HP’s Toner-Blocking Settlement

HP has (quietly) settled a class action lawsuit over claims it deliberately blocked customers from using third-party toner cartridges in its printers, without paying a penny in damages. Locking Out Third-Party Toner The lawsuit centred on HP’s controversial Dynamic Security feature, i.e. software designed to detect and reject toner cartridges not produced by HP itself.…

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HP’s Deliberate 15-Minute Call-Wait Outcry

HP has come under scrutiny for implementing a policy that enforced a minimum 15-minute wait time for customers seeking telephone support for consumer PCs and printers. Frustration The move, which was (quietly) introduced earlier this year, was designed to push customers towards self-service digital support options, but it has triggered frustration among users and raised…

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A Big Stink About Ink

Printer Problems

After trying to dismiss a lawsuit from HP customers angry at a firmware update (meaning that their HP printers wouldn’t work with third-party ink cartridges), we look at how HP is answering the arguments within the antitrust ink cartridge lawsuit and what the implications could be for customers. The Lawsuit Back in January, printing premier…

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HP Worldwide Recall of ‘Fire Hazard’ Laptop Batteries

HP has announced that it is launching a worldwide voluntary safety recall and replacement program for certain notebook computer and mobile workstation batteries over safety concerns. Fire Hazard The reason given for the recall is that the batteries, including those for the ProBook, ZBook, x360, Pavilion and Envy, is that HP says they have the…

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PC Sales Falling

Figures from Gartner and IDC show that, apart from the 3 big vendors, sales of PCs fell in 2016, with technology improvements and innovations proving to be not strong enough motivators to stop the downward trend. Fifth Year Running According to Gartner figures, the fall in PC sales is part of a downward trend that’s…

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