Consumer Rights Wiki - User contributions [en]

Brother Industries Ltd.

2025-03-17T09:08:18Z

Watchdog: /* Incidents */

{{InfoboxCompany
| Name = Brother Industries Ltd.
| Type = Public
| Founded = 1908
| Industry = Printers, Machinery
| Official Website = https://global.brother/
| Logo = Brother logo.svg
}}
[[wikipedia:Brother_Industries|'''Brother Industries, Ltd.''']] manufactures and sells communications and printing equipment in Japan, the Americas, Europe, Asia, Oceania, the Middle East, Africa, and internationally. It operates through Printing & Solutions, Machinery, Domino, Nissei, Personal & Home, and Network & Contents segments.

Brother has faced consumer criticism and regulatory action, having been criticized for practices that allegedly reduce choice, obfuscate information and accelerate product obsolescence.

==Consumer impact summary==
===DSF & DRM: a misuse of market power===
[[File:Brother Refresh.png|thumb|247x247px]]
Brother non-industrial printers & copiers hold the [https://www.statista.com/outlook/cmo/consumer-electronics/computing/printers-copiers/australia third largest market share] in the Asia Pacific region and are a popular choice for home and small business users. Brother's monochromatic, colour, multi-function, laser and inkjet printers offer a low-price entry and are sold at most large box retailers where consumables such as toners and cartridges are also readily available.

Within the printer category at the largest office and stationery retailer in Australia: [https://www.wesfarmers.com.au/our-businesses/officeworks Officeworks], Brother is the [https://www.officeworks.com.au/shop/officeworks/c/technology/printers most represented brand]. Officeworks has 170 locations and largely dominates the market. This gives Brother a significant presence within the retail and on-line buying space and adds to the demand for servicing, repair and ink & toner replacements for their machines.

End users have reported that Brother has initiated various methods to limit or reduce functionality on many printers prior and during usage. This includes:

*'''[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36679980 3rd party consumable lockout]''' on various printer models.
*'''[https://www.classaction.org/news/class-action-claims-brother-international-designed-laser-printers-to-require-premature-toner-replacement Reduction in print capacity]''' via software, firmware and hardware.
*'''[https://www.reddit.com/r/printers/comments/18c1hmm/mfcl3750cdwmfcl3760cdw_vs_mf655cdw/ Disabling of functionality]''' via print counters, software and firmware.
*'''Nagware''' screens or pop-ups indicating firmware or software should be updated (see case study below).
*'''[https://forums.whirlpool.net.au/archive/35qvkyx3 Limited or obfuscated information]''' regarding effects of software or firmware update implementation.

This follows similar practices from manufacturers like '''HP''' forcing a "[https://www.pcworld.com/article/1656073/these-hp-printers-can-be-upgraded-to-allow-third-party-printer-ink.html Dynamic Security Feature]" (DSF) and '''Dymo''' implementing "[https://www.onlinelabels.com/articles/alternative-label-printers-to-dymo Digital Rights Management]" (DRM) via firmware updates thus limiting the end user to officially sanctioned replacement parts only.

==Incidents==
Listed models, links and issue cases from users experiencing restrictive implementation:

*'''[https://www.brother-usa.com/products/tn620 TN620]''' Laser Toner: [https://www.classaction.org/news/class-action-claims-brother-international-designed-laser-printers-to-require-premature-toner-replacement print counter reduces copy capacity]
*'''[https://www.brother-usa.com/products/mfcl3750cdw MFC-3750CDW]''' All-in-One Printer: [https://forums.whirlpool.net.au/archive/35qvkyx3 3rd party cartridge rejection]
*Cartridge Battery Prevents Ink Usage: '''[[DCP 3550 CDW Cartridge Failure|DCP 3550 CDW Cartridge Failure]]'''

===Case Study: HL-L2395DW===
We present here the following email transcript to clarify whether Brother acknowledges functionality alteration via firmware updates.

====Start Transcript====
_____________________

'''Sent''': 27/01/2025 12:04pm

'''Firmware Changelog: additional detail required prior to update'''

Our business runs a print station with the HL-L2395DW model. Recently we have a "Firmware Update Available" notification on the LCD touchscreen but we cannot find any detailed information from Brother on what the update actually implements. As this machine is working as intended we are hesitant to confirm the update before understanding what features / benefits this may add and are looking for Brother to provide further information before proceeding.

Could you please provide answers to the following questions:

#''What features / benefits are added or reduced with this firmware?''
#''Does the firmware change any privacy related policies such as the collection of our business data?''
#''Does the firmware change the current functioning of the printer in any way?''
#''Does the firmware limit or restrict the future functioning of the printer in any way?''
#''Does the firmware limit or restrict the use of 3rd party consumables in any way? eg. toner, drum, etc.''
#''Are we able to rollback to a previous firmware version if we find the new firmware unsuitable?''

'''Received''': 28/01/25 5:31am from '''Customer Support Brother''' USA

Dear (redacted),

This email support is based in the USA. Firmware versions sometimes have regional variations, so we would recommend contacting [https://www.brother.com.au/en/support/contact Brother support in Australia].

We rarely get more details than "Improvement to help with the performance of the machine".

At your side,

'''Mike'''

Customer Care USA

'''Sent''': 28/01/25 8:58am

Emailed Brother Australia (through webpage) as per original and as per USA support advice.

'''Received''': 28/01/25 4:38pm from '''Brother International''' (Aust)

Hi (redacted),

Thank you for your email.

Upon checking on the resource that's available to us the only information regarding the update is just:

*Improvement to help with the performance of the machine.

I actually advise our customers '''that it's not necessary to update the firmware''' unless the machine is experiencing an issue, also because updating the firmware is very delicate and can damage the machine if there's a sudden power outage while updating.

Since your machine is working fine, you should be good even you don't update to the latest firmware as this is just for some minor bug fixes (if there is) and minor performance improvement.

Also to answer your questions:

1. What features / benefits are added or reduced with this firmware? '''Minor performance improvement'''

2. Does the firmware change any privacy related policies such as the collection of our business data? '''No'''

3. Does the firmware change the current functioning of the printer in any way? '''No'''

4. Does the firmware limit or restrict the future functioning of the printer in any way? '''No'''

5. Does the firmware limit or restrict the future servicing of the printer in any way? '''No'''

6. Does the firmware limit or restrict the use of 3rd party consumables in any way? eg. toner, drum, etc. '''No'''

7. Are we able to rollback to a previous firmware version if we find the new firmware unsuitable? '''Unfortunately, as of the moment No'''

Hope I was able to answer your concern.

'''John'''

Customer Care Team

_________________

====End Transcript====
As clarified above, there is no detail customer support can add as to what additional functionality (if any) is implemented in these firmware updates - there is currently no way to roll back an update should something change or not work.

===Solution: AIR===

Currently the most practical way to halt this type of deceptive manufacturer behaviour is to:

#'''Abstain''' from supporting companies that are known to engage in anti-consumer practice.
#'''Inform''' the community if the product you own is affected by any of the practices implemented by these companies.
#'''Research''' BEFORE you buy, use or update your product.

==References==

#Australian Consumer Law: [https://www.australiancontractlaw.info/legislation/acl/s18 S18] [https://www.australiancontractlaw.info/legislation/acl/s29 S29] [https://search.brave.com/search?q=Section+33+ACL&summary=1&conversation=56f05611ce985b6dcfa673 S33]
#HP PPS Australia Legal Case: [https://www.accc.gov.au/public-registers/undertakings-registers/hp-pps-australia-pty-ltd undertaking] [https://www.accc.gov.au/media-release/hp-to-compensate-printer-customers outcome]
#Additional Firmware Help: [https://www.ldproducts.com/blog/are-printer-manufacturers-using-firmware-updates-to-stop-you-from-saving/?__cf_chl_jschl_tk__=721c5b1402242039a43fd9db58c69d96478fd636-1587348298-0-AVzp_rDX1hwKyEN-a4g3xUqArsbv9uFGHKdURxOtNmJl5Op4gC1pNXU-SRDbpFsdDd1vYQhzT1l0ox_nr7Zb3emA5JK9WATiEWVDTMsGkXc8c4Wv21IXp8FLsDafTRb4fDa2Ko9Z_Das0RcjPDzLx2yYg1CVju4Rcd-_ah5s8EX0uyhWFU2JRb5vXd6KKjyRrBEsP1zOlWusu3xpPQ6oKTQ8nyQQ_29uW0wQHh5osgNhRJ2WupNtWhKzbQm-h5u2DLrZ13HCeh0x9al6X9NbmHlWg-EzyWSJ9Ztkl6OPrgh-Bski-jjTH9o7FQE4-1C1bDKDc_2tl2TDFbMX2mlZkb6wY_K9X6Prk--8SCbouJikFV3VmO8AHUH68wr8oKiAloFqU1-viu4g3CKIkUxLLVW4w4Q4D71s8AwuArl3eO6tbZbIVLHU3ZO2oV8-ZNqHWQ LD Blog]
#Statistica: [https://www.statista.com/outlook/cmo/consumer-electronics/computing/printers-copiers/australia Printers & Copiers - Australia Overview] Retrieved January 28, 2025.
#Shaak, Erin (October 11, 2018). [https://www.classaction.org/news/class-action-claims-brother-international-designed-laser-printers-to-require-premature-toner-replacement "Class Action Claims Brother International Designed Laser Printers to Require Premature Toner Replacement"]. ClassAction.org. Retrieved January 28, 2025.
#Edwards, Jessy (August 19, 2024) [https://topclassactions.com/lawsuit-settlements/consumer-products/electronics/hps-software-update-made-printers-incompatible-with-other-ink-cartridges-class-action-alleges/ "HP agrees to settlement in overpriced, incompatible ink cartridge class action"]. Top Class Actions. Retrieved January 28, 2025.
{{reflist}}
==Cargo data==
{{Important|Testing extension}}{{CompanyCargo|Country=Japan}}

[[Category:Brother]]

Brother Industries Ltd.

2025-03-17T09:06:54Z

Watchdog: /* Incidents */

{{InfoboxCompany
| Name = Brother Industries Ltd.
| Type = Public
| Founded = 1908
| Industry = Printers, Machinery
| Official Website = https://global.brother/
| Logo = Brother logo.svg
}}
[[wikipedia:Brother_Industries|'''Brother Industries, Ltd.''']] manufactures and sells communications and printing equipment in Japan, the Americas, Europe, Asia, Oceania, the Middle East, Africa, and internationally. It operates through Printing & Solutions, Machinery, Domino, Nissei, Personal & Home, and Network & Contents segments.

Brother has faced consumer criticism and regulatory action, having been criticized for practices that allegedly reduce choice, obfuscate information and accelerate product obsolescence.

==Consumer impact summary==
===DSF & DRM: a misuse of market power===
[[File:Brother Refresh.png|thumb|247x247px]]
Brother non-industrial printers & copiers hold the [https://www.statista.com/outlook/cmo/consumer-electronics/computing/printers-copiers/australia third largest market share] in the Asia Pacific region and are a popular choice for home and small business users. Brother's monochromatic, colour, multi-function, laser and inkjet printers offer a low-price entry and are sold at most large box retailers where consumables such as toners and cartridges are also readily available.

Within the printer category at the largest office and stationery retailer in Australia: [https://www.wesfarmers.com.au/our-businesses/officeworks Officeworks], Brother is the [https://www.officeworks.com.au/shop/officeworks/c/technology/printers most represented brand]. Officeworks has 170 locations and largely dominates the market. This gives Brother a significant presence within the retail and on-line buying space and adds to the demand for servicing, repair and ink & toner replacements for their machines.

End users have reported that Brother has initiated various methods to limit or reduce functionality on many printers prior and during usage. This includes:

*'''[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36679980 3rd party consumable lockout]''' on various printer models.
*'''[https://www.classaction.org/news/class-action-claims-brother-international-designed-laser-printers-to-require-premature-toner-replacement Reduction in print capacity]''' via software, firmware and hardware.
*'''[https://www.reddit.com/r/printers/comments/18c1hmm/mfcl3750cdwmfcl3760cdw_vs_mf655cdw/ Disabling of functionality]''' via print counters, software and firmware.
*'''Nagware''' screens or pop-ups indicating firmware or software should be updated (see case study below).
*'''[https://forums.whirlpool.net.au/archive/35qvkyx3 Limited or obfuscated information]''' regarding effects of software or firmware update implementation.

This follows similar practices from manufacturers like '''HP''' forcing a "[https://www.pcworld.com/article/1656073/these-hp-printers-can-be-upgraded-to-allow-third-party-printer-ink.html Dynamic Security Feature]" (DSF) and '''Dymo''' implementing "[https://www.onlinelabels.com/articles/alternative-label-printers-to-dymo Digital Rights Management]" (DRM) via firmware updates thus limiting the end user to officially sanctioned replacement parts only.

==Incidents==
Listed models, links and issue cases from users experiencing restrictive implementation:

*'''[https://www.brother-usa.com/products/tn620 TN620]''' Laser Toner: [https://www.classaction.org/news/class-action-claims-brother-international-designed-laser-printers-to-require-premature-toner-replacement print counter reduces copy capacity]
*'''[https://www.brother-usa.com/products/mfcl3750cdw MFC-3750CDW]''' All-in-One Printer: [https://forums.whirlpool.net.au/archive/35qvkyx3 3rd party cartridge rejection]
*Ink won't work without charged battery in cartridge: '''[[DCP 3550 CDW Cartridge Failure|DCP 3550 CDW Cartridge Failure]]'''

===Case Study: HL-L2395DW===
We present here the following email transcript to clarify whether Brother acknowledges functionality alteration via firmware updates.

====Start Transcript====
_____________________

'''Sent''': 27/01/2025 12:04pm

'''Firmware Changelog: additional detail required prior to update'''

Our business runs a print station with the HL-L2395DW model. Recently we have a "Firmware Update Available" notification on the LCD touchscreen but we cannot find any detailed information from Brother on what the update actually implements. As this machine is working as intended we are hesitant to confirm the update before understanding what features / benefits this may add and are looking for Brother to provide further information before proceeding.

Could you please provide answers to the following questions:

#''What features / benefits are added or reduced with this firmware?''
#''Does the firmware change any privacy related policies such as the collection of our business data?''
#''Does the firmware change the current functioning of the printer in any way?''
#''Does the firmware limit or restrict the future functioning of the printer in any way?''
#''Does the firmware limit or restrict the use of 3rd party consumables in any way? eg. toner, drum, etc.''
#''Are we able to rollback to a previous firmware version if we find the new firmware unsuitable?''

'''Received''': 28/01/25 5:31am from '''Customer Support Brother''' USA

Dear (redacted),

This email support is based in the USA. Firmware versions sometimes have regional variations, so we would recommend contacting [https://www.brother.com.au/en/support/contact Brother support in Australia].

We rarely get more details than "Improvement to help with the performance of the machine".

At your side,

'''Mike'''

Customer Care USA

'''Sent''': 28/01/25 8:58am

Emailed Brother Australia (through webpage) as per original and as per USA support advice.

'''Received''': 28/01/25 4:38pm from '''Brother International''' (Aust)

Hi (redacted),

Thank you for your email.

Upon checking on the resource that's available to us the only information regarding the update is just:

*Improvement to help with the performance of the machine.

I actually advise our customers '''that it's not necessary to update the firmware''' unless the machine is experiencing an issue, also because updating the firmware is very delicate and can damage the machine if there's a sudden power outage while updating.

Since your machine is working fine, you should be good even you don't update to the latest firmware as this is just for some minor bug fixes (if there is) and minor performance improvement.

Also to answer your questions:

1. What features / benefits are added or reduced with this firmware? '''Minor performance improvement'''

2. Does the firmware change any privacy related policies such as the collection of our business data? '''No'''

3. Does the firmware change the current functioning of the printer in any way? '''No'''

4. Does the firmware limit or restrict the future functioning of the printer in any way? '''No'''

5. Does the firmware limit or restrict the future servicing of the printer in any way? '''No'''

6. Does the firmware limit or restrict the use of 3rd party consumables in any way? eg. toner, drum, etc. '''No'''

7. Are we able to rollback to a previous firmware version if we find the new firmware unsuitable? '''Unfortunately, as of the moment No'''

Hope I was able to answer your concern.

'''John'''

Customer Care Team

_________________

====End Transcript====
As clarified above, there is no detail customer support can add as to what additional functionality (if any) is implemented in these firmware updates - there is currently no way to roll back an update should something change or not work.

===Solution: AIR===

Currently the most practical way to halt this type of deceptive manufacturer behaviour is to:

#'''Abstain''' from supporting companies that are known to engage in anti-consumer practice.
#'''Inform''' the community if the product you own is affected by any of the practices implemented by these companies.
#'''Research''' BEFORE you buy, use or update your product.

==References==

#Australian Consumer Law: [https://www.australiancontractlaw.info/legislation/acl/s18 S18] [https://www.australiancontractlaw.info/legislation/acl/s29 S29] [https://search.brave.com/search?q=Section+33+ACL&summary=1&conversation=56f05611ce985b6dcfa673 S33]
#HP PPS Australia Legal Case: [https://www.accc.gov.au/public-registers/undertakings-registers/hp-pps-australia-pty-ltd undertaking] [https://www.accc.gov.au/media-release/hp-to-compensate-printer-customers outcome]
#Additional Firmware Help: [https://www.ldproducts.com/blog/are-printer-manufacturers-using-firmware-updates-to-stop-you-from-saving/?__cf_chl_jschl_tk__=721c5b1402242039a43fd9db58c69d96478fd636-1587348298-0-AVzp_rDX1hwKyEN-a4g3xUqArsbv9uFGHKdURxOtNmJl5Op4gC1pNXU-SRDbpFsdDd1vYQhzT1l0ox_nr7Zb3emA5JK9WATiEWVDTMsGkXc8c4Wv21IXp8FLsDafTRb4fDa2Ko9Z_Das0RcjPDzLx2yYg1CVju4Rcd-_ah5s8EX0uyhWFU2JRb5vXd6KKjyRrBEsP1zOlWusu3xpPQ6oKTQ8nyQQ_29uW0wQHh5osgNhRJ2WupNtWhKzbQm-h5u2DLrZ13HCeh0x9al6X9NbmHlWg-EzyWSJ9Ztkl6OPrgh-Bski-jjTH9o7FQE4-1C1bDKDc_2tl2TDFbMX2mlZkb6wY_K9X6Prk--8SCbouJikFV3VmO8AHUH68wr8oKiAloFqU1-viu4g3CKIkUxLLVW4w4Q4D71s8AwuArl3eO6tbZbIVLHU3ZO2oV8-ZNqHWQ LD Blog]
#Statistica: [https://www.statista.com/outlook/cmo/consumer-electronics/computing/printers-copiers/australia Printers & Copiers - Australia Overview] Retrieved January 28, 2025.
#Shaak, Erin (October 11, 2018). [https://www.classaction.org/news/class-action-claims-brother-international-designed-laser-printers-to-require-premature-toner-replacement "Class Action Claims Brother International Designed Laser Printers to Require Premature Toner Replacement"]. ClassAction.org. Retrieved January 28, 2025.
#Edwards, Jessy (August 19, 2024) [https://topclassactions.com/lawsuit-settlements/consumer-products/electronics/hps-software-update-made-printers-incompatible-with-other-ink-cartridges-class-action-alleges/ "HP agrees to settlement in overpriced, incompatible ink cartridge class action"]. Top Class Actions. Retrieved January 28, 2025.
{{reflist}}
==Cargo data==
{{Important|Testing extension}}{{CompanyCargo|Country=Japan}}

[[Category:Brother]]

Brother Industries Ltd.

2025-03-17T09:05:11Z

Watchdog: info box, subtitle

{{InfoboxCompany
| Name = Brother Industries Ltd.
| Type = Public
| Founded = 1908
| Industry = Printers, Machinery
| Official Website = https://global.brother/
| Logo = Brother logo.svg
}}
[[wikipedia:Brother_Industries|'''Brother Industries, Ltd.''']] manufactures and sells communications and printing equipment in Japan, the Americas, Europe, Asia, Oceania, the Middle East, Africa, and internationally. It operates through Printing & Solutions, Machinery, Domino, Nissei, Personal & Home, and Network & Contents segments.

Brother has faced consumer criticism and regulatory action, having been criticized for practices that allegedly reduce choice, obfuscate information and accelerate product obsolescence.

==Consumer impact summary==
===DSF & DRM: a misuse of market power===
[[File:Brother Refresh.png|thumb|247x247px]]
Brother non-industrial printers & copiers hold the [https://www.statista.com/outlook/cmo/consumer-electronics/computing/printers-copiers/australia third largest market share] in the Asia Pacific region and are a popular choice for home and small business users. Brother's monochromatic, colour, multi-function, laser and inkjet printers offer a low-price entry and are sold at most large box retailers where consumables such as toners and cartridges are also readily available.

Within the printer category at the largest office and stationery retailer in Australia: [https://www.wesfarmers.com.au/our-businesses/officeworks Officeworks], Brother is the [https://www.officeworks.com.au/shop/officeworks/c/technology/printers most represented brand]. Officeworks has 170 locations and largely dominates the market. This gives Brother a significant presence within the retail and on-line buying space and adds to the demand for servicing, repair and ink & toner replacements for their machines.

End users have reported that Brother has initiated various methods to limit or reduce functionality on many printers prior and during usage. This includes:

*'''[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36679980 3rd party consumable lockout]''' on various printer models.
*'''[https://www.classaction.org/news/class-action-claims-brother-international-designed-laser-printers-to-require-premature-toner-replacement Reduction in print capacity]''' via software, firmware and hardware.
*'''[https://www.reddit.com/r/printers/comments/18c1hmm/mfcl3750cdwmfcl3760cdw_vs_mf655cdw/ Disabling of functionality]''' via print counters, software and firmware.
*'''Nagware''' screens or pop-ups indicating firmware or software should be updated (see case study below).
*'''[https://forums.whirlpool.net.au/archive/35qvkyx3 Limited or obfuscated information]''' regarding effects of software or firmware update implementation.

This follows similar practices from manufacturers like '''HP''' forcing a "[https://www.pcworld.com/article/1656073/these-hp-printers-can-be-upgraded-to-allow-third-party-printer-ink.html Dynamic Security Feature]" (DSF) and '''Dymo''' implementing "[https://www.onlinelabels.com/articles/alternative-label-printers-to-dymo Digital Rights Management]" (DRM) via firmware updates thus limiting the end user to officially sanctioned replacement parts only.

==Incidents==
Listed models, links and issue cases from users experiencing restrictive implementation:

*'''[https://www.brother-usa.com/products/tn620 TN620]''' Laser Toner: [https://www.classaction.org/news/class-action-claims-brother-international-designed-laser-printers-to-require-premature-toner-replacement print counter reduces copy capacity]
*'''[https://www.brother-usa.com/products/mfcl3750cdw MFC-3750CDW]''' All-in-One Printer: [https://forums.whirlpool.net.au/archive/35qvkyx3 3rd party cartridge rejection]
*Ink won't work without charged battery in cartridge: '''[[DCP 3550 CDW Cartridge Failure|Brother printer dcp 3550 cdw cartridges failure]]'''

===Case Study: HL-L2395DW===
We present here the following email transcript to clarify whether Brother acknowledges functionality alteration via firmware updates.

====Start Transcript====
_____________________

'''Sent''': 27/01/2025 12:04pm

'''Firmware Changelog: additional detail required prior to update'''

Our business runs a print station with the HL-L2395DW model. Recently we have a "Firmware Update Available" notification on the LCD touchscreen but we cannot find any detailed information from Brother on what the update actually implements. As this machine is working as intended we are hesitant to confirm the update before understanding what features / benefits this may add and are looking for Brother to provide further information before proceeding.

Could you please provide answers to the following questions:

#''What features / benefits are added or reduced with this firmware?''
#''Does the firmware change any privacy related policies such as the collection of our business data?''
#''Does the firmware change the current functioning of the printer in any way?''
#''Does the firmware limit or restrict the future functioning of the printer in any way?''
#''Does the firmware limit or restrict the use of 3rd party consumables in any way? eg. toner, drum, etc.''
#''Are we able to rollback to a previous firmware version if we find the new firmware unsuitable?''

'''Received''': 28/01/25 5:31am from '''Customer Support Brother''' USA

Dear (redacted),

This email support is based in the USA. Firmware versions sometimes have regional variations, so we would recommend contacting [https://www.brother.com.au/en/support/contact Brother support in Australia].

We rarely get more details than "Improvement to help with the performance of the machine".

At your side,

'''Mike'''

Customer Care USA

'''Sent''': 28/01/25 8:58am

Emailed Brother Australia (through webpage) as per original and as per USA support advice.

'''Received''': 28/01/25 4:38pm from '''Brother International''' (Aust)

Hi (redacted),

Thank you for your email.

Upon checking on the resource that's available to us the only information regarding the update is just:

*Improvement to help with the performance of the machine.

I actually advise our customers '''that it's not necessary to update the firmware''' unless the machine is experiencing an issue, also because updating the firmware is very delicate and can damage the machine if there's a sudden power outage while updating.

