Canon , one of the most well-known companies in the camera and printer equipment industry , has been sued by customers . David Leacraft has filed a lawsuit against Canon USA, accusing it of deceptive marketing practices by not allowing customers to use the scanning or fax functions on multifunction devices if the printer is out of ink.
See also: Canon created a dual fisheye lens for VR video system
Leacraft decided to file the lawsuit against Canon when he discovered that the Pixma MG2522he purchased, which was advertised as an all-in-one machine, would not function as a scanner when it ran out of ink. The same problem existed with the fax functions of some printers.
Of course, no ink is required to perform scanning or send faxes, so the lawsuit against Canon emphasizes that these functions must work regardless of ink levels.
One of the accusations against Canon is that the company is using these practices to enrich itself. The lawsuit alleges that Canon has disabled these features to increase its profits by selling replacement ink cartridges.
“Unlike the “single function” printers it sells, Canon calls these multifunction devices “3-in-1” or “4-in-1” because they supposedly provide three or four functions. In reality, however, the “all-in-one” printers do not scan or fax documents when the devices are low or out of ink, and Canon’s advertising claims are false, misleading, and can deceive the public“.
See also: Sonic data breach lawsuit to continue
The lawsuit alleges that Canon fails to warn consumers that ink is a necessary component for scanning or faxing documents, forcing consumers to pay for these features by purchasing ink that is not even needed to use those features.
Canon supposedly made these devices so that users can do a lot of work without needing multiple machines. However, if there is no ink in the printer, all the other functions cannot be used either.
“The result is an increase in ink sales from which Canon gains significant profits“.
The lawsuit against Canon also contains elements related to the way inkjet printers are sold at low cost, as companies expect to make profits through sales of ink cartridges.
As discovered by BleepingComputer, the problems have been reported since at least 2016. Canon representatives stated that the ink cartridges must be installed in the machine and must contain ink for the printer to use its full capabilities.
See also: Activision Blizzard sued for ongoing sexual harassment
“The PIXMA MX710 must have all ink tanks installed and all containing ink. If you attempt to print without ink, you may damage the printer,” an employee stated on the Canon forum. This particular response was included as evidence in the lawsuit against Canon.
According to the complaint, the affected all-in-one printers include more than 20 Canon models. The lawsuit was filed Tuesday and is awaiting court approval.
Source: TechSpot
