HP extortion?
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So, bought an HP Envy printer, not so much by choice but needed it that day, and didn't want to pay a fortune for it since it is in a second location where it isn't used much. It came with a free subscription to instant ink and in a moment of stupidity, I signed up for it. Mostly because I was thinking these cartridges will dry out before they are empty. Fastforward 6 months and here is an email from HP (emphasis added): Hi Michael, Your free trial of HP Instant Ink for your HP ENVY 6458e All-in-One Printer will be ending on 24 February 2023. We want to make sure you have a seamless transition to your subscription plan. Time is running out! Finish your subscription account today! • Add a payment method today, so you can continue printing with the subscription ink cartridges after your trial ends. • You can always change or cancel your plan anytime from your dashboard. •IMPORTANT! If you do not provide a payment method, your subscription cartridges will no longer work after your trial ends. I've printed 148 pages in 6 months, 40 of which were special and I could have waited to print them on my Canon at home. My options are to pay $12/yr to print 10 pages per month, or $48/yr to print 50. Or spend around $35 and buy new cartridges and throw out perfectly good ones. The option I'm really considering is to buy a new Canon for around $140, take the HP outside, use my Sawzall and cut it into about 5 pieces and send it to the CEO of HP. I know the cost effective option is to just pay the ransom, but it's really a matter of principle as I will never buy anything from HP again, and that includes a potential tens of thousands of dollars for work. I have a week, so I'll stew on it for a while.
It seems like you can unsubscribe: [How can I print without this instant ink stuff - HP Support Community - 8268492](https://h30434.www3.hp.com/t5/Printer-Ink-Cartridges-Print-Quality/How-can-I-print-without-this-instant-ink-stuff/td-p/8268492#:~:text=You do not have to,the service%2C Cancel the subscription.&text=Want to Cancel your Subscription%3F) [Other Info](https://silicophilic.com/bypass-hp-instant-ink/)
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At least one lawsuit that points out that even if you pay it doesn't work HP Sued Again For Cheating Printer Customers, This Time Over Its Instant Ink Program - National Consumer News | Educating and helping U.S. consumers | Disclose Fraudulent Advertising | Providing News On Lowest Prescription Prices |[^]
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Just cancel the subscription and buy cartridges whenever they run out. I know it's in vogue here at CP to trash HP printers... and I'm not here to defend HP in any way but I bought an HP Envy all-in-one ~5 years ago. I print as infrequently as you - maybe less. My cartridges easily last 18 months maybe longer. Be a grown up and don't trash a perfectly functional printer based on your dislike of their silly subscription plan and your guess about cartridge longevity.
Oh, I'm not really going to smash the printer, and I'm not trashing the printer; it does what it is supposed to do , short of an occasional Wifi disconnect. What I was trashing was the wording of the email • IMPORTANT! If you do not provide a payment method, your subscription cartridges will no longer work after your trial ends, complete with the underline. Basically, we'll kill perfectly good cartridges if you don't pay the ransom. Not even a "Pay us $10-15 if you want them to remain active". It is heartening to hear the cartridges will last around 18 months, my last inkjet didn't perform that well.
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So, bought an HP Envy printer, not so much by choice but needed it that day, and didn't want to pay a fortune for it since it is in a second location where it isn't used much. It came with a free subscription to instant ink and in a moment of stupidity, I signed up for it. Mostly because I was thinking these cartridges will dry out before they are empty. Fastforward 6 months and here is an email from HP (emphasis added): Hi Michael, Your free trial of HP Instant Ink for your HP ENVY 6458e All-in-One Printer will be ending on 24 February 2023. We want to make sure you have a seamless transition to your subscription plan. Time is running out! Finish your subscription account today! • Add a payment method today, so you can continue printing with the subscription ink cartridges after your trial ends. • You can always change or cancel your plan anytime from your dashboard. •IMPORTANT! If you do not provide a payment method, your subscription cartridges will no longer work after your trial ends. I've printed 148 pages in 6 months, 40 of which were special and I could have waited to print them on my Canon at home. My options are to pay $12/yr to print 10 pages per month, or $48/yr to print 50. Or spend around $35 and buy new cartridges and throw out perfectly good ones. The option I'm really considering is to buy a new Canon for around $140, take the HP outside, use my Sawzall and cut it into about 5 pieces and send it to the CEO of HP. I know the cost effective option is to just pay the ransom, but it's really a matter of principle as I will never buy anything from HP again, and that includes a potential tens of thousands of dollars for work. I have a week, so I'll stew on it for a while.