Since your machine is working fine, you should be good even you don't update to the latest firmware as this is just for some minor bug fixes (if there is) and minor performance improvement.

Also to answer your questions:

1. What features / benefits are added or reduced with this firmware? '''Minor performance improvement'''

2. Does the firmware change any privacy related policies such as the collection of our business data? '''No'''

3. Does the firmware change the current functioning of the printer in any way? '''No'''

4. Does the firmware limit or restrict the future functioning of the printer in any way? '''No'''

5. Does the firmware limit or restrict the future servicing of the printer in any way? '''No'''

6. Does the firmware limit or restrict the use of 3rd party consumables in any way? eg. toner, drum, etc. '''No'''

7. Are we able to rollback to a previous firmware version if we find the new firmware unsuitable? '''Unfortunately, as of the moment No'''

Hope I was able to answer your concern.

'''John'''

Customer Care Team

_________________

====End Transcript====
As clarified above, there is no detail customer support can add as to what additional functionality (if any) is implemented in these firmware updates - there is currently no way to roll back an update should something change or not work.

===Solution: AIR===

Currently the most practical way to halt this type of deceptive manufacturer behaviour is to:

#'''Abstain''' from supporting companies that are known to engage in anti-consumer practice.
#'''Inform''' the community if the product you own is affected by any of the practices implemented by these companies.
#'''Research''' BEFORE you buy, use or update your product.

==References==

#Australian Consumer Law: [https://www.australiancontractlaw.info/legislation/acl/s18 S18] [https://www.australiancontractlaw.info/legislation/acl/s29 S29] [https://search.brave.com/search?q=Section+33+ACL&summary=1&conversation=56f05611ce985b6dcfa673 S33]
#HP PPS Australia Legal Case: [https://www.accc.gov.au/public-registers/undertakings-registers/hp-pps-australia-pty-ltd undertaking] [https://www.accc.gov.au/media-release/hp-to-compensate-printer-customers outcome]
#Additional Firmware Help: [https://www.ldproducts.com/blog/are-printer-manufacturers-using-firmware-updates-to-stop-you-from-saving/?__cf_chl_jschl_tk__=721c5b1402242039a43fd9db58c69d96478fd636-1587348298-0-AVzp_rDX1hwKyEN-a4g3xUqArsbv9uFGHKdURxOtNmJl5Op4gC1pNXU-SRDbpFsdDd1vYQhzT1l0ox_nr7Zb3emA5JK9WATiEWVDTMsGkXc8c4Wv21IXp8FLsDafTRb4fDa2Ko9Z_Das0RcjPDzLx2yYg1CVju4Rcd-_ah5s8EX0uyhWFU2JRb5vXd6KKjyRrBEsP1zOlWusu3xpPQ6oKTQ8nyQQ_29uW0wQHh5osgNhRJ2WupNtWhKzbQm-h5u2DLrZ13HCeh0x9al6X9NbmHlWg-EzyWSJ9Ztkl6OPrgh-Bski-jjTH9o7FQE4-1C1bDKDc_2tl2TDFbMX2mlZkb6wY_K9X6Prk--8SCbouJikFV3VmO8AHUH68wr8oKiAloFqU1-viu4g3CKIkUxLLVW4w4Q4D71s8AwuArl3eO6tbZbIVLHU3ZO2oV8-ZNqHWQ LD Blog]
#Statistica: [https://www.statista.com/outlook/cmo/consumer-electronics/computing/printers-copiers/australia Printers & Copiers - Australia Overview] Retrieved January 28, 2025.
#Shaak, Erin (October 11, 2018). [https://www.classaction.org/news/class-action-claims-brother-international-designed-laser-printers-to-require-premature-toner-replacement "Class Action Claims Brother International Designed Laser Printers to Require Premature Toner Replacement"]. ClassAction.org. Retrieved January 28, 2025.
#Edwards, Jessy (August 19, 2024) [https://topclassactions.com/lawsuit-settlements/consumer-products/electronics/hps-software-update-made-printers-incompatible-with-other-ink-cartridges-class-action-alleges/ "HP agrees to settlement in overpriced, incompatible ink cartridge class action"]. Top Class Actions. Retrieved January 28, 2025.
{{reflist}}
==Cargo data==
{{Important|Testing extension}}{{CompanyCargo|Country=Japan}}

[[Category:Brother]]

File:Brother 01 banner.png

2025-03-17T08:59:54Z

Watchdog: Blanked the page

Brother Refresh EZ Print Subscription Service

2025-02-12T01:38:55Z

Watchdog: structure, grammar, spelling

{{InfoboxProductLine
| Title = Brother Refresh Service
| Release Year = 2021
| Product Type = Subscription-as-a-Service
| In Production = Yes
| Official Website = [https://www.brother-usa.com/supplies/subscription-info#plans Brother Refresh]
| Logo = Brother Refresh 02.png
}}

The Brother Industries Ltd.: '''Refresh Program Subscription Service''' is a Subscription-as-a-Service ('''SubS''') launched in August 2021. The program claims to offer domestic and business users the advantage of an on-demand, lower-cost printing solution that provides genuine Brother consumables directly to their door, without the need for end-user consumable management.

The [https://www.brother-usa.com/supplies/refresh-smart-delivery Brother Refresh] service currently offers two programs: '''EZ Auto Reordering''' (abbreviated as '''EZ-ARP'''), where the end-user pays only to replace a depleted cartridge or '''EZ Print Subscription''' (abbreviated as '''EZ-PSP'''), where the the user pays per page printed.

Listed are the program features offered to the end user to maintain and service their machines:
{| class="wikitable"
!
!EZ-ARP
!EZ-PSP
|-
|'''Auto Cartridge Ordering'''
|Yes
|Yes
|-
|'''Free Trial'''
|No
|Yes
|-
|'''Payments'''
|Pay-Per-Cartridge
|Pay-Per-Page
|-
|'''Cartridge Type'''
|Standard or XL
|XL or Super XL
|-
|'''Shipping Costs'''
|>$19.99 Free
|Free (plan-based)
|-
|'''Warranty'''
|No
|Limited (plan-based)
|-
|'''Customer Service'''
|Yes
|Yes
|-
|'''Flexible Plans'''
|No
|Yes
|-
|'''Easy Cancellation'''
|Yes
|Yes
|}

==Subscription Eligibility==
Brother currently lists [https://www.brother-usa.com/supplies/subscription-info/eligible-printers/products#sort=%40productcataloglistprice%20descending these printers] available to enter the Refresh program. The printer can either be "Refresh-ready" (with Refresh EZ-Print Subscription ink and toner cartridges included) or activated post-purchase via the Brother website. Once the printer is activated and enrolled to the Refresh service, only cartridges or toner supplied by Brother can be used.

====='''EZ Print Subscription''' (pay-per-page)=====
{| class="wikitable"
!Printer Type
!Models
![https://www.brother-usa.com/supplies/subscription-info Promoted]
!Free Trial
!Cartridge Series Disclosed
!Cartridge Yield Disclosed
|-
|Mono Laser Printers
|13
|Yes
|Yes
|Unknown
|Unknown
|-
|Color Laser Printer
|0
|Yes
|No
|N/A
|N/A
|-
|Inkjet Printers
|8
|Yes
|Yes
|Unknown
|Unknown
|}

====='''EZ Auto Reordering''' (pay-per-cartridge)=====
{| class="wikitable"
!Printer Type
!Models
![https://www.brother-usa.com/supplies/ez-auto-reordering Promoted]
!Free Trial
!Cartridge Series Disclosed
!Cartridge Yield Disclosed
|-
|Mono Laser Printers
|141
|Yes
|No
|Yes
|Yes
|-
|Color Laser Printer
|31
|Yes
|No
|Yes
|Yes
|-
|Inkjet Printers
|0
|Yes
|No
|N/A
|N/A
|}

======False or Misleading Promotion======

*Brother clearly advertises color plans in the '''EZ Print''' program yet no color printers are currently eligible.<ref>[https://www.brother-usa.com/supplies/subscription-info/eligible-printers/products#sort=%40productcataloglistprice%20descending EZ-Print Eligibility List]</ref>
*Brother clearly advertises discounted ink & toner in the '''EZ Auto Reorder''' program yet no inkjet printers are currently eligible.<ref>[https://wiki.rossmanngroup.com/images/0/0d/Brother_Refresh_AutoReorder_printer_eigibility_list_08025.png EZ-Auto Reorder Eligibility List]</ref>
*Brother does not state cartridge series or yield on their website nor prior to enrollment in the Refresh program.<ref>[[:File:Brother Live Assistance Transcript 080225.pdf|Brother Assistance Transcript]]</ref>

==Subscription Claims==

=====EZ Print Program=====
Brother purports that the EZ Print subscription program can '''save the end-user up to 50%''' on genuine Brother ink or toner. This is accompanied by a caveat located in the legal disclaimer found at the bottom of the subscription information page.<ref>[https://www.brother-usa.com/supplies/subscription-info Brother Subscription Information]</ref>

It states: ''based on monthly subscription cost in U.S. for Mono Laser Power Plan vs. average cost per page of eligible like standard capacity cartridges. Savings will vary based on Refresh EZ Print Subscription plan selected.''

======Obfuscated or Misleading Claim======

*No color laser or inkjet printers are included in Brother's claimed subscription discount comparison.
*Only the highest-cost mono laser plan is used in Brother's claimed subscription discount comparison.
*Only a standard yield cartridge is included in Brother's claimed subscription discount comparison.

=====EZ Auto Reording Program=====
Brother offers a '''10% discount on all orders''' of genuine ink & toner when subscribed to the EZ Auto Reorder program. The Program also enables the end-user to select a higher-yield cartridge if required.

======Obfuscated or Misleading Claim======

*No inkjet printers are currently eligible for the '''EZ-ARP''' yet Brother promotes "Ink & Toner Delivered Automatically" on the program page.

==Subscription Analysis==

=====Case Study=====
[[File:MFCL2710DW EZ-Print.png|thumb|500x500px]]
To investigate Brother's claim for their purported savings in the '''EZ-Print''' program, we used the listed legal disclaimer as a basis for the setup:

#Mono Laser Printer: '''MFC-L2710DW''' <ref>[https://www.brother-usa.com/products/mfcl2710dw MFC-L2710DW Overview]</ref>
#Highest Cost Plan: '''Power Plan'''
#Standard Yield Cartridge: '''TN730''' <ref>[https://www.brother-usa.com/products/tn730 Brother TN730 Product Detail]</ref>

======Notes======
The Brother "Power Plan" includes:

*'''Credit $30''': for add-ons only
*'''Bonus Toner''' Eligibility: once only
*'''Drum Replacement''': undefined

It should also be noted that:

*the credit applies to any consumable or additional page cost outside the plan limits, '''not''' subscription cost.
*bonus toner is supplied once and as a 'back-up' in case the 'plan' replenishment does not arrive on time.
*drum replacement is not specified by Brother as to availability, frequency or supply discretion. In the case study here, the MFC-L2710DW requires a '''DR730'''<ref>[https://www.brother-usa.com/products/dr730 Brother DR730 Product Detail]</ref> drum unit which Brother states has a life-span of 12,000 printed pages.

======Printer======
The Brother printer chosen is the MFC-L2710DW. The rational for choosing this model for the case study are as follows:
*it is one of the most popular machines and has the highest number of reviews on the Brother eligibility list page.
*it has a sub $400 price point and is listed as eligible for the EZ Print Subscription program.
*it has parts and consumables readily available from a variety of sources.
*it is suited to a home / small office environment and has: automated duplex printing, a large 250 sheet tray capacity, wireless, ethernet or USB connections, 32 page-per-minute print speed and has a 50-page capacity automatic feeder to copy or scan documents.

======Analytics======
Market analysis shows that laser printers are the most popular machine for everyday printing:
*the average home office / small office user prints '''3.4 monochrome pages per day''' <ref name=":0">West, McDonald (July 20, 2018) [["2015, 2016, & 2017 User and Device Printing Statistics"]] ECISolutions.com. Retrieved February 8, 2025</ref>
*[https://www.consumerreports.org/ Consumer Reports.org] reports their subscribers print a median of '''33 monochrome pages per month''' <ref>Pinola, Melanie (2024) [https://www.consumerreports.org/electronics-computers/printers/are-printer-ink-subscriptions-worth-it-a4050339657/ "Are Printer Ink Subscriptions Worth It?"]. Consumerreports.org. Retrieved February 8, 2025</ref>
*monochrome printing now makes '''up to 80% of total print jobs''' in a home or small office environment. <ref name=":0" />
*color printing has '''decreased in use by 34%''' over the 3 year period measured. <ref name=":0" />
By comparing the user data against the claim of cost-savings and stipulations in methodology from Brother, it is clear the scenario is one in which the choice given by Brother in '''no way matches a real-world situation or printing habits of the user'''.<ref>[https://wiki.rossmanngroup.com/images/0/0a/Brother_FY2012_New_Product_Lines.png Brother FY2012 NPD]</ref> Furthermore, Brother engages in a purposefully misleading comparison when they state that the saving is based upon ''"average cost per page of eligible like standard capacity cartridge"'' for they must compare identical products as only genuine Brother cartridges are supplied in the program.

======Assumptions======
To create a more realistic comparison we set rules to give the end-user a more reasonable, flexible and real-world choice when investigating print pricing. In our use case:

*the end-user keeps the printer for a minimum 12 months.
*the subscription is maintained for a minimum 12 months.
*the end-user runs a small office and prints 15 times the average page rate (6000 pages-per-year)
*the end-user has a broader choice of consumables.

======EZ Print Cost Comparison Matrix======
{| class="wikitable"
!
!Brand
!Yield
!Price
!Pages
!Cartridges
!Total Cost
!Page Cost
!Generic Lockout
!Internet Required
|-
|'''Brother'''
|Brother
|1200 +-
|$24.99
|6000
|5
|$299.88
|$0.050
|Yes
|Yes
|-
|'''Staples'''
|Brother
|1200 +-
|$47.99
|6000
|5
|$239.95
|$0.040
|No
|No
|-
|'''Office Depot'''
|Brother
|1200 +-
|$47.99
|6000
|5
|$239.95
|$0.040
|No
|No
|-
|'''YB Toner'''
|Generic
|1200 +-
|$18.95
|6000
|5
|$94.75
|$0.015
|No
|No
|-
|'''True Image'''
|Generic
|1200 +-
|$19.50
|6000
|5
|$97.50
|$0.016
|No
|No
|}

======False or Misleading Claim======
As the above data illustrates, Brother's claim that the program can '''"save the end-user up to 50%"''' is purposefully misleading. They do this by using the following methods:

#'''Scenario Manipulation''': Brother creates a situation where the user runs with the service for only a month, ending the program before the billing cycle before or prior to the auto-replenishment alert.
#'''Comparing Different Programs''': this is a clear misrepresentation. Here Brother relates Pay-Per-Page to Pay-Per-Cartridge, a false and misleading comparison. The matrix shows us that the Brother price is roughly half that of the next supplier, but here the user '''owns the cartridge''' bought from Staples and only the '''rents the ability to print a certain number of pages''' from Brother.

We note also that should the end-user run with the program for a year, then the Brother program is the most expensive option for printing.

======EZ Auto Reorder Brother Cost Matrix======
{| class="wikitable"
!
!Brand
!Yield
!Price
!Pages
!Cartriges
!Total Cost
!Page Cost
!Generic Lockout
!Internet Required
|-
|'''Brother'''
|Brother
|1200 +-
|$43.19
|6000
|5
|$215.96
|$0.036
|Yes
|Yes
|}
''NB: Brother only listed here. All other competitor data remains identical to the EZ Print Cost Comparison Matrix.''

======Validated Claim======
The EZ Auto Reorder subscription offers the end-user a '''10% discount''' on cartridges while they are enrolled in program. This reduces the cost-per-cartridge by $4.80 when the product is supplied directly from Brother.

==Subscription History==

======Overview======
To understand the introduction rational of subscriptions within a traditional hardware company such as Brother, one must first understand how the changes in sales and profitability have historically developed within the markets that they operate.

======Brother Industries, Ltd.======
Brother was established in Japan in '''1908''' <ref>[https://wiki.rossmanngroup.com/images/a/a9/Brother_Sales_Revenue_1928-2020.png Brother Sales Revenue (1928-2020).png]</ref> primarily as an industrial manufacturer of machine tools and parts. It was not until 1928 that Brother launched its first mainline product: a head-wear specific industrial sewing machine. Owing to their history in manufacturing, Brother's machines were good quality and highly regarded. They sold well and prior to the second-world war, Japanese companies like Brother had access to a productive and low-cost labor force. This allowed Brother to expand its product line and to firmly capture a share of the industrial sewing category; a market in which they still operate today.

The post war years saw significant Japanese government focus on industrialization.<ref>Mosk, Carl (August 12, 2023) [https://eh.net/encyclopedia/japanese-industrialization-and-economic-growth/ "Japanese Industrialization and Economic Growth"] Economic History Association. Retrieved February 8, 2025</ref> And by the early '''1960's''' and '''1970's''', Japan's electronics manufacturing sector was not only mature but had rapidly expanded. Facts such as a large national labor pool, new access to western technology and the skill-to-cost benefits from earlier government investment, quickly made Japanese manufacturers the leaders in high-quality, low-cost electronic products. Brother too, benefited from this economic environment. It invested heavily in the technology sector and by '''1971''', released a product that would change the company direction and growth into the foreseeable future: a high-speed, '''dot-matrix printer'''.

======Segment Reliance======

Into the '''1990's''', Brother identified its Printing & Solutions ('''P&S''') segment as a global category for growth and shifted significant resources directly towards this market. And while Brother maintained its leadership in core categories such as industrial sewing, machine tools and parts, the company continued to make further gains through P&S and in electronic products such as labeling. The returns in these segments continued to provide Brother capital for expansion. They developed product lines that took advantage of broadening demand, not only through industrial buyers to whom Brother traditionally catered, but with small office and home office users ('''SOHO''') who began to purchase Brother's products for their high reliability and reasonable cost. By the mid-1990's Brother had a mature and robust printing portfolio and had released many successful and profitable lines:

*laser printers (both color & mono)
*all-in-one printers (print, fax & scan)
*inkjet printers (high-speed color)
*garment, label and mobile printers.

Throughout the late 1990's and early '''2000's''' the company continued to focus within the P&S segment and invested in long-term channel relationships. Now an establish brand, Brother's sales and profitability were firmly tied to the '''parts and consumables''' market. Brother understood that through channels such as OEM, vendors, distributors and large retailers, they could maintain strong end-user brand affiliation and leverage this to further create an ongoing demand. To acquire new industrial and SOHO buyers, Brother engaged in heavy promotional schedules and further product offerings. It introduced high-end, all-in-one laser printers and high-speed inkjet printers, all at price points not before seen in the market. Brother also sought growth in emerging countries. The company invested aggressively in Asia by promoting and selling low-cost '''monochrome laser printers''', which by now had became their strength and specialty.
[[File:Brother_FY2012_New_Product_Lines.png|thumb|504x504px]]
Then into the '''2010's''' Brother's previously positive financial results started to plateau. Its operating income and profits fell, and net sales, though marginally up, had failed to meet forecast. Furthermore, its Printing & Solutions (P&S) segment had not shown the growth expected, especially in Asia where they had invested heavily.

Despite these poor results Brother's strategy remained largely the same: '''grow in all business and all regions'''. It continued to push forward with its aggressive emerging market expansion and it increased mass advertising throughout Japan. Further products and solutions were added to the P&S portfolio including web-conferencing and greeting card software. Brother continued to focus on maintaining its US and EU presence through retail channels and seeking growth through new SOHO & SMB customers. Brother also increased sales staff, sales channels and supporting promotions in an effort to expand the sales of mono laser printers in emerging markets.

But by '''2015''' investors and shareholders had started to ask some tough questions. Brother had achieved net sales forecast targets in some segments but company-wide income and profit were in significant decline, The previously stable Machinery & Solution division was in free-fall and the anchor for sales and growth, Printing & Solutions (P&S), had suffered a 4.3% profit contraction.

In Brother's EOY financial briefing the company acknowledged the stagnation in the P&S market and offered the following insights:

#Global profitability in Laser Business Printers ('''LBP''') was declining due to competitor entry and generic consumables availability.
#The printer hardware market was now very mature and the targeted growth by new product releases was not returning profit.
#Digitization of documents, smartphone uptake and their affordability continued to shrink the printing market by 5% YOY.
#Multi-function Center ('''MFC''') and All-in-One ('''AIO''') machines were eroding sales growth of use-specific product lines.
#Consumables demand for conventional inkjet cartridge machines were being replaced by high-capacity Ink Tank models.

With these points Brother had informed investors that the traditional strategy of developing hardware products, releasing them through sales channels and then realizing profitability through brand recognition and consumables sales had become highly uncertain. Furthermore, Brother acknowledged that these strategies had caused model proliferation, driven up stock holding requirements, cannibalized profitable lines and may have directly encouraged the demand for generic parts alternatives.

Here Brother did two significant things. Firstly, it downgraded its forecasts to mitigate pressure for short-term market performance stating that the business would not return to overall profitability until 2018. Secondly, and perhaps most importantly, it supported the profitability target by releasing a mid-term business strategy: '''CS [https://global.brother/en/investor/financial-info/archives B2018]'''. In this document, Brother outlined a series of broad changes. It advocated for restructured business segments and saw the need to relocate personal and investments. It wanted to consolidate internal divisions to create "synergies" supporting B2018 but all change, Brother stated, must underpin a common function and enhance the task of business model transformation. That is:

'''<nowiki/>'To change and reposition the existing printing business to one that is clearly defined for corporate profitability enhancement'.'''

==Subscription: The Birth==

======'When You Cannot Thrive, Seek Rent to Survive'======
''(work-in-progress)''

'''Brother Business Segment Return 2024'''
{| class="wikitable"
!
!Printing & Solutions
!Personal & Home
!Machinery
!Network & Contents
!Domino
!Other
|-
|Sales Revenue
|'''58.92%'''
|6.64%
|15.22%
|7.00%
|10.41%
|1.78%
|-
|Segement Profit
|'''72.50%'''
|5.55%
|13.61%
|2.50%
|5.42%
|0.55%
|-
|Operation Profit
|'''73.57%'''
|5.56%
|13.77%
|2.22%
|1.03%
|1.11%
|}

==References==
<references />
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brother Refresh Subscription Service}}
[[Category:Subscription-based services]]
[[Category:Printers]]

Brother Refresh EZ Print Subscription Service

2025-02-12T00:57:14Z

Watchdog: reference updates, readability improvements, clarification of claims

{{InfoboxProductLine
| Title = Brother Refresh Service
| Release Year = 2021
| Product Type = Subscription-as-a-Service
| In Production = Yes
| Official Website = [https://www.brother-usa.com/supplies/subscription-info#plans Brother Refresh]
| Logo = Brother Refresh 02.png
}}

The Brother Industries Ltd.: '''Refresh Program Subscription Service''' is a Subscription-as-a-Service ('''SubS''') launched in August 2021. The program claims to offer domestic and business users the advantage of an on-demand, lower-cost printing solution that provides genuine Brother consumables directly to their door, without the need for end-user consumable management.

The [https://www.brother-usa.com/supplies/refresh-smart-delivery Brother Refresh] service currently offers two programs: '''EZ Auto Reordering''' (abbreviated as '''EZ-ARP'''), where the end-user pays only to replace a depleted cartridge or '''EZ Print Subscription''' (abbreviated as '''EZ-PSP'''), where the the user pays per page printed.

Listed are the program features offered to the end user to maintain and service their machines:
{| class="wikitable"
!
!EZ-ARP
!EZ-PSP
|-
|'''Auto Cartridge Ordering'''
|Yes
|Yes
|-
|'''Free Trial'''
|No
|Yes
|-
|'''Payments'''
|Pay-Per-Cartridge
|Pay-Per-Page
|-
|'''Cartridge Type'''
|Standard or XL
|XL or Super XL
|-
|'''Shipping Costs'''
|>$19.99 Free
|Free (plan-based)
|-
|'''Warranty'''
|No
|Limited (plan-based)
|-
|'''Customer Service'''
|Yes
|Yes
|-
|'''Flexible Plans'''
|No
|Yes
|-
|'''Easy Cancellation'''
|Yes
|Yes
|}

==Subscription Eligibility==
Brother currently lists [https://www.brother-usa.com/supplies/subscription-info/eligible-printers/products#sort=%40productcataloglistprice%20descending these printers] available to enter the Refresh program. The printer can either be "Refresh-ready" (with Refresh EZ-Print Subscription ink and toner cartridges included) or activated post-purchase via the Brother website. Once the printer is activated and enrolled to the Refresh service, only cartridges or toner supplied by Brother can be used.

