Not unlike those found on a car’s dashboard, gauges on this page depict the levels of toner and other supplies. When an original cartridge is installed in the printer, this useful feature tells the user exactly how many pages have been printed and number of jobs processed.
But when a remanufactured cartridge is installed, this feature displays its dark side. According to samples produced by Mike Josiah and the technical team at Summit Laser, the Supplies Page states: "Attention – A non-Hewlett Packard toner cartridge has been detected … Services or repairs required as a result of using a non-Hewlett-Packard toner cartridge will NOT be covered under the printer warranty."
The past few weeks have seen a resurgence in the "voided warranty" complaints. Printer repair technicians and OEM supplies dealers explain to customers that their warranties are voided merely by using a non-HP cartridge.
This goes against HP policy, which states that HP will only void a warranty if the remanufactured cartridge actually causes the damage. However, overly zealous service technicians, bent on recovering lost supply sales, use this tactic to confuse customers. The message on the 4100 Supplies Status Page will further confuse the customers as to the true HP policy on the use of remanufactured cartridges.
Once more, for the record, HP’s policy is: "The use of a non-HP or refilled toner cartridge alone does not affect either your warranty or any maintenance contract you may have with your printer. However, if an HP LaserJet printer failure or damage is found to be attributable directly to the use of a non-HP toner cartridge, HP will not repair the printer free of charge. In this case, standard time and materials charges will be applied to service your printer for that particular failure or damage."
If this policy has changed, Recharger Magazine invites the Hewlett-Packard to update and educate the industry.
For a comprehensive look at the HP 4100, including step-by-step remanufacturing instructions, see Summit Laser’s article by Mike Josiah in the August issue of Recharger Magazine.
For information on warranty rights when using remanufactured cartridges, visit our article archives at http://www.rechargermag.com/staff.cfm?Article_ID=200003023.0 "Legal Issues for Business Owners in 2001 " at World Expo also addresses the topic. For more info see the Business and Management Tracks for World Expo 2001 at http://www.rechargermag.com/conf/2001/track_b.asp
If you have encountered a voided warranty problem, please e-mail the details to us at: sue@rechargermagazine.com