I have to play devil's advocate here : Had to buy a hp printer in the lockdown times for school-at-home, subscribed to hp ink because of the usual "print-once-a-month-and-throw-the-dried-cartridge-away scheme", and I am more than happy about it : I have paid something like 5€/year since then, and my printer is always ready-to-go or I have a replacement cartridge I can use. The backdraws are the necessity to be online to be able to print, and the hp toolchain for printing/scanning/managing that used to be quite good, and that got recently "upgaded" to a POS.
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I have to play devil's advocate here : Had to buy a hp printer in the lockdown times for school-at-home, subscribed to hp ink because of the usual "print-once-a-month-and-throw-the-dried-cartridge-away scheme", and I am more than happy about it : I have paid something like 5€/year since then, and my printer is always ready-to-go or I have a replacement cartridge I can use. The backdraws are the necessity to be online to be able to print, and the hp toolchain for printing/scanning/managing that used to be quite good, and that got recently "upgaded" to a POS.
Their minimum plan here is $12/yr for 10 pages/month and I'm undecided since this isn't a full time location for me. Either pay $30ish for the cartridges or give em $12. The question is what happens if the cartridges stop printing before the page count is up? Is it a hassle to get them in that case?
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So, bought an HP Envy printer, not so much by choice but needed it that day, and didn't want to pay a fortune for it since it is in a second location where it isn't used much. It came with a free subscription to instant ink and in a moment of stupidity, I signed up for it. Mostly because I was thinking these cartridges will dry out before they are empty. Fastforward 6 months and here is an email from HP (emphasis added): Hi Michael, Your free trial of HP Instant Ink for your HP ENVY 6458e All-in-One Printer will be ending on 24 February 2023. We want to make sure you have a seamless transition to your subscription plan. Time is running out! Finish your subscription account today! • Add a payment method today, so you can continue printing with the subscription ink cartridges after your trial ends. • You can always change or cancel your plan anytime from your dashboard. •IMPORTANT! If you do not provide a payment method, your subscription cartridges will no longer work after your trial ends. I've printed 148 pages in 6 months, 40 of which were special and I could have waited to print them on my Canon at home. My options are to pay $12/yr to print 10 pages per month, or $48/yr to print 50. Or spend around $35 and buy new cartridges and throw out perfectly good ones. The option I'm really considering is to buy a new Canon for around $140, take the HP outside, use my Sawzall and cut it into about 5 pieces and send it to the CEO of HP. I know the cost effective option is to just pay the ransom, but it's really a matter of principle as I will never buy anything from HP again, and that includes a potential tens of thousands of dollars for work. I have a week, so I'll stew on it for a while.
HP no longer sells printers; it sells ink by subscription. They should follow the Gillette recipe of giving away the handle (== printer), while selling the blades(== ink). I have also eliminated HP as a printer source for this reason.
Freedom is the freedom to say that two plus two make four. If that is granted, all else follows. -- 6079 Smith W.
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I found in stressful situations such as this that a sledge hammer works exceptionally well.
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My dad got fed up with its GPS navigator, he clenched it in a vise, then he wasn't still happy so he put it on the ground and backed on it with the car.