====='''EZ Print Subscription''' (pay-per-page)=====
{| class="wikitable"
!Printer Type
!Models
![https://www.brother-usa.com/supplies/subscription-info Promoted]
!Free Trial
!Cartridge Series Disclosed
!Cartridge Yield Disclosed
|-
|Mono Laser Printers
|13
|Yes
|Yes
|Unknown
|Unknown
|-
|Color Laser Printer
|0
|Yes
|No
|N/A
|N/A
|-
|Inkjet Printers
|8
|Yes
|Yes
|Unknown
|Unknown
|}

====='''EZ Auto Reordering''' (pay-per-cartridge)=====
{| class="wikitable"
!Printer Type
!Models
![https://www.brother-usa.com/supplies/ez-auto-reordering Promoted]
!Free Trial
!Cartridge Series Disclosed
!Cartridge Yield Disclosed
|-
|Mono Laser Printers
|141
|Yes
|No
|Yes
|Yes
|-
|Color Laser Printer
|31
|Yes
|No
|Yes
|Yes
|-
|Inkjet Printers
|0
|Yes
|No
|N/A
|N/A
|}

======False or Misleading Promotion======

*Brother clearly advertises color plans in the '''EZ Print''' program yet no color printers are currently eligible.<ref>[https://www.brother-usa.com/supplies/subscription-info/eligible-printers/products#sort=%40productcataloglistprice%20descending EZ-Print Eligibility List]</ref>
*Brother clearly advertises discounted ink & toner in the '''EZ Auto Reorder''' program yet no inkjet printers are currently eligible.<ref>[https://wiki.rossmanngroup.com/images/0/0d/Brother_Refresh_AutoReorder_printer_eigibility_list_08025.png EZ-Auto Reorder Eligibility List]</ref>
*Brother does not state cartridge series or yield on their website nor prior to enrollment in the Refresh program.<ref>[[:File:Brother Live Assistance Transcript 080225.pdf|Brother Assistance Transcript]]</ref>

==Subscription Claims==

=====EZ Print Program=====
Brother purports that the EZ Print subscription program can '''save the end-user up to 50%''' on genuine Brother ink or toner. This is accompanied by a caveat located in the legal disclaimer found at the bottom of the subscription information page.<ref>[https://www.brother-usa.com/supplies/subscription-info Brother Subscription Information]</ref>

It states: ''based on monthly subscription cost in U.S. for Mono Laser Power Plan vs. average cost per page of eligible like standard capacity cartridges. Savings will vary based on Refresh EZ Print Subscription plan selected.''

======Obfuscated or Misleading Claim======

*No color laser or inkjet printers are included in Brother's claimed subscription discount comparison.
*Only the highest-cost mono laser plan is used in Brother's claimed subscription discount comparison.
*Only a standard yield cartridge is included in Brother's claimed subscription discount comparison.

=====EZ Auto Reording Program=====
Brother offers a '''10% discount on all orders''' of genuine ink & toner when subscribed to the EZ Auto Reorder program. The Program also enables the end-user to select a higher-yield cartridge if required.

======Obfuscated or Misleading Claim======

*No inkjet printers are currently eligible for the '''EZ-ARP''' yet Brother promotes "Ink & Toner Delivered Automatically" on the program page.

==Subscription Analysis==

=====Case Study=====
[[File:MFCL2710DW EZ-Print.png|thumb|500x500px]]
To investigate Brother's claim for their purported savings in the '''EZ-Print''' program, we used the listed legal disclaimer as a basis for the setup:

#Mono Laser Printer: '''MFC-L2710DW''' <ref>[https://www.brother-usa.com/products/mfcl2710dw MFC-L2710DW Overview]</ref>
#Highest Cost Plan: '''Power Plan'''
#Standard Yield Cartridge: '''TN730''' <ref>[https://www.brother-usa.com/products/tn730 Brother TN730 Product Detail]</ref>

======Notes======
The Brother "Power Plan" includes:

*'''Credit $30''': for add-ons only
*'''Bonus Toner''' Eligibility: once only
*'''Drum Replacement''': undefined

It should also be noted that:

*the credit applies to any consumable or additional page cost outside the plan limits, '''not''' subscription cost.
*bonus toner is supplied once and as a 'back-up' in case the 'plan' replenishment does not arrive on time.
*drum replacement is not specified by Brother as to availability, frequency or supply discretion. In the case study here, the MFC-L2710DW requires a '''DR730'''<ref>[https://www.brother-usa.com/products/dr730 Brother DR730 Product Detail]</ref> drum unit which Brother states has a life-span of 12,000 printed pages.

======Printer======
The Brother printer chosen is the MFC-L2710DW. The rational for choosing this model for the case study are as follows:
*it is one of the most popular machines and has the highest number of reviews on the Brother eligibility list page.
*it has a sub $400 price point and is listed as eligible for the EZ Print Subscription program.
*it has parts and consumables readily available from a variety of sources.
*it is suited to a home / small office environment and has: automated duplex printing, a large 250 sheet tray capacity, wireless, ethernet or USB connections, 32 page-per-minute print speed and has a 50-page capacity automatic feeder to copy or scan documents.

======Analytics======
Market analysis shows that laser printers are the most popular machine for everyday printing:
*the average home office / small office user prints '''3.4 monochrome pages per day''' <ref name=":0">West, McDonald (July 20, 2018) [["2015, 2016, & 2017 User and Device Printing Statistics"]] ECISolutions.com. Retrieved February 8, 2025</ref>
*[https://www.consumerreports.org/ Consumer Reports.org] reports their subscribers print a median of '''33 monochrome pages per month''' <ref>Pinola, Melanie (2024) [https://www.consumerreports.org/electronics-computers/printers/are-printer-ink-subscriptions-worth-it-a4050339657/ "Are Printer Ink Subscriptions Worth It?"]. Consumerreports.org. Retrieved February 8, 2025</ref>
*monochrome printing now makes '''up to 80% of total print jobs''' in a home or small office environment. <ref name=":0" />
*color printing has '''decreased in use by 34%''' over the 3 year period measured. <ref name=":0" />
By comparing the user data against the claim of cost-savings and stipulations in methodology from Brother, it is clear the scenario is one in which the choice given by Brother in '''no way matches a real-world situation or printing habits of the user'''.<ref>[https://wiki.rossmanngroup.com/images/0/0a/Brother_FY2012_New_Product_Lines.png Brother FY2012 NPD]</ref> Furthermore, Brother engages in a purposefully misleading comparison when they state that the saving is based upon ''"average cost per page of eligible like standard capacity cartridge"'' for they must compare identical products as only genuine Brother cartridges are supplied in the program.

======Assumptions======
To create a more realistic comparison we set rules to give the end-user a more reasonable, flexible and real-world choice when investigating print pricing. In our use case:

*the end-user keeps the printer for a minimum 12 months.
*the subscription is maintained for a minimum 12 months.
*the end-user runs a small office and prints 15 times the average page rate (6000 pages-per-year)
*the end-user has a broader choice of consumables.

======EZ Print Cost Comparison Matrix======
{| class="wikitable"
!
!Brand
!Yield
!Price
!Pages
!Cartridges
!Total Cost
!Page Cost
!Generic Lockout
!Internet Required
|-
|'''Brother'''
|Brother
|1200 +-
|$24.99
|6000
|5
|$299.88
|$0.050
|Yes
|Yes
|-
|'''Staples'''
|Brother
|1200 +-
|$47.99
|6000
|5
|$239.95
|$0.040
|No
|No
|-
|'''Office Depot'''
|Brother
|1200 +-
|$47.99
|6000
|5
|$239.95
|$0.040
|No
|No
|-
|'''YB Toner'''
|Generic
|1200 +-
|$18.95
|6000
|5
|$94.75
|$0.015
|No
|No
|-
|'''True Image'''
|Generic
|1200 +-
|$19.50
|6000
|5
|$97.50
|$0.016
|No
|No
|}

======False or Misleading Claim======
As the above data illustrates, Brother's claim that the program can '''"save the end-user up to 50%"''' is purposefully misleading. They do this by using the following methods:

#'''Scenario Manipulation''': Brother creates a situation where the user runs with the service for only a month, ending the program before the billing cycle before or prior to the auto-replenishment alert.
#'''Comparing Different Programs''': this is a clear misrepresentation. Here Brother relates Pay-Per-Page to Pay-Per-Cartridge, a false and misleading comparison. The matrix shows us that the Brother price is roughly half that of the next supplier, but here the user '''owns the cartridge''' bought from Staples and only the '''rents the ability to print a certain number of pages''' from Brother.

We note also that should the end-user run with the program for a year, then the Brother program is the most expensive option for printing.

======EZ Auto Reorder Brother Cost Matrix======
{| class="wikitable"
!
!Brand
!Yield
!Price
!Pages
!Cartriges
!Total Cost
!Page Cost
!Generic Lockout
!Internet Required
|-
|'''Brother'''
|Brother
|1200 +-
|$43.19
|6000
|5
|$215.96
|$0.036
|Yes
|Yes
|}
''NB: Brother only listed here. All other competitor data remains identical to the EZ Print Cost Comparison Matrix.''

======Validated Claim======
The EZ Auto Reorder subscription offers the end-user a '''10% discount''' on cartridges while they are enrolled in program. This reduces the cost-per-cartridge by $4.80 when the product is supplied directly from Brother.

==Subscription History==

======Overview======
To understand the introduction rational of subscriptions within a traditional hardware company such as Brother, one must first understand how the changes in sales and profitability have historically developed within the markets that they operate.

======Brother Industries, Ltd.======
Brother was established in Japan in '''1908''' <ref>[https://wiki.rossmanngroup.com/images/a/a9/Brother_Sales_Revenue_1928-2020.png Brother Sales Revenue (1928-2020).png]</ref> primarily as an industrial manufacturer of machine tools and parts. It was not until 1928 that Brother launched its first mainline product: a head-wear specific industrial sewing machine. Owing to their history in manufacturing, Brother's machines were good quality and highly regarded. They sold well and prior to the second-world war, Japanese companies like Brother had access to a productive and low-cost labor force. This allowed Brother to expand its product line and to firmly capture a share of the industrial sewing category; a market in which they still operate today.

The post war years saw significant Japanese government focus on industrialization.<ref>Mosk, Carl (August 12, 2023) [https://eh.net/encyclopedia/japanese-industrialization-and-economic-growth/ "Japanese Industrialization and Economic Growth"] Economic History Association. Retrieved February 8, 2025</ref> And by the early '''1960's''' and '''1970's''', Japan's electronics manufacturing sector was not only mature but had rapidly expanded. Facts such as a large national labor pool, new access to western technology and the skill-to-cost benefits from earlier government investment, quickly made Japanese manufacturers the leaders in high-quality, low-cost electronic products. Brother too, benefited from this economic environment. It invested heavily in the technology sector and by '''1971''', released a product that would change the company direction and growth into the foreseeable future: a high-speed, '''dot-matrix printer'''.

======Segment Reliance======

Into the '''1990's''', Brother identified its Printing & Solutions ('''P&S''') segment as a global category for growth and shifted significant resources directly towards this market. And while Brother maintained its leadership in core categories such as industrial sewing, machine tools and parts, the company continued to make further gains through P&S and in electronic products such as labeling. The returns in these segments continued to provide Brother opportunities for expansion. They developed product lines that took advantage of this demand, not only through industrial buyers to whom Brother traditionally catered, but with small office and home office users ('''SOHO''') who began to purchase Brother's products for their high reliability and reasonable cost. By the mid-1990's Brother had a mature and robust printing portfolio and had released many successful and profitable lines:

*laser printers (both color & mono)
*all-in-one printers (print, fax & scan)
*inkjet printers (high-speed color)
*garment, label and mobile printers.

Throughout the late 1990's and early '''2000's''' the company continued to focus within the P&S segment and invested in long-term channel relationships. Now an establish brand, Brother's sales and profitability were firmly tied to the '''parts and consumables''' market. Brother understood that its clients such as OEM, vendors, distributors and large retailers were key to maintaining a strong brand affiliation and to further create an ongoing demand. To acquire new industrial and SOHO buyers, Brother engaged in heavy promotional schedules and further product offerings. It introduced high-end, all-in-one laser printers and high-speed inkjet printers, all at price points not before seen in the market. Brother also sought growth in emerging countries. The company invested aggressively in Asia by promoting and selling low-cost '''monochrome laser printers''', which by now had became their strength and specialty.
[[File:Brother_FY2012_New_Product_Lines.png|thumb|504x504px]]
Then into the '''2010's''' Brother's previously positive financial results started to plateau. Its operating income and profits fell, and net sales, though marginally up, had failed to meet forecast. Furthermore, its Printing & Solutions ('''P&S''') segment had not shown the growth expected, especially in Asia where they had invested heavily.

Despite these poor results Brother's strategy remained largely the same: '''grow in all business and all regions'''. It continued to push forward with its aggressive emerging market expansion and it increased mass advertising throughout Japan. Further products and solutions were added to the P&S portfolio including web-conferencing and greeting card software. Brother continued to focus on:

#Maintaining its US and EU presence through retail channels and to '''seek growth through''' '''new SOHO''' & '''SMB''' customers.
#Increasing sales staff, sales channels and supporting promotions to '''expand sales of mono laser printers''' in emerging markets.

But by '''2015''' investors and shareholders had started to ask some tough questions. Despite meeting net sales forecast targets in some segments, company wide income and profit were in significant decline, The previously stable Machinery & Solution division was in free-fall and the anchor for sales and growth, Printing & Solutions (P&S), suffered a 4.3% profit contraction.

In Brother's EOY financial briefing the company acknowledged the stagnation in the P&S market and offered the following insights:

#Global profitability in Laser Business Printers ('''LBP''') was declining due to competitor entry and generic consumables availability.
#The printer hardware market was now very mature and the targeted growth by new product releases was not returning profit.
#Digitization of documents and images, smartphone uptake and affordability continued to shrink the printing market by 5% YOY.
#Multi-function Center ('''MFC''') and All-in-One ('''AIO''') machines were eroding sales growth of use-specific product lines.
#Consumable demand for conventional inkjet cartridge machines were being replaces by high-capacity Ink Tank models.

With these points Brother had informed investors that the traditional strategy of developing hardware products, releasing them through sales channels and then realizing profitability through affiliation and consumables had become highly uncertain. Furthermore, Brother acknowledged that these strategies had caused model proliferation, driven up stock holding requirements, cannibalized profitable lines and may have directly encouraged the demand for generic consumables.

Here Brother did two significant things. Firstly, it downgraded its forecasts to mitigate pressure for short-term market performance stating that the business would not return to overall profitability until 2018. Secondly, and perhaps most importantly, it supported the profitability target by releasing a mid-term business strategy: '''CS [https://global.brother/en/investor/financial-info/archives B2018]'''. In this document, Brother outlined some broad changes. It advocated for restructured business segments. It saw the need to relocate personal and investments and wanted to consolidate internal divisions to "create synergies" supporting B2018. But all change, Brother stated, must underpin a common function and enhance the task of business model transformation. That is:

'''<nowiki/>'To change and reposition the existing printing business to one that is clearly defined for corporate profitability enhancement'.'''

==Subscription: The Birth==

======'When You Can't Thrive, Seek Rent to Survive'======
''(work-in-progress)''

'''Brother Business Segment Return 2024'''
{| class="wikitable"
!
!Printing & Solutions
!Personal & Home
!Machinery
!Network & Contents
!Domino
!Other
|-
|Sales Revenue
|'''58.92%'''
|6.64%
|15.22%
|7.00%
|10.41%
|1.78%
|-
|Segement Profit
|'''72.50%'''
|5.55%
|13.61%
|2.50%
|5.42%
|0.55%
|-
|Operation Profit
|'''73.57%'''
|5.56%
|13.77%
|2.22%
|1.03%
|1.11%
|}

==References==
<references />
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brother Refresh Subscription Service}}
[[Category:Subscription-based services]]
[[Category:Printers]]

Brother Refresh EZ Print Subscription Service

2025-02-12T00:05:26Z

Watchdog: grammar, general editing

{{InfoboxProductLine
| Title = Brother Refresh Service
| Release Year = 2021
| Product Type = Subscription-as-a-Service
| In Production = Yes
| Official Website = [https://www.brother-usa.com/supplies/subscription-info#plans Brother Refresh]
| Logo = Brother Refresh 02.png
}}

The Brother Industries Ltd.: '''Refresh Program Subscription Service''' is a Subscription-as-a-Service ('''SubS''') launched in August 2021. The program claims to offer domestic and business users the advantage of an on-demand, lower-cost printing solution that provides genuine Brother consumables directly to their door, without the need for end-user consumable management.

The [https://www.brother-usa.com/supplies/refresh-smart-delivery Brother Refresh] service currently offers two programs: '''EZ Auto Reordering''' (abbreviated as '''EZ-ARP'''), where the end-user pays only to replace a depleted cartridge or '''EZ Print Subscription''' (abbreviated as '''EZ-PSP'''), where the the user pays per page printed.

Listed are the program features offered to the end user to maintain and service their machines:
{| class="wikitable"
!
!EZ-ARP
!EZ-PSP
|-
|'''Auto Cartridge Ordering'''
|Yes
|Yes
|-
|'''Free Trial'''
|No
|Yes
|-
|'''Payments'''
|Pay-Per-Cartridge
|Pay-Per-Page
|-
|'''Cartridge Type'''
|Standard or XL
|XL or Super XL
|-
|'''Shipping Costs'''
|>$19.99 Free
|Free (plan-based)
|-
|'''Warranty'''
|No
|Limited (plan-based)
|-
|'''Customer Service'''
|Yes
|Yes
|-
|'''Flexible Plans'''
|No
|Yes
|-
|'''Easy Cancellation'''
|Yes
|Yes
|}

==Subscription Eligibility==
Brother currently lists [https://www.brother-usa.com/supplies/subscription-info/eligible-printers/products#sort=%40productcataloglistprice%20descending these printers] available to enter the Refresh program. The printer can either be "Refresh-ready" (with Refresh EZ-Print Subscription ink and toner cartridges included) or activated post-purchase via the Brother website. Once the printer is activated and enrolled to the Refresh service, only cartridges or toner supplied by Brother can be used.

====='''EZ Print Subscription''' (pay-per-page)=====
{| class="wikitable"
!Printer Type
!Models
![https://www.brother-usa.com/supplies/subscription-info Promoted]
!Free Trial
!Cartridge Series Disclosed
!Cartridge Yield Disclosed
|-
|Mono Laser Printers
|13
|Yes
|Yes
|Unknown
|Unknown
|-
|Color Laser Printer
|0
|Yes
|No
|N/A
|N/A
|-
|Inkjet Printers
|8
|Yes
|Yes
|Unknown
|Unknown
|}

====='''EZ Auto Reordering''' (pay-per-cartridge)=====
{| class="wikitable"
!Printer Type
!Models
![https://www.brother-usa.com/supplies/ez-auto-reordering Promoted]
!Free Trial
!Cartridge Series Disclosed
!Cartridge Yield Disclosed
|-
|Mono Laser Printers
|141
|Yes
|No
|Yes
|Yes
|-
|Color Laser Printer
|31
|Yes
|No
|Yes
|Yes
|-
|Inkjet Printers
|0
|Yes
|No
|N/A
|N/A
|}

======False or Misleading Promotion======

*Brother clearly advertises color plans in the '''EZ Print''' program yet no color printers are currently eligible.<ref>[https://www.brother-usa.com/supplies/subscription-info/eligible-printers/products#sort=%40productcataloglistprice%20descending EZ-Print Eligibility List]</ref>
*Brother clearly advertises discounted ink & toner in the '''EZ Auto Reorder''' program yet no inkjet printers are currently eligible.<ref>[https://wiki.rossmanngroup.com/images/0/0d/Brother_Refresh_AutoReorder_printer_eigibility_list_08025.png EZ-Auto Reorder Eligibility List]</ref>
*Brother does not state cartridge series or yield on their website nor prior to enrollment in the Refresh program.<ref>[[:File:Brother Live Assistance Transcript 080225.pdf|Brother Assistance Transcript]]</ref>

==Subscription Claims==

=====EZ Print Program=====
Brother purports that the EZ Print subscription program can '''save the end-user up to 50%''' on genuine Brother ink or toner. This is accompanied by a caveat located in the legal disclaimer found at the bottom of the subscription information page.<ref>[https://www.brother-usa.com/supplies/subscription-info Brother Subscription Information]</ref>

It states: ''based on monthly subscription cost in U.S. for Mono Laser Power Plan vs. average cost per page of eligible like standard capacity cartridges. Savings will vary based on Refresh EZ Print Subscription plan selected.''

======Obfuscated or Misleading Claim======

*No color laser or inkjet printers are included in Brother's claimed subscription discount comparison.
*Only the highest-cost mono laser plan is used in Brother's claimed subscription discount comparison.
*Only a standard yield cartridge is included in Brother's claimed subscription discount comparison.

=====EZ Auto Reording Program=====
Brother offers a '''10% discount on all orders''' of genuine ink & toner when subscribed to the EZ Auto Reorder program. The Program also enables the end-user to select a higher-yield cartridge if required.

======Obfuscated or Misleading Claim======

*No inkjet printers are currently eligible for the '''EZ-ARP''' yet Brother promotes "Ink & Toner Delivered Automatically" on the program page.

==Subscription Analysis==

=====Case Study=====
[[File:MFCL2710DW EZ-Print.png|thumb|500x500px]]
To investigate Brother's claim for their purported savings in the '''EZ-Print''' program, we used the listed legal disclaimer as a basis for the setup:

#Mono Laser Printer: '''MFC-L2710DW''' <ref>[https://www.brother-usa.com/products/mfcl2710dw MFC-L2710DW Overview]</ref>
#Highest Cost Plan: '''Power Plan'''
#Standard Yield Cartridge: '''TN730''' <ref>[https://www.brother-usa.com/products/tn730 Brother TN730 Product Detail]</ref>

======Notes======
The Brother "Power Plan" includes:

*'''Credit $30''': for add-ons only
*'''Bonus Toner''' Eligibility: once only
*'''Drum Replacement''': undefined

It should also be noted that:

*the credit applies to any consumable or additional page cost outside the plan limits, '''not''' subscription cost.
*bonus toner is supplied once and as a 'back-up' in case the 'plan' replenishment does not arrive on time.
*drum replacement is not specified by Brother as to availability, frequency or supply discretion. In the case study here, the MFC-L2710DW requires a '''DR730'''<ref>[https://www.brother-usa.com/products/dr730 Brother DR730 Product Detail]</ref> drum unit which Brother states has a life-span of 12,000 printed pages.

======Printer======
The Brother printer chosen is the MFC-L2710DW. The rational for choosing this model for the case study are as follows:
*it is one of the most popular machines and has the highest number of reviews on the Brother eligibility list page.
*it has a sub $400 price point and is listed as eligible for the EZ Print Subscription program.
*it has parts and consumables readily available from a variety of sources.
*it is suited to a home / small office environment and has: automated duplex printing, a large 250 sheet tray capacity, wireless, ethernet or USB connections, 32 page-per-minute print speed and has a 50-page capacity automatic feeder to copy or scan documents.

======Analytics======
Market analysis shows that laser printers are the most popular machine for everyday printing:
*the average home office / small office user prints '''3.4 monochrome pages per day''' <ref name=":0">West, McDonald (July 20, 2018) [["2015, 2016, & 2017 User and Device Printing Statistics"]] ECISolutions.com. Retrieved February 8, 2025</ref>
*[https://www.consumerreports.org/ Consumer Reports.org] reports their subscribers print a median of '''33 monochrome pages per month''' <ref>Pinola, Melanie (2024) [https://www.consumerreports.org/electronics-computers/printers/are-printer-ink-subscriptions-worth-it-a4050339657/ "Are Printer Ink Subscriptions Worth It?"]. Consumerreports.org. Retrieved February 8, 2025</ref>
*monochrome printing now makes '''up to 80% of total print jobs''' in a home or small office environment. <ref name=":0" />
*color printing has '''decreased in use by 34%''' over the 3 year period measured. <ref name=":0" />
By comparing the user data against the claim of cost-savings and stipulations in methodology from Brother, it is clear the scenario is one in which the choice given by Brother in '''no way matches a real-world situation or printing habits of the user'''.<ref>[https://wiki.rossmanngroup.com/images/0/0a/Brother_FY2012_New_Product_Lines.png]</ref> Furthermore, Brother engages in a purposefully misleading comparison when they state that the saving is based upon ''"average cost per page of eligible like standard capacity cartridge"'' for they must compare identical products as only genuine Brother cartridges are supplied in the program.

======Assumptions======
To create a more realistic comparison we set rules to give the end-user a more reasonable, flexible and real-world choice when investigating print pricing. In our use case:

*the end-user keeps the printer for a minimum 12 months.
*the subscription is maintained for a minimum 12 months.
*the end-user runs a small office and prints 15 times the average page rate (6000 pages-per-year)
*the end-user has a broader choice of consumables.

