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Refilling - VOID Warranty?
One question that is very popular amongst those who are
considering refilling is "Will refilling void my warranty?". The
answer to that question is simple - NO. Consumers are often told by salesman or
service personnel that competitive ink products may not be used in the consumers
printer during the warranty period. They accompany this with the claim that
"The use of competitive brands of ink will void (or invalidate) the
warranty", with the statement or implication that only the original
equipment cartridges and ink may be used. This, of course, tends to cast doubt
on the quality of the refilling products being used.
This claim, however, is simply not true. Under the Magnuson-Moss warranty act
and general principles set forth by the Federal Trade Commission, a manufacturer
may not require the use of their brand of user replaceable consumables unless
they are providing that item to you free of charge under the terms of the
warranty. It's the same thing when General Motors recommends the use of GM oil
and GM oil filters in their automobiles for best performance. Any consumer knows
that Valvoline or Pennzoil products are acceptable, and can be used without
affecting the warranty - the reason this can be done is written in these laws.
Looking For Proof in Print?
Here are some excerpts and quotes from manuals and/or manufacturers employees -
complete with references:
"If refilling a cartridge damages the printer, then we may decline
to fix specific printer damage that is caused by the refilled cartridges.....
But it's not true that we do not honor warranties for people who refilled
their cartridges."
(Alison Graves, HP Employee)
Source: Gelles, Jeff, "Companies Specializing in cartridge
refill kits - makers of printers try to discourage use of such products.
Still, doing so would not necessarily negate a warranty," The
Philadelphia Inquirer, (April 29, 1999), Page F1.
"Canon has more engineers dedicated to creating quality ink for
providing the best results for output on Bubble Jet printers than any other
organization. Canon does not prohibit the use of third-party inks and the use
of third-party inks does not invalidate the product's limited warranty.
However, Canon cannot guarantee the quality or performance of your printer
when you are using inks from other suppliers."
Source: "Users Manual: Canon BJC-6000 Series", Canon
Computer Systems, Inc., 1999
"Furthermore, some printer companies have led consumers to believe
that using refill kits will void printer warranties, but Hewlett-Packard,
Epson, and other vendors with whom we spoke say that simply isn't true. A
company may legally charge for any printer repairs caused by a leaky refilled
cartridge, but it must honor the warranty for other types of repairs."
Source: "Beating the High Price of
Printer Ink"
Carla Thornton
From the June 1999 issue of PC World magazine
If you are outside the US, please check with your local laws to see
if the same rules and regulations apply to you. In some countries outside the
US, it is legal for a manufacturer to explicitly require the purchase of their
own consumables to retain warranty support - we are only familiar with the laws
within the United States/Canada.
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Xrefill
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