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192

HP exec says quiet part out loud when it comes to locking in print customers (www.theregister.com)

submitted 11 months ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

36 comments fedilink hide all child comments

HP exec says quiet part out loud when it comes to locking in print customers::Funny how marketing messages change depending on the audience

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[–] [email protected] 63 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (1 children)

I mean, idk what the Instant Ink plans are like. I just feel like we should be moving away from printing so much shit at the office. Like holy fuck Steven, you don't need to print out that Sales Estimate so Rosa can look at it. Its in an electronic system just tell her the job number. That shit for real happens all day at my office. People want paper, its their fucken fault as well as the company. And by people I mean the ones okay with this stupid shit.

[–] [email protected] 16 points 11 months ago (2 children)

I mean, idk what the Instant Ink plans are like.

I’ve used them. Basically it just turns your printer purchase into a printer rental.

It’s not a bad deal, necessarily, but if your card declines for any reason, HP bricks your printer (including non-printer functionality) until you pay up. And printing more than your chosen plan allows can get pricey real quick. As little as I print, though, a laser printer was a more reliable option and much cheaper long term.

iRobot does something similar with their Select program. Like HP’s Instant Ink, it’s a great deal for some folks, not so much for others.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 11 months ago (3 children)

I bought a laser printer years ago(Brother brand) and have printed a few hundred pages, I've never had to worry about toner. Ink printers are a total scam and the only reason people buy them is because the initial cost is much cheaper or they don't know the difference between inkjet and laser.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 11 months ago

I literally bought a pallet of printers from state surplus for $45. They were all laser. I’m on three years on the first one now. BTW don’t do this, moving them was a PITA

[–] [email protected] 2 points 11 months ago

I got a brother laser printer from goodwill like 5 years ago for 7 bucks.

Still on the toner cart that came with it.

So much better than inkjets.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago)

When I urgently needed to print something a few years ago I ran to the store and purchased the cheapest laser printer I could find, which was a Ricoh for Eur 42. Windows GDI printer shit, but I also found Mac drivers and a working linux driver.

It waa the low end model, had the same printing mechanism as the larger Ricoh Multifunction things and third party toner was dirt cheap. Ah and I can't remember any paper jam.

Inkjets, especiallw those from HP are a scam.

I only threw out the (fully working) Ricoh after years, because someone gave me a network connected full color Oki Multifunction led printer device for free.

(Ah I checked later, "normal" price for the Ricoh when not on sale was Eur 75 or so)

[–] [email protected] 6 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Yeah fuck that. I am already paperless. I don't see a reason for any of it. Bricking a printer? Lmao

[–] [email protected] 1 points 11 months ago

Like I said, whether it’s good deal or not depends on how your cost/benefit comparison comes out.

For me, it went against renting a printer (I print maybe 5 pages a year nowadays), and for renting a Roomba as my family often seems to think they were born in a barn. 😂 Renting that Roomba has, for me, turned out much cheaper than owning it.

[–] [email protected] 43 points 11 months ago

Fuck HP. Everything they sell is low quality trash, from printers to laptops to servers.

Friends don’t let friends buy HP.

[–] [email protected] 28 points 11 months ago

TLDR:

"We absolutely see when you move a customer from that pure transactional model ... whether it's Instant Ink, plus adding on that paper, we sort of see a 20 percent uplift on the value of that customer because you're locking that person, committing to a longer-term relationship."

Instant Ink is a subscription in which ink or toner cartridges are dispatched when needed, with customers paying for plans that start at $0.99 and run to $25.99 per month.

[–] [email protected] 21 points 11 months ago

That's why I use a B&W Lazer printer, and have dedicated prosumer Canon photo printer for the few times I need color prints.

[–] [email protected] 18 points 11 months ago (2 children)

https://bdsmovement.net/boycott-hp

There are always better alternatives out there than this trash.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 11 months ago

I know there are a lot of people that will advocate for Brother printers and I didn't used to do this, but I bought one, don't use it for months at a time, and it just sits there ready, working perfectly when I need it to.

It's shocking actually. All the Canon and HP printers I've ever owned would stop connecting to WiFi, stop responding, run out of ink after 10 prints, or end up with low-quality prints.

The brother just sits there, ready to work, month after month.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 11 months ago (2 children)

I believe that the grounds for boycotting HP should not be linked to its association with Israel in any manner.

The legitimate reasons for boycotting HP lie in its substandard customer treatment and the gradual decline in the quality of its products and services.

When individuals boycott companies due to their ties with Israel, it only intensifies my inclination to support those companies.

We should focus on HP's bad technology, not politics. Bringing politics in just confuses the main issue.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 11 months ago (1 children)

When individuals boycott companies due to their ties with Israel, it only intensifies my inclination to support those companies.

Why?