======EZ Print Cost Comparison Matrix======
{| class="wikitable"
!
!Brand
!Yield
!Price
!Pages
!Cartridges
!Total Cost
!Page Cost
!Generic Lockout
!Internet Required
|-
|'''Brother'''
|Brother
|1200 +-
|$24.99
|6000
|5
|$299.88
|$0.050
|Yes
|Yes
|-
|'''Staples'''
|Brother
|1200 +-
|$47.99
|6000
|5
|$239.95
|$0.040
|No
|No
|-
|'''Office Depot'''
|Brother
|1200 +-
|$47.99
|6000
|5
|$239.95
|$0.040
|No
|No
|-
|'''YB Toner'''
|Generic
|1200 +-
|$18.95
|6000
|5
|$94.75
|$0.015
|No
|No
|-
|'''True Image'''
|Generic
|1200 +-
|$19.50
|6000
|5
|$97.50
|$0.016
|No
|No
|}

======False or Misleading Claim======
As the above data illustrates, Brother's claim that the program can '''"save the end-user up to 50%"''' is purposefully misleading. They do this by using the following methods:

#'''Scenario Manipulation''': Brother creates a situation where the user runs with the service for only a month, ending the program before the billing cycle before or prior to the auto-replenishment alert.
#'''Comparing Different Programs''': this is a clear misrepresentation. Here Brother relates Pay-Per-Page to Pay-Per-Cartridge, a false and misleading comparison. The matrix shows us that the Brother price is roughly half that of the next supplier, but here the user '''owns the cartridge''' bought from Staples and only the '''rents the ability to print a certain number of pages''' from Brother.

We note also that should the end-user run with the program for a year, then the Brother program is the most expensive option for printing.

======EZ Auto Reorder Brother Cost Matrix======
{| class="wikitable"
!
!Brand
!Yield
!Price
!Pages
!Cartriges
!Total Cost
!Page Cost
!Generic Lockout
!Internet Required
|-
|'''Brother'''
|Brother
|1200 +-
|$43.19
|6000
|5
|$215.96
|$0.036
|Yes
|Yes
|}
''NB: Brother only listed here. All other competitor data remains identical to the EZ Print Cost Comparison Matrix.''

======Validated Claim======
The EZ Auto Reorder subscription offers the end-user a '''10% discount''' on cartridges while they are enrolled in program. This reduces the cost-per-cartridge by $4.80 when the product is supplied directly from Brother.

==Subscription History==

======Overview======
To understand the introduction rational of subscriptions within a traditional hardware company such as Brother, one must first understand how the changes in sales and profitability have historically developed within the markets that they operate.

======Brother Industries, Ltd.======
Brother was established in Japan in '''1908''' <ref>[https://wiki.rossmanngroup.com/images/a/a9/Brother_Sales_Revenue_1928-2020.png Brother Sales Revenue (1928-2020).png]</ref> primarily as an industrial manufacturer of machine tools and parts. It was not until 1928 that Brother launched its first mainline product: head-wear specific industrial sewing machine. Owing to their history in manufacturing, Brother's machines were good quality and highly regarded. They sold well and prior to the second-world war, Japanese companies like Brother had access to a highly-skilled and low-cost labor force. This allowed Brother to expand its product line and to firmly capture a share of the industrial sewing category; a market in which they still operate today.

The post war years saw significant Japanese government focus on industrialization.<ref>Mosk, Carl (August 12, 2023) [https://eh.net/encyclopedia/japanese-industrialization-and-economic-growth/ "Japanese Industrialization and Economic Growth"] Economic History Association. Retrieved February 8, 2025</ref> And by the early '''1960's''' and '''1970's''', Japan's electronics manufacturing sector was not only mature but had rapidly expanded. Facts such as a large national labor pool, new access to western technology and the skill-to-cost benefits from earlier government investment, quickly made Japanese manufacturers the leaders in high-quality, low-cost electronic products. Brother too, benefited from this economic environment. It invested heavily in the technology sector and by '''1971''', released a product that would change the company direction and growth into the foreseeable future: a high-speed, '''dot-matrix printer'''.

======Segment Reliance======

Into the '''1990's''', Brother identified its Printing & Solutions ('''P&S''') segment as a global category for growth and shifted significant resources directly towards this market. And while Brother maintained its leadership in core categories such as industrial sewing, machine tools and parts, the company continued to make further gains through P&S and in electronic products such as labeling. The returns in these segments continued to provide Brother opportunities for expansion. They developed product lines that took advantage of this demand, not only through industrial buyers to whom Brother traditionally catered, but with small office and home office users ('''SOHO''') who began to purchase Brother's products for their high reliability and reasonable cost. By the mid-1990's Brother had a mature and robust printing portfolio and had released many successful and profitable lines:

*laser printers (both color & mono)
*all-in-one printers (print, fax & scan)
*inkjet printers (high-speed color)
*garment, label and mobile printers.

Throughout the late 1990's and early '''2000's''' the company continued to focus within the P&S segment and invested in long-term channel relationships. Now an establish brand, Brother's sales and profitability were firmly tied to the '''parts and consumables''' market. Brother understood that its clients such as OEM, vendors, distributors and large retailers were key to maintaining a strong brand affiliation and to further create an ongoing demand. To acquire new industrial and SOHO buyers, Brother engaged in heavy promotional schedules and further product offerings. It introduced high-end, all-in-one laser printers and high-speed inkjet printers, all at price points not before seen in the market. Brother also sought growth in emerging countries. The company invested aggressively in Asia by promoting and selling low-cost '''monochrome laser printers''', which by now had became their strength and specialty.

[[File:Brother FY2012 New Product Lines.png|frameless|699x699px]]

Then into the '''2010's''' Brother's previously positive financial results started to plateau. Its operating income and profits fell, and net sales, though marginally up, had failed to meet forecast. Furthermore, its Printing & Solutions ('''P&S''') segment had not shown the growth expected, especially in Asia where they had invested heavily. Still, Brother's strategy remained largely the same:

#Maintain US/EU presence through retail channels and '''seek growth through''' '''SOHO''' & '''SMB''' customers.
#Target sales channels and support promotions to '''expand sales of mono laser printers''' in emerging markets.

But by '''2015''' investors and shareholders had started to ask some tough questions. Despite meeting net sales forecast targets in Printing & Solutions, company wide income and profit were in significant decline, The previously stable Machinery & Solution division was in free-fall and the anchor for sales and growth, Printing & Solutions (P&S), suffered a 4.3% profit contraction.

In Brother's EOY financial briefing the company acknowledged the stagnation of the P&S segment and offered the following insights:

#Laser business printer ('''LBP''') market profitability was deteriorating due to competitor entry and generic consumables availability.
#The printer hardware segment was now very mature and the targeted growth by new product releases was not returning profit.
#Digitization of documents and images, smartphone uptake and affordability continued to shrink the printing market by 5% YOY.
#Multi-function Center ('''MFC''') and All-in-One ('''AIO''') machines were eroding sales growth of use-specific product lines.
#Consumable demand for conventional inkjet cartridge machines were being replaces by high-capacity Ink Tank models.

With these points Brother had informed investors that the traditional strategy of developing hardware products, releasing them through sales channels and then realizing profitability through affiliation and consumables had become highly uncertain. Furthermore, Brother acknowledged that these strategies had caused model proliferation, driven up stock holding requirements, cannibalized profitable lines and may have directly encouraged the demand for generic consumables.

Here Brother did two significant things. Firstly, it downgraded its forecasts to mitigate pressure for short-term market performance stating that the business would not return to overall profitability until 2018. Secondly, and perhaps most importantly, it supported the profitability target by releasing a mid-term business strategy: '''CS [https://global.brother/en/investor/financial-info/archives B2018]'''. In this document, Brother outlined some broad changes. It advocated for restructured business segments. It saw the need to relocate personal and investments and wanted to consolidate internal divisions to "create synergies" supporting B2018. But all change, Brother stated, must underpin a common function and enhance the task of business model transformation. That is:

'''<nowiki/>'To change and reposition the existing printing business to one that is clearly defined for corporate profitability enhancement'.'''

==Subscription: The Birth==

======'When You Can't Thrive, Seek Rent to Survive'======
''(work-in-progress)''

'''Brother Business Segment Return 2024'''
{| class="wikitable"
!
!Printing & Solutions
!Personal & Home
!Machinery
!Network & Contents
!Domino
!Other
|-
|Sales Revenue
|'''58.92%'''
|6.64%
|15.22%
|7.00%
|10.41%
|1.78%
|-
|Segement Profit
|'''72.50%'''
|5.55%
|13.61%
|2.50%
|5.42%
|0.55%
|-
|Operation Profit
|'''73.57%'''
|5.56%
|13.77%
|2.22%
|1.03%
|1.11%
|}

==References==
<references />
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brother Refresh Subscription Service}}
[[Category:Subscription-based services]]
[[Category:Printers]]

Brother Refresh EZ Print Subscription Service

2025-02-11T10:08:37Z

Watchdog: editing, sub-heading

{{InfoboxProductLine
| Title = Brother Refresh Service
| Release Year = 2021
| Product Type = Subscription-as-a-Service
| In Production = Yes
| Official Website = [https://www.brother-usa.com/supplies/subscription-info#plans Brother Refresh]
| Logo = Brother Refresh 02.png
}}

The Brother Industries Ltd.: '''Refresh Program Subscription Service''' is a Subscription-as-a-Service ('''SubS''') launched in August 2021. The program claims to offer domestic and business users the advantage of an on-demand, lower-cost printing solution that provides genuine Brother consumables directly to their door, without the need for end-user consumable management.

The [https://www.brother-usa.com/supplies/refresh-smart-delivery Brother Refresh] service currently offers two programs: '''EZ Auto Reordering''' (abbreviated as '''EZ-ARP'''), where the end-user pays only to replace a depleted cartridge or '''EZ Print Subscription''' (abbreviated as '''EZ-PSP'''), where the the user pays per page printed.

Listed are the program features offered to the end user to maintain and service their machines:
{| class="wikitable"
!
!EZ-ARP
!EZ-PSP
|-
|'''Auto Cartridge Ordering'''
|Yes
|Yes
|-
|'''Free Trial'''
|No
|Yes
|-
|'''Payments'''
|Pay-Per-Cartridge
|Pay-Per-Page
|-
|'''Cartridge Type'''
|Standard or XL
|XL or Super XL
|-
|'''Shipping Costs'''
|>$19.99 Free
|Free (plan-based)
|-
|'''Warranty'''
|No
|Limited (plan-based)
|-
|'''Customer Service'''
|Yes
|Yes
|-
|'''Flexible Plans'''
|No
|Yes
|-
|'''Easy Cancellation'''
|Yes
|Yes
|}

==Subscription Eligibility==
Brother currently lists [https://www.brother-usa.com/supplies/subscription-info/eligible-printers/products#sort=%40productcataloglistprice%20descending these printers] available to enter the Refresh program. The printer can either be "Refresh-ready" (with Refresh EZ-Print Subscription ink and toner cartridges included) or activated post-purchase via the Brother website. Once the printer is activated and enrolled to the Refresh service, only cartridges or toner supplied by Brother can be used.

====='''EZ Print Subscription''' (pay-per-page)=====
{| class="wikitable"
!Printer Type
!Models
![https://www.brother-usa.com/supplies/subscription-info Promoted]
!Free Trial
!Cartridge Series Disclosed
!Cartridge Yield Disclosed
|-
|Mono Laser Printers
|13
|Yes
|Yes
|Unknown
|Unknown
|-
|Color Laser Printer
|0
|Yes
|No
|N/A
|N/A
|-
|Inkjet Printers
|8
|Yes
|Yes
|Unknown
|Unknown
|}

====='''EZ Auto Reordering''' (pay-per-cartridge)=====
{| class="wikitable"
!Printer Type
!Models
![https://www.brother-usa.com/supplies/ez-auto-reordering Promoted]
!Free Trial
!Cartridge Series Disclosed
!Cartridge Yield Disclosed
|-
|Mono Laser Printers
|141
|Yes
|No
|Yes
|Yes
|-
|Color Laser Printer
|31
|Yes
|No
|Yes
|Yes
|-
|Inkjet Printers
|0
|Yes
|No
|N/A
|N/A
|}

======False or Misleading Promotion======

*Brother clearly advertises color plans in the '''EZ Print''' program yet no color printers are currently eligible.<ref>[https://www.brother-usa.com/supplies/subscription-info/eligible-printers/products#sort=%40productcataloglistprice%20descending EZ-Print Eligibility List]</ref>
*Brother clearly advertises discounted ink & toner in the '''EZ Auto Reorder''' program yet no inkjet printers are currently eligible.<ref>[https://wiki.rossmanngroup.com/images/0/0d/Brother_Refresh_AutoReorder_printer_eigibility_list_08025.png EZ-Auto Reorder Eligibility List]</ref>
*Brother does not state cartridge series or yield on their website nor prior to enrollment in the Refresh program.<ref>[[:File:Brother Live Assistance Transcript 080225.pdf|Brother Assistance Transcript]]</ref>

==Subscription Claims==

=====EZ Print Program=====
Brother purports that the EZ Print subscription program can '''save the end-user up to 50%''' on genuine Brother ink or toner. This is accompanied by a caveat located in the legal disclaimer found at the bottom of the subscription information page.<ref>[https://www.brother-usa.com/supplies/subscription-info Brother Subscription Information]</ref>

It states: ''based on monthly subscription cost in U.S. for Mono Laser Power Plan vs. average cost per page of eligible like standard capacity cartridges. Savings will vary based on Refresh EZ Print Subscription plan selected.''

======Obfuscated or Misleading Claim======

*No color laser or inkjet printers are included in Brother's claimed subscription discount comparison.
*Only the highest-cost mono laser plan is used in Brother's claimed subscription discount comparison.
*Only a standard yield cartridge is included in Brother's claimed subscription discount comparison.

=====EZ Auto Reording Program=====
Brother offers a '''10% discount on all orders''' of genuine ink & toner when subscribed to the EZ Auto Reorder program. The Program also enables the end-user to select a higher-yield cartridge if required.

======Obfuscated or Misleading Claim======

*No inkjet printers are currently eligible for the '''EZ-ARP''' yet Brother promotes "Ink & Toner Delivered Automatically" on the program page.

==Subscription Analysis==

=====Case Study=====
[[File:MFCL2710DW EZ-Print.png|thumb|500x500px]]
To investigate Brother's claim for their purported savings in the '''EZ-Print''' program, we used the listed legal disclaimer as a basis for the setup:

#Mono Laser Printer: '''MFC-L2710DW''' <ref>[https://www.brother-usa.com/products/mfcl2710dw MFC-L2710DW Overview]</ref>
#Highest Cost Plan: '''Power Plan'''
#Standard Yield Cartridge: '''TN730''' <ref>[https://www.brother-usa.com/products/tn730 Brother TN730 Product Detail]</ref>

======Notes======
The Brother "Power Plan" includes:

*'''Credit $30''': for add-ons only
*'''Bonus Toner''' Eligibility: once only
*'''Drum Replacement''': undefined

It should also be noted that:

*the credit applies to any consumable or additional page cost outside the plan limits, '''not''' subscription cost.
*bonus toner is supplied once and as a 'back-up' in case the 'plan' replenishment does not arrive on time.
*drum replacement is not specified by Brother as to availability, frequency or supply discretion. In the case study here, the MFC-L2710DW requires a '''DR730'''<ref>[https://www.brother-usa.com/products/dr730 Brother DR730 Product Detail]</ref> drum unit which Brother states has a life-span of 12,000 printed pages.

======Printer======
The Brother printer chosen is the MFC-L2710DW. The rational for choosing this model for the case study are as follows:
*it is one of the most popular machines and has the highest number of reviews on the Brother eligibility list page.
*it has a sub $400 price point and is listed as eligible for the EZ Print Subscription program.
*it has parts and consumables readily available from a variety of sources.
*it is suited to a home / small office environment and has: automated duplex printing, a large 250 sheet tray capacity, wireless, ethernet or USB connections, 32 page-per-minute print speed and has a 50-page capacity automatic feeder to copy or scan documents.

======Analytics======
Market analysis shows that laser printers are the most popular machine for everyday printing:
*the average home office / small office user prints '''3.4 monochrome pages per day''' <ref name=":0">West, McDonald (July 20, 2018) [["2015, 2016, & 2017 User and Device Printing Statistics"]] ECISolutions.com. Retrieved February 8, 2025</ref>
*[https://www.consumerreports.org/ Consumer Reports.org] reports their subscribers print a median of '''33 monochrome pages per month''' <ref>Pinola, Melanie (2024) [https://www.consumerreports.org/electronics-computers/printers/are-printer-ink-subscriptions-worth-it-a4050339657/ "Are Printer Ink Subscriptions Worth It?"]. Consumerreports.org. Retrieved February 8, 2025</ref>
*monochrome printing now makes '''up to 80% of total print jobs''' in a home or small office environment. <ref name=":0" />
*color printing has '''decreased in use by 34%''' over the 3 year period measured. <ref name=":0" />
By comparing the user data against the claim of cost-savings and stipulations in methodology from Brother, it is clear the scenario is one in which the choice given by Brother in '''no way matches a real-world situation or printing habits of the user'''.<ref>[https://wiki.rossmanngroup.com/images/0/0a/Brother_FY2012_New_Product_Lines.png]</ref> Furthermore, Brother engages in a purposefully misleading comparison when they state that the saving is based upon ''"average cost per page of eligible like standard capacity cartridge"'' for they must compare identical products as only genuine Brother cartridges are supplied in the program.

======Assumptions======
To create a more realistic comparison we set rules to give the end-user a more reasonable, flexible and real-world choice when investigating print pricing. In our use case:

*the end-user keeps the printer for a minimum 12 months.
*the subscription is maintained for a minimum 12 months.
*the end-user runs a small office and prints 15 times the average page rate (6000 pages-per-year)
*the end-user has a broader choice of consumables.

======EZ Print Cost Comparison Matrix======
{| class="wikitable"
!
!Brand
!Yield
!Price
!Pages
!Cartridges
!Total Cost
!Page Cost
!Generic Lockout
!Internet Required
|-
|'''Brother'''
|Brother
|1200 +-
|$24.99
|6000
|5
|$299.88
|$0.050
|Yes
|Yes
|-
|'''Staples'''
|Brother
|1200 +-
|$47.99
|6000
|5
|$239.95
|$0.040
|No
|No
|-
|'''Office Depot'''
|Brother
|1200 +-
|$47.99
|6000
|5
|$239.95
|$0.040
|No
|No
|-
|'''YB Toner'''
|Generic
|1200 +-
|$18.95
|6000
|5
|$94.75
|$0.015
|No
|No
|-
|'''True Image'''
|Generic
|1200 +-
|$19.50
|6000
|5
|$97.50
|$0.016
|No
|No
|}

======False or Misleading Claim======
As the above data illustrates, Brother's claim that the program can '''"save the end-user up to 50%"''' is purposefully misleading. They do this by using the following methods:

#'''Scenario Manipulation''': Brother creates a situation where the user runs with the service for only a month, ending the program before the billing cycle before or prior to the auto-replenishment alert.
#'''Comparing Different Programs''': this is a clear misrepresentation. Here Brother relates Pay-Per-Page to Pay-Per-Cartridge, a false and misleading comparison. The matrix shows us that the Brother price is roughly half that of the next supplier, but here the user '''owns the cartridge''' bought from Staples and only the '''rents the ability to print a certain number of pages''' from Brother.

We note also that should the end-user run with the program for a year, then the Brother program is the most expensive option for printing.

======EZ Auto Reorder Brother Cost Matrix======
{| class="wikitable"
!
!Brand
!Yield
!Price
!Pages
!Cartriges
!Total Cost
!Page Cost
!Generic Lockout
!Internet Required
|-
|'''Brother'''
|Brother
|1200 +-
|$43.19
|6000
|5
|$215.96
|$0.036
|Yes
|Yes
|}
''NB: Brother only listed here. All other competitor data remains identical to the EZ Print Cost Comparison Matrix.''

======Validated Claim======
The EZ Auto Reorder subscription offers the end-user a '''10% discount''' on cartridges while they are enrolled in program. This reduces the cost-per-cartridge by $4.80 when the product is supplied directly from Brother.

==Subscription History==

======Overview======
To understand the introduction rational of subscriptions within a traditional hardware company such as Brother, one must first understand how the changes in sales and profitability have historically developed within the markets that they operate.

======Brother Industries, Ltd.======
Brother was established in Japan in '''1908''' <ref>[https://wiki.rossmanngroup.com/images/a/a9/Brother_Sales_Revenue_1928-2020.png Brother Sales Revenue (1928-2020).png]</ref> primarily as an industrial manufacturer of machine tools and parts. It was not until 1928 that Brother launched its first mainline product: head-wear specific industrial sewing machine. Owing to their history in manufacturing, Brother's machines were good quality and highly regarded. They sold well and prior to the second-world war, Japanese companies like Brother had access to a highly-skilled and low-cost labor force. This allowed Brother to expand its product line and to firmly capture a share of the industrial sewing category; a market in which they still operate today.

The post war years saw significant Japanese government focus on industrialization.<ref>Mosk, Carl (August 12, 2023) [https://eh.net/encyclopedia/japanese-industrialization-and-economic-growth/ "Japanese Industrialization and Economic Growth"] Economic History Association. Retrieved February 8, 2025</ref> And by the early '''1960's''' and '''1970's''', Japan's electronics manufacturing sector was not only mature but had rapidly expanded. Facts such as a large national labor pool, new access to western technology and the skill-to-cost benefits from earlier government investment, quickly made Japanese manufacturers the leaders in high-quality, low-cost electronic products. Brother too, benefited from this economic environment. It invested heavily in the technology sector and by '''1971''', released a product that would change the company direction and growth into the foreseeable future: a high-speed, '''dot-matrix printer'''.

======Segment Reliance======

Into the '''1990's''', Brother identified its Printing & Solutions ('''P&S''') segment as a global category for growth and shifted significant resources directly towards this market. And while Brother maintained its leadership in core categories such as industrial sewing, machine tools and parts, the company continued to make further gains through P&S and in electronic products such as labeling. The returns in these segments continued to provide Brother opportunities for expansion. They developed product lines that took advantage of this demand, not only through industrial buyers to whom Brother traditionally catered, but with small office and home office users ('''SOHO''') who began to purchase Brother's products for their high reliability and reasonable cost. By the mid-1990's Brother had a mature and robust printing portfolio and had released many successful and profitable lines:

*laser printers (both color & mono)
*all-in-one printers (print, fax & scan)
*inkjet printers (high-speed color)
*garment, label and mobile printers.

Throughout the late 1990's and early '''2000's''' the company continued to focus within the P&S segment and invested in long-term channel relationships. Now an establish brand, Brother's sales and profitability were firmly tied to the '''parts and consumables''' market. Brother understood that its clients such as OEM, vendors, distributors and large retailers were key to maintaining a strong brand affiliation and to further create an ongoing demand. To acquire new industrial and SOHO buyers, Brother engaged in heavy promotional schedules and further product offerings. It introduced high-end, all-in-one laser printers and high-speed inkjet printers, all at price points not before seen in the market. Brother also sought growth in emerging countries. The company invested aggressively in Asia by promoting and selling low-cost '''monochrome laser printers''', which by now had became their strength and specialty.

[[File:Brother FY2012 New Product Lines.png|frameless|699x699px]]

Then into the '''2010's''' Brother's previously positive financial results started to plateau. Its operating income and profits fell, and net sales, though marginally up, had failed to meet forecast. Furthermore, its Printing & Solutions ('''P&S''') segment had not shown the growth expected, especially in Asia where they had invested heavily. Still, Brother's strategy remained largely the same:

#Maintain US/EU presence through retail channels and '''seek growth through''' '''SOHO''' & '''SMB''' customers.
#Target sales channels and support promotions to '''expand sales of mono laser printers''' in emerging markets.

But by '''2015''' investors and shareholders had started to ask some tough questions. Despite meeting net sales forecast targets in Printing & Solutions, company wide income and profit were in significant decline, The previously stable Machinery & Solution division was in free-fall and the anchor for sales and growth, Printing & Solutions (P&S), suffered a 4.3% profit contraction.

In Brother's EOY financial briefing the company acknowledged the stagnation of the P&S segment and offered the following insights:

#Laser business printer ('''LBP''') market profitability was deteriorating due to competitor entry and generic consumables availability.
#The printer hardware segment was now very mature and the targeted growth by new product releases was not returning profit.
#Digitization of documents and images drove mobile device uptake and continued to shrink the printing market by 5% YOY.
#Multi-function Center ('''MFC''') and All-in-One ('''AIO''') machines were eroding sales growth of use-specific product lines.
#Consumable demand for conventional inkjet cartridge machines were being replaces by high-capacity Ink Tank models.

With these points Brother had informed investors that the traditional strategy of developing hardware products, releasing through sales channels and realizing profitability through affiliation and consumables had become highly uncertain. Furthermore, Brother acknowledged that these strategies caused model proliferation, had driven up stock holding requirements and cannibalized profitable lines, and may have directly encouraged the demand for generic consumables.

