HP Playing Dirty Tricks? - Comments Page 1

So glad I use a Brother printer. However, I have an HP desktop -- will HP bork that for not having an HP printer? [/snark off]

I have long had the same problem with my HP all in one and finally dumped it, too much of a hassle, not fun; I love printers that have individual color cartridges, don't have to replace everything at once...

here is how to get your cartridge to print.

on the pop up window from HP towards the bottom of the popup is a sentence that states something like view what is reported to HP. Click on that line. When the window pops up x on it. Then x on the window that popped up and your page will print.

In my case the printer did not work because the cartridges were beyond the expiration date. Although they were never used before being installed they did not work. They were "genuine" HP cartridges.

In general, ink jet printers are sold at a loss to entice people to buy their printers. The printer company doesn't break even until several replacement cartridges are purchased. So it is in the printer companies interest to discourage the use of refilled or off brand ink. As patents expire, companies are doing more things to discourage the use of cheaper alternatives. Lets face it, ink is really not very expensive to manufacture once the formula has been determined. It is mostly water with pigments, dyes and chemicals to enhance drying, inhibiting bacterial growth and resisting clogging. More money is likely spent on things to discourage reuse. The off brand inks didn't have to lose money making the printer, they reverse engineered the ink, so of course they can do it cheaper.

HP already borks their desktops. All the proprietary software makes it very difficult to personalize an HP the same way I can personalize a Dell. I would never buy an HP product. I've had a Canon Pixma IP2000 for over 10 years. I use it every day. The cartridges are, fortunately, still available and extremely inexpensive. I also have a Lexmark Pinnacle Pro that is used at least every other day. The cartridges for it are also very inexpensive - $5 for oem black.

What is the solution as I updated as per the message on my printer? Should I purchase H.P. Ink cartridges or purchase another brand printer?

I'm a photographer & have never liked any home color printer that I've had, so now I just have a B&W laser printer that I love. My color prints are done on a $500,000 printer at a local store that I've vetted for quality & I haven't had to throw out a print in years. And they're even cheaper than if I'd made them myself.

Lexmark tries to pull the same stunt; and frequently succeeds with many of their customers, I would imagine. It only worked once with me... lesson learned. I never, and I mean never, allow updates anymore, and I haven't for a good while. But I guess you could time out your updates and third party ink purchases so there (probably) wouldn't be a problem. When you're getting kind of low on ink, allow the update(s); then make your ink purchase shortly thereafter from a third party vendor you know is on the ball. The ink cartridges you get would probably be ones that could work with the updated firmware. The key word there is "probably", of course. As you say, printers should just work.

Yep, I tossed my HP all in one the last time it told me my ink cartages were "too old" and needed changing. Using an Epson all in one now. HP is desperate. They make no money on printers, just on the ink and YOU are robbing them of their due tribute. It is like telling a politician he has to live on his salary. It is not going to happen.

No problem with them being "damaged" on my HP OfficeJetPro 8500, but it seems to me it wastes a lot of ink "cleaning" my cartridges.

I had a problem a couple of years ago with my HP multifunction inkjet in the cartridge category. Replaced cartridges, which were third party with Genuine HP, but that didn't help. I did all of the recommended voodoo solutions, including soaking the printhead an letting it dry for a week. Finally found a link to disgruntled HP owners and one of them had found out HP was building in a failure at around 20,000 pages so you would go buy a new printer or pay through the nose to take it/ship it to a regional repair center. Bought a Brother...all good now.

I have always liked the quality and performance of HP printers but lately have gotten away from them and moved to Brother printers. I have seen where other manufacturers are moving to this type of branding check. Keurig coffee makers are doing the same thing. With Keurig 2.0 if you don't buy their cups, the machine won't work. I use my own "refillable" cup and use regular coffee which would pose a problem with that type of situation.

Exactly how do we avoid the updates that cause the problem?

HP is out of order and very bossy. I have always used HP printers and HP ink. A few weeks ago, I put in a new cartridge and up came a rebuke for not using HP. I just looked at the screen in dismay--now what to do! I jiggled the printer, removed the cartridge at least once and started all over again. Eventually, after a lot of messing about, it decided to work. I am sick and tired of these false messages and wondering if I will be able to print. Disgusted and disappointed.

EPSON has been doing this for years...At least as long as I have owned my WF2530.

Someone should report this to the FTC (Federal Trade Commission) to investigate. Such practices were declared illegal years ago when auto companies tried to require you to use only their branded parts.

I stopped buying HP products for myself, and the organizations I do IT work with, after HP dropped a similar stinker on a LaserJet 2015. The unit was the production printer for a small school. Its use was about 50% of the production rating HP assigned. One day it stopped printing and required that a circuit board be replaced (get that, it still ran and delivered feedback but wouldn't print.) HP Support informed me that (1) yes I had to buy the part, (2) the part has a limited use life but they didn't know what that was (3)no HP didn't stock the part, and (4)there was a 3rd party in China that would supply them, but no guarantee. An internet search revealed this was a common problem. So I have bought 8 or 10 computers and 5 or 6 printers since - and won't even consider an HP product. Anyone who design a product with a planned obsolescence part, and doesn't stock the replacement at all, isn't serious about staying in business.

Bob wrote: "So I contacted LD Products, the company I always use for my cartridges. Fortunately they said, "We know what happened" and they're sending me replacements at no charge." Hmmm, why would the replacement third-party carts work? Have third-party vendors already reverse-engineered the HP Gen 3 carts? Something doesn't make sense here, or HP is even more incompetent than has already been suggested. I wouldn't rule out the latter, however——

Just so you know, Bob, car manufacturers do it too. I had to pay the $3000 bill and then protest to master card when Nissan refused to honor my contract because I used a third party oil change. So after I won protest, they put it on my credit record that I didn't pay, and I had to protest that, too.