That is frustrating for sure, but they prob should have read their agreement when they purchased whatever subscription they signed up for. It’s like complaining that T-Mobile has locked their subscription-discounted phone despite them not paying the bill.
It isn’t like that at all. T-Mobile would’ve given you a better deal for taking a contract such as that, HP just decided they didn’t want you to even THINK about purchasing ink or something from anyone else but them. It’d be more like if T-Mobile sold you a phone that you paid full price for, and then decided they’d remotely lock your phone and wipe it if you tried to buy a charging cable from anywhere but their store.
This is straight malicious anti-consumer bullshit, and it is basically rapist behavior. It’s disgusting.
If you buy a printer that has it already included, then you’re either getting a discounted printer or “discounted” ink for a subscription period. They make it clear that it is a subscription service when you do so. They all sell printers that are not subscription-based. I’m guessing you can still sign up for their subscription-based service, and you should read the fine print about being able to cancel or what happens if you don’t pay.
I absolutely hate HP by the way. They do things like include spyware in their “drivers” that are pushed through Windows Update. However, in this case, a simple Twitter screenshot doesn’t accurately capture the full story. If you want to provide some more context, then by all means feel free to do so.
Epson EcoTank. They’re expensive printers, but the ink is so cheap they make up for it. I absolutely love mine and recommend it to anyone looking for a printer.
Actually eco tank printers are also designed to fail as they have ink pads that can only be replaced by the manufacturer I recommend you watch this video explaining the problem with tank printers like the eco tank.
That’s an ink absorber, and all inkjet printers have them. It’s not “designed to fail”, it’s a physical limitation of the universe. You can’t just keep dumping ink into a sponge forever. Eventually it will become saturated and you can either clean it or replace it.
I’ve had my printer for about four years and haven’t needed to replace one yet. They only cost about $10 when you do need to replace it. If they cost several hundred dollars, I would see your point, but the savings in ink more than makes up for having to replace a sponge every decade or so.
Edit: I missed that you said only the manufacturer can replace it. That’s not true. It’s user replaceable with a Phillips head screwdriver.
Edit 2: Added links.
What I meant by “designed to fail” is that most of these ecotank printers need the counter to be reset by epson themselves. You can easily replace the pads. But you can’t easily reset the counter. It is possible but it involves trusting sketch sites and paying for a license to use the reset software. Older cartridges based epson printers had waste tanks with chips so that it could know when it was replaced. Newer eco tank printers don’t have the chip that let’s it know when the waste tank is replaced.
That’s not designed to fail, that’s designed to be serviced. Do you call cars “designed to fail” because they need new oil filters and the check engine light comes on when you need an oil change?
Yeah but it’s the same as if the oil filter in your car was super glued in and the dealership was the only ones that had the chemical to dissolve the glue.
Fuck HP. Simple as that.
As other comments have said. Never buy anything from HP.
Get a Brother printer.
My mom bought a cheap HP printer/scanner several years ago and subscribed to their “instant ink” subscription which was actually surprisingly cheap (like $3/mo) but once the printer stopped reliably connecting to the internet and nobody could print wirelessly anymore with it, she canceled the subscription and HP DISABLED ALL OF THE INK CARTRIDGES. The cartridges themselves have wifi connections so HP can automatically send you new ink when they get low. What a scam.
No, they have serial numbers that are read by the printer when you try to use them. Air Gap the printer.
The fuck?
I’m guessing they signed up for HP Instant Ink, a monthly subscription service that monitors the ink levels in the printer and automatically mails you refills.
If you buy an HP printer, they HEAVILY promote this and offer discounts/free trials. I declined, because fuck that, but I could see someone agreeing and forgetting about it.
If you buy HP, you deserve everything you get.
No. Making a mistake doesn’t mean you deserve unfair treatment.
Enshittification is driven by consumers who don’t bother to get informed. I think everyone has a responsibility to make choices that don’t actively make society worse.
By that same logic, everyone has a responsibility to educate uninformed people about enshitification. Everyone is uninformed until they aren’t, and you can help.
That’s a real thing. Buy Brother, brother.
It’s uncanny how any post about problems with HP always has the same solution in the comments. Brother.
In related news, learning what Audi is doing with their new model and subscriptions makes me think the world has gone mad.