GCS/GE d--(d) s-/+ a C+++ U+++ P-- L+@ E-- W+++ N+ o+ K- w+++ O? M-- V? PS+ PE Y+ PGP t+ 5? X R+++ tv-- b+(+++) DI+++ D++ G e++ h--- r+++ y+++* Weapons extension: ma- k++ F+2 X
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Years ago in the days of Windows XP, I made the mistake of buying a HP scanner. A little while later, Windows 7 came out and I tried to get a driver for 7. HP told me that they will not provide a driver for my scanner compatible with Windows 7. When I asked the HP help desk "What am I supposed to do?", they told me to buy a new scanner! I thought that was excellent advice, so I bought a Canon scanner and took a solemn oath never to buy any HP product again. :mad:
Get me coffee and no one gets hurt!
I had an HP prebuilt PC bought my my dad without asking me first. It had the most obscene hardware I ever saw, including a motherboard with a known faulty north bridge and produced by a Korean manifacturer whose only product ever distributed was said motherboard. And it was grossly overpriced too, considering it costed 700€ in 2006 and it was a Pentium 4 with 4 gb of RAMK. The graphics card? An ATI, Q series, of which no driver update ever worked and that conked out badly with any version of ATI Catalyst. My mother's laptop was na HP and lasted 18 months before literally exploding (short on USB got upt to the mobo and fried the CPU), my wife's HP laptop mobo died after 3 years of sporadic use. Never again.
GCS/GE d--(d) s-/+ a C+++ U+++ P-- L+@ E-- W+++ N+ o+ K- w+++ O? M-- V? PS+ PE Y+ PGP t+ 5? X R+++ tv-- b+(+++) DI+++ D++ G e++ h--- r+++ y+++* Weapons extension: ma- k++ F+2 X
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So, bought an HP Envy printer, not so much by choice but needed it that day, and didn't want to pay a fortune for it since it is in a second location where it isn't used much. It came with a free subscription to instant ink and in a moment of stupidity, I signed up for it. Mostly because I was thinking these cartridges will dry out before they are empty. Fastforward 6 months and here is an email from HP (emphasis added): Hi Michael, Your free trial of HP Instant Ink for your HP ENVY 6458e All-in-One Printer will be ending on 24 February 2023. We want to make sure you have a seamless transition to your subscription plan. Time is running out! Finish your subscription account today! • Add a payment method today, so you can continue printing with the subscription ink cartridges after your trial ends. • You can always change or cancel your plan anytime from your dashboard. •IMPORTANT! If you do not provide a payment method, your subscription cartridges will no longer work after your trial ends. I've printed 148 pages in 6 months, 40 of which were special and I could have waited to print them on my Canon at home. My options are to pay $12/yr to print 10 pages per month, or $48/yr to print 50. Or spend around $35 and buy new cartridges and throw out perfectly good ones. The option I'm really considering is to buy a new Canon for around $140, take the HP outside, use my Sawzall and cut it into about 5 pieces and send it to the CEO of HP. I know the cost effective option is to just pay the ransom, but it's really a matter of principle as I will never buy anything from HP again, and that includes a potential tens of thousands of dollars for work. I have a week, so I'll stew on it for a while.
A few years back I bought a HP Color Laser printer. :-D It came with the 4 color cartridges, but they where only filled for about 20 % After a couple of months the 'Toner Low' message appeared. I used my usual trick: shake the cartridges and happily printed again for a few months. Then came the day that I had to order new cartridges. I was shocked to see that 4 color cartridges cost more than the printer had costed me. :(( So I ordered some cheap brand cartridges (half the price) and installed them. To my horror the printer didn't 'see' the new cartridges and kept instructing me to install cartridges. In the end, I had to order original HP cartridges. To make it worse they wouldn't take the cheap cartridges back. :mad: HP makes fantastic hardware, but their 'lock-in' policy is really disgusting. X|
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Their minimum plan here is $12/yr for 10 pages/month and I'm undecided since this isn't a full time location for me. Either pay $30ish for the cartridges or give em $12. The question is what happens if the cartridges stop printing before the page count is up? Is it a hassle to get them in that case?
