Only government regulations can keep capitalism in check, maybe an unpopular opinion on HN but it hurts startups too because the market is not penetrable for competition.
The market solution doesn't have to be your desired solution. Here it seems that some people doesn't care HP practices, so market provides shitty HP practices. They have easy options (bare minimum: don't buy HP), but they actively avoid them, so the market allows and encourages it.
Because protection against monopolies is dead in USA, we see exactly this play out.
HP only have like 25% of the printer market. Realistic alternatives currently are: Brother, Epson, Kyocera, Ricoh and in some markets NEC. Anyone buying a HP today is asking for it.
That's what i mean, a customer is allowed to return a device/car/whatever and get fully refunded if the initial function of a device changes with no technical advantage for the customer.
Fines brings the Customer nothing (aka you don't get your money back) and is mostly small change for the company, no need to change anything...but paying full refunds for let's say a 4yo device, that could hurt allot.
Then there are shipping costs, likely the customers bought it from a local retainer, that may or may not be in business... The endless emails and phone calls. Overall the customers are not in any position of power without a forced recall.
If the customer has no issues there are no issues right?
>Then there are shipping costs, likely the customers bought it from a local retainer, that may or may not be in business...
Again it's an HP and you send it directly to them, the MANUFACTURER has to cover all costs. Your retailer has not made the update so he should have nothing to do with it.
>The endless emails and phone calls.
One email: My printer (serial-number) worked for two years with that toner, since your update it's not working anymore (error blablabla), roll back that update or send me a shipping label.
>Overall the customers are not in any position of power without a forced recall.
Time to change that then right? Restore the functionality of my device or take it back.
You are making a problem where no are.
If coroporations can set the rule due to legal bribery (lobbying) that's a larger systemic issue that only underwrites my point.
Fortunately there are other examples that show it can be done better, you may have to look for those examples either outside of the USA or in the past of the USA.
