HP Instant Ink, the service that delivers printer ink cartridges at a discounted price for a monthly payment, apparently locks the cartridge if you cancel your subcription, even if it’s not empty.
Ryan Sullivan, an Instant Ink user from the USA, announced this on Twitter: “Last month I canceled a random charge for $4.99 per month from HP called “InstantInk”. Wasn’t sure what it was for. I’ve had it for over a year but had no idea what it did. I just found out what it did”
The notification said that the cartridge cannot be used until the printer is registered with HP Instant Ink. “Apparently HP remotely disabled perfectly good ink cartridges because I don’t pay a monthly fee?”
In the HP Instant Ink Terms of Use, the question is: “Can I still use my Instant Ink cartridges if I cancel the service?”
And the answer to that question is: “From the moment you insert the first Instant Ink cartridges received with your Welcome Package, all following cartridges received will be Instant Ink Cartridges. In case you cancel the Service, even if the Instant Ink Cartridges provided with your subscription are not empty, they will stop working in your printer and you will have to replace all of them with standard cartridges.”
The service launched in 2011 as a pilot program, apparently only lets you use your cartridges when you keep paying.
