From media streaming services to having razors delivered to your house, it seems no product is safe from the subscription model.
Now, one woman’s frustration with the subscription-based economy has reached its boiling point over an unexpected paywall. Her HP printer now allegedly requires a monthly payment to function.
TikTok user @hunterlollo vented in a video posted on July 11, which has since amassed over 968,600 views.
“This is my final straw, my final straw in capitalism,” she begins, before listing all the components she’s already paid for. The printer itself, paper, ink, electricity, internet access, and even the phone with her printer’s smart app.
“I can’t use the printer unless I have a subscription to it,” she explains. “You have to have a subscription to said printer to use the printer—that I already bought—with money.”
The subscription in question, which allegedly costs $5 per month, pushed the TikToker over the edge. “I know life is just a bunch of subscriptions. At this point, we subscribe to the air that we breathe, but a printer?” she exclaims.
Her rant resonated with many viewers, who shared their own frustrations in the comments.
One user suggested, “Throw it away and start going to the library. They will pay for the subscription and you will save money on paper, ink and bills. Delegate that finance.”
“I thrifted an HP printer and was so happy.. until I realized I had to download an app, then a program on my pc, then connect it to the wifi, and I couldn’t use it without the damn subscription,” another commenter shared.
Do you really need a subscription to use an HP printer?
While the Daily Dot cannot confirm the existence of an HP subscription service that prevents printer use when using independently purchased HP ink, they do offer a service called Instant Ink.
Here’s how it works. Users pay a monthly fee and HP monitors ink levels remotely and automatically sends new cartridges before the existing ones run out. The problem? Ink cartridges delivered through this service stop working once the subscription is canceled, even if they still contain ink.
@hunterlollo My last shred of sanity is gone. Everything is a subscription #subscription #fyp #foryou #printer ♬ original sound – Hunter
Couple that with HP+, an optional service that will, among other things, lock your printer from using third-party ink cartridges for “security reasons,” and you’ll be left with printer that’s tightly controlled by HP’s ecosystem.
The Daily Dot has reached out to @hunterlollo via TikTok comment and to HP via their press email.
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