$510 later, I wish I hadn't ignored signing up for HP Instant Ink
Environmentalism is the other perk of signing up for Hewlett Packard's monthly ink program
Update on July 5, 2024: I read many complaints online about how HP Instant Ink’s Customer Service is awful when there’s a problem with the ink cartridges. Once again, I cannot agree. For the first time since I joined the program, I finally installed a new ink cartridge. My black one was defective, and even an alignment test and cleaning test didn’t resolve it. The first rep I spoke with troubleshooted the issue and scheduled a new ink cartridge to be sent, on top of crediting me for the pages I lost trying to fix it on my own. I really like this program. My only mistake was not joining sooner.
$510.62. That’s how much I spent on ink cartridges last year. When you’re preparing for a Small Claims case (unrelated to HP) and printing out hundreds of pages for a judge and the opposing attorney, trees will not be spared. In 2023, I bought a new Hewlett Packard printer on January 10 and immediately blocked all promo reminders about HP Instant Ink.
Recommended Read: “HP DeskJet 2700 All-In-One Printer is making me humor getting a printer subscription ~ When your ink costs more than your printer”
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As an Amazon affiliate, I earn a percentage from purchases with my referral links. I know some consumers are choosing to boycott Amazon for its DEI removal. However, after thinking about this thoroughly, I want to continue promoting cool products from small businesses, women-owned businesses and (specifically) Black-owned businesses who still feature their items on Amazon. As of the first date of Black History Month 2025, each new post will ALWAYS include a MINIMUM of one product sold by a Black-owned business. (I have visited the seller’s official site to verify that Amazon Black-owned logo.) I am (slowly) doing this with older, popular posts too. If you still choose to boycott, I 100% respect that decision.
It seemed like the biggest scam in the world for a printing company to monitor my printing habits and keep sending me ink cartridges whenever I was low. The same way I'm perfectly capable of cooking my own food, I can order my own ink cartridges. I went to all the usual suspects in e-commerce to find the best deals on HP ink cartridges, with rates ranging from $16 to $31 each. (I was appalled by how much money I was spending on ink cartridges, especially considering I spent a total of $128.34 for ink with my Brother printer.)
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Even without the lawsuit, my HP spending versus Brother spending was at least double the amount. The only perk was the recyclable bags to return old cartridges.
This year, I finally gave in and joined the HP Instant Ink program. And after printing 248 pages in the past two months, I’ve only spent approximately $20 (technically $10 since HP offers a $10 promo code).
Get one month free with my referral code!
And I’ve yet to change my original ink cartridges from April. I can’t help but wonder why there is any HP Instant Ink review saying this membership is a scam. If I knew then what I know now, I’d have signed up for HP Instant Ink 15 months ago.
In all fairness, I can understand a handful of the complaints.