how I'd express my dissatisfaction with their actions. And I'm on the other side of ThePond from you folks with your 6 years "it works right or we fuck you with a splintery cricket bat" consumer-friendly contract law. I imagine HP execs on your side probably rethinking their immediate travel plans to safer (tropical) locations right about now to avoid the pitchforks & burning pitch weilding mobs!
On the basis that no business with do something for nothing, will HP refund the premium it charged on the printer to cover the cost of the "free" comsumables that would have been used over the life of that printer?
The printers were discounted heavily around here, presumably on the assumption that punters would over-estimate their print count and keep paying every month. Hell, some may even forget to cancel the subscription when they get rid of the printer!
I think I've over estimated, I'm on the 100 pages for €4,99 plan and I don't usually print that much. However even that is a hell of a lot cheaper than it used to cost to buy stupid barely-filled cartridges at nearly €30 a pop (it's a... 3635? 3630? something like that, generic budget inkjet).
Actually, the main problem I'm having right now is running lots of cleaning cycles (well, I'm not paying for the ink...) because the black has been in for so long that it has started to suffer as only inkjet printers do.
I keep it around because it's pretty cheap and it does give impressive results on photo paper. Sadly, however, the results on plain A4 are barely an improvement over the DJ500C I had back in the 90s.
I *miss* my Brother DCP-165C. Brilliant results on anything, didn't care what sort of ink you fed it. And could assemble PDFs directly from scanned stuff. Pre-WiFi but a lovely little printer nonetheless.
IANAL, but...
does this not constitute a "post-contractual obligation", and therefore unenforceable in the UK?
So glad
I ditched HP printers years ago due to their shenanigans.
"Hey, that's a nice printer you've got there, it would be a shame if it suddenly stopped printing."
Re: So glad
Yeah..."GFY", HP. You used to be cool.
I'm the proud (second) owner of a Laserjet 5, so I'm getting a kick out of these shenanigans. At least, until my three non-chipped toner cartridges are used up...which, at the rate I'm going, will be sometime around 10 years after my demise.
Invest in the classics, which never go out of style
Does this also apply in the EU?
If it does, I can see some very big fines being issued.
I really hate that my Samsung laser is now "supported" by HP. I suspect I'll have to replace it when Big Sur is released (HP only got the Catalina driver working a few months ago - due to yet more signing issues).
Re: Does this also apply in the EU?
I'm lucky. My Samsung 2022W is "supported" by HP, but it's too old to be able to find updated firmware, so it'll be left in peace.
At least HP gave the Android printer app a "high quality" option. When it was still Samsung, prints were blindingly fast but looked like 150dpi halftone (dotty as hell). The high quality option isn't anything near what the printer is capable of, but it's a lot better than it was before.
What a way to honour Bill & Dave’s legacy
HP’s founders must be spinning in their graves at what their company’s turned into. Yanking “for life” offers, morphing into hucksters for an overpriced-ink multilevel marketing scheme... way to go, HP.
Re: What a way to honour Bill & Dave’s legacy
HP’s founders must be spinning in their graves ...
But not for this ...
They have been spinning and spinning for about twenty years, ever since the HP/Compaq disaster went through, on that occasion led by the first of HPs Bitchy Broad™ type CEOs with political aspirations, Carly Fiorina.
The next one to come along was Meg Whitman, the brains behind the puchase of UK firm Autonomy, the one that led to a whooping US$8.8 billion write down further on.
But ...
What's the all the fuss about?
Can't blame HP for for trying to claw back one or two cents on each dollar they wrote down.
Which (of course) has to come from their clients' pockets.
Miserable bastards ...
O.
Not to throw shade..
Not that I am about to suggest HP are not a bunch of pond surface water sucking doodle berrys, but...
.. I do think talking about the loss of 'free for life' @ 15ppm and then giving an example of one of the highest tarrifs $24.99 ($25) for 700ppm is a bit of sensationalism on the part of reporting. The most common tarrif from every one I have sold a printer to since Instant Ink launched has been the $2.99 for 50 ppm with an upto 100 ppm roll over (ie max 100ppm).
Being I live in the UK this is the £1.99/m for 50ppm which works out at £24/y with is vastly cheaper often £100's than all previus ways of getting ink (its about the price of an XL black cartrage per year with out having to pay for cleaning cycles ect.), and I would suspect is the reason Epson went with the Eco-tank model. I am sure both Epson & HP made this move due to losing ink sales to 3rd partys.
Do I think 3rd partys should have a ligitimate opportunity to produce an alternative ink product - or course. Do I think HP offering 'life time free ink' and then pulling it and auto enrolling you is a bit scummy (illegal?). Yes what a bunch of swine.
Much like I would not expect a manufacturer of a car to force me to use there air filters, I would not want my Printer maker from preventing me from using other ink. The fact that HP closed the Free Ink For Life is not a supprise to me (as I always though it was a dum idea), but then I never sold any printers on that premise in the first place.