Here Brother did two significant things. Firstly, it downgraded its forecasts to mitigate pressure for short-term market performance stating that the business would not return to overall profitability until 2018. Secondly, and perhaps most importantly, it supported the profitability target by releasing a mid-term business strategy: '''CS [https://global.brother/en/investor/financial-info/archives B2018]'''. In this document, Brother outlined broad changes. It advocated for restructured business segments. It saw the need to relocate personal and investments. It wanted to consolidate internal divisions and to create new internal organizations to support the strategy. But all with a common function for underpinning the future company direction:

'''<nowiki/>'To change and reposition the existing printing business to one that is clearly defined for corporate profitability enhancement'.'''

==Subscription: The Birth==

====== 'When You Can't Thrive, Seek Rent to Survive' ======

'''Brother Business Segment Return 2024'''
{| class="wikitable"
!
!Printing & Solutions
!Personal & Home
!Machinery
!Network & Contents
!Domino
!Other
|-
|Sales Revenue
|'''58.92%'''
|6.64%
|15.22%
|7.00%
|10.41%
|1.78%
|-
|Segement Profit
|'''72.50%'''
|5.55%
|13.61%
|2.50%
|5.42%
|0.55%
|-
|Operation Profit
|'''73.57%'''
|5.56%
|13.77%
|2.22%
|1.03%
|1.11%
|}
==Data Privacy==

==References==
<references />
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brother Refresh Subscription Service}}
[[Category:Subscription-based services]]
[[Category:Printers]]

Brother Refresh EZ Print Subscription Service

2025-02-11T09:15:27Z

Watchdog: grammar, general editing

{{InfoboxProductLine
| Title = Brother Refresh Service
| Release Year = 2021
| Product Type = Subscription-as-a-Service
| In Production = Yes
| Official Website = [https://www.brother-usa.com/supplies/subscription-info#plans Brother Refresh]
| Logo = Brother Refresh 02.png
}}

The Brother Industries Ltd.: '''Refresh Program Subscription Service''' is a Subscription-as-a-Service ('''SubS''') launched in August 2021. The program claims to offer domestic and business users the advantage of an on-demand, lower-cost printing solution that provides genuine Brother consumables directly to their door, without the need for end-user consumable management.

The [https://www.brother-usa.com/supplies/refresh-smart-delivery Brother Refresh] service currently offers two programs: '''EZ Auto Reordering''' (abbreviated as '''EZ-ARP'''), where the end-user pays only to replace a depleted cartridge or '''EZ Print Subscription''' (abbreviated as '''EZ-PSP'''), where the the user pays per page printed.

Listed are the program features offered to the end user to maintain and service their machines:
{| class="wikitable"
!
!EZ-ARP
!EZ-PSP
|-
|'''Auto Cartridge Ordering'''
|Yes
|Yes
|-
|'''Free Trial'''
|No
|Yes
|-
|'''Payments'''
|Pay-Per-Cartridge
|Pay-Per-Page
|-
|'''Cartridge Type'''
|Standard or XL
|XL or Super XL
|-
|'''Shipping Costs'''
|>$19.99 Free
|Free (plan-based)
|-
|'''Warranty'''
|No
|Limited (plan-based)
|-
|'''Customer Service'''
|Yes
|Yes
|-
|'''Flexible Plans'''
|No
|Yes
|-
|'''Easy Cancellation'''
|Yes
|Yes
|}

==Subscription Eligibility==
Brother currently lists [https://www.brother-usa.com/supplies/subscription-info/eligible-printers/products#sort=%40productcataloglistprice%20descending these printers] available to enter the Refresh program. The printer can either be "Refresh-ready" (with Refresh EZ-Print Subscription ink and toner cartridges included) or activated post-purchase via the Brother website. Once the printer is activated and enrolled to the Refresh service, only cartridges or toner supplied by Brother can be used.

====='''EZ Print Subscription''' (pay-per-page)=====
{| class="wikitable"
!Printer Type
!Models
![https://www.brother-usa.com/supplies/subscription-info Promoted]
!Free Trial
!Cartridge Series Disclosed
!Cartridge Yield Disclosed
|-
|Mono Laser Printers
|13
|Yes
|Yes
|Unknown
|Unknown
|-
|Color Laser Printer
|0
|Yes
|No
|N/A
|N/A
|-
|Inkjet Printers
|8
|Yes
|Yes
|Unknown
|Unknown
|}

====='''EZ Auto Reordering''' (pay-per-cartridge)=====
{| class="wikitable"
!Printer Type
!Models
![https://www.brother-usa.com/supplies/ez-auto-reordering Promoted]
!Free Trial
!Cartridge Series Disclosed
!Cartridge Yield Disclosed
|-
|Mono Laser Printers
|141
|Yes
|No
|Yes
|Yes
|-
|Color Laser Printer
|31
|Yes
|No
|Yes
|Yes
|-
|Inkjet Printers
|0
|Yes
|No
|N/A
|N/A
|}

======False or Misleading Promotion======

*Brother clearly advertises color plans in the '''EZ Print''' program yet no color printers are currently eligible.<ref>[https://www.brother-usa.com/supplies/subscription-info/eligible-printers/products#sort=%40productcataloglistprice%20descending EZ-Print Eligibility List]</ref>
*Brother clearly advertises discounted ink & toner in the '''EZ Auto Reorder''' program yet no inkjet printers are currently eligible.<ref>[https://wiki.rossmanngroup.com/images/0/0d/Brother_Refresh_AutoReorder_printer_eigibility_list_08025.png EZ-Auto Reorder Eligibility List]</ref>
*Brother does not state cartridge series or yield on their website nor prior to enrollment in the Refresh program.<ref>[[:File:Brother Live Assistance Transcript 080225.pdf|Brother Assistance Transcript]]</ref>

==Subscription Claims==

=====EZ Print Program=====
Brother purports that the EZ Print subscription program can '''save the end-user up to 50%''' on genuine Brother ink or toner. This is accompanied by a caveat located in the legal disclaimer found at the bottom of the subscription information page.<ref>[https://www.brother-usa.com/supplies/subscription-info Brother Subscription Information]</ref>

It states: ''based on monthly subscription cost in U.S. for Mono Laser Power Plan vs. average cost per page of eligible like standard capacity cartridges. Savings will vary based on Refresh EZ Print Subscription plan selected.''

======Obfuscated or Misleading Claim======

*No color laser or inkjet printers are included in Brother's claimed subscription discount comparison.
*Only the highest-cost mono laser plan is used in Brother's claimed subscription discount comparison.
*Only a standard yield cartridge is included in Brother's claimed subscription discount comparison.

=====EZ Auto Reording Program=====
Brother offers a '''10% discount on all orders''' of genuine ink & toner when subscribed to the EZ Auto Reorder program. The Program also enables the end-user to select a higher-yield cartridge if required.

======Obfuscated or Misleading Claim======

*No inkjet printers are currently eligible for the '''EZ-ARP''' yet Brother promotes "Ink & Toner Delivered Automatically" on the program page.

==Subscription Analysis==

=====Case Study=====
[[File:MFCL2710DW EZ-Print.png|thumb|500x500px]]
To investigate Brother's claim for their purported savings in the '''EZ-Print''' program, we used the listed legal disclaimer as a basis for the setup:

#Mono Laser Printer: '''MFC-L2710DW''' <ref>[https://www.brother-usa.com/products/mfcl2710dw MFC-L2710DW Overview]</ref>
#Highest Cost Plan: '''Power Plan'''
#Standard Yield Cartridge: '''TN730''' <ref>[https://www.brother-usa.com/products/tn730 Brother TN730 Product Detail]</ref>

======Notes======
The Brother "Power Plan" includes:

*'''Credit $30''': for add-ons only
*'''Bonus Toner''' Eligibility: once only
*'''Drum Replacement''': undefined

It should also be noted that:

*the credit applies to any consumable or additional page cost outside the plan limits, '''not''' subscription cost.
*bonus toner is supplied once and as a 'back-up' in case the 'plan' replenishment does not arrive on time.
*drum replacement is not specified by Brother as to availability, frequency or supply discretion. In the case study here, the MFC-L2710DW requires a '''DR730'''<ref>[https://www.brother-usa.com/products/dr730 Brother DR730 Product Detail]</ref> drum unit which Brother states has a life-span of 12,000 printed pages.

======Printer======
The Brother printer chosen is the MFC-L2710DW. The rational for choosing this model for the case study are as follows:
*it is one of the most popular machines and has the highest number of reviews on the Brother eligibility list page.
*it has a sub $400 price point and is listed as eligible for the EZ Print Subscription program.
*it has parts and consumables readily available from a variety of sources.
*it is suited to a home / small office environment and has: automated duplex printing, a large 250 sheet tray capacity, wireless, ethernet or USB connections, 32 page-per-minute print speed and has a 50-page capacity automatic feeder to copy or scan documents.

======Analytics======
Market analysis shows that laser printers are the most popular machine for everyday printing:
*the average home office / small office user prints '''3.4 monochrome pages per day''' <ref name=":0">West, McDonald (July 20, 2018) [["2015, 2016, & 2017 User and Device Printing Statistics"]] ECISolutions.com. Retrieved February 8, 2025</ref>
*[https://www.consumerreports.org/ Consumer Reports.org] reports their subscribers print a median of '''33 monochrome pages per month''' <ref>Pinola, Melanie (2024) [https://www.consumerreports.org/electronics-computers/printers/are-printer-ink-subscriptions-worth-it-a4050339657/ "Are Printer Ink Subscriptions Worth It?"]. Consumerreports.org. Retrieved February 8, 2025</ref>
*monochrome printing now makes '''up to 80% of total print jobs''' in a home or small office environment. <ref name=":0" />
*color printing has '''decreased in use by 34%''' over the 3 year period measured. <ref name=":0" />
By comparing the user data against the claim of cost-savings and stipulations in methodology from Brother, it is clear the scenario is one in which the choice given by Brother in '''no way matches a real-world situation or printing habits of the user'''.<ref>[https://wiki.rossmanngroup.com/images/0/0a/Brother_FY2012_New_Product_Lines.png]</ref> Furthermore, Brother engages in a purposefully misleading comparison when they state that the saving is based upon ''"average cost per page of eligible like standard capacity cartridge"'' for they must compare identical products as only genuine Brother cartridges are supplied in the program.

======Assumptions======
To create a more realistic comparison we set rules to give the end-user a more reasonable, flexible and real-world choice when investigating print pricing. In our use case:

*the end-user keeps the printer for a minimum 12 months.
*the subscription is maintained for a minimum 12 months.
*the end-user runs a small office and prints 15 times the average page rate (6000 pages-per-year)
*the end-user has a broader choice of consumables.

======EZ Print Cost Comparison Matrix======
{| class="wikitable"
!
!Brand
!Yield
!Price
!Pages
!Cartridges
!Total Cost
!Page Cost
!Generic Lockout
!Internet Required
|-
|'''Brother'''
|Brother
|1200 +-
|$24.99
|6000
|5
|$299.88
|$0.050
|Yes
|Yes
|-
|'''Staples'''
|Brother
|1200 +-
|$47.99
|6000
|5
|$239.95
|$0.040
|No
|No
|-
|'''Office Depot'''
|Brother
|1200 +-
|$47.99
|6000
|5
|$239.95
|$0.040
|No
|No
|-
|'''YB Toner'''
|Generic
|1200 +-
|$18.95
|6000
|5
|$94.75
|$0.015
|No
|No
|-
|'''True Image'''
|Generic
|1200 +-
|$19.50
|6000
|5
|$97.50
|$0.016
|No
|No
|}

======False or Misleading Claim======
As the above data illustrates, Brother's claim that the program can '''"save the end-user up to 50%"''' is purposefully misleading. They do this by using the following methods:

#'''Scenario Manipulation''': Brother creates a situation where the user runs with the service for only a month, ending the program before the billing cycle before or prior to the auto-replenishment alert.
#'''Comparing Different Programs''': this is a clear misrepresentation. Here Brother relates Pay-Per-Page to Pay-Per-Cartridge, a false and misleading comparison. The matrix shows us that the Brother price is roughly half that of the next supplier, but here the user '''owns the cartridge''' bought from Staples and only the '''rents the ability to print a certain number of pages''' from Brother.

We note also that should the end-user run with the program for a year, then the Brother program is the most expensive option for printing.

======EZ Auto Reorder Brother Cost Matrix======
{| class="wikitable"
!
!Brand
!Yield
!Price
!Pages
!Cartriges
!Total Cost
!Page Cost
!Generic Lockout
!Internet Required
|-
|'''Brother'''
|Brother
|1200 +-
|$43.19
|6000
|5
|$215.96
|$0.036
|Yes
|Yes
|}
''NB: Brother only listed here. All other competitor data remains identical to the EZ Print Cost Comparison Matrix.''

======Validated Claim======
The EZ Auto Reorder subscription offers the end-user a '''10% discount''' on cartridges while they are enrolled in program. This reduces the cost-per-cartridge by $4.80 when the product is supplied directly from Brother.

==Subscription History==

======Overview======
To understand the introduction rational of subscriptions within a traditional hardware company such as Brother, one must first understand how the changes in sales and profitability have historically developed within the markets that they operate.

======Brother Industries, Ltd.======
Brother was established in Japan in '''1908''' <ref>[https://wiki.rossmanngroup.com/images/a/a9/Brother_Sales_Revenue_1928-2020.png Brother Sales Revenue (1928-2020).png]</ref> primarily as an industrial manufacturer of machine tools and parts. It was not until 1928 that Brother launched its first mainline product: head-wear specific industrial sewing machine. Owing to their history in manufacturing, Brother's machines were good quality and highly regarded. They sold well and prior to the second-world war, Japanese companies like Brother had access to a highly-skilled and low-cost labor force. This allowed Brother to expand its product line and to firmly capture a share of the industrial sewing category; a market in which they still operate today.

The post war years saw significant Japanese government focus on industrialization.<ref>Mosk, Carl (August 12, 2023) [https://eh.net/encyclopedia/japanese-industrialization-and-economic-growth/ "Japanese Industrialization and Economic Growth"] Economic History Association. Retrieved February 8, 2025</ref> And by the early '''1960's''' and '''1970's''', Japan's electronics manufacturing sector was not only mature but had rapidly expanded. Facts such as a large national labor pool, new access to western technology and the skill-to-cost benefits from earlier government investment, quickly made Japanese manufacturers the leaders in high-quality, low-cost electronic products. Brother too, benefited from this economic environment. It invested heavily in the technology sector and by '''1971''', released a product that would change the company direction and growth into the foreseeable future: a high-speed, '''dot-matrix printer'''.

======Segment Reliance======

Into the '''1990's''', Brother identified its Printing & Solutions ('''P&S''') segment as a global category for growth and shifted significant resources directly towards this market. And while Brother maintained its leadership in core categories such as industrial sewing, machine tools and parts, the company continued to make further gains through P&S and in electronic products such as labeling. The returns in these segments continued to provide Brother opportunities for expansion. They developed product lines that took advantage of this demand, not only through industrial buyers to whom Brother traditionally catered, but with small office and home office users ('''SOHO''') who began to purchase Brother's products for their high reliability and reasonable cost. By the mid-1990's Brother had a mature and robust printing portfolio and had released many successful and profitable lines:

*laser printers (both color & mono)
*all-in-one printers (print, fax & scan)
*inkjet printers (high-speed color)
*garment, label and mobile printers.

Throughout the late 1990's and early '''2000's''' the company continued to focus within the P&S segment and invested in long-term channel relationships. Now an establish brand, Brother's sales and profitability were firmly tied to the '''parts and consumables''' market. Brother understood that its clients such as OEM, vendors, distributors and large retailers were key to maintaining a strong brand affiliation and to further create an ongoing demand. To acquire new industrial and SOHO buyers, Brother engaged in heavy promotional schedules and further product offerings. It introduced high-end, all-in-one laser printers and high-speed inkjet printers, all at price points not before seen in the market. Brother also sought growth in emerging countries. The company invested aggressively in Asia by promoting and selling low-cost '''monochrome laser printers''', which by now had became their strength and specialty.

[[File:Brother FY2012 New Product Lines.png|frameless|699x699px]]

Then into the '''2010's''' Brother's previously positive financial results started to plateau. Its operating income and profits fell, and net sales, though marginally up, had failed to meet forecast. Furthermore, its Printing & Solutions ('''P&S''') segment had not shown the growth expected, especially in Asia where they had invested heavily. Still, Brother's strategy remained largely the same:

#Maintain US/EU presence through retail channels and '''seek growth through''' '''SOHO''' & '''SMB''' customers.
#Target sales channels and support promotions to '''expand sales of mono laser printers''' in emerging markets.

But by '''2015''' investors and shareholders had started to ask some tough questions. Despite meeting net sales forecast targets in Printing & Solutions, company wide income and profit were in significant decline, The previously stable Machinery & Solution division was in free-fall and the anchor for sales and growth, Printing & Solutions (P&S), suffered a 4.3% profit contraction.

In Brother's EOY financial briefing the company acknowledged the stagnation of the P&S segment and offered the following insights:

#Laser business printer ('''LBP''') market profitability was deteriorating due to competitor entry and generic consumables availability.
#The printer hardware segment was now very mature and the targeted growth by new product releases was not returning profit.
#Digitization of documents and images drove mobile device uptake and continued to shrink the printing market by 5% YOY.
#Multi-function Center ('''MFC''') and All-in-One ('''AIO''') machines were eroding sales growth of use-specific product lines.
#Consumable demand for conventional inkjet cartridge machines were being replaces by high-capacity Ink Tank models.

With these points Brother had informed investors that the traditional strategy of developing hardware products, releasing through sales channels and realizing profitability through affiliation and consumables had become highly uncertain. Furthermore, Brother acknowledged that these strategies caused model proliferation, had driven up stock holding requirements and cannibalized profitable lines, and may have directly encouraged the demand for generic consumables.

Here Brother did two significant things. Firstly, it downgraded its forecasts to mitigate pressure for short-term market performance stating that the business would not return to overall profitability until 2018. Secondly, and perhaps most importantly, it supported the profitability target by releasing a mid-term business strategy: '''CS [https://global.brother/en/investor/financial-info/archives B2018]'''. In this document, Brother outlined broad changes. It advocated for restructured business segments. It saw the need to relocate personal and investments. It wanted to consolidate internal divisions and to create new internal organizations to support the strategy. But all with a common function for underpinning the future company direction:

'''<nowiki/>'To change and reposition the existing printing business to one that is clearly defined for corporate profitability enhancement'.'''

==Subscription: The Birth==

'''Brother Business Segment Return 2024'''
{| class="wikitable"
!
!Printing & Solutions
!Personal & Home
!Machinery
!Network & Contents
!Domino
!Other
|-
|Sales Revenue
|'''58.92%'''
|6.64%
|15.22%
|7.00%
|10.41%
|1.78%
|-
|Segement Profit
|'''72.50%'''
|5.55%
|13.61%
|2.50%
|5.42%
|0.55%
|-
|Operation Profit
|'''73.57%'''
|5.56%
|13.77%
|2.22%
|1.03%
|1.11%
|}
==Data Privacy==

==References==
<references />
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brother Refresh Subscription Service}}
[[Category:Subscription-based services]]
[[Category:Printers]]

Brother Refresh EZ Print Subscription Service

2025-02-11T07:37:44Z

Watchdog: grammar, spelling, link updates

{{InfoboxProductLine
| Title = Brother Refresh Service
| Release Year = 2021
| Product Type = Subscription-as-a-Service
| In Production = Yes
| Official Website = [https://www.brother-usa.com/supplies/subscription-info#plans Brother Refresh]
| Logo = Brother Refresh 02.png
}}

The Brother Industries Ltd.: '''Refresh Program Subscription Service''' is a Subscription-as-a-Service ('''SubS''') launched in August 2021. The program claims to offer domestic and business users the advantage of an on-demand, lower-cost printing solution that provides genuine Brother consumables directly to their door, without the need for end-user consumable management.

The [https://www.brother-usa.com/supplies/refresh-smart-delivery Brother Refresh] service currently offers two programs: '''EZ Auto Reordering''' (abbreviated as '''EZ-ARP'''), where the end-user pays only to replace a depleted cartridge or '''EZ Print Subscription''' (abbreviated as '''EZ-PSP'''), where the the user pays per page printed.

Listed are the program features offered to the end user to maintain and service their machines:
{| class="wikitable"
!
!EZ-ARP
!EZ-PSP
|-
|'''Auto Cartridge Ordering'''
|Yes
|Yes
|-
|'''Free Trial'''
|No
|Yes
|-
|'''Payments'''
|Pay-Per-Cartridge
|Pay-Per-Page
|-
|'''Cartridge Type'''
|Standard or XL
|XL or Super XL
|-
|'''Shipping Costs'''
|>$19.99 Free
|Free (plan-based)
|-
|'''Warranty'''
|No
|Limited (plan-based)
|-
|'''Customer Service'''
|Yes
|Yes
|-
|'''Flexible Plans'''
|No
|Yes
|-
|'''Easy Cancellation'''
|Yes
|Yes
|}

==Subscription Eligibility==
Brother currently lists [https://www.brother-usa.com/supplies/subscription-info/eligible-printers/products#sort=%40productcataloglistprice%20descending these printers] available to enter the Refresh program. The printer can either be "Refresh-ready" (with Refresh EZ-Print Subscription ink and toner cartridges included) or activated post-purchase via the Brother website. Once the printer is activated and enrolled to the Refresh service, only cartridges or toner supplied by Brother can be used.

====='''EZ Print Subscription''' (pay-per-page)=====
{| class="wikitable"
!Printer Type
!Models
![https://www.brother-usa.com/supplies/subscription-info Promoted]
!Free Trial
!Cartridge Series Disclosed
!Cartridge Yield Disclosed
|-
|Mono Laser Printers
|13
|Yes
|Yes
|Unknown
|Unknown
|-
|Color Laser Printer
|0
|Yes
|No
|N/A
|N/A
|-
|Inkjet Printers
|8
|Yes
|Yes
|Unknown
|Unknown
|}

====='''EZ Auto Reordering''' (pay-per-cartridge)=====
{| class="wikitable"
!Printer Type
!Models
![https://www.brother-usa.com/supplies/ez-auto-reordering Promoted]
!Free Trial
!Cartridge Series Disclosed
!Cartridge Yield Disclosed
|-
|Mono Laser Printers
|141
|Yes
|No
|Yes
|Yes
|-
|Color Laser Printer
|31
|Yes
|No
|Yes
|Yes
|-
|Inkjet Printers
|0
|Yes
|No
|N/A
|N/A
|}

======False or Misleading Promotion======

*Brother clearly advertises color plans in the '''EZ Print''' program yet no color printers are currently eligible.<ref>[https://www.brother-usa.com/supplies/subscription-info/eligible-printers/products#sort=%40productcataloglistprice%20descending EZ-Print Eligibility List]</ref>
*Brother clearly advertises discounted ink & toner in the '''EZ Auto Reorder''' program yet no inkjet printers are currently eligible.<ref>[https://wiki.rossmanngroup.com/images/0/0d/Brother_Refresh_AutoReorder_printer_eigibility_list_08025.png EZ-Auto Reorder Eligibility List]</ref>
*Brother does not state cartridge series or yield on their website nor prior to enrollment in the Refresh program.<ref>[[:File:Brother Live Assistance Transcript 080225.pdf|Brother Assistance Transcript]]</ref>

==Subscription Claims==

=====EZ Print Program=====
Brother purports that the EZ Print subscription program can '''save the end-user up to 50%''' on genuine Brother ink or toner. This is accompanied by a caveat located in the legal disclaimer found at the bottom of the subscription information page.<ref>[https://www.brother-usa.com/supplies/subscription-info Brother Subscription Information]</ref>

It states: ''based on monthly subscription cost in U.S. for Mono Laser Power Plan vs. average cost per page of eligible like standard capacity cartridges. Savings will vary based on Refresh EZ Print Subscription plan selected.''

======Obfuscated or Misleading Claim======

*No color laser or inkjet printers are included in Brother's claimed subscription discount comparison.
*Only the highest-cost mono laser plan is used in Brother's claimed subscription discount comparison.
*Only a standard yield cartridge is included in Brother's claimed subscription discount comparison.

=====EZ Auto Reording Program=====
Brother offers a '''10% discount on all orders''' of genuine ink & toner when subscribed to the EZ Auto Reorder program. The Program also enables the end-user to select a higher-yield cartridge if required.

======Obfuscated or Misleading Claim======

*No inkjet printers are currently eligible for the '''EZ-ARP''' yet Brother promotes "Ink & Toner Delivered Automatically" on the program page.

==Subscription Analysis==

=====Case Study=====
[[File:MFCL2710DW EZ-Print.png|thumb|500x500px]]
To investigate Brother's claim for their purported savings in the '''EZ-Print''' program, we used the listed legal disclaimer as a basis for the setup:

#Mono Laser Printer: '''MFC-L2710DW''' <ref>[https://www.brother-usa.com/products/mfcl2710dw MFC-L2710DW Overview]</ref>
#Highest Cost Plan: '''Power Plan'''
#Standard Yield Cartridge: '''TN730''' <ref>[https://www.brother-usa.com/products/tn730 Brother TN730 Product Detail]</ref>

======Notes======
The Brother "Power Plan" includes:

*'''Credit $30''': for add-ons only
*'''Bonus Toner''' Eligibility: once only
*'''Drum Replacement''': undefined

It should also be noted that:

*the credit applies to any consumable or additional page cost outside the plan limits, '''not''' subscription cost.
*bonus toner is supplied once and as a 'back-up' in case the 'plan' replenishment does not arrive on time.
*drum replacement is not specified by Brother as to availability, frequency or supply discretion. In the case study here, the MFC-L2710DW requires a '''DR730'''<ref>[https://www.brother-usa.com/products/dr730 Brother DR730 Product Detail]</ref> drum unit which Brother states has a life-span of 12,000 printed pages.

