HP Instant Ink Price Increase

[Llanelliguy]

Just so everyone knows I did not mark my previous subject as solved, Admin did that. 

HP did not like what we were all saying. If that was the case HP do the right thing, look at your price rises again and make them fair. 

[Jaytee888]

@llanelliguy

By closing the previous thread Hp are attempting to effectively gag legitimate customer concerns.

On 12 January 2022, I purchased a Hewlett Packard printer from a high street retailer (Currys) after making a careful survey of printer capabilities and features.  I selected an HP 4130 which came supplied with a 9 free month trial of Instant Ink, a scheme whereby my printer would automatically be supplied with ink when running low.  The scheme restricts the user to a monthly page allowance for a monthly fee.  I opted for the £1.99/ 50pages monthly plan.

On 15 Jan 2022, 3 days after purchase and registration for InstantInk and HP+,I received an email from HP stating that wef 12 Feb, the cost of my 50page plan would rise from £1.99 to £2.99, a 50% increase.  I queried this with an online HP agent but was not satisfied with the non-response.

I checked the HP online forum to find that 7 days prior to my purchasing the printer, existing Instant Ink subscribers were receiving price increase emails.  More posts from dissatisfied customers were added in the following days.

I reviewed the HP marketing website and found that HP were still quoting £1.99 per month.  No doubt new subscribers would then, after purchase and registration would receive an email re the price increase.  This was confirmed on the HP forum.

I believe in continuing to advertise a £1.99 plan and then immediately increase to £2.99, that this is a sharp practice designed to entice new customers and once ‘locked in’ hit them with an immediate increase.

[amanda_mcd]

I started another thread as hadn't seen you restarted this having been 'gagged' on the original.

On my thread I wrote:

Given HP closed the last forum on this topic I thought I would restart it.

They obviously have decided that they wish to stop the conversation we are all having quoting the unfairness in the increases in Instant Ink Prices. In monetary terms the rise may be small but, as we have all noticed, in percentage terms it's huge and well above inflation from a UK perspective:

15 page plan reduced by a third in pages.

50 page plan increased by 50% cost

100 page plan increased by 28% cost

Higher page plans unchanged.

In a telephone conversation with 'customer services' I was told the upper plans rose in Nov 2020 as follows:

The 300 page plan was £7.99 up to £9.99 which was a 25% rise

A plan above this which I can no longer see was £12.99 up to £16.49 which was a 27% rise

Using this information from HP I still cannot understand why the 50 page plan has increased by 50%. It's not in-keeping with past rises and is significantly above inflation and around double other page cost increases (as a percentage)

HP rethink this now. The 50 page plan at £2.49 while still high, would have been in line with other rises and at least looked at as fairer.

[UnhappyPH]

@Jaytee88 I was in a similar position.

I also ordered online with Currys in January. But in my case, it was the next day I got the 'plan changes' email. This was less than 24 hours after signing up.  And yet, the old prices are not only on the HP website and in the app, but community admins are linking to the HP website with old plan information. 

As far as I know, new customers cannot sign up for those prices and page options. And as others note,  price plans have increased by up to 50%+. Or a stealth increase of 50% on the lowest plan (due to monthly pages being reduced to a measly 10). Existing customers who swap plans will surely be charged from their next billing cycle at the new increased prices - not the advertised prices online or in the app. The advertised prices may be the 'current prices'. But no-one can avail of them.

The price increase is massive. But it's the poor communications and the lack of a proper response from HP which is disappointing.  Sending a link to the old price plan structure is less than helpful.

[Llanelliguy]

I have just noticed my previous subject, (you know the one, the one Admin stopped) it was viewed over 13K times, wow.

No wonder Admin took it down, she did not like ioyal customers, that's you and me, talking this way. When I say she, I do mean HP. 

HP this is not Russia! We will make sure our voices are heard. If not here I personally will make sure it's somewhere you can not stop us. 

In some countries they would call this a gagging order. I never thought I would see that happen here. 

