Actionable Intelligence has broken the news HP Inc has been “named in a new class-action lawsuit that accuses the printer maker of misleading consumers by failing to disclose that its inkjet printers consume substantial amounts of color ink when printing black-and-white images and text, a process called underprinting.”
The lawsuit was filed by Ms Christina Rose in the United States District Court Northern District Of California on April 10. According to Actionable Intelligence, Ms Rose claims, “HP fails to disclose to consumers that the printers are designed to cease printing if the Product’s color ink is depleted”—even if the consumer only wants to print black-and-white using the black ink.
In addition, the complaint states, “Consumers are unaware of these material facts not only because the Defendant (HP) fails to disclose them at the point of sale, but they defy common sense.”
Ms Rose claims she has been injured because had she known about the color underprinting, she would not have purchased the printer.
She further asserts consumers have to “spend more on ink than they reasonably expected and are forced to buy costly color inkjet cartridges even if they choose to print in black-and-white.” She is pursuing this legal action on behalf of all of HP’s customers in the United States who are affected.
The claim against HP includes violation of the Consumer Legal Remedies Act and the Unfair Competition Law in California. Ms Rose says that at no time during the in-store purchase, nor the in-store advertising and shelf tags, nor on the packaging of the Printer, does “HP directly disclose that the Printers utilize underprinting.”
Actionable Intelligence also notes that Ms Rose refers to a similar class action against HP which was settled by HP in 2011. The Plaintiff is seeking damages, costs and restitution and “all other forms of equitable monetary relief.”