======Printer======
The Brother printer chosen is the MFC-L2710DW. The rational for choosing this model for the case study are as follows:
*it is one of the most popular machines and has the highest number of reviews on the Brother eligibility list page.
*it has a sub $400 price point and is listed as eligible for the EZ Print Subscription program.
*it has parts and consumables readily available from a variety of sources.
*it is suited to a home / small office environment and has: automated duplex printing, a large 250 sheet tray capacity, wireless, ethernet or USB connections, 32 page-per-minute print speed and has a 50-page capacity automatic feeder to copy or scan documents.

======Analytics======
Market analysis shows that laser printers are the most popular machine for everyday printing:
*the average home office / small office user prints '''3.4 monochrome pages per day''' <ref name=":0">West, McDonald (July 20, 2018) [["2015, 2016, & 2017 User and Device Printing Statistics"]] ECISolutions.com. Retrieved February 8, 2025</ref>
*[https://www.consumerreports.org/ Consumer Reports.org] reports their subscribers print a median of '''33 monochrome pages per month''' <ref>Pinola, Melanie (2024) [https://www.consumerreports.org/electronics-computers/printers/are-printer-ink-subscriptions-worth-it-a4050339657/ "Are Printer Ink Subscriptions Worth It?"]. Consumerreports.org. Retrieved February 8, 2025</ref>
*monochrome printing now makes '''up to 80% of total print jobs''' in a home or small office environment. <ref name=":0" />
*color printing has '''decreased in use by 34%''' over the 3 year period measured. <ref name=":0" />
By comparing the user data against the claim of cost-savings and stipulations in methodology from Brother, it is clear the scenario is one in which the choice given by Brother in '''no way matches a real-world situation or printing habits of the user'''.<ref>[https://wiki.rossmanngroup.com/images/0/0a/Brother_FY2012_New_Product_Lines.png]</ref> Furthermore, Brother engages in a purposefully misleading comparison when they state that the saving is based upon ''"average cost per page of eligible like standard capacity cartridge"'' for they must compare identical products as only genuine Brother cartridges are supplied in the program.

======Assumptions======
To create a more realistic comparison we set rules to give the end-user a more reasonable, flexible and real-world choice when investigating print pricing. In our use case:

*the end-user keeps the printer for a minimum 12 months.
*the subscription is maintained for a minimum 12 months.
*the end-user runs a small office and prints 15 times the average page rate (6000 pages-per-year)
*the end-user has a broader choice of consumables.

======EZ Print Cost Comparison Matrix======
{| class="wikitable"
!
!Brand
!Yield
!Price
!Pages
!Cartridges
!Total Cost
!Page Cost
!Generic Lockout
!Internet Required
|-
|'''Brother'''
|Brother
|1200 +-
|$24.99
|6000
|5
|$299.88
|$0.050
|Yes
|Yes
|-
|'''Staples'''
|Brother
|1200 +-
|$47.99
|6000
|5
|$239.95
|$0.040
|No
|No
|-
|'''Office Depot'''
|Brother
|1200 +-
|$47.99
|6000
|5
|$239.95
|$0.040
|No
|No
|-
|'''YB Toner'''
|Generic
|1200 +-
|$18.95
|6000
|5
|$94.75
|$0.015
|No
|No
|-
|'''True Image'''
|Generic
|1200 +-
|$19.50
|6000
|5
|$97.50
|$0.016
|No
|No
|}

======False or Misleading Claim======
As the above data illustrates, Brother's claim that the program can '''"save the end-user up to 50%"''' is purposefully misleading. They do this by using the following methods:

#'''Scenario Manipulation''': Brother creates a situation where the user runs with the service for only a month, ending the program before the billing cycle before or prior to the auto-replenishment alert.
#'''Comparing Different Programs''': this is a clear misrepresentation. Here Brother relates Pay-Per-Page to Pay-Per-Cartridge, a false and misleading comparison. The matrix shows us that the Brother price is roughly half that of the next supplier, but here the user '''owns the cartridge''' bought from Staples and only the '''rents the ability to print a certain number of pages''' from Brother.

We note also that should the end-user run with the program for a year, then the Brother program is the most expensive option for printing.

======EZ Auto Reorder Brother Cost Matrix======
{| class="wikitable"
!
!Brand
!Yield
!Price
!Pages
!Cartriges
!Total Cost
!Page Cost
!Generic Lockout
!Internet Required
|-
|'''Brother'''
|Brother
|1200 +-
|$43.19
|6000
|5
|$215.96
|$0.036
|Yes
|Yes
|}
''NB: Brother only listed here. All other competitor data remains identical to the EZ Print Cost Comparison Matrix.''

======Validated Claim======
The EZ Auto Reorder subscription offers the end-user a '''10% discount''' on cartridges while they are enrolled in program. This reduces the cost-per-cartridge by $4.80 when the product is supplied directly from Brother.

==Subscription History==

======Overview======
To understand the introduction rational of subscriptions within a traditional hardware company such as Brother, one must first understand how the changes in sales and profitability have historically developed within the markets that they operate.

======Brother Industries, Ltd.======
Brother was established in Japan in '''1908''' <ref>[https://wiki.rossmanngroup.com/images/a/a9/Brother_Sales_Revenue_1928-2020.png Brother Sales Revenue (1928-2020).png]</ref> primarily as an industrial manufacturer of machine tools and parts. It was not until 1928 that Brother launched its first mainline product: head-wear specific industrial sewing machine. Owing to their history in manufacturing, Brother's machines were good quality and highly regarded. They sold well and prior to the second-world war, Japanese companies like Brother had access to a highly-skilled and low-cost labor force. This allowed Brother to expand its product line and to firmly capture a share of the industrial sewing category; a market in which they still operate today.

The post war years saw significant Japanese government focus on industrialization.<ref>Mosk, Carl (August 12, 2023) [https://eh.net/encyclopedia/japanese-industrialization-and-economic-growth/ "Japanese Industrialization and Economic Growth"] Economic History Association. Retrieved February 8, 2025</ref> And by the early '''1960's''' and '''1970's''', Japan's electronics manufacturing sector was not only mature but had rapidly expanded. Facts such as a large national labor pool, new access to western technology and the skill-to-cost benefits from earlier government investment, quickly made Japanese manufacturers the leaders in high-quality, low-cost electronic products. Brother too, benefited from this economic environment. It invested heavily in the technology sector and by '''1971''', released a product that would change the company direction and growth into the foreseeable future: a high-speed, '''dot-matrix printer'''.

======Segment Reliance======

Into the '''1990's''', Brother identified its Printing & Solutions ('''P&S''') segment as a global category for growth and shifted significant resources directly towards this market. And while Brother maintained its leadership in core categories such as industrial sewing, machine tools and parts, the company continued to make further gains through P&S and in electronic products such as labeling. The returns in these segments continued to provide Brother opportunities for expansion. They developed product lines that took advantage of this demand, not only through industrial buyers to whom Brother traditionally catered, but with small office and home office users ('''SOHO''') who began to purchase Brother's products for their high reliability and reasonable cost. By the mid-1990's Brother had a mature and robust printing portfolio and had released many successful and profitable lines:

*laser printers (both color & mono)
*all-in-one printers (print, fax & scan)
*inkjet printers (high-speed color)
*garment, label and mobile printers.

Throughout the late 1990's and early '''2000's''' the company continued to focus within the P&S segment and invested in long-term channel relationships. Now an establish brand, Brother's sales and profitability were firmly tied to the '''parts and consumables''' market. Brother understood that its clients such as OEM, vendors, distributors and large retailers were key to maintaining a strong brand affiliation and to further create an ongoing demand. To acquire new industrial and SOHO buyers, Brother engaged in heavy promotional schedules and further product offerings. It introduced high-end, all-in-one laser printers and high-speed inkjet printers, all at price points not before seen in the market. Brother also sought growth in emerging countries. The company invested aggressively in Asia by promoting and selling low-cost '''monochrome laser printers''', which by now had became their strength and specialty.

[[File:Brother FY2012 New Product Lines.png|frameless|699x699px]]

Then into the '''2010's''' Brother's previously positive financial results started to plateau. Its operating income and profits fell, and net sales, though marginally up, had failed to meet forecast. Furthermore, its Printing & Solutions ('''P&S''') segment had not shown the growth expected, especially in Asia where they had invested heavily. Still, Brother's strategy remained largely the same:

#Maintain US/EU presence through retail channels and '''seek growth through''' '''SOHO''' & '''SMB''' customers.
#Target sales channels and support promotions to '''expand sales of mono laser printers''' in emerging markets.

But by '''2015''' investors and shareholders had started to ask some tough questions. Despite meeting net sales forecast targets in Printing & Solutions, company wide income and profit were in significant decline, The previously stable Machinery & Solution division was in free-fall and the anchor for sales and growth, Printing & Solutions (P&S), suffered a 4.3% profit contraction.

In Brother's EOY financial briefing the company acknowledged the stagnation of the P&S segment and offered the following insights:

#Laser business printer ('''LBP''') market profitability was deteriorating due to competitor entry and generic consumables availability.
#The printer hardware segment was now very mature and the targeted growth by new product releases was not returning profit.
#Digitization of documents and images drove mobile device uptake and continued to shrink the printing market by 5% YOY.
#Multi-function Center ('''MFC''') and All-in-One ('''AIO''') machines were eroding sales growth of use-specific product lines.
#Consumable demand for conventional inkjet cartridge machines were being replaces by high-capacity Ink Tank models.

With these points Brother had informed investors that the traditional strategy of developing hardware products, releasing through sales channels and realizing profitability through affiliation and consumables had become highly uncertain. Furthermore, Brother acknowledged that these strategies caused model proliferation, had driven up stock holding requirements and cannibalized profitable lines, and may have directly encouraged the demand for generic consumables.

Here Brother did two significant things. Firstly, it downgraded its forecasts to mitigate pressure for short-term market performance stating that the business would not return to overall profitability until 2018. Secondly, and perhaps most importantly, it supported the profitability target by releasing a mid-term business strategy: '''CS [https://global.brother/en/investor/financial-info/archives B2018]'''. It this document, Brother outlined broad changes. It restructured business segments, relocated personal and investments but all with a function for underpinning the future company direction:

'''<nowiki/>'To change and reposition the existing printing business to one that is clearly defined for corporate profitability enhancement'.'''

==The Birth of Subscription==

'''Brother Business Segment Return 2024'''
{| class="wikitable"
!
!Printing & Solutions
!Personal & Home
!Machinery
!Network & Contents
!Domino
!Other
|-
|Sales Revenue
|'''58.92%'''
|6.64%
|15.22%
|7.00%
|10.41%
|1.78%
|-
|Segement Profit
|'''72.50%'''
|5.55%
|13.61%
|2.50%
|5.42%
|0.55%
|-
|Operation Profit
|'''73.57%'''
|5.56%
|13.77%
|2.22%
|1.03%
|1.11%
|}
==Data Privacy==

==References==
<references />
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brother Refresh Subscription Service}}
[[Category:Subscription-based services]]
[[Category:Printers]]

Brother Refresh EZ Print Subscription Service

2025-02-11T06:59:56Z

Watchdog: completed history, provided additional references, started "The Birth of Subscription"

{{InfoboxProductLine
| Title = Brother Refresh Service
| Release Year = 2021
| Product Type = Subscription-as-a-Service
| In Production = Yes
| Official Website = [https://www.brother-usa.com/supplies/subscription-info#plans Brother Refresh]
| Logo = Brother Refresh 02.png
}}

The Brother Industries Ltd.: '''Refresh Program Subscription Service''' is a Subscription-as-a-Service ('''SubS''') launched in August 2021. The program claims to offer domestic and business users the advantage of an on-demand, lower-cost printing solution that provides genuine Brother consumables directly to their door, without the need for end-user consumable management.

The [https://www.brother-usa.com/supplies/refresh-smart-delivery Brother Refresh] service currently offers two programs: '''EZ Auto Reordering''' (abbreviated as '''EZ-ARP'''), where the end-user pays only to replace a depleted cartridge or '''EZ Print Subscription''' (abbreviated as '''EZ-PSP'''), where the the user pays per page printed.

Listed are the program features offered to the end user to maintain and service their machines:
{| class="wikitable"
!
!EZ-ARP
!EZ-PSP
|-
|'''Auto Cartridge Ordering'''
|Yes
|Yes
|-
|'''Free Trial'''
|No
|Yes
|-
|'''Payments'''
|Pay-Per-Cartridge
|Pay-Per-Page
|-
|'''Cartridge Type'''
|Standard or XL
|XL or Super XL
|-
|'''Shipping Costs'''
|>$19.99 Free
|Free (plan-based)
|-
|'''Warranty'''
|No
|Limited (plan-based)
|-
|'''Customer Service'''
|Yes
|Yes
|-
|'''Flexible Plans'''
|No
|Yes
|-
|'''Easy Cancellation'''
|Yes
|Yes
|}

==Subscription Eligibility==
Brother currently lists [https://www.brother-usa.com/supplies/subscription-info/eligible-printers/products#sort=%40productcataloglistprice%20descending these printers] available to enter the Refresh program. The printer can either be "Refresh-ready" (with Refresh EZ-Print Subscription ink and toner cartridges included) or activated post-purchase via the Brother website. Once the printer is activated and enrolled to the Refresh service, only cartridges or toner supplied by Brother can be used.

====='''EZ Print Subscription''' (pay-per-page)=====
{| class="wikitable"
!Printer Type
!Models
![https://www.brother-usa.com/supplies/subscription-info Promoted]
!Free Trial
!Cartridge Series Disclosed
!Cartridge Yield Disclosed
|-
|Mono Laser Printers
|13
|Yes
|Yes
|Unknown
|Unknown
|-
|Color Laser Printer
|0
|Yes
|No
|N/A
|N/A
|-
|Inkjet Printers
|8
|Yes
|Yes
|Unknown
|Unknown
|}

====='''EZ Auto Reordering''' (pay-per-cartridge)=====
{| class="wikitable"
!Printer Type
!Models
![https://www.brother-usa.com/supplies/ez-auto-reordering Promoted]
!Free Trial
!Cartridge Series Disclosed
!Cartridge Yield Disclosed
|-
|Mono Laser Printers
|141
|Yes
|No
|Yes
|Yes
|-
|Color Laser Printer
|31
|Yes
|No
|Yes
|Yes
|-
|Inkjet Printers
|0
|Yes
|No
|N/A
|N/A
|}

======False or Misleading Promotion======

*Brother clearly advertises color plans in the '''EZ Print''' program yet no color printers are currently eligible.<ref>[https://www.brother-usa.com/supplies/subscription-info/eligible-printers/products#sort=%40productcataloglistprice%20descending EZ-Print Eligibility List]</ref>
*Brother clearly advertises discounted ink & toner in the '''EZ Auto Reorder''' program yet no inkjet printers are currently eligible.<ref>[https://wiki.rossmanngroup.com/images/0/0d/Brother_Refresh_AutoReorder_printer_eigibility_list_08025.png EZ-Auto Reorder Eligibility List]</ref>
*Brother does not state cartridge series or yield on their website nor prior to enrollment in the Refresh program.<ref>[[:File:Brother Live Assistance Transcript 080225.pdf|Brother Assistance Transcript]]</ref>

==Subscription Claims==

=====EZ Print Program=====
Brother purports that the EZ Print subscription program can '''save the end-user up to 50%''' on genuine Brother ink or toner. This is accompanied by a caveat located in the legal disclaimer found at the bottom of the subscription information page.<ref>[https://www.brother-usa.com/supplies/subscription-info Brother Subscription Information]</ref>

It states: ''based on monthly subscription cost in U.S. for Mono Laser Power Plan vs. average cost per page of eligible like standard capacity cartridges. Savings will vary based on Refresh EZ Print Subscription plan selected.''

======Obfuscated or Misleading Claim======

*No color laser or inkjet printers are included in Brother's claimed subscription discount comparison.
*Only the highest-cost mono laser plan is used in Brother's claimed subscription discount comparison.
*Only a standard yield cartridge is included in Brother's claimed subscription discount comparison.

=====EZ Auto Reording Program=====
Brother offers a '''10% discount on all orders''' of genuine ink & toner when subscribed to the EZ Auto Reorder program. The Program also enables the end-user to select a higher-yield cartridge if required.

======Obfuscated or Misleading Claim======

*No inkjet printers are currently eligible for the '''EZ-ARP''' yet Brother promotes "Ink & Toner Delivered Automatically" on the program page.

==Subscription Analysis==

=====Case Study=====
[[File:MFCL2710DW EZ-Print.png|thumb|500x500px]]
To investigate Brother's claim for their purported savings in the '''EZ-Print''' program, we used the listed legal disclaimer as a basis for the setup:

#Mono Laser Printer: '''MFC-L2710DW''' <ref>[https://www.brother-usa.com/products/mfcl2710dw MFC-L2710DW Overview]</ref>
#Highest Cost Plan: '''Power Plan'''
#Standard Yield Cartridge: '''TN730''' <ref>[https://www.brother-usa.com/products/tn730 Brother TN730 Product Detail]</ref>

======Notes======
The Brother "Power Plan" includes:

*'''Credit $30''': for add-ons only
*'''Bonus Toner''' Eligibility: once only
*'''Drum Replacement''': undefined

It should also be noted that:

*the credit applies to any consumable or additional page cost outside the plan limits, '''not''' subscription cost.
*bonus toner is supplied once and as a 'back-up' in case the 'plan' replenishment does not arrive on time.
*drum replacement is not specified by Brother as to availability, frequency or supply discretion. In the case study here, the MFC-L2710DW requires a '''DR730'''<ref>[https://www.brother-usa.com/products/dr730 Brother DR730 Product Detail]</ref> drum unit which Brother states has a life-span of 12,000 printed pages.

======Printer======
The Brother printer chosen is the MFC-L2710DW. The rational for choosing this model for the case study are as follows:
*it is one of the most popular machines and has the highest number of reviews on the Brother eligibility list page.
*it has a sub $400 price point and is listed as eligible for the EZ Print Subscription program.
*it has parts and consumables readily available from a variety of sources.
*it is suited to a home / small office environment and has: automated duplex printing, a large 250 sheet tray capacity, wireless, ethernet or USB connections, 32 page-per-minute print speed and has a 50-page capacity automatic feeder to copy or scan documents.

======Analytics======
Market analysis shows that laser printers are the most popular machine for everyday printing:
*the average home office / small office user prints '''3.4 monochrome pages per day''' <ref name=":0">West, McDonald (July 20, 2018) [["2015, 2016, & 2017 User and Device Printing Statistics"]] ECISolutions.com. Retrieved February 8, 2025</ref>
*[https://www.consumerreports.org/ Consumer Reports.org] reports their subscribers print a median of '''33 monochrome pages per month''' <ref>Pinola, Melanie (2024) [https://www.consumerreports.org/electronics-computers/printers/are-printer-ink-subscriptions-worth-it-a4050339657/ "Are Printer Ink Subscriptions Worth It?"]. Consumerreports.org. Retrieved February 8, 2025</ref>
*monochrome printing now makes '''up to 80% of total print jobs''' in a home or small office environment. <ref name=":0" />
*color printing has '''decreased in use by 34%''' over the 3 year period measured. <ref name=":0" />
By comparing the user data against the claim of cost-savings and stipulations in methodology from Brother, it is clear the scenario is one in which the choice given by Brother in '''no way matches a real-world situation or printing habits of the user'''.<ref>[https://wiki.rossmanngroup.com/images/0/0a/Brother_FY2012_New_Product_Lines.png]</ref> Furthermore, Brother engages in a purposefully misleading comparison when they state that the saving is based upon ''"average cost per page of eligible like standard capacity cartridge"'' for they must compare identical products as only genuine Brother cartridges are supplied in the program.

======Assumptions======
To create a more realistic comparison we set rules to give the end-user a more reasonable, flexible and real-world choice when investigating print pricing. In our use case:

*the end-user keeps the printer for a minimum 12 months.
*the subscription is maintained for a minimum 12 months.
*the end-user runs a small office and prints 15 times the average page rate (6000 pages-per-year)
*the end-user has a broader choice of consumables.

======EZ Print Cost Comparison Matrix======
{| class="wikitable"
!
!Brand
!Yield
!Price
!Pages
!Cartridges
!Total Cost
!Page Cost
!Generic Lockout
!Internet Required
|-
|'''Brother'''
|Brother
|1200 +-
|$24.99
|6000
|5
|$299.88
|$0.050
|Yes
|Yes
|-
|'''Staples'''
|Brother
|1200 +-
|$47.99
|6000
|5
|$239.95
|$0.040
|No
|No
|-
|'''Office Depot'''
|Brother
|1200 +-
|$47.99
|6000
|5
|$239.95
|$0.040
|No
|No
|-
|'''YB Toner'''
|Generic
|1200 +-
|$18.95
|6000
|5
|$94.75
|$0.015
|No
|No
|-
|'''True Image'''
|Generic
|1200 +-
|$19.50
|6000
|5
|$97.50
|$0.016
|No
|No
|}

======False or Misleading Claim======
As the above data illustrates, Brother's claim that the program can '''"save the end-user up to 50%"''' is purposefully misleading. They do this by using the following methods:

#'''Scenario Manipulation''': Brother creates a situation where the user runs with the service for only a month, ending the program before the billing cycle before or prior to the auto-replenishment alert.
#'''Comparing Different Programs''': this is a clear misrepresentation. Here Brother relates Pay-Per-Page to Pay-Per-Cartridge, a false and misleading comparison. The matrix shows us that the Brother price is roughly half that of the next supplier, but here the user '''owns the cartridge''' bought from Staples and only the '''rents the ability to print a certain number of pages''' from Brother.

We note also that should the end-user run with the program for a year, then the Brother program is the most expensive option for printing.

======EZ Auto Reorder Brother Cost Matrix======
{| class="wikitable"
!
!Brand
!Yield
!Price
!Pages
!Cartriges
!Total Cost
!Page Cost
!Generic Lockout
!Internet Required
|-
|'''Brother'''
|Brother
|1200 +-
|$43.19
|6000
|5
|$215.96
|$0.036
|Yes
|Yes
|}
''NB: Brother only listed here. All other competitor data remains identical to the EZ Print Cost Comparison Matrix.''

======Validated Claim======
The EZ Auto Reorder subscription offers the end-user a '''10% discount''' on cartridges while they are enrolled in program. This reduces the cost-per-cartridge by $4.80 when the product is supplied directly from Brother.

==Subscription History==

======Overview======
To understand the introduction rational of subscriptions within a traditional hardware company such as Brother, one must first understand how the changes in sales and profitability have historically developed within the markets that they operate.

======Brother Industries, Ltd.======
Brother was established in Japan in 1908 <ref>[https://wiki.rossmanngroup.com/images/a/a9/Brother_Sales_Revenue_1928-2020.png Brother Sales Revenue (1928-2020).png]</ref> primarily as an industrial manufacturer of machine tool and parts. It was not until 1928 that Brother launched its first mainline product: head-wear specific industrial sewing machine. Owing to their history in manufacturing, Brother's machines were good quality and highly regarded. They sold well and prior to the second-world war, Japanese companies like Brother had access to a highly-skilled and low-cost labor force. This allowed Brother to expand its product line and to firmly capture a share of the industrial sewing category; a market in which they still operate today.

The post war years saw significant Japanese government focus on industrialization.<ref>Mosk, Carl (August 12, 2023) [https://eh.net/encyclopedia/japanese-industrialization-and-economic-growth/ "Japanese Industrialization and Economic Growth"] Economic History Association. Retrieved February 8, 2025</ref> And by the early 1960's and 1970's, Japan's electronics manufacturing sector was not only mature but had rapidly expanded. Facts such as a large national labor pool, new access to western technology and the skill-to-cost benefits from earlier government investment, quickly made Japanese manufacturers the leaders in high-quality, low-cost electronic products. Brother too, benefited from this economic environment. It invested heavily in the technology sector and by 1971, released a product that would change the company direction and growth into the foreseeable future: a high-speed, '''dot-matrix printer'''.

======Segment Reliance======

Into the '''1990's''', Brother identified its Printing & Solutions ('''P&S''') segment as a global category for growth and shifted significant resources directly towards this market. And while Brother maintained its leadership in core categories such as industrial sewing, machine tools and parts, the company continued to make further gains through P&S and in electronic products such as labeling. The returns in these segments continued to provide Brother opportunities for expansion. They developed product lines that took advantage of this demand, not only through industrial buyers to whom Brother traditionally catered, but with small office and home office users ('''SOHO''') who began to purchase Brother's products for their high reliability and reasonable cost. By the mid-1990's Brother had a mature and robust printing portfolio and had released many successful and profitable lines:

*laser printers (both color & mono)
*all-in-one printers (print, fax & scan)
*inkjet printers (high-speed color)
*garment, label and mobile printers.

