Posted on 02/03/2003 8:33:38 AM PST by newgeezer
Has the price of replacement cartridges skyrocketed since you first bought your printer? Or, did you just neglect to inform yourself of the cost of consumables back then?
or go start my own company?
Yeah. Isn't America great?!
Um, Lexmark is the one demanding that the government "meddle" by suppressing their competition. If the third-party cartridges don't work well, then the free market will cause them to fail. But consumers should have that choice.
Remember your argument when the issue of Microsoft and alleged market abuse comes up. The 'big picture' of this should frighten you. You are championing a 'closed market' approach. Not surprisingly 90+% of the population does not support the 'closed market' approach.
For many users of Lexmark printers it's more indirect than that. Many Lexmark printers are sold as part of a new pc package--pc, monitor, printer, maybe some other peripherals, all at one attractive low price. Only after you get the system home do you realize that it's gonna cost $70 to replace cartridges. Meanwhile, the printers are selling for $40 on ebay. The printers really are a giveaway item so far as Lexmark is concerned. Many owners will feel foolish (and environmentally rapacious) at the idea of throwing away a perfectly good printer. So they grit their teeth and buy the overpriced refills. It's a pretty despicable business model. I guess I'll support their right to charge what they want for their merchandise, but I'll never buy another item with the Lexmark name on it.
Investigate your purchase before you take the plunge. Check the price of consumables. Read product reviews online, both from owners and trade publications.
Vote YES. Stop advancing the nanny state.
And here we have the basic disagreement. I do not feel that "That's their right" because I OWN IT. If the printer were leased, rented or loaned to me; I would agree with you. But the fact remains that someone paid for it, if they undercharged for it, that is the manufacturer's fault, NOT the consumer's. If I OWN something (meaning I paid for it out of my earnings), I should be able to print with vegetable oil if I desire. I may plug stuff up and ruin my property, but then it would be my fault. To intentionally shut off MY PRINTER is to sabotage MY PROPERTY. It's also an issue of property rights.
Well, that's pretty silly. If the printer in not economically competitive, get rid of it! It's not like you name your printers or anything!
...I'll never buy another item with the Lexmark name on it.
I would dare say that 90% of Lexmark owners never bought anything with a Lexmark name on it!
In this case, I don't think so. That applies to a case where, for instance, you CANNOT buy a PC without also buying Windows, even though you have no need or use for that OS.
However, in this case, you CAN get away without ever buying a replacement ink cartridge. You always have the option of buying another printer instead. In the meantime, you can watch OfficeMax and Staples ads for the coveted free- or dirt-cheap-after-rebate printers (which come fully equipped with new cartridges).
Now, if you REALLY want to be exasperated, buy any Xerox laser copier or printer which comes with only a "starter" toner cartridge. You get maybe 500 or 1000 pages before you get to plunk down $100 for your first "real" one. Just wait 'til the inkjet mfrs. get wind of this! ;-)
I'm actually serious....
If anyone would like my source freepmail me.
Now I've got a couple unused printers in my garage and the new ones come sans ink.
So far, I've used one of the refill kits and one the first refill got more than twice the use as compared with the original.
Imagine if we had to but ink by the gallon at the refill cartridge price?!
Maybe you'll have wisdom when you're an oldgeezer.
Gridlock - good choice on your tag line. Here is the earliest date I can see that I used it: Tagline
When did you first use it?
Dag-gummit!
I'll just have to fall back on my old Dan Rather, for now.
I recently bought a Samsung laser printer. In the fine-print it says that if I use another manufacturer's toner, my warranty is voided.
mongrel, I don't know, I'm not in the market for a printer. I refill my own cartridges, too.
I don't believe that is true. Companies reverse engineer the eproms in cars to create 'performance chips' and sell them at a profit. Where's the crime in that?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.