Don't know why: "A problem has occured with your HP account, you will be unable to print very soon"

[Rendszergazda]

HP Smart App installed. HP Smart account is ok. Wifi on printer is connected (blue light on). After turning on, exclamation mark blinks. After pressing the button next to it, printer prints a message that a problem occured with the account. After this, the printer is working. HP Smart App is confusing, because sometimes it displays "unknown status", sometimes "no network connection" for the printer, but there is no cause for any of them.

I tried to start from stratch, but this whole thing is very complicated. I should remove the printer from the app, from the account separately, there are 3 different driver names on the PC, the word "offiine" means two different things in the software, and it is almost impossible to know what wifi credentials are just being used by the printer. I really-really start to hate this overcomplicated system. I would like to have a printer with a driver, or if it is mandatory to have an online account for offline printing (which is CRAAAAZY), then it should be very-very clear and easy to use. I would be grateful to have some guidance how to find out what the problem is with my account, or how to start the installation from scratch.

[Rainbow23]

Hi @Rendszergazda,

Welcome to HP Support Community. 

Thank you for posting your query, I will be glad to help you.

I see that you are getting an error message "A problem has occurred with your HP account, you will be unable to print very soon"

Please follow the steps listed below to uninstall and reinstall HP Smart App:

Step 1: Uninstall HP Smart App.

1. Navigate to and open Settings

2. Select Apps or Application Manager from the device Settings

3. Select HP Smart

4. Select Uninstall

Step 2: Reinstall HP Smart App.

1. Download the HP Smart app from 123.hp.com (Android, Apple iOS, iPad OS), 

or HP Smart - Microsoft Store (Windows), 

or HP Smart - Mac App Store (Mac).

2. Open the HP Smart app.

3. The app searches for recently installed printers.

- If your printer displays, click it. If you are setting up a new printer, it might display with Set-Up under the name.

- If your printer does not display, click the Plus sign, and then follow the on-screen prompts to add your printer or set up a new printer.

You may also refer to this HP document: https://support.hp.com/in-en/document/ish_1716406-1413451-16 

Let me know if this helps and have a good day.

Please click “Accepted Solution” if you feel my post solved your issue, it will help others find the solution. Click the “Kudos/Thumbs Up" on the bottom right to say “Thanks” for helping!

[Rendszergazda]

Dear Rainbow23,

Thank you very much for your kind reply to my message, but - sorry to say - your reply was not valuable at all.  This was NOT a solution, and even less "accepted" or "acceptable".

You have not answered the main question: WHY IS THAT ERROR? What does it mean: "problem with your account" Of course, I have already found the "default" documents about the general suggestions of HP printers.

BEFORE I wrote to the forum, I already uninstalled and reinstalled HP Smart using the way you wrote, but after that, the very same "suspicious" data appeared, WITHOUT setting up the printer again from scratch, so it is not clear which info is stored in the memory of the printer, and wich are form the "HP Smart cloud", in my account, or maybe from Windows Registry. This confusion is highly nerve-racking.

After that I wrote to the forum, I found some ideas. HP Smart has a service - called something like "Instant Ink service", I don't remember exactly -, which I can DECIDE TO REGISTER OR NOT REGISTER! The idea I have read was the following: "You did not add the PAYMENT INFORMATION to your account, this is the problem."

For God's sake, WHY SHOULD I ADD PAYMENT INFO, if I don't need ANYTHING from HP after buying the printer? I did NOT register to Instant Ink, and I never will. My account is ok! After logging in to HP Smart thru a browser, even the system itself doesn't say there is a problem!!!

Back to your question: NO, the problem is NOT solved. We currently TOLERATE that we must print an error page after we turn on the printer, and we trust that HP will NOT DARE to stop our printer because of this so-called "problem" with the account! We currently CAN NOT DO ANYTHING ELSE! The other solution would be throw the printer to the bin, and never again buy anything from HP.

If you are really from HP Support, I - as an experienced system administrator of a company with 140 employees - would like to send a message to the company:

1. It is not ethical to make internet-access compulsory for OFFLINE PRINTING. I don't understand why a company is not penalized for this. This should have legal consequences.

2. It is unethical to seriously pressure the user to order additional services.

3. It is not nice to have a system in which it is not clear where the data is stored.

We're really looking forward to an update that fixes this bug and/or has a huge button that says "Disconnect from HP Smart Account"

After that, I never want to see the threat of not being able to print on my screen again.

[Rainbow23]

Hi @Rendszergazda,

This issue might require one on one interaction over the phone to fix it.

I've sent you a private message with further instructions to talk to instant ink support. In order to access your private messages, click the private message icon on the upper right corner of your HP Support Community profile, next to your profile Name or simply click on this link

Take care and have a great day ahead! 

[Rendszergazda]

Thank you again for your attempts to help.

Although additional "not-clear" things appear as I dig deeper (details below), I promise I will try to call the "Instant Ink" support and I will definitely come back to you and to the Support Forum with the results.

The additional confusion:

1. I view this page logged in: https://support.hp.com/us-en/service/hp-instant-ink-bla-bla-bla... and I can see this: 

Your Instant Ink account is separate from your other HP accounts.

Sign in  to check ink shipments,

Screenshot:

2. When I click "Sign In" (athough I AM SURE I never created an "Instant Ink" account), I see this page (beginning with not "hp.com" but "hpsmart.com")

https://www.hpsmart.com/hu/hu/ucde/print_plans

Screenshot:

This seems to be a "HP Smart" account which I really have, because it was compulsory to create when I was setting up the printer. Is THIS the "Instant Ink" account then?

3. On this page (which is a SUB-PAGE called "Instant Ink" of "HP Smart" page), I can see a huge button: "Registration", with some advices why to register to Instant Ink

So I think THIS IS a "HP Smart" account, and I am NOT YET REGISTERED to "Instant Ink", right?

Then why on the Earth should I call "Instant Ink", if I DON'T HAVE an "Instant Ink" account, and "Instant Ink" account is SAPARATE from any other HP accounts? Do you already understand what I call "confusion"?