Throughout the late 1990's and early '''2000's''' the company continued to focus within the P&S segment and invested in long-term channel relationships. Now an establish brand, Brother's sales and profitability was firmly tied to the '''parts and consumables''' market. Brother understood that its clients such as OEM, vendors, distributors and large retailers were key to maintaining a strong brand affiliation and to further create an ongoing demand. To acquire new industrial and SOHO buyers, Brother engaged in heavy promotional schedules and further product offerings. It introduced high-end, all-in-one laser printers and high-speed inkjet printers, all at price points not before seen in the market. Brother also sought growth in emerging countries. The company invested aggressively in Asia by promoting and selling low-cost '''monochrome laser printers''', which by now had became their strength and specialty.

[[File:Brother FY2012 New Product Lines.png|frameless|699x699px]]

Then into the '''2010's''' Brother's previously positive financial results started to plateau. Its operating income and profits fell, and net sales, though marginally up, had failed to meet forecast. Furthermore, its Printing & Solutions ('''P&S''') segment had not shown the growth expected, especially in Asia where they had invested heavily. Still, Brother's strategy remained largely the same:

#Maintain US/EU presence through retail channels and '''seek growth through''' '''SOHO''' & '''SMB''' customers.
#Target sales channels and support promotions to '''expand sales of mono laser printers''' in emerging markets.

But by '''2015''' investors and shareholders had started to ask some tough questions. Despite meeting net sales forecast targets in Printing & Solutions, company wide income and profit were in significant decline, The previously stable Machinery & Solution division was in free-fall and the anchor for sales and growth, Printing & Solutions ('''P&S'''), suffered a 4.3% profit contraction.

In Brother's EOY financial briefing the company acknowledged the stagnation of the P&S segment and offered the following insights:

# Laser printer ('''LBP''') market profitability was deteriorating due to competitor entry and generic consumables availability.
# The printer hardware segment was now very mature and the targeted growth by new product releases was not returning profit.
# Digitization of documents and images drove mobile device uptake and continued to shrink the printing market by 5% YOY.
# Multi-function Center ('''MFC''') and All-in-One ('''AIO''') machines were eroding sales growth of use-specific product lines.
# Consumable demand for conventional inkjet cartridge machines were being replaces by high-capacity Ink Tank models.

With these points Brother had informed investors that the traditional strategy of developing hardware products, releasing through sales channels and realizing profitability through affiliation and consumables had become highly uncertain. Furthermore, Brother acknowledged that model proliferation caused by these strategies had driven up stock holding requirements, cannibalized profitable lines and directly encouraged the demand for generic consumables.

Here Brother did two significant things. Firstly, it downgraded its forecasts to mitigate pressure for short-term market performance stating that the business would not return to overall profitability until 2018. Secondly, and perhaps most importantly, it supported the target for profitability by releasing a mid-term business strategy: '''CS B2018'''. It this document, Brother outlined many changes significant changes: from the structure of business segments to investment relocation, but all with a function for underpinning the future company direction:

'''<nowiki/>'To change and reposition the existing printing business to one that is clearly defined for corporate profitability enhancement'.'''

== The Birth of Subscription ==

'''Brother Business Segment Return 2024'''
{| class="wikitable"
!
!Printing & Solutions
!Personal & Home
!Machinery
!Network & Contents
!Domino
!Other
|-
|Sales Revenue
|'''58.92%'''
|6.64%
|15.22%
|7.00%
|10.41%
|1.78%
|-
|Segement Profit
|'''72.50%'''
|5.55%
|13.61%
|2.50%
|5.42%
|0.55%
|-
|Operation Profit
|'''73.57%'''
|5.56%
|13.77%
|2.22%
|1.03%
|1.11%
|}
==Data Privacy==

==References==
<references />
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brother Refresh Subscription Service}}
[[Category:Subscription-based services]]
[[Category:Printers]]

Brother Refresh EZ Print Subscription Service

2025-02-11T00:53:29Z

Watchdog: added: brother user data, historical developments. fixed: grammar, accuracy and readability

{{InfoboxProductLine
| Title = Brother Refresh Service
| Release Year = 2021
| Product Type = Subscription-as-a-Service
| In Production = Yes
| Official Website = [https://www.brother-usa.com/supplies/subscription-info#plans Brother Refresh]
| Logo = Brother Refresh 02.png
}}

The Brother Industries Ltd.: '''Refresh Program Subscription Service''' is a Subscription-as-a-Service ('''SubS''') launched in August 2021. The program claims to offer domestic and business users the advantage of an on-demand, lower-cost printing solution that provides genuine Brother consumables directly to their door, without the need for end-user consumable management.

The [https://www.brother-usa.com/supplies/refresh-smart-delivery Brother Refresh] service currently offers two programs: '''EZ Auto Reordering''' (abbreviated as '''EZ-ARP'''), where the end-user pays only to replace a depleted cartridge or '''EZ Print Subscription''' (abbreviated as '''EZ-PSP'''), where the the user pays per page printed.

Listed are the program features offered to the end user to maintain and service their machines:
{| class="wikitable"
!
!EZ-ARP
!EZ-PSP
|-
|'''Auto Cartridge Ordering'''
|Yes
|Yes
|-
|'''Free Trial'''
|No
|Yes
|-
|'''Payments'''
|Pay-Per-Cartridge
|Pay-Per-Page
|-
|'''Cartridge Type'''
|Standard or XL
|XL or Super XL
|-
|'''Shipping Costs'''
|>$19.99 Free
|Free (plan-based)
|-
|'''Warranty'''
|No
|Limited (plan-based)
|-
|'''Customer Service'''
|Yes
|Yes
|-
|'''Flexible Plans'''
|No
|Yes
|-
|'''Easy Cancellation'''
|Yes
|Yes
|}

==Subscription Eligibility==
Brother currently lists [https://www.brother-usa.com/supplies/subscription-info/eligible-printers/products#sort=%40productcataloglistprice%20descending these printers] available to enter the Refresh program. The printer can either be "Refresh-ready" (with Refresh EZ-Print Subscription ink and toner cartridges included) or activated post-purchase via the Brother website. Once the printer is activated and enrolled to the Refresh service, only cartridges or toner supplied by Brother can be used.

====='''EZ Print Subscription''' (pay-per-page)=====
{| class="wikitable"
!Printer Type
!Models
![https://www.brother-usa.com/supplies/subscription-info Promoted]
!Free Trial
!Cartridge Series Disclosed
!Cartridge Yield Disclosed
|-
|Mono Laser Printers
|13
|Yes
|Yes
|Unknown
|Unknown
|-
|Color Laser Printer
|0
|Yes
|No
|N/A
|N/A
|-
|Inkjet Printers
|8
|Yes
|Yes
|Unknown
|Unknown
|}

====='''EZ Auto Reordering''' (pay-per-cartridge)=====
{| class="wikitable"
!Printer Type
!Models
![https://www.brother-usa.com/supplies/ez-auto-reordering Promoted]
!Free Trial
!Cartridge Series Disclosed
!Cartridge Yield Disclosed
|-
|Mono Laser Printers
|141
|Yes
|No
|Yes
|Yes
|-
|Color Laser Printer
|31
|Yes
|No
|Yes
|Yes
|-
|Inkjet Printers
|0
|Yes
|No
|N/A
|N/A
|}

======False or Misleading Promotion======

*Brother clearly advertises color plans in the '''EZ Print''' program yet no color printers are currently eligible.<ref>[https://www.brother-usa.com/supplies/subscription-info/eligible-printers/products#sort=%40productcataloglistprice%20descending EZ-Print Eligibility List]</ref>
*Brother clearly advertises discounted ink & toner in the '''EZ Auto Reorder''' program yet no inkjet printers are currently eligible.<ref>[https://wiki.rossmanngroup.com/images/0/0d/Brother_Refresh_AutoReorder_printer_eigibility_list_08025.png EZ-Auto Reorder Eligibility List]</ref>
*Brother does not state cartridge series or yield on their website nor prior to enrollment in the Refresh program.<ref>[[:File:Brother Live Assistance Transcript 080225.pdf|Brother Assistance Transcript]]</ref>

==Subscription Claims==

=====EZ Print Program=====
Brother purports that the EZ Print subscription program can '''save the end-user up to 50%''' on genuine Brother ink or toner. This is accompanied by a caveat located in the legal disclaimer found at the bottom of the subscription information page.<ref>[https://www.brother-usa.com/supplies/subscription-info Brother Subscription Information]</ref>

It states: ''based on monthly subscription cost in U.S. for Mono Laser Power Plan vs. average cost per page of eligible like standard capacity cartridges. Savings will vary based on Refresh EZ Print Subscription plan selected.''

======Obfuscated or Misleading Claim======

*No color laser or inkjet printers are included in Brother's claimed subscription discount comparison.
*Only the highest-cost mono laser plan is used in Brother's claimed subscription discount comparison.
*Only a standard yield cartridge is included in Brother's claimed subscription discount comparison.

=====EZ Auto Reording Program=====
Brother offers a '''10% discount on all orders''' of genuine ink & toner when subscribed to the EZ Auto Reorder program. The Program also enables the end-user to select a higher-yield cartridge if required.

======Obfuscated or Misleading Claim======

*No inkjet printers are currently eligible for the '''EZ-ARP''' yet Brother promotes "Ink & Toner Delivered Automatically" on the program page.

==Subscription Analysis==

=====Case Study=====
[[File:MFCL2710DW EZ-Print.png|thumb|500x500px]]
To investigate Brother's claim for their purported savings in the '''EZ-Print''' program, we used the listed legal disclaimer as a basis for the setup:

#Mono Laser Printer: '''MFC-L2710DW''' <ref>[https://www.brother-usa.com/products/mfcl2710dw MFC-L2710DW Overview]</ref>
#Highest Cost Plan: '''Power Plan'''
#Standard Yield Cartridge: '''TN730''' <ref>[https://www.brother-usa.com/products/tn730 Brother TN730 Product Detail]</ref>

======Notes======
The Brother "Power Plan" includes:

*'''Credit $30''': for add-ons only
*'''Bonus Toner''' Eligibility: once only
*'''Drum Replacement''': undefined

It should also be noted that:

*the credit applies to any consumable or additional page cost outside the plan limits, '''not''' subscription cost.
*bonus toner is supplied once and as a 'back-up' in case the 'plan' replenishment does not arrive on time.
*drum replacement is not specified by Brother as to availability, frequency or supply discretion. In the case study here, the MFC-L2710DW requires a '''DR730'''<ref>[https://www.brother-usa.com/products/dr730 Brother DR730 Product Detail]</ref> drum unit which Brother states has a life-span of 12,000 printed pages.

======Printer======
The Brother printer chosen is the MFC-L2710DW. The rational for choosing this model for the case study are as follows:
*it is one of the most popular machines and has the highest number of reviews on the Brother eligibility list page.
*it has a sub $400 price point and is listed as eligible for the EZ Print Subscription program.
*it has parts and consumables readily available from a variety of sources.
*it is suited to a home / small office environment and has: automated duplex printing, a large 250 sheet tray capacity, wireless, ethernet or USB connections, 32 page-per-minute print speed and has a 50-page capacity automatic feeder to copy or scan documents.

======Analytics======
Market analysis shows that laser printers are the most popular machine for everyday printing:
*the average home office / small office user prints '''3.4 monochrome pages per day''' <ref name=":0">West, McDonald (July 20, 2018) [["2015, 2016, & 2017 User and Device Printing Statistics"]] ECISolutions.com. Retrieved February 8, 2025</ref>
*[https://www.consumerreports.org/ Consumer Reports.org] reports their subscribers print a median of '''33 monochrome pages per month''' <ref>Pinola, Melanie (2024) [https://www.consumerreports.org/electronics-computers/printers/are-printer-ink-subscriptions-worth-it-a4050339657/ "Are Printer Ink Subscriptions Worth It?"]. Consumerreports.org. Retrieved February 8, 2025</ref>
*monochrome printing now makes '''up to 80% of total print jobs''' in a home or small office environment. <ref name=":0" />
*color printing has '''decreased in use by 34%''' over the 3 year period measured. <ref name=":0" />
By comparing the user data against the claim of cost-savings and stipulations in methodology from Brother, it is clear the scenario is one in which the choice given by Brother in '''no way matches a real-world situation or printing habits of the user'''.<ref>[https://wiki.rossmanngroup.com/images/0/0a/Brother_FY2012_New_Product_Lines.png]</ref> Furthermore, Brother engages in a purposefully misleading comparison when they state that the saving is based upon ''"average cost per page of eligible like standard capacity cartridge"'' for they must compare identical products as only genuine Brother cartridges are supplied in the program.

======Assumptions======
To create a more realistic comparison we set rules to give the end-user a more reasonable, flexible and real-world choice when investigating print pricing. In our use case:

*the end-user keeps the printer for a minimum 12 months.
*the subscription is maintained for a minimum 12 months.
*the end-user runs a small office and prints 15 times the average page rate (6000 pages-per-year)
*the end-user has a broader choice of consumables.

======EZ Print Cost Comparison Matrix======
{| class="wikitable"
!
!Brand
!Yield
!Price
!Pages
!Cartridges
!Total Cost
!Page Cost
!Generic Lockout
!Internet Required
|-
|'''Brother'''
|Brother
|1200 +-
|$24.99
|6000
|5
|$299.88
|$0.050
|Yes
|Yes
|-
|'''Staples'''
|Brother
|1200 +-
|$47.99
|6000
|5
|$239.95
|$0.040
|No
|No
|-
|'''Office Depot'''
|Brother
|1200 +-
|$47.99
|6000
|5
|$239.95
|$0.040
|No
|No
|-
|'''YB Toner'''
|Generic
|1200 +-
|$18.95
|6000
|5
|$94.75
|$0.015
|No
|No
|-
|'''True Image'''
|Generic
|1200 +-
|$19.50
|6000
|5
|$97.50
|$0.016
|No
|No
|}

======False or Misleading Claim======
As the above data illustrates, Brother's claim that the program can '''"save the end-user up to 50%"''' is purposefully misleading. They do this by using the following methods:

#'''Scenario Manipulation''': Brother creates a situation where the user runs with the service for only a month, ending the program before the billing cycle before or prior to the auto-replenishment alert.
#'''Comparing Different Programs''': this is a clear misrepresentation. Here Brother relates Pay-Per-Page to Pay-Per-Cartridge, a false and misleading comparison. The matrix shows us that the Brother price is roughly half that of the next supplier, but here the user '''owns the cartridge''' bought from Staples and only the '''rents the ability to print a certain number of pages''' from Brother.

We note also that should the end-user run with the program for a year, then the Brother program is the most expensive option for printing.

======EZ Auto Reorder Brother Cost Matrix======
{| class="wikitable"
!
!Brand
!Yield
!Price
!Pages
!Cartriges
!Total Cost
!Page Cost
!Generic Lockout
!Internet Required
|-
|'''Brother'''
|Brother
|1200 +-
|$43.19
|6000
|5
|$215.96
|$0.036
|Yes
|Yes
|}
''NB: Brother only listed here. All other competitor data remains identical to the EZ Print Cost Comparison Matrix.''

======Validated Claim======
The EZ Auto Reorder subscription offers the end-user a '''10% discount''' on cartridges while they are enrolled in program. This reduces the cost-per-cartridge by $4.80 when the product is supplied directly from Brother.

==Subscription History==

======Overview======
To understand the introduction rational of subscriptions within a traditional hardware company such as Brother, one must first understand how the changes in sales and profitability have historically developed within the markets that they operate.

======Brother Industries, Ltd.======
Brother was established in Japan in 1908 <ref>[https://wiki.rossmanngroup.com/images/a/a9/Brother_Sales_Revenue_1928-2020.png Brother Sales Revenue (1928-2020).png]</ref> primarily as an industrial manufacturer of machine parts. It was not until 1928 that Brother launched its first mainline product: head-wear specific industrial sewing machine. Owing to their history in manufacturing, Brother's machines were good quality and highly regarded. They sold well and prior to the second-world war, Japanese companies like Brother had access to a highly-skilled and low-cost labor force. This allowed Brother to expand its product line and to firmly capture a share of the industrial sewing category; a market in which they still operate today.

The post war years saw significant Japanese government focus on industrialization.<ref>Mosk, Carl (August 12, 2023) [https://eh.net/encyclopedia/japanese-industrialization-and-economic-growth/ "Japanese Industrialization and Economic Growth"] Economic History Association. Retrieved February 8, 2025</ref> And by the early 1960's and 1970's, Japan's electronics manufacturing sector was not only mature but had rapidly expanded. Facts such as a large national labor pool, new access to western technology and the skill-to-cost benefits from earlier government investment, quickly made Japanese manufacturers the leaders in high-quality, low-cost electronic products. Brother too, benefited from this economic environment. It invested heavily in the technology sector and by 1971, released a product that would change the company direction and growth into the foreseeable future: a high-speed, '''dot-matrix printer'''.

======Segment Reliance======

Into the '''1990's''', Brother identified its Printing & Solutions ('''P&S''') segment as a global category for growth and shifted significant resources firmly towards this market. And while it maintained its leadership in core categories such as industrial sewing, machine tools and parts, the company continued to make further gains through P&S and in electronic products such as labeling. The returns in these segments continued to provide Brother opportunities for expansion. They developed product lines that took advantage of this demand, not only through industrial buyers to whom Brother traditionally catered, but with small office and home office users ('''SOHO''') who began to purchase Brother's products for their high reliability and reasonable cost. By the mid-1990's Brother had a mature and robust printing portfolio and had released many successful and profitable lines:

*laser printers (both color & mono)
*all-in-one printers (print, fax & scan)
*inkjet printers (high-speed color)
*garment, label and mobile printers.

Throughout the late 1990's and early '''2000's''' the company continued to focus within the P&S segment and invested in long-term channel relationships. Now an establish brand, Brother's sales and profitability was firmly tied to the '''<nowiki/>'parts and consumables'''<nowiki/>' market. Brother understood that its clients such as OEM, vendors, distributors and large retailers were key to maintaining a strong brand affiliation to further drive this demand. To acquire new industrial and SOHO buyers, Brother engaged in heavy promotional schedules and further product offerings. It introduced high-end, all-in-one laser printers and high-speed inkjet printers, all at price points not before seen in the market. Brother also sought growth in emerging countries. The company invested aggressively in Asia by promoting and selling low-cost '''monochrome laser printers''', which by now had became their strength and specialty.

[[File:Brother FY2012 New Product Lines.png|frameless|699x699px]]

Then into the '''2010's''' Brother's previously positive financial results started to plateau. Its operating income and profits fell, and net sales, though marginally up, had failed to meet forecast. Furthermore, its Printing & Solutions ('''P&S''') segment had not shown the growth expected, especially in Asia where they had invested heavily. Still, Brother's strategy remained largely the same:

#Maintain US/EU presence through retail channels and '''seek growth through''' '''SOHO''' & '''SMB''' customers.
#Target sales channels and support promotions to '''expand sales of mono laser printers''' in emerging markets.

But by '''2015''' investors and shareholders had started to ask some tough questions. Despite meeting net sales forecast targets in Printing & Solutions (up by 5.5% YOY), company wide income and profit were in significant decline, The previously stable Machinery & Solution division was in free-fall and the anchor for sales and growth, Printing & Solutions ('''P&S'''), suffered a 4.3% profit contraction. Brother

'''Brother Business Segment Return 2024'''
{| class="wikitable"
!
!Printing & Solutions
!Personal & Home
!Machinery
!Network & Contents
!Domino
!Other
|-
|Sales Revenue
|'''58.92%'''
|6.64%
|15.22%
|7.00%
|10.41%
|1.78%
|-
|Segement Profit
|'''72.50%'''
|5.55%
|13.61%
|2.50%
|5.42%
|0.55%
|-
|Operation Profit
|'''73.57%'''
|5.56%
|13.77%
|2.22%
|1.03%
|1.11%
|}

Brother

==Data Privacy==

==References==
<references />
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brother Refresh Subscription Service}}
[[Category:Subscription-based services]]
[[Category:Printers]]

File:Brother FY2012 new product lines.png

2025-02-10T23:57:07Z

Watchdog:

Brother FY2012 enhanced product lines presentation.

Brother Refresh EZ Print Subscription Service

2025-02-10T11:12:57Z

Watchdog: minor edits

{{InfoboxProductLine
| Title = Brother Refresh Service
| Release Year = 2021
| Product Type = Subscription-as-a-Service
| In Production = Yes
| Official Website = [https://www.brother-usa.com/supplies/subscription-info#plans Brother Refresh]
| Logo = Brother Refresh 02.png
}}

The Brother Industries Ltd.: '''Refresh Program Subscription Service''' is a Subscription-as-a-Service ('''SubS''') launched in August 2021. The program claims to offer domestic and business users the advantage of an on-demand, lower-cost printing solution that provides genuine Brother consumables directly to their door, without the need for end-user consumable management.

The [https://www.brother-usa.com/supplies/refresh-smart-delivery Brother Refresh] service currently offers two programs: '''EZ Auto Reordering''' (abbreviated as '''EZ-ARP'''), where the end-user pays only to replace a depleted cartridge or '''EZ Print Subscription''' (abbreviated as '''EZ-PSP'''), where the the user pays per page printed.

Listed are the program features offered to the end user to maintain and service their machines:
{| class="wikitable"
!
!EZ-ARP
!EZ-PSP
|-
|'''Auto Cartridge Ordering'''
|Yes
|Yes
|-
|'''Free Trial'''
|No
|Yes
|-
|'''Payments'''
|Pay-Per-Cartridge
|Pay-Per-Page
|-
|'''Cartridge Type'''
|Standard or XL
|XL or Super XL
|-
|'''Shipping Costs'''
|>$19.99 Free
|Free (plan-based)
|-
|'''Warranty'''
|No
|Limited (plan-based)
|-
|'''Customer Service'''
|Yes
|Yes
|-
|'''Flexible Plans'''
|No
|Yes
|-
|'''Easy Cancellation'''
|Yes
|Yes
|}

==Subscription Eligibility==
Brother currently lists [https://www.brother-usa.com/supplies/subscription-info/eligible-printers/products#sort=%40productcataloglistprice%20descending these printers] available to enter the Refresh program. The printer can either be "Refresh-ready" (with Refresh EZ-Print Subscription ink and toner cartridges included) or activated post-purchase via the Brother website. Once the printer is activated and enrolled to the Refresh service, only cartridges or toner supplied by Brother can be used.

====='''EZ Print Subscription''' (pay-per-page)=====
{| class="wikitable"
!Printer Type
!Models
![https://www.brother-usa.com/supplies/subscription-info Promoted]
!Free Trial
!Cartridge Series Disclosed
!Cartridge Yield Disclosed
|-
|Mono Laser Printers
|13
|Yes
|Yes
|Unknown
|Unknown
|-
|Color Laser Printer
|0
|Yes
|No
|N/A
|N/A
|-
|Inkjet Printers
|8
|Yes
|Yes
|Unknown
|Unknown
|}

====='''EZ Auto Reordering''' (pay-per-cartridge)=====
{| class="wikitable"
!Printer Type
!Models
![https://www.brother-usa.com/supplies/ez-auto-reordering Promoted]
!Free Trial
!Cartridge Series Disclosed
!Cartridge Yield Disclosed
|-
|Mono Laser Printers
|141
|Yes
|No
|Yes
|Yes
|-
|Color Laser Printer
|31
|Yes
|No
|Yes
|Yes
|-
|Inkjet Printers
|0
|Yes
|No
|N/A
|N/A
|}

======False or Misleading Promotion======

*Brother clearly advertises color plans in the '''EZ Print''' program yet no color printers are currently eligible.<ref>[https://www.brother-usa.com/supplies/subscription-info/eligible-printers/products#sort=%40productcataloglistprice%20descending EZ-Print Eligibility List]</ref>
*Brother clearly advertises discounted ink & toner in the '''EZ Auto Reorder''' program yet no inkjet printers are currently eligible.<ref>[https://wiki.rossmanngroup.com/images/0/0d/Brother_Refresh_AutoReorder_printer_eigibility_list_08025.png EZ-Auto Reorder Eligibility List]</ref>
*Brother does not state cartridge series or yield on their website nor prior to enrollment in the Refresh program.<ref>[[:File:Brother Live Assistance Transcript 080225.pdf|Brother Assistance Transcript]]</ref>

==Subscription Claims==

=====EZ Print Program=====
Brother purports that the EZ Print subscription program can '''save the end-user up to 50%''' on genuine Brother ink or toner. This is accompanied by a caveat located in the legal disclaimer found at the bottom of the subscription information page.<ref>[https://www.brother-usa.com/supplies/subscription-info Brother Subscription Information]</ref>

It states: ''based on monthly subscription cost in U.S. for Mono Laser Power Plan vs. average cost per page of eligible like standard capacity cartridges. Savings will vary based on Refresh EZ Print Subscription plan selected.''

