Canon is getting away with printers that gained’t scan sans ink — however HP may pay

Have been you hoping Canon is likely to be held accountable for its all-in-one printers that mysteriously can’t scan after they’re low on ink, forcing you to purchase extra? Powerful: the lawsuit we instructed you about final 12 months quietly resulted in a personal settlement somewhat than turning into a giant class-action.

I simply checked, and a decide already dismissed David Leacraft’s lawsuit in November, without Canon ever being compelled to point out what occurs if you attempt to scan with out a full ink cartridge. (Quite a few Canon buyer assist reps wrote that it merely doesn’t work.)

Right here’s the excellent news: HP, an excellent bigger and extra shameless producer of printers, remains to be presumably dealing with down a class-action swimsuit for a similar apply.

As Reuters reports, a decide has refused to dismiss a lawsuit by Gary Freund and Wayne McMath that alleges many HP printers gained’t scan or fax paperwork when their ink cartridges report that they’ve run low.

“Plaintiffs have plausibly alleged that HP had an obligation to reveal and had data of the alleged defect,” wrote Decide Beth Labson Freeman, within the order denying nearly all of HP’s present makes an attempt to dismiss the swimsuit. (You possibly can learn it on the backside of this story.)

Apparently, neither Canon nor HP spent any time making an attempt to argue their printers do scan after they’re low on ink within the lawsuit responses I’ve learn. Maybe they’ll’t deny it? Epson, in the meantime, has an entire FAQ devoted to reassuring clients that it hasn’t pulled that trick since 2008. (Don’t fear, Epson has different types of printer enshittification.)

HP does appear to be masking its rear in a technique. The corporate’s authentic description on Amazon for the Envy 6455e claimed that you could possibly scan issues “each time”:

However once I went again now to verify the same product page, it now reads in a different way: HP now not claims this printer can scan “each time” you need it to. Now, we wait to see whether or not the case can clear the bars wanted to doubtlessly turn into a giant class-action trial, or whether or not it equally settles like Canon, or any variety of different outcomes.

I’m curious: do you might have a printer the place your scanner gained’t scan with out ink?