[Info-vax] OT: HP restricts firmware upgrades to only those on warranty.

[David Froble]

Michael Kraemer wrote:
> JF Mezei schrieb:
>>> http://h30507.www3.hp.com/t5/Technical-Support-Services-Blog/Customers-for-life/ba-p/154423#.UvaOcPam-tU 
>>>
>>
>> ##
>> This week, HP announced that effective February 19, 2014, we will
>> provide firmware updates through the HP Support Center only to customers
>> with a valid warranty, Care Pack Service or support agreement.
>> ##
>>
>> Remember when HP restricted access to patches ? Well they keep on
>> expanding the bonehead move. 
> 
> Well, this is in line with other vendors' practices, unfortunately.
> Last summer, for example IBM have restricted access to newer firmware
> to systems under warranty or support, claiming this would be
> in line with other vendors' practices.
> Seems they are leap frogging each other as far as milking the
> dwindling customer base is concerned.
> 

Well, let's take a look elsewhere ....

Auto industry:

Warranty, if it breaks, they fix it.

If it doesn't work due to poor design, they recall and fix, regardless 
of warranty.

At least that's how I understand things.

So, why would you need a firmware upgrade?

My impression is that if the firmware upgrade is needed to make the 
product you bought work correctly, then it's not a warranty issue, it's 
an issue of they sold you a defective product.  More like a recall I'd 
think.  But, nobody has asked me.