======Obfuscated or Misleading Claim======

*No color laser or inkjet printers are included in Brother's claimed subscription discount comparison.
*Only the highest-cost mono laser plan is used in Brother's claimed subscription discount comparison.
*Only a standard yield cartridge is included in Brother's claimed subscription discount comparison.

=====EZ Auto Reording Program=====
Brother offers a '''10% discount on all orders''' of genuine ink & toner when subscribed to the EZ Auto Reorder program. The Program also enables the end-user to select a higher-yield cartridge if required.

======Obfuscated or Misleading Claim======

*No inkjet printers are currently eligible for the '''EZ-ARP''' yet Brother promotes "Ink & Toner Delivered Automatically" on the program page.

==Subscription Analysis==

=====Case Study=====
[[File:MFCL2710DW EZ-Print.png|thumb|500x500px]]
To investigate Brother's claim for their purported savings in the '''EZ-Print''' program, we used the listed legal disclaimer as a basis for the setup:

#Mono Laser Printer: '''MFC-L2710DW''' <ref>[https://www.brother-usa.com/products/mfcl2710dw MFC-L2710DW Overview]</ref>
#Highest Cost Plan: '''Power Plan'''
#Standard Yield Cartridge: '''TN730''' <ref>[https://www.brother-usa.com/products/tn730 Brother TN730 Product Detail]</ref>

======Notes======
The Brother "Power Plan" includes:

*'''Credit $30''': for add-ons only
*'''Bonus Toner''' Eligibility: once only
*'''Drum Replacement''': undefined

It should also be noted that:

*the credit applies to any consumable or additional page cost outside the plan limits, '''not''' subscription cost.
*bonus toner is supplied once and as a 'back-up' in case the 'plan' replenishment does not arrive on time.
*drum replacement is not specified by Brother as to availability, frequency or supply discretion. In the case study here, the MFC-L2710DW requires a '''DR730'''<ref>[https://www.brother-usa.com/products/dr730 Brother DR730 Product Detail]</ref> drum unit which Brother states has a life-span of 12,000 printed pages.

======Printer======
The Brother printer chosen is the MFC-L2710DW. The rational for choosing this model for the case study are as follows:
*it is one of the most popular machines and has the highest number of reviews on the Brother eligibility list page.
*it has a sub $400 price point and is listed as eligible for the EZ Print Subscription program.
*it has parts and consumables readily available from a variety of sources.
*it is suited to a home / small office environment and has: automated duplex printing, a large 250 sheet tray capacity, wireless, ethernet or USB connections, 32 page-per-minute print speed and has a 50-page capacity automatic feeder to copy or scan documents.

======Analytics======
Market analysis shows that laser printers are the most popular machine for everyday printing:
*the average home office / small office user prints '''3.4 monochrome pages per day''' <ref name=":0">West, McDonald (July 20, 2018) [["2015, 2016, & 2017 User and Device Printing Statistics"]] ECISolutions.com. Retrieved February 8, 2025</ref>
*[https://www.consumerreports.org/ Consumer Reports.org] reports their subscribers print a median of '''33 monochrome pages per month''' <ref>Pinola, Melanie (2024) [https://www.consumerreports.org/electronics-computers/printers/are-printer-ink-subscriptions-worth-it-a4050339657/ "Are Printer Ink Subscriptions Worth It?"]. Consumerreports.org. Retrieved February 8, 2025</ref>
*monochrome printing now makes '''up to 80% of total print jobs''' in a home or small office environment. <ref name=":0" />
*color printing has '''decreased in use by 34%''' over the 3 year period measured. <ref name=":0" />
By comparing the user data against the claim of cost-savings and stipulations in methodology from Brother, it is clear the scenario is one in which the choice given by Brother in no way matches a real-world situation or printing habits of the user. Furthermore, Brother engages in a purposefully misleading comparison when they state that the saving is based upon ''"average cost per page of eligible like standard capacity cartridge"'' for they must compare identical products as only genuine Brother cartridges are supplied in the program.

======Assumptions======
To create a more realistic comparison we set rules to give the end-user a more reasonable, flexible and real-world choice when investigating print pricing. In our use case:

*the end-user keeps the printer for a minimum 12 months.
*the subscription is maintained for a minimum 12 months.
*the end-user runs a small office and prints 15 times the average page rate (6000 pages-per-year)
*the end-user has a broader choice of consumables.

======EZ Print Cost Comparison Matrix======
{| class="wikitable"
!
!Brand
!Yield
!Price
!Pages
!Cartridges
!Total Cost
!Page Cost
!Generic Lockout
!Internet Required
|-
|'''Brother'''
|Brother
|1200 +-
|$24.99
|6000
|5
|$299.88
|$0.050
|Yes
|Yes
|-
|'''Staples'''
|Brother
|1200 +-
|$47.99
|6000
|5
|$239.95
|$0.040
|No
|No
|-
|'''Office Depot'''
|Brother
|1200 +-
|$47.99
|6000
|5
|$239.95
|$0.040
|No
|No
|-
|'''YB Toner'''
|Generic
|1200 +-
|$18.95
|6000
|5
|$94.75
|$0.015
|No
|No
|-
|'''True Image'''
|Generic
|1200 +-
|$19.50
|6000
|5
|$97.50
|$0.016
|No
|No
|}

======False or Misleading Claim======
As the above data illustrates, Brother's claim that the program can '''"save the end-user up to 50%"''' is purposefully misleading. They do this by using the following methods:

#'''Scenario Manipulation''': Brother creates a situation where the user runs with the service for only a month, ending the program before the billing cycle before or prior to the auto-replenishment alert.
#'''Comparing Different Programs''': this is a clear misrepresentation. Here Brother relates Pay-Per-Page to Pay-Per-Cartridge, a false and misleading comparison. The matrix shows us that the Brother price is roughly half that of the next supplier, but here the user '''owns the cartridge''' bought from Staples and only the '''rents the ability to print a certain number of pages''' from Brother.

We note also that should the end-user run with the program for a year, then the Brother program is the most expensive option for printing.

======EZ Auto Reorder Brother Cost Matrix======
{| class="wikitable"
!
!Brand
!Yield
!Price
!Pages
!Cartriges
!Total Cost
!Page Cost
!Generic Lockout
!Internet Required
|-
|'''Brother'''
|Brother
|1200 +-
|$43.19
|6000
|5
|$215.96
|$0.036
|Yes
|Yes
|}
''NB: Brother only listed here. All other competitor data remains identical to the EZ Print Cost Comparison Matrix.''

======Validated Claim======
The EZ Auto Reorder subscription offers the end-user a '''10% discount''' on cartridges while they are enrolled in program. This reduces the cost-per-cartridge by $4.80 when the product is supplied directly from Brother.

==Subscription History==

======Overview======
To understand the introduction rational of subscriptions within a traditional hardware company such as Brother, one must first understand how the changes in sales and profitability have historically developed within the markets that they operate.

======Brother Industries, Ltd.======
Brother was established in Japan in 1908 <ref>[https://wiki.rossmanngroup.com/images/a/a9/Brother_Sales_Revenue_1928-2020.png Brother Sales Revenue (1928-2020).png]</ref> primarily as an industrial manufacturer of machine parts. It was not until 1928 that Brother launched its first mainline product: an high-quality industrial sewing machine. Owing to their history in manufacturing, Brother's machines were good quality and highly regarded. They sold well and prior to the second-world war, Japanese companies like Brother had access to a highly-skilled and low-cost labor force. This allowed Brother to expand its product line and to firmly capture a share of the industrial sewing category; a market in which they still operate today.

The post war years saw significant Japanese government focus on industrialization.<ref>Mosk, Carl (August 12, 2023) [https://eh.net/encyclopedia/japanese-industrialization-and-economic-growth/ "Japanese Industrialization and Economic Growth"] Economic History Association. Retrieved February 8, 2025</ref> And by the early 1960's and 1970's, Japan's electronics manufacturing sector was not only mature but had rapidly expanded. This foundation, coupled with the large national labor pool, access to western technology and the skill-to-cost benefits from earlier government investment, quickly made Japanese manufacturers the leaders in high-quality, low-cost electronic products. Brother too, benefited from this economic environment. It invested heavily in the technology sector and by 1971, released a product that would change the company direction and growth into the foreseeable future: a high-speed, '''dot-matrix printer'''.

======Segment Reliance======

By the '''1990's''', Brother had identified a global category for growth and shifted its resources and focus firmly towards the Printing & Solutions ('''P&S''') market. And while it maintained its leadership in domestic sewing, the company continued to make significant gains through electronic stationery such as labeling. The returns in the P&S segment continued to provide opportunities to expand worldwide. Brother had identified a segment opportunity, not only through industrial buyers to whom Brother traditionally catered, but with small office and home office users ('''SOHO''') who purchased Brother's products for their high reliability and reasonable cost. By the mid-1990's Brother has released many successful and profitable lines:

* laser printers (both color & mono)
* all-in-one printers (print, fax & scan)
* inkjet printers (high-speed color)
* garment, label and mobile printers.

Throughout the late 1990's and early '''2000's''' the company continued to focus on its long-term relationships within the P&S segment. It identified growth and profitability in the 'parts and consumables' market. Brother understood that OEM clients, vendors, distributors and large retailers were key to maintaining a strong brand affiliation to drive this demand. To acquire additional industrial and SOHO buyers, Brother engaged in heavy promotional schedules and new product offerings. It introduced high-end, all-in-one laser printers and high-speed inkjet printers, all at price points not before seen. Brother also sought growth in emerging markets. The company invested aggressively in Asia by promoting and selling low-cost '''monochrome laser printers''', which by now had became their strength and specialty.

Then into the '''2010's''' Brother's previously positive financial results started to plateau. Its operating income and profits fell, and net sales, though marginally up, had failed to meet forecast. Furthermore, its Printing & Solutions ('''P&S''') segment had not shown the growth expected, especially in Asia where they had invested heavily. Still, Brother's strategy remained largely the same:

#Maintain US/EU presence through retail channels and '''seek growth through''' '''SOHO''' & '''SMB''' customers.
#Target sales channels and support promotions to '''expand sales of mono laser printers''' in emerging markets.

But by '''2015''' investors and shareholders had started to ask some tough questions. Despite meeting net sales forecast targets in Printing & Solutions (up by 5.5% YOY), income and profit were in significant decline, The previously stable Machinery & Solution division was in free-fall and the anchor for sales and growth, Printing & Solutions ('''P&S'''), suffered a 4.3% profit contraction.

'''Brother Business Segment Return 2024'''
{| class="wikitable"
!
!Printing & Solutions
!Personal & Home
!Machinery
!Network & Contents
!Domino
!Other
|-
|Sales Revenue
|'''58.92%'''
|6.64%
|15.22%
|7.00%
|10.41%
|1.78%
|-
|Segement Profit
|'''72.50%'''
|5.55%
|13.61%
|2.50%
|5.42%
|0.55%
|-
|Operation Profit
|'''73.57%'''
|5.56%
|13.77%
|2.22%
|1.03%
|1.11%
|}

Brother

==Data Privacy==

==References==
<references />
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brother Refresh Subscription Service}}
[[Category:Subscription-based services]]
[[Category:Printers]]

Brother Refresh EZ Print Subscription Service

2025-02-10T07:17:52Z

Watchdog: segment expansion, additional references, grammar, spelling

{{InfoboxProductLine
| Title = Brother Refresh Service
| Release Year = 2021
| Product Type = Subscription-as-a-Service
| In Production = Yes
| Official Website = [https://www.brother-usa.com/supplies/subscription-info#plans Brother Refresh]
| Logo = Brother Refresh 02.png
}}

The Brother Industries Ltd.: '''Refresh Program Subscription Service''' is a Subscription-as-a-Service ('''SubS''') launched in August 2021. The program claims to offer domestic and business users the advantage of an on-demand, lower-cost printing solution that provides genuine Brother consumables directly to their door, without the need for end-user consumable management.

The [https://www.brother-usa.com/supplies/refresh-smart-delivery Brother Refresh] service currently offers two programs: '''EZ Auto Reordering''' (abbreviated as '''EZ-ARP'''), where the end-user pays only to replace a depleted cartridge or '''EZ Print Subscription''' (abbreviated as '''EZ-PSP'''), where the the user pays per page printed.

Listed are the program features offered to the end user to maintain and service their machines:
{| class="wikitable"
!
!EZ-ARP
!EZ-PSP
|-
|'''Auto Cartridge Ordering'''
|Yes
|Yes
|-
|'''Free Trial'''
|No
|Yes
|-
|'''Payments'''
|Pay-Per-Cartridge
|Pay-Per-Page
|-
|'''Cartridge Type'''
|Standard or XL
|XL or Super XL
|-
|'''Shipping Costs'''
|>$19.99 Free
|Free (plan-based)
|-
|'''Warranty'''
|No
|Limited (plan-based)
|-
|'''Customer Service'''
|Yes
|Yes
|-
|'''Flexible Plans'''
|No
|Yes
|-
|'''Easy Cancellation'''
|Yes
|Yes
|}

==Subscription Eligibility==
Brother currently lists [https://www.brother-usa.com/supplies/subscription-info/eligible-printers/products#sort=%40productcataloglistprice%20descending these printers] available to enter the Refresh program. The printer can either be "Refresh-ready" (with Refresh EZ-Print Subscription ink and toner cartridges included) or activated post-purchase via the Brother website. Once the printer is activated and enrolled to the Refresh service, only cartridges or toner supplied by Brother can be used.

====='''EZ Print Subscription''' (pay-per-page)=====
{| class="wikitable"
!Printer Type
!Models
![https://www.brother-usa.com/supplies/subscription-info Promoted]
!Free Trial
!Cartridge Series Disclosed
!Cartridge Yield Disclosed
|-
|Mono Laser Printers
|13
|Yes
|Yes
|Unknown
|Unknown
|-
|Color Laser Printer
|0
|Yes
|No
|N/A
|N/A
|-
|Inkjet Printers
|8
|Yes
|Yes
|Unknown
|Unknown
|}

====='''EZ Auto Reordering''' (pay-per-cartridge)=====
{| class="wikitable"
!Printer Type
!Models
![https://www.brother-usa.com/supplies/ez-auto-reordering Promoted]
!Free Trial
!Cartridge Series Disclosed
!Cartridge Yield Disclosed
|-
|Mono Laser Printers
|141
|Yes
|No
|Yes
|Yes
|-
|Color Laser Printer
|31
|Yes
|No
|Yes
|Yes
|-
|Inkjet Printers
|0
|Yes
|No
|N/A
|N/A
|}

======False or Misleading Promotion======

*Brother clearly advertises color plans in the '''EZ Print''' program yet no color printers are currently eligible.<ref>[https://www.brother-usa.com/supplies/subscription-info/eligible-printers/products#sort=%40productcataloglistprice%20descending EZ-Print Eligibility List]</ref>
*Brother clearly advertises discounted ink & toner in the '''EZ Auto Reorder''' program yet no inkjet printers are currently eligible.<ref>[https://wiki.rossmanngroup.com/images/0/0d/Brother_Refresh_AutoReorder_printer_eigibility_list_08025.png EZ-Auto Reorder Eligibility List]</ref>
*Brother does not state cartridge series or yield on their website nor prior to enrollment in the Refresh program.<ref>[[:File:Brother Live Assistance Transcript 080225.pdf|Brother Assistance Transcript]]</ref>

==Subscription Claims==

=====EZ Print Program=====
Brother purports that the EZ Print subscription program can '''save the end-user up to 50%''' on genuine Brother ink or toner. This is accompanied by a caveat located in the legal disclaimer found at the bottom of the subscription information page.<ref>[https://www.brother-usa.com/supplies/subscription-info Brother Subscription Information]</ref>

It states: ''based on monthly subscription cost in U.S. for Mono Laser Power Plan vs. average cost per page of eligible like standard capacity cartridges. Savings will vary based on Refresh EZ Print Subscription plan selected.''

======Obfuscated or Misleading Claim======

*No color laser or inkjet printers are included in Brother's claimed subscription discount comparison.
*Only the highest-cost mono laser plan is used in Brother's claimed subscription discount comparison.
*Only a standard yield cartridge is included in Brother's claimed subscription discount comparison.

=====EZ Auto Reording Program=====
Brother offers a '''10% discount on all orders''' of genuine ink & toner when subscribed to the EZ Auto Reorder program. The Program also enables the end-user to select a higher-yield cartridge if required.

======Obfuscated or Misleading Claim======

*No inkjet printers are currently eligible for the '''EZ-ARP''' yet Brother promotes "Ink & Toner Delivered Automatically" on the program page.

==Subscription Analysis==

=====Case Study=====
[[File:MFCL2710DW EZ-Print.png|thumb|500x500px]]
To investigate Brother's claim for their purported savings in the '''EZ-Print''' program, we used the listed legal disclaimer as a basis for the setup:

#Mono Laser Printer: '''MFC-L2710DW''' <ref>[https://www.brother-usa.com/products/mfcl2710dw MFC-L2710DW Overview]</ref>
#Highest Cost Plan: '''Power Plan'''
#Standard Yield Cartridge: '''TN730''' <ref>[https://www.brother-usa.com/products/tn730 Brother TN730 Product Detail]</ref>

======Notes======
The Brother "Power Plan" includes:

*'''Credit $30''': for add-ons only
*'''Bonus Toner''' Eligibility: once only
*'''Drum Replacement''': undefined

It should also be noted that:

*the credit applies to any consumable or additional page cost outside the plan limits, '''not''' subscription cost.
*bonus toner is supplied once and as a 'back-up' in case the 'plan' replenishment does not arrive on time.
*drum replacement is not specified by Brother as to availability, frequency or supply discretion. In the case study here, the MFC-L2710DW requires a '''DR730'''<ref>[https://www.brother-usa.com/products/dr730 Brother DR730 Product Detail]</ref> drum unit which Brother states has a life-span of 12,000 printed pages.

======Printer======
The Brother printer chosen is the MFC-L2710DW. The rational for choosing this model for the case study are as follows:
*it is one of the most popular machines and has the highest number of reviews on the Brother eligibility list page.
*it has a sub $400 price point and is listed as eligible for the EZ Print Subscription program.
*it has parts and consumables readily available from a variety of sources.
*it is suited to a home / small office environment and has: automated duplex printing, a large 250 sheet tray capacity, wireless, ethernet or USB connections, 32 page-per-minute print speed and has a 50-page capacity automatic feeder to copy or scan documents.

======Analytics======
Market analysis shows that laser printers are the most popular machine for everyday printing:
*the average home office / small office user prints '''3.4 monochrome pages per day''' <ref name=":0">West, McDonald (July 20, 2018) [["2015, 2016, & 2017 User and Device Printing Statistics"]] ECISolutions.com. Retrieved February 8, 2025</ref>
*[https://www.consumerreports.org/ Consumer Reports.org] reports their subscribers print a median of '''33 monochrome pages per month''' <ref>Pinola, Melanie (2024) [https://www.consumerreports.org/electronics-computers/printers/are-printer-ink-subscriptions-worth-it-a4050339657/ "Are Printer Ink Subscriptions Worth It?"]. Consumerreports.org. Retrieved February 8, 2025</ref>
*monochrome printing now makes '''up to 80% of total print jobs''' in a home or small office environment. <ref name=":0" />
*color printing has '''decreased in use by 34%''' over the 3 year period measured. <ref name=":0" />
By comparing the user data against the claim of cost-savings and stipulations in methodology from Brother, it is clear the scenario is one in which the choice given by Brother in no way matches a real-world situation or printing habits of the user. Furthermore, Brother engages in a purposefully misleading comparison when they state that the saving is based upon ''"average cost per page of eligible like standard capacity cartridge"'' for they must compare identical products as only genuine Brother cartridges are supplied in the program.

======Assumptions======
To create a more realistic comparison we set rules to give the end-user a more reasonable, flexible and real-world choice when investigating print pricing. In our use case:

*the end-user keeps the printer for a minimum 12 months.
*the subscription is maintained for a minimum 12 months.
*the end-user runs a small office and prints 15 times the average page rate (6000 pages-per-year)
*the end-user has a broader choice of consumables.

======EZ Print Cost Comparison Matrix======
{| class="wikitable"
!
!Brand
!Yield
!Price
!Pages
!Cartridges
!Total Cost
!Page Cost
!Generic Lockout
!Internet Required
|-
|'''Brother'''
|Brother
|1200 +-
|$24.99
|6000
|5
|$299.88
|$0.050
|Yes
|Yes
|-
|'''Staples'''
|Brother
|1200 +-
|$47.99
|6000
|5
|$239.95
|$0.040
|No
|No
|-
|'''Office Depot'''
|Brother
|1200 +-
|$47.99
|6000
|5
|$239.95
|$0.040
|No
|No
|-
|'''YB Toner'''
|Generic
|1200 +-
|$18.95
|6000
|5
|$94.75
|$0.015
|No
|No
|-
|'''True Image'''
|Generic
|1200 +-
|$19.50
|6000
|5
|$97.50
|$0.016
|No
|No
|}

======False or Misleading Claim======
As the above data illustrates, Brother's claim that the program can '''"save the end-user up to 50%"''' is purposefully misleading. They do this by using the following methods:

#'''Scenario Manipulation''': Brother assumes that the user runs with the service for only a month, ending the program before the billing cycle before or prior to the auto-replenishment alert.
#'''Comparing Different Programs''': this is a clear misrepresentation. Here Brother relates Pay-Per-Page to Pay-Per-Cartridge, a false and misleading comparison. The matrix shows us that the Brother price is roughly half that of the next supplier, but here the user '''owns the cartridge''' bought from Staples and only the '''rents the ability to print a certain number of pages''' from Brother.

We note also that should the end-user run with the program for a year, then the Brother program is the most expensive option for printing.

======EZ Auto Reorder Brother Cost Matrix======
{| class="wikitable"
!
!Brand
!Yield
!Price
!Pages
!Cartriges
!Total Cost
!Page Cost
!Generic Lockout
!Internet Required
|-
|'''Brother'''
|Brother
|1200 +-
|$43.19
|6000
|5
|$215.96
|$0.036
|Yes
|Yes
|}
''NB: Brother only listed here. All other competitor data remains identical to the EZ Print Cost Comparison Matrix.''

======Validated Claim======
The EZ Auto Reorder subscription offers the end-user a '''10% discount''' on cartridges while they are enrolled in program. This reduces the cost-per-cartridge by $4.80 when the product is supplied directly from Brother.

==Subscription History==

======Overview======
To understand the introduction rational of subscriptions within a traditional hardware company such as Brother, one must first understand how the changes in sales and profitability have historically developed within the markets that they operate.

======Brother Industries, Ltd.======
Brother was established in Japan in 1908 <ref>[https://wiki.rossmanngroup.com/images/a/a9/Brother_Sales_Revenue_1928-2020.png Brother Sales Revenue (1928-2020).png]</ref> primarily as an industrial manufacturer of machine parts. It was not until 1928 that Brother launched its first mainline product: an high-quality industrial sewing machine. Owing to their history in manufacturing, Brother's machines were good quality and highly regarded. They sold well and prior to the second-world war, Japanese companies like Brother had access to a highly-skilled and low-cost labor force. This allowed Brother to expand its product line and to firmly capture a share of the industrial sewing category; a market in which they still operate today.

The post war years saw significant Japanese government focus on industrialization.<ref>Mosk, Carl (August 12, 2023) [https://eh.net/encyclopedia/japanese-industrialization-and-economic-growth/ "Japanese Industrialization and Economic Growth"] Economic History Association. Retrieved February 8, 2025</ref> And by the early 1960's and 1970's, Japan's electronics manufacturing sector was not only mature but had rapidly expanded. This foundation, coupled with the large national labor pool, access to western technology and the skill-to-cost benefits from earlier government investment, quickly made Japanese manufacturers the leaders in high-quality, low-cost electronic products. Brother too, benefited from this economic environment. It invested heavily in the technology sector and by 1971, released a product that would change the company direction and growth into the foreseeable future: a high-speed, '''dot-matrix printer'''.

======Segment Reliance======

By the '''1990's''', Brother had shifted its resources and focus primarily towards the Printing & Solutions ('''P&S''') market. While it lead the market in domestic sewing and continued make significant gains electronic stationery such as labeling, the returns in the P&S segment continued to expand worldwide. Brother forecast this growth not only through industrial buyers to whom Brother traditionally catered, but with small office and home office users ('''SOHO''') who purchased Brother's products for their high reliability and reasonable cost. By the mid-1990's Brother has released many successful printer lines: laser (both color & mono), all-in-one (print, fax & scan), inkjet, garment, label and mobile.

Throughout the late 1990's and early '''2000's''' the company continued to focus on its long-term relationships within P&S. It saw profitability in parts and consumables and understood that OEM clients, vendors, distributors and large retailers were key to maintaining a strong brand affiliation to drive this demand. To acquire additional industrial and SOHO buyers, Brother engaged in heavy promotion and new product offerings. It introduced high-end