How can HP block me from using a cheaper printer cartridge?

I bought my usual recycled toner cartridge for my HP LaserJet printer. When I installed it I got a message telling me that printing was blocked as it was not an HP cartridge. It turns out that, in the last few weeks, HP has updated the printer firmware (without asking) to stop the use of non-HP cartridges. This means I will have to pay an extra 30% for my toner cartridges. What’s going on?
PW, Argyll & Bute

I think I can answer that in a single word: profiteering. That’s not how HP describes it. Altruism is the excuse it prefers. It tells me the practice it calls “dynamic security” is “to enhance the overall printing experience for our customers”.

Banning cartridges made by any other manufacturer increases printing quality and security protection, it claims. An alternative is confessed on its customer support page, where it states: “The purpose of dynamic security feature is to protect HP’s innovations and intellectual property.”

Dynamic security has been introducing restrictions to cartridges, unbeknownst to printer owners, during firmware updates since 2016. Users, who have relied for years on cheaper brands of ink, are now forced to ditch them, used or unused, and pay a premium for HP’s own. The ramifications of this kind of protectionism are significant. It’s like disabling an electric toothbrush if a customer doesn’t use Colgate.

It seems to get worse. GOS of Boothby Pagnall, Lincolnshire, reports that his HP printer is suddenly rejecting HP cartridges that are deemed out of date. “I never even realised there was such a thing as a ‘best before’ date on inks,” he writes. “I’m sure I am not the only one who bulk buys, only to have them expire before they are used. One I replaced yesterday cost £45.”

The extraordinary thing is that HP has recently and quietly expanded the practice months after agreeing an out-of-court €1.35m compensation package for customers in four European countries who were left out of pocket after their cartridges were blocked without warning.

In 2020, it paid $1.5m after US customers brought a class action lawsuit claiming it had abused its security update system to disadvantage them. Also in 2020, the Italian Competition and Markets Authority fined it €10m for introducing the restrictions without telling customers.

HP declared the settlements did not suggest an admission of wrongdoing. Far from it. Buried deep within its website is the warning that any printer could stop accepting non-HP cartridges at any time.

Customers face three choices. They can dig deep for HP cartridges. Or refuse the firmware updates which may disable their stash of cartridges and risk leaving their printers vulnerable to malware. Or they could switch to another manufacturer.

The UK Competitions and Markets Authority tells me manufacturers should make it clear, upfront, whether a printer is restricted to certain brands and that any claims about incompatibility are not misleading. It declined to confirm whether it would be investigating.

And a shout-out for those who put service above cost

There are companies, usually smaller ones, that regard customer satisfaction as fundamental to revenue, so here’s a shout-out to those who put service above cost:

The letter about Dorset Cereals’s reaction to the nose pad of someone’s glasses in a packet of muesli really shocked us! Our favourite brand, Pure Delish, in New Zealand, contained fruit segments which were so hard we nearly broke some teeth. We emailed a complaint, and received an apologetic answer the same day. Two days later, half a dozen packets of different cereals arrived, with a note hoping we would enjoy a better quality product in future. We hope Dorset Cereals takes a leaf out of its Kiwi colleagues’ book!
C and JH, Auckland, New Zealand

I mislaid a spanner from a Hilka Tools set and couldn’t find a replacement to buy individually. I contacted the firm and it sent me one free of charge.
GB, Perth

I ordered a dress from Nancy Mac. It was beautifully made, but not right on me. It sent me two more to see if they would be more suitable. It also offered to make a dress in a preferred length at no extra cost and the owner phoned to check I was happy. Returns were free. I have rarely come across such excellent customer service.
DN, Stroud, Gloucestershire

When one of my 20-year-old Velux skylights failed, I assumed I would have to replace it. The Velux rep said it sounded like a known issue and customer services confirmed the unit had been recalled because of a defect between 1997 and 2002 and that they would replace it, and the other two units, free. The job was complete within six days of my call.
CH, Greater Manchester

Email your.problems@observer.co.uk. Include an address and phone number. Submission and publication are subject to our terms and conditions