*NEWS*ARE THE OEM’S CLEANING UP THEIR ACT

[Anonymous]

Printer firms have started cleaning up their act(YEA RIGHT)
jan
2006 With complaints from IT buyers declining, the Office of Fair
Trading thinks the industry has made some important improvements in
recent years, despite ongoing legal battles over ink cartridges    
Businesses
and consumes who buy IT equipment such as printers are getting a fairer
deal than three years ago, according to the Office of Fair Trading
(OFT).
Speaking after the OFT published new guidance for companies
that sell IT services remotely, a spokesman for the organisation said
on Monday that retailers had taken action since it highlighted several
problems back in 2002.
This included the restrictions imposed by printer manufacturers to prevent people from using third-party ink cartridges.
“I
think things have improved. Back in 2002, a lot of printer companies
said customers would violate their warranties if they used cartridges
made by other firms. This was anticompetitive, we felt, as it meant
people couldn’t shop around,” said the OFT spokesman, adding that most
manufacturers have now mended their ways.
The issue of generic ink
cartridges still rumbles on, however. In October, HP claimed that a
reseller was violating its intellectual property rights by refilling
used cartridges with new ink. Such attacks would, if successful, make
it much harder for consumers to find cheaper alternatives to products
from major manufacturers.
The OFT is also pleased that the printer
industry has developed a test “standard” for monochrome inkjet
cartridges to help consumers compare the performance of different
products. The standard, ISO/IEC 19752, was launched in June 2004.
However, the OFT added that a similar standard for colour cartridges still “isn’t there yet” and is still being developed.
Another
issue identified back in 2002 was the poor training of some sales
staff. Some large IT retailers have since told the OFT that they have
revamped their technical training programmes for salespeople, and there
are indications that this may have paid dividends. Complaints to
Trading Standards Services about IT purchases have dropped by almost 50
percent since 2001, the OFT said.

[Author]

January 9, 2006 at 10:15 AM