I have 10 pages/month for free, only pay 1€ every 10 additional pages, which I seldom need. (I think now the subscription is indeed around 1€/month) You get sent a set of spare cartridges in advance, so whenever yours are empty, you can replace them on the spot. I changed my cartridges one time since 2020, and got new ones (i.e. replacement for my spare ones that I put in the printer) a few days after sending back the old ones.
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My dad got fed up with its GPS navigator, he clenched it in a vise, then he wasn't still happy so he put it on the ground and backed on it with the car.
GCS/GE d--(d) s-/+ a C+++ U+++ P-- L+@ E-- W+++ N+ o+ K- w+++ O? M-- V? PS+ PE Y+ PGP t+ 5? X R+++ tv-- b+(+++) DI+++ D++ G e++ h--- r+++ y+++* Weapons extension: ma- k++ F+2 X
It's not good to keep stress in.
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Better still, get a laser and end up with a printer that you turn on, print, and turn off - instead of turn on, print, swear, flush, swear, flush, swear, change a cartridge, print, swear, ... I'm pretty sure I got through more ink (and paper) trying to get acceptable print quality than I ever used on actual prints.
"I have no idea what I did, but I'm taking full credit for it." - ThisOldTony "Common sense is so rare these days, it should be classified as a super power" - Random T-shirt AntiTwitter: @DalekDave is now a follower!
I recently replaced my Canon multi-function inkjet with a Brother multi-function laser. It was a lot more expensive, but I'm not wasting half the ink in head cleaning and whatnot every time I want to print. The darn thing just works, and the lack of hassle is worth a lot.
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So, bought an HP Envy printer, not so much by choice but needed it that day, and didn't want to pay a fortune for it since it is in a second location where it isn't used much. It came with a free subscription to instant ink and in a moment of stupidity, I signed up for it. Mostly because I was thinking these cartridges will dry out before they are empty. Fastforward 6 months and here is an email from HP (emphasis added): Hi Michael, Your free trial of HP Instant Ink for your HP ENVY 6458e All-in-One Printer will be ending on 24 February 2023. We want to make sure you have a seamless transition to your subscription plan. Time is running out! Finish your subscription account today! • Add a payment method today, so you can continue printing with the subscription ink cartridges after your trial ends. • You can always change or cancel your plan anytime from your dashboard. •IMPORTANT! If you do not provide a payment method, your subscription cartridges will no longer work after your trial ends. I've printed 148 pages in 6 months, 40 of which were special and I could have waited to print them on my Canon at home. My options are to pay $12/yr to print 10 pages per month, or $48/yr to print 50. Or spend around $35 and buy new cartridges and throw out perfectly good ones. The option I'm really considering is to buy a new Canon for around $140, take the HP outside, use my Sawzall and cut it into about 5 pieces and send it to the CEO of HP. I know the cost effective option is to just pay the ransom, but it's really a matter of principle as I will never buy anything from HP again, and that includes a potential tens of thousands of dollars for work. I have a week, so I'll stew on it for a while.
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So, bought an HP Envy printer, not so much by choice but needed it that day, and didn't want to pay a fortune for it since it is in a second location where it isn't used much. It came with a free subscription to instant ink and in a moment of stupidity, I signed up for it. Mostly because I was thinking these cartridges will dry out before they are empty. Fastforward 6 months and here is an email from HP (emphasis added): Hi Michael, Your free trial of HP Instant Ink for your HP ENVY 6458e All-in-One Printer will be ending on 24 February 2023. We want to make sure you have a seamless transition to your subscription plan. Time is running out! Finish your subscription account today! • Add a payment method today, so you can continue printing with the subscription ink cartridges after your trial ends. • You can always change or cancel your plan anytime from your dashboard. •IMPORTANT! If you do not provide a payment method, your subscription cartridges will no longer work after your trial ends. I've printed 148 pages in 6 months, 40 of which were special and I could have waited to print them on my Canon at home. My options are to pay $12/yr to print 10 pages per month, or $48/yr to print 50. Or spend around $35 and buy new cartridges and throw out perfectly good ones. The option I'm really considering is to buy a new Canon for around $140, take the HP outside, use my Sawzall and cut it into about 5 pieces and send it to the CEO of HP. I know the cost effective option is to just pay the ransom, but it's really a matter of principle as I will never buy anything from HP again, and that includes a potential tens of thousands of dollars for work. I have a week, so I'll stew on it for a while.
