HP’s "NO COMMMENT" ON START-UP CTGS

[Anonymous]

start-up cartridges in printers designed for light users, claims HP
‘No comment’ on how replacements are priced in stores
PC World and HP implicitly blamed each other for confused pricing of printers and cartridges.
The
computer superstore said it was not responsible for setting the pricing
parameters; HP said it recommended prices ’at a level designed to give
value to customers, whatever their needs’, but it was up to dealers to
decide the margins at which they sold.An HP spokeswoman said: ‘We
cannot comment on the street prices, merchandising or price labelling
practices that PC World ultimately chooses to use.’HP also denied
selling printers with near-empty cartridges, saying it used ones
containing the ‘optimal amount of ink or toner’ for people who print
only occasionally, because little-used products could degrade. It said
such customers are also ‘sensitive to purchase prices’.These ‘low-use’
cartridges do not appear to be available as a separate product,
however.PC World defended the disparity in its own prices by stating
that its superstore and business sections had different pricing models
‘according to the different markets they address and competition they
face’.It said PC World had ‘responsibilities that some of the online
competition do not have to worry about’ and offered a wider range of
consumables than rivals. The LJ1020’s refill cartridge has been priced
at £69.99 for retail customers since 30 November, the company said.

[Author]

July 18, 2006 at 11:40 AM