HP takes strong action against counterfeit supplies in India

HP is serious about the fight against counterfeit products and keeping its customers safe from them and always encourages reporting any possible counterfeit activity.

Businesses looking to save a quick buck on cartridges run a huge risk in buying a counterfeit cartridge. A counterfeit or fake cartridge is actually a regular refill or cartridge, packaged such that it closely resembles the genuine packaging and is sold at a price at par with the original product suggesting the same. A customer can thus be easily deceived into paying the cost of a legitimate, original HP print cartridge for a counterfeit or fake cartridge.

Counterfeits not only result in poor quality prints unfit for consumption, but might also result in serious damage to the printer hardware. They can hamper business productivity or in many cases, even hurt a business’ standing in the eyes of the customers.

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HP takes strong action against counterfeit supplies in India

To protect and safeguard its customers, HP runs a Global Supplies Anti-Counterfeit Program (ACF) to raise awareness among partners, customers and local authorities, about when to become suspicious about the sale of counterfeit cartridges and how to report leads about counterfeits. In addition, the program ensures the stocks of HP wholesale and commercial partners are free from counterfeits by conducting random inspections and audits – known as Channel Partner Anti-Counterfeit Audits.

The program routinely uncovers entities involved in re-packaging, manufacturing and distribution of counterfeit cartridges that are sold as HP products. The program has seized cartridges, packages, labels, machines and equipment worth over $180,000 in India in the last few months alone. Ten people were detained and follow-up investigations are in progress to identify the entities’ upstream suppliers and downstream customers.

The HP Mobile Authentication tool is an easy and safe way to authenticate an original HP cartridge. The Quick Response (QR) codes on the new HP cartridge packaging contain serial numbers to allow quick verification of product authenticity. Anyone who has a camera-enabled and Internet-connected smartphone, tablet or PC can scan the QR code. The code automatically leads to HP’s special mobile authentication website, which then confirms that the cartridge is genuine. Customers can also download the HP eSupplies app, which is optimized for HP QR codes and HP Mobile Authentication and available for iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch from the iTunes App Store. Customers who do not have a camera lens, can validate HP security seals online by going to HP.com/go/ok and entering the serial number from the seal.

A fake cartridge can break down after just a few pages of printing and damage the printer. Add to this the hidden costs in paper wastage, or a poor impression left on customers; and the costs of using fakes become a real worry for businesses. Although counterfeit cartridges are a big threat to all customers, fortunately they are easy to detect now. Customers can be careful and take some simple steps to protect themselves from picking a counterfeit cartridge:

• Purchase your cartridges only from reputable and recognised retailers or retailers you can trust.
• Be aware of products advertised as ‘discontinued’ or ‘second quality’.
• Avoid products marketed as ‘locally made’ HP or a ‘second quality’ HP – HP doesn’t make such products.
• HP doesn’t offer heavily discounted genuine print cartridges, so suspiciously low prices may be an indication that the cartridges for sale are counterfeit. If the price seems too good to be true, the cartridge probably isn’t genuine.
• Be wary of misleadingly low prices of the original cartridges; high discounts are indicative of cartridges for sale being counterfeit.
• Examine cartridge packaging closely and be particularly cautious of resealed boxes and excessive glue as taping indicates the product may be fake.
• The HP Cartridge Authentication feature offered for HP printers helps protect customers by checking and verifying the authenticity of each print cartridge installed in a printer.
• All genuine HP print cartridges are packaged bearing the HP name and logo. The packaging should be undamaged and unopened. HP doesn’t sell individual cartridges without standard outer wrapping or packaging and it places a security seal on the packaging of many of its cartridges so that it’s easy to distinguish between genuine HP cartridges and the fake ones.

Customers simply need to submit the Counterfeit Incident Reporting Form from the link http://www.hp.com/sbso/product/supplies/fraud_report.html