A Quebec resident has filed complaints with Canadian consumer authorities after alleging that HP remotely disabled his five-year-old OfficeJet 4650 printer through a firmware update. The customer provided internal HP documents obtained through a Canadian privacy access request that appear to show the company knew about the problem.

The printer stopped working mid-print while producing a book manuscript. After the firmware update, the device repeatedly threw server connection errors and refused to reconnect properly. The customer spent weeks navigating HP support, with cases mysteriously closed and promised callbacks never arriving.

Internal Documents Reveal Known Issue

Documents seen by The Register include an internal alert titled "Gen1 printers losing connection to Web Services." Notes attribute the failure to "a server update affecting connectivity to HP Instant Ink" combined with the printer being "likely at end of service life."

One support transcript states: "HP is already aware of this issue – it has priority." Another says engineers were working to restore communications between affected printers and HP servers. According to the customer, the issue was never fixed.

The customer is not alone. A Reddit user reported that an OfficeJet 4650 update left their device unable to connect over Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, USB or even a local network. Factory resets did nothing.

Support Process Under Fire

The customer describes weeks of repeated calls to HP support staff. Cases were closed without resolution. Escalation teams promised callbacks that never arrived. Support staff repeatedly blamed local connectivity issues.

Eventually, according to the customer, HP supervisors acknowledged the issue was linked to HP servers and was already known internally. One support email reviewed by The Register states that "compatibility with newer devices and connection protocols" had become an issue due to the printer's age.

Another internal note states: "The agent acknowledged the printer is old and likely at end of service life. Customer was advised that upgrading the printer may be necessary if issue persists."

Why This Matters

The case raises questions about how long hardware manufacturers should support devices they sell. Customers who buy printers expect them to function for years without being remotely disabled by software changes on the manufacturer's side.

The dispute revives anger over HP's Dynamic Security system, which blocks some third-party ink cartridges through firmware updates and has already attracted lawsuits and regulatory attention. While this latest complaint centers on end-of-life support rather than cartridge authentication, both cases involve customers discovering they do not fully control hardware they own.

The Quebec resident says he is now pursuing additional records related to the internal alert and has filed an ethics complaint against HP's executive escalation staff over what he describes as deliberate misdirection during support.

HP Responds

HP told The Register: "We are aware that some customers using older OfficeJet models have reported concerns with connectivity and certain web-based features. We have not identified a broad or ongoing systemic issue affecting these devices."

The company added: "Many of these models were introduced several years ago...the availability of certain cloud-connected features may change over time."