I too was initially disappointed by this Instant Ink policy, but after a couple of years I have to say that it is really cost-effective, if you know how to take advantage of it. The key fact is: with Instant Ink you **pay per page**, not per cartridge. If you print a full-page color photograph it will count 1 page. If you print a black dot in a white page it will still count 1 page. So use your HP inkjet where you expect to use a lot of ink, and get a monochrome laser printer for normal text printouts. Furthermore, all the ink wasted in clean cycles (a lot of ink!) will be paid by HP, not by you.
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So, bought an HP Envy printer, not so much by choice but needed it that day, and didn't want to pay a fortune for it since it is in a second location where it isn't used much. It came with a free subscription to instant ink and in a moment of stupidity, I signed up for it. Mostly because I was thinking these cartridges will dry out before they are empty. Fastforward 6 months and here is an email from HP (emphasis added): Hi Michael, Your free trial of HP Instant Ink for your HP ENVY 6458e All-in-One Printer will be ending on 24 February 2023. We want to make sure you have a seamless transition to your subscription plan. Time is running out! Finish your subscription account today! • Add a payment method today, so you can continue printing with the subscription ink cartridges after your trial ends. • You can always change or cancel your plan anytime from your dashboard. •IMPORTANT! If you do not provide a payment method, your subscription cartridges will no longer work after your trial ends. I've printed 148 pages in 6 months, 40 of which were special and I could have waited to print them on my Canon at home. My options are to pay $12/yr to print 10 pages per month, or $48/yr to print 50. Or spend around $35 and buy new cartridges and throw out perfectly good ones. The option I'm really considering is to buy a new Canon for around $140, take the HP outside, use my Sawzall and cut it into about 5 pieces and send it to the CEO of HP. I know the cost effective option is to just pay the ransom, but it's really a matter of principle as I will never buy anything from HP again, and that includes a potential tens of thousands of dollars for work. I have a week, so I'll stew on it for a while.
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Nope, you cannot. There is something in the printer firmware (deadman timer of some type?) that disables the printer if it can't phone home. The best part is that nothing in the HP software or the printer will tell you what the problem is. It just refuses to print.
Charlie Gilley “They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.” BF, 1759 Has never been more appropriate.
I've had a couple of HP printers and cameras, and come to the conclusion that installing HP software is an absolute no-no. If it won't work without, it goes back. Also, I'm currently using an Epson printer. "Genuine" Epson cartridges would cost more than the printer (about £60 vs £50), so I get 3rd party, about £16 a set.
