>The punishment should be blunt, uniform, and intimidating! This is absolutely a situation for fines!
To cover refund is a much bigger "fine" and the money flows directly back to those who suffered, that's not the case with fines, and fines are mostly small change for big-corps.
Just extend the rights of Customers and everything could be fine.
>The onus is on the customers to realize that the has been an issue,
If the customer has no issues there are no issues right?
>Then there are shipping costs, likely the customers bought it from a local retainer, that may or may not be in business...
Again it's an HP and you send it directly to them, the MANUFACTURER has to cover all costs. Your retailer has not made the update so he should have nothing to do with it.
>The endless emails and phone calls.
One email: My printer (serial-number) worked for two years with that toner, since your update it's not working anymore (error blablabla), roll back that update or send me a shipping label.
>Overall the customers are not in any position of power without a forced recall.
Time to change that then right? Restore the functionality of my device or take it back.
>Only government regulations can keep capitalism in check
That's what i mean, a customer is allowed to return a device/car/whatever and get fully refunded if the initial function of a device changes with no technical advantage for the customer.
Fines brings the Customer nothing (aka you don't get your money back) and is mostly small change for the company, no need to change anything...but paying full refunds for let's say a 4yo device, that could hurt allot.
>Every manufacturer that abuses this mechanism for anything other than actual security updates should be fined in a way that registers on their stock price and if they do it twice they should be fined out of existence.
No fines, just allow the customer to send back the devices and get a full refund plus all costs covered by the manufacturer...it could be so easy.
Give back the HP and buy a Brother....that would be called a self regulating Market.