My only beef with this artile is the talking about free, then showing something that nobody who was into free/cheep would choose as an example. Its akin to showing a parking space that 'was' free in Manchester and then compairing to the price some people pay in Central London, all but asserting that its a realistic case - [The diffrence from skim reading the first four pargaraphs was Free = $12/y VS Free = $300/y. - OMG!!!]. Whist it is a bit of a betral at least they give you some extra pages. I do appreciate the inclusion of the new price listing from HP.
Anyway, I am sure HP will sneek the tarrif up, the old 'were going to give you X ammount of extra prints per month for free!' and a few months later moving everybody onto the new higher tarrif then bring in a 'new' lower tarriff which was the original ammount. - how very Virgin Media of them if/when they do.
Re: Not to throw shade..
Pay £2 a month. Print 50 A4 photos. Win!
HP striving to become every bit as likeable as Oracle.
I wonder what their next step will be. Only HP branded paper allowed?
You evil ideas, please!
Re: HP striving to become every bit as likeable as Oracle.
That's almost already present, actually.
Some HP printers detect when it's not HP Photo Paper and complain about it. Only a very small step to refusing to print on it...
HP: That print-free-for-life deal
Henforceforth to be known as Logan's Print Run
I have no legal training
Maybe someone with legal training can advise me here, but can a printer be deemed to have a life?
If not, surely the life referred to is that pertaining to the owner of the device.
Re: I have no legal training
The operational life of the device.
It's not a question of semantics about a particular object being alive, it's an established and commonly used term.
Re: I have no legal training
Correct. Often used when selling cars with "a lifetime warranty" and the like.
Carlill vs. Carbolic Smoke Ball Co.
I think I might just lay in some popcorn for this one. At face value it's almost a dead ringer for Carlill vs. Carbolic Smoke Ball Co, which is one of the cornerstone cases for contractual law
[1]https://www.e-lawresources.co.uk/Carlill-v-Carbolic-Smoke-Ball-Co.php
[1] https://www.e-lawresources.co.uk/Carlill-v-Carbolic-Smoke-Ball-Co.php
Re: Carlill vs. Carbolic Smoke Ball Co.
Balls!
no printer at home since 2004
I rarely print. Last time I printed regularly at home was 2003, i would print out my resume along with mini CD labels for business card CDs with a bunch of samples on them, attach to my paper resume at snail mail it to job applications (in addition to applying online), i figured it was a good way to get noticed at the time. Anyway i got a new job in 2003 and my printing needs sort of stopped. When I needed to print i printed at the office.
Fast forward a few jobs and many years I shifted to fully remote work in 2016. Was working from home prior to that but the office was close by(about a mile). In 2016 i moved 90 minutes away.
I started using fedex office for my printing needs. Have to drive 15min each way to get the print outs and there's a $1 minimum for submitting jobs through their website but it works well. I probably go on average 5 or 6 times per year and spend probably on average $8 to $12 per year for those jobs.
There is a UPS store that is much closer and they claim to do online printing too but last time I checked I could not find a way to submit a simple 1 page job(or a few 1 page jobs). It seemed geared towards project level stuff but maybe that's different now.
Re: no printer at home since 2004
You are truly the King of the Cool Story, bro.
A. G. MacDonnell
"A subscription implies that this journal will be sent to the subscriber until one of the three expires." (England their England).
Apparently the ethics of the 1930's have been supersumed by the intellectual poverty of the 2020's. We got Stalin and Hitler in the 1930's - I wonder what HP will deliver in the next 10 years?
Chargeback
"Hello 'Creditcard Company' I signed up for a subscription lifetime deal and now the company has decided to withdraw it, here's the evidence, please recover my money."
Let them fight HP for you.
Subscriptions...
.... they are always designed to "maximize the shareholder value".
How the mighty has fallen
Once upon a time, HP was a company that people aspired to work for and made great products.
These days, they have descended into the ranks of Scumbaggery like Oracle, HDD makers and the rest.
Stop buying anything from this lot. Give them scathing reviews and if you have been caught by this sue the bejeezers off of them.
Re: How the mighty has fallen
I have to wonder if the Hewlett and Packard families could bring a suit for defamation against the pack of weasels currently using their name. Alternative collective nouns at
https://www.animalsandenglish.com/collective-nouns-etc22.html
I'm particularly fond of "confusion", "gang" and "sneak"
A side-trip during that search led me to read that a group of ferrets is called a "Business" or Busyness",
so maybe HP could attempt a totemic species upgrade.
'We are now adjusting our offerings to enable customers to enjoy more flexibility and options.'
Wow! As a Mac user who runs Adobe software I thought I'd read the ultimate in the psychotic bollocks from Silicon Valley's finest marketers, but phrasing the introduction of compulsory charges as something to 'enjoy' takes things to a whole new level.
Squashed trees, in this century?
Paper. How vulgar!