HP is holding printer cartridges ransom, leaving perfectly good ink still in the printer, in an effort to force their customers into a monthly ink subscription service.
Despite paying for a ‘random charge’ for over a year, Ryan Sullivan still had no idea what HP Instant Ink did, until he cancelled it.
Last month I canceled a random charge for $4.99 per month from HP called "InstantInk". Wasn't sure what it was for. I've had it for over a year but had no idea what it did.
I just found out what it did pic.twitter.com/lsFLDR5grv
— Ryan Sullivan (@ryandonsullivan) January 17, 2020
As reported by Vice, Sullivan, owner of an HP printer, had his device remotely disabled after he had cancelled his subscription to HP Instant Ink.
The subscription charges customers US$5.99 for the use of ink cartridges on specific printer models and is now seemingly being forced onto HP customers.
Using digital rights management or DRM, HP is remotely disabling printer cartridges to prevent them from being used.
Related, anyone have a printer they recommend that doesn’t do this nonsense?
If the subscription saved me from grossly overpaying for ink I’d consider it. But I still grossly overpay for ink because I’m an American and office supply extortion is part of our birthright.
— Ryan Sullivan (@ryandonsullivan) January 17, 2020
Printers have not been without controversy, with the everlasting theory that ink is even more expensive than Don Perignon Champagne.
HP offers its subscription service on the basis of not having to worry about buying printer ink again, with US$4.99 a month netting customers 100 pages of printing.
Sullivan’s experience saw him pay US$59.88 for a whole year, despite a new HP Black Ink cartridge costing US$46.99.
Despite the subscription service is unavailable in Australia, a single cartridge of black ink can cost A$35.
At A$8.75 per month, that works out to be A$23 dollars more than if you would have purchased just one ~190-page black ink cartridge from HP directly.