[–] [email protected] -5 points 11 months ago (2 children)

I believe in evaluating a tech company based on its technological merits and customer service quality, rather than its political connections or decisions.

However, if the boycott shifts to a political basis, specifically regarding Israel, it aligns the act of boycotting HP with the stance of supporting Hamas/Palestine, a viewpoint that is definitely not universally accepted. This politicization could render the boycott ineffective, as it then appeals only to those opposing Israel, not those focused on HP's technological and service shortcomings.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Boycotting on technological or political ground is the same. It's all morality based.

You can say that HP handling of customer service or technological choices are not moral and thus grant a boycott. Some people might think that their political decisions are not moral.

I don't think you can evaluate a tech company only on its technology. For example NSO Group wrote Pegasus which is a good working spying software. Is their tech doing its job? Yes. Did they sell it to dictatorships enabling the wrongful emprisonment of many people? Seems like it.

[–] [email protected] -5 points 11 months ago (2 children)

Your message pivots on the notion that supporting Israel is inherently wrong, which introduces a bias, making your argument logically flawed.

I can criticize HP for its poor technological performance while maintaining my support for Israel.

Consider NSO Group: by your logic, it's a technologically advanced company with questionable ethics. I find this logical because, although I'm intrigued by the technology behind Pegasus and recognize its technical excellence, I disagree with how its spyware is used. This distinction between technological skill and ethical standing is vital.

Regarding HP, according to your logic, it is deficient both technologically and ethically. Thus, it's justifiable to criticize it on technological grounds, moral grounds, or both. But for what concerns me, my support for Israel does not factor into my view of HP, as I would only consider boycotting HP for its poor products and services.

If any boycott against HP is generalized as an anti-Israel stance, then HP will continue unaffected, and no boycott will succeed. Hence, it's vital to boycott HP for its actual failings, not because of a political agenda pushed by a few, which could sabotage the effectiveness of the boycott.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 11 months ago

The problem is that there really isn't a line between business and politics. HPs support for Isreal or anything other political issue is not based on the issue itself but on how it impacts their bottom line. They did the math and determined that supporting Israel earned them better relationships with suppliers, politicians and important (i.e. large business customers). This gives them political capital that they use to limit oversight and regulations that would weaken their competitive position. Then they can continue being shitheads to their customers.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 11 months ago

I never said supporting Israel is wrong. I just wanted to respond to your sentence saying that tech company should not be evaluated on their politics. I do not believe this, I think tech company should absolutely be evaluated on their political decisions. Like it has been the case with NSO Group.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 11 months ago

So anyone who is against Israel is supporting Hamas? Holy generalization, Batman!

[–] [email protected] 0 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Do you see apartheid and genocide as political issues?

[–] [email protected] 17 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Epson Ecotank FTW

[–] [email protected] 8 points 11 months ago (1 children)

What’s the catch? Isn’t it a non replaceable messy ink diaper in the bottom of the printer?

[–] [email protected] 6 points 11 months ago

You refill the tank with bottles of ink. I haven't yet had to buy more bottles after two years. They are inexpensive.

[–] [email protected] 12 points 11 months ago (1 children)

I picked up a refurbished Xerox b&w laser printer 5 years ago. It never gives me problems, and the toner lasts forever. One of the best tech purchases I’ve ever made.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 11 months ago (2 children)

My 1996 Lexmark BW compact laser printer just died.

1996...nearly 30 years.

I can probably fix it, just keeps saying paper jam. When I'm bored I'll open it up.

Oh, and it's a centronix connector, ha!

[–] [email protected] 1 points 11 months ago (2 children)

I bet there’s still CUPS support for it, you can probably print to it via CUPS

[–] [email protected] 3 points 11 months ago

Today in my office kitchen I saw 'CUPS' sticker on a drawer and was like 'who prints stuff in a kitchen'? I took me 3 seconds to realize.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 11 months ago

There is.

It's been on a Windows box for years with a $9.99 centronix-to-USB cable

[–] [email protected] 1 points 11 months ago (1 children)

My guess some paper got jammed. You have to unjam it.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 11 months ago

Hahahahaha

Dang, yer a smart one, thanks for the advice, Dad! 🤣

[–] [email protected] 8 points 11 months ago

i wouldnt purchase an hp printer if they paid me

hp, hp executives; please take your subscription model and shove it up your unethical assholes you fucking freaks. /bitterrant

[–] [email protected] 8 points 11 months ago

Trip to FedEx the handful of times a year I need to print has served me well for years.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 11 months ago

I bought a Brother LH-23200 monochrome laser printer in 2016. I bought four toner cartridges for $30 when the first one ran out a few months ago. The only time it has failed to print is when my daughter stole the last sheets of paper from the tray to make drawings.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 11 months ago

Imagine anyone wasting a dime on such garbage