To The Dumpster With Hewlett Packard
Technology can drive you nuts.
Last week, Plotnik tried to print a label on his HP desk jet printer. One of the labels came off the sheet and wrapped itself around the spool, causing the printer to jam. But Plotnik couldn't see the jammed label, only the jammed sheet that the label had been attached to. So when he removed the sheet, which he could see, but not the label, which he could not see, the printer kept refusing to work.
He tried Googling the problem, nobody knew what to do.
He called HP. They said they were so sorry, but his printer, which he and Ducknik bought new at Costco maybe four years ago, was now obsolete and no telephone service was available, even for money. They could, however, sell him a newer version of a similar wireless printer for only $129.
He called a repair shop. They would be glad to look at the printer, but since it was out of warranty and no longer serviced by HP, they could not guarantee anything, plus it would cost him $99.99 for them to look at it, plus parts and labor.
The printer cost $79 new.
Plotnik got a screw driver and took the damned thing apart. He found the stuck label and removed it. He put the printer back together. It still didn't work. He was sure the problem was that the drivers had been screwed up and he had to reinstall the printer, which he did.
It still didn't work. He needed new, UPDATED drivers, available only from HP, but only IF they were still servicing the obsolete printer, which they aren't.
He called and asked them to send him the updated drivers and they said they would, if the printer weren't obsolete, but it was, so they couldn't.
So he went on Amazon and bought a new printer, for $89.
Then he got an email survey from HP asking how helpful their service department had been on his phone call. With glee, he blistered their sorry candy asses up and down and told them to stick their printer where the wireless don't shine.
Last night he threw out the old one in the recycling bin.
This morning he received brand new drivers from HP by email, for the printer which is now somewhere down near Candlestick Park in the garbage.
The new printer hasn't arrived. It is probably made in Fukushima, Japan.
posted by DAK @ 9:19 AM
4 Comments:
It really freaks out tech companies if you have the audacity to want to use something for more than two years. Which of course leads to an amazing amount of unnecessary ewaste - perfectly useful things being replaced by something new and shiny. All of these companies are guilty (although since printers make their money off of ink, you'd think they wouldn't be so hostile to older ones).
I wonder how you could bear to write this. I would be eating Cherries Garcia directly out of a gallon tub.
Ah, the joy of technology. Soooooo frustrating. I need some choc. mint ice cream just reading about it...
HP has always been a little nuts. Some years ago, I was evaluating printers for SFMOMA. The most important thing was that there be a functioning, dependable automatic feed for printing envelopes. The HP people actually picked us up and drove us to headquarters to demo their biggerbetterfastermore printer, which they claimed would be perfect for the job. And, indeed, the printer looked very impressive.
But when I asked about the automatic envelope function, they showed me a slot in the printer and said the envelope feed attachment was still being developed.
Talk about airware . . .
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