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MikeCO10 wrote:
use my Sawzall and cut it into about 5 pieces
This is an acceptable solution to this problem for sure, but I really likes Mike's sledgehammer recommendation as it allows the rage to build within you, flow through you, and into the object you are destroying. Thus, reconnecting you with the ancient gods of war, if only for a brief moment in time. something to consider for sure. :-D
Yep. I’ve used a 5lb maul on a tape player, and a 357 on various reports and a cheap tablet. Satisfying. ;)
Time is the differentiation of eternity devised by man to measure the passage of human events. - Manly P. Hall Mark Just another cog in the wheel
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So, bought an HP Envy printer, not so much by choice but needed it that day, and didn't want to pay a fortune for it since it is in a second location where it isn't used much. It came with a free subscription to instant ink and in a moment of stupidity, I signed up for it. Mostly because I was thinking these cartridges will dry out before they are empty. Fastforward 6 months and here is an email from HP (emphasis added): Hi Michael, Your free trial of HP Instant Ink for your HP ENVY 6458e All-in-One Printer will be ending on 24 February 2023. We want to make sure you have a seamless transition to your subscription plan. Time is running out! Finish your subscription account today! • Add a payment method today, so you can continue printing with the subscription ink cartridges after your trial ends. • You can always change or cancel your plan anytime from your dashboard. •IMPORTANT! If you do not provide a payment method, your subscription cartridges will no longer work after your trial ends. I've printed 148 pages in 6 months, 40 of which were special and I could have waited to print them on my Canon at home. My options are to pay $12/yr to print 10 pages per month, or $48/yr to print 50. Or spend around $35 and buy new cartridges and throw out perfectly good ones. The option I'm really considering is to buy a new Canon for around $140, take the HP outside, use my Sawzall and cut it into about 5 pieces and send it to the CEO of HP. I know the cost effective option is to just pay the ransom, but it's really a matter of principle as I will never buy anything from HP again, and that includes a potential tens of thousands of dollars for work. I have a week, so I'll stew on it for a while.
I only buy Canon printers. Only had an issue with one, which I returned and had it replaced. If I can't buy Canon, I would probably by an Epson. Never liked HP products since Carly Fiona ran the company into the ground and then wanted to do for America that she did for HP...
Steve Naidamast Sr. Software Engineer Black Falcon Software, Inc. blackfalconsoftware@outlook.com
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So, bought an HP Envy printer, not so much by choice but needed it that day, and didn't want to pay a fortune for it since it is in a second location where it isn't used much. It came with a free subscription to instant ink and in a moment of stupidity, I signed up for it. Mostly because I was thinking these cartridges will dry out before they are empty. Fastforward 6 months and here is an email from HP (emphasis added): Hi Michael, Your free trial of HP Instant Ink for your HP ENVY 6458e All-in-One Printer will be ending on 24 February 2023. We want to make sure you have a seamless transition to your subscription plan. Time is running out! Finish your subscription account today! • Add a payment method today, so you can continue printing with the subscription ink cartridges after your trial ends. • You can always change or cancel your plan anytime from your dashboard. •IMPORTANT! If you do not provide a payment method, your subscription cartridges will no longer work after your trial ends. I've printed 148 pages in 6 months, 40 of which were special and I could have waited to print them on my Canon at home. My options are to pay $12/yr to print 10 pages per month, or $48/yr to print 50. Or spend around $35 and buy new cartridges and throw out perfectly good ones. The option I'm really considering is to buy a new Canon for around $140, take the HP outside, use my Sawzall and cut it into about 5 pieces and send it to the CEO of HP. I know the cost effective option is to just pay the ransom, but it's really a matter of principle as I will never buy anything from HP again, and that includes a potential tens of thousands of dollars for work. I have a week, so I'll stew on it for a while.
I gave my final HP printer to the electronics recycler a year ago after it mysteriously failed, and got an inexpensive Brother b&w laser printer. Unlike HP's notoriously finicky installation procedure, the Brother came right up and has worked flawlessly ever since. I hear Brother toner cartridges are expensive, but I wouldn't know for sure, having not had to replace mine yet. It cost over $100 to replace the ink cartridges in my HP, and when I looked, the toner cartridge for the Brother is only about $70. It took 20 years of accumulated anger, but HP has lost my business forever.
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I gave my final HP printer to the electronics recycler a year ago after it mysteriously failed, and got an inexpensive Brother b&w laser printer. Unlike HP's notoriously finicky installation procedure, the Brother came right up and has worked flawlessly ever since. I hear Brother toner cartridges are expensive, but I wouldn't know for sure, having not had to replace mine yet. It cost over $100 to replace the ink cartridges in my HP, and when I looked, the toner cartridge for the Brother is only about $70. It took 20 years of accumulated anger, but HP has lost my business forever.
