HP CEO says customers who don't use the company's supplies are "bad investments"

Hey HP, here is a double-barreled middle finger salute to you!

Neatfeatguy said:

HP would be taking the loss, not the retail chains. The only way a retail chain would take a loss on a HP printer is if they sold it for less than what they paid for it from HP.

Same way with how most consoles sell. They sell at a loss to the manufacturer (not retail store) and then the manufacturer makes it up on the backend with licensing fees and so on for games that are produced and distributed on said consoles. HP is looking to do the same thing with their printers, but with their ink cartridges instead of games.

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Then the tech reviewers out there like the guys at iFixit could do a teardown and give a list of the bill of materials to confirm it. The corporate executives are not your friends, they will lie because it earns them money. Question anything they claim.

MasterMace said:

Then the tech reviewers out there like the guys at iFixit could do a teardown and give a list of the bill of materials to confirm it. The corporate executives are not your friends, they will lie because it earns them money. Question anything they claim.

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I actually would not be surprised if they weren't selling the printers at either breakeven or a loss. I mean, they sell a cheapy for $39 and some "all in ones" (I.e including the flat bed scanner) for $69.

I still think if this behavior is not criminal, it should be made illegal. Putting out a firmware update that "after serial number xxxxxx" or "after production date xx/yy/zzzz" restricts cartridges (and updated product description to mention it "requires genuine HP cartridges" or the like? ) I'd make sure not to buy one, but it's disclosed in the description and people can know what they are getting themselves in to. Updating firmware to cripple existing printers? As I say I think this should be illegal, if in fact it's not already.

The Epson my parents got to replace their HP (not because of the ink problem, my dad prints like crazy and wore the HP out*) probably cost about 2-3x what a similar HP would have cost, but it came with ink tanks. You "can" buy Epson-branded for far less than a similar amount of ink would cost from HP, but also they are designed so you can buy ink wherever and top up the tanks. They sell the printer itself at a profit, and price the ink low enough to encourage buying from them direct but don't force anyone in to it.

*Using refills. With the amount he printed he probably would have spent $1000 on ink if he'd been buying it from HP. I can guarantee you if there printer had been locked down they would have bought a non-HP printer before they bought a single cartridge at HP pricing.

Paperless society is starting to impact the printer industry. They have to accept this and evolve, bit threatening customers will just push them over to other manufacturers and will create a bad name for other hp products

Hey, at least Tesla doesn't yet disable brakes in your car when you use unofficial power sources.

sauri said:

Hey, at least Tesla doesn't yet disable brakes in your car when you use unofficial power sources.

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you still have to jailbreak your Tesla to use the entirety of the car you purchased and not just 80%

DonquixoteIII said:

Give me the printer and I will gladly buy YOUR ink. But charge me 1.5 times what the printer is worth, THEN charge me three times what the ink is worth? And I am not just looking at HP ere. Epson, Canon, Brother. All over-priced units, built in obsolescence, and way overpriced consumables. Look at Epson's paper prices. Canon's inks. Bleh. Printers are a crap-trap.

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Many HP printers are pretty low end, cost wise. They have one for $89 and 3 mos. worth of ink. At that price, the printer is almost free.

Reading this article later, in November 2024. This turd CEO has convinced me to stay away from HP products lest they decide to cripple an otherwise working device; I say this as someone who not long ago got a HP printer. But recently I was looking at a HP wide screen, HP windows PC, and HP printer, and Mr. Bad Investments has convinced me to look at anyone but HP. Way to go mister chairman.

bfjewett0403 said:

Reading this article later, in November 2024. This turd CEO has convinced me to stay away from HP products lest they decide to cripple an otherwise working device; I say this as someone who not long ago got a HP printer. But recently I was looking at a HP wide screen, HP windows PC, and HP printer, and Mr. Bad Investments has convinced me to look at anyone but HP. Way to go mister chairman.

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The HP CEO got the words right. HP is the bad investment. In addition to the inkjet printers that siphon your moey, their laptops and desktops are not so wonderful, either.