[Jaytee888]

As stated by @llanelliguy, amassing over 13,000 views in 3 weeks since the original post is surely a demonstration of the strength and depth of feeling of ‘disappointment’ there is among HP users both new and old.   Gaining Number 4 position in the all time list of views on the HP forum before HP shut it down must surely have ruffled a few feathers. 
I don’t think anyone has denied that HP are entitled to raise the price of their products, of course they are.   But my concerns are really 2 fold.

1.  A targeted increase of 50% to my selected band (previously £1.99/50 pages to £2.99] is, to my mind, unconscionably excessive.  But perhaps HP are jumping on the bandwagon of constantly rising prices and just ‘pushing the envelope’ to see what they can get away with.  As was mentioned on the earlier closed thread, if 10%, 20% or 30% of subscribers walked away would it irk HP?  Probably not.  So why not see what they could get away with?  It’s only £1 per month, you might say.  Actually, it’s ANOTHER £1 per month. But with little or no added VALUE.

2.  Of more concern to me, is the practice of continuing to advertise the old rates while emailing existing ‘valued’ (pah!) customers telling them of the new rates from 12 Feb.  I was lured in by the £1.99 rate and bought a printer with a ‘generous 9 month’ free trial … thank you for that HP.  But having signed up to InstantInk and HP+ with all the attendant restrictions, within 3 days the dreaded email dropped in my inbox … at least 10 days after they were already telling existing users.  and continued to do for for at least 18 days afterwards … and maybe even today.   Sharp practice … or what.

Anyway, we ALL understand that we are paying for the privilege of printing a number of pages and NOT for the ink we consume.  We are paying for postage, packing and recycling.  So let’s get that out of the way, and I have no problem with that model.  If the price is right and it suits me. 
The 50% price hike is in the band I selected.  Other bands are affected to a lesser extent (%) or not at all.  The permutations and cost/benefits of switching bands are many and varied depending on one’s individual usage, so I’m not going to think about those … too mind boggling to contemplate.  I’m just thinking about the 50ppm.

So what have we done so far?  
1. Opened a thread on the HP forum … and had it shutdown by HP.  

2.  I’ve emailed the HP CEO,

3.  I’ve emailed Martin Lewis (a UK consumer protection evangelist),

4.  I’ve raised concerns with UK Trading Standards through their website (I can’t post the link) 

5.  I’ve emailed RIp Off Britain on the BBC (Gloria Hunniford, Julia Somerville, Angela Rippon)

If you feel that HP have acted illegally or even unfairly, you have the opportunity to make representations yourself.  

[fleetafoot]

Instant ink = Instant price increase.

Is it legal, are the adverts at £1.99 not misleading and reportable to the ASA?

[lohr500]

I was also annoyed that the previous discussion was closed. The final answer given by HP was not a solution!!

I cancelled last week and yesterday I got an email message that my account was fully closed. A message also appeared on the printer advising me that the Instant Ink cartridges would no longer work. I had already replaced them with my £10.99 cheapo Chinese cartridges.

Only a few days into the replacements but I have printed about 12 pages in colour so far and they are working perfectly with no short term ill effects.

So not only have HP lost my II business, they have also lost my business on regular HP cartridges. And when the time comes to replace my printer, it won't be with another HP. Well done whoever thought it was acceptable to slap a 50% increase on my subscription.

I would urge everyone else to do the same.

[Jaytee888]

@fleetafoot 

That’s a great thought.  Contact the ASA (Advertising Standards Authority) via their website … HP won’t allow me to post a link or any variation of a link.  I’ve checked the ASA site as I know they have a defined remit, and they will take complaints about “Ad claims on Companies’ own websites”. 
Good luck 🙂

[5Aman]

I too have had the 'email' increasing the £199  to £2.99.  I think it's disgraceful to put a 50% increase - how do HP justify that!!!  Can I ask how did you manage to contact an online HP agent.  I have scoured the their website and can't find any info to get hold of them.