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Stephan: A few months ago, I bought a Hewlett-Packard (HP) printer. Somehow in what I thought was registering the printer with HP I became embroiled in the HP Instant Ink program. What I did not know was that this program allows HP to monitor your printer via the internet and record how many pages you print -- and who knows what else -- and you get charged for each printed page, and have to pay a fee depending on how many pages you have printed. Ostensibly, this is about being sent ink, but I never got any ink. However, when I needed ink I discovered I was faced with a fee of $36.95, based on how many pages I had printed. When I asked how they could possibly know that I learned about the monitoring. I also discovered that I had been involved in the Instant Ink Program when I thought I was registering my printer for its warranty. I immediately asked to be removed from this program, only to discover that they controlled my printer and I could no longer print unless I agreed to re-enroll in the Instant Ink Program. I want to warn any reader that if you buy an HP printer you may find yourself embroiled in this scam. As I was writing this I thought that I couldn't be the only person who has had this experience and searched to see. It turns out that Hewlett-Packard Instant Ink has been the focus of multiple class action lawsuits.
