David Posted August 31, 2017 Share Posted August 31, 2017 I bought a printer for around £40 last year, ink ran out. I bought a black and white cartridge for it which was £26 as I went for the XL version, didn't bother with the colour, binned that cartridge and thought nothing of it. Went to print something today but it won't even get ready to print without putting a colour cartridge in, throws up an error. Same printer is now £30 to buy brand new and comes with both the colour and black and white cartridge. I don't get it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sith Happens Posted August 31, 2017 Share Posted August 31, 2017 2 hours ago, David said: I bought a printer for around £40 last year, ink ran out. I bought a black and white cartridge for it which was £26 as I went for the XL version, didn't bother with the colour, binned that cartridge and thought nothing of it. Went to print something today but it won't even get ready to print without putting a colour cartridge in, throws up an error. Same printer is now £30 to buy brand new and comes with both the colour and black and white cartridge. I don't get it. I remember once reading that these printers are often considered as disposable because of the new ink costs. I am sure when new though you only get half full cartridges. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Posted August 31, 2017 Author Share Posted August 31, 2017 3 minutes ago, Paul71 said: I remember once reading that these printers are often considered as disposable because of the new ink costs. I am sure when new though you only get half full cartridges. Doesn't make much sense when you buy a new one it comes with ink, can't be much good for the environment binning these things every few months Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sith Happens Posted August 31, 2017 Share Posted August 31, 2017 2 hours ago, David said: Doesn't make much sense when you buy a new one it comes with ink, can't be much good for the environment binning these things every few months Yeah agree. If you printer high quantities a laser printer is more efficient. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wolfie Posted August 31, 2017 Share Posted August 31, 2017 It happens with a lot of products. These companies have worked out they can make more profit by selling the printer / razor etc at a loss and then ramp up the price of the consumables to go with it for the next 2-3 years or whatever. Once one company follows this business plan, the rest all have to follow to be seen as competitive for the initial outlay. Would you rather pay £200 for a printer and then a fiver for the cartridges?. The average outlay over the lifetime of the printer is probably much the same. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jagerbob Posted September 1, 2017 Share Posted September 1, 2017 My former employers discovered this to their cost. The ink printers didnt last long before getting scrapped or written off. Sounds like a bargain at first, but ink runs out very quick , especially in a business, and then your paying an arm and a leg to replenish. Lasers much more cost effecient. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scarboroughwa Posted September 1, 2017 Share Posted September 1, 2017 The money is in the consumables. Also, the ink they come with when they are new are partially filled. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1of4 Posted September 1, 2017 Share Posted September 1, 2017 Same with razors. Gillette virtually give their new razor away, then charge over £20 for a pack of new blades. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coneheadjohn Posted September 2, 2017 Share Posted September 2, 2017 On 31/08/2017 at 10:00, David said: I bought a printer for around £40 last year, ink ran out. I bought a black and white cartridge for it which was £26 as I went for the XL version, didn't bother with the colour, binned that cartridge and thought nothing of it. Went to print something today but it won't even get ready to print without putting a colour cartridge in, throws up an error. Same printer is now £30 to buy brand new and comes with both the colour and black and white cartridge. I don't get it. Made me smile when I saw you having a dig at them on twitter. That's a sign you're getting old mate. It is b******* though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gaspode Posted September 2, 2017 Share Posted September 2, 2017 I used to work for HP - the printer division always made enormous profits - with the majority coming from the sales on consumables. I buy el-cheapo cartridges nowadays rather than the branded ones - don't last as long as the official versions, but they're a fraction of the price (a complete set of 5 for my Canon printer for less than £5 as opposed to over £10 each for the official ones) - as long as you're not printing photographs, cheap ones should be fine (though they can cause the print head to dry up if you don't use the printer on a regular basis....) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PistoldPete2 Posted September 2, 2017 Share Posted September 2, 2017 Same with spare parts for cars. Really there should be a law against it... It's monopoly pricing, where are you going to get your Gillette blades from , if not Gillette? And what about Apple iPhone accessories? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sith Happens Posted September 2, 2017 Share Posted September 2, 2017 9 hours ago, PistoldPete2 said: Same with spare parts for cars. Really there should be a law against it... It's monopoly pricing, where are you going to get your Gillette blades from , if not Gillette? And what about Apple iPhone accessories? Apple are bad, my wife broke her screen a few years ago, cost a fortune to fix. I broke my windows phone screen a couple of years ago, got a replacement easy to repair online for a few quid. At least with cars now you can take them to non main dealers for services and keep your warranty intact. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A Ram for All Seasons Posted September 2, 2017 Share Posted September 2, 2017 The same applies to blood glucose meters for diabetics. The drug companies use them to sell needles at very inflated prices. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JG400 Posted October 4, 2017 Share Posted October 4, 2017 I have bought Laser printers , had a black and white one , just bought a Colour (Brother ) now they are cheap , Cartridges are about £50 but last 10 times as long as an ink jet and don't clog Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stive Pesley Posted October 5, 2017 Share Posted October 5, 2017 It's called a Loss Leader isn't it? A donkey's years old technique Even RR do it - they make most of their money on engine maintenance contracts not on the engine sales Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TigerTedd Posted October 5, 2017 Share Posted October 5, 2017 I’ve got a printer at work with powder ink. The ink should last me 5 years without the need to replenish. And if it doesn’t, the contract I have guarantees it’ll be refilled. Yes, it’s in a £100 a month contract, so probably not relevant for most, but considering I spent about that much per month on cartridges, and had just killed my last printer by knackering the ink reservoirs or something, so it stopped working, so I was about to spend the best part of £200 on a new one, I thought this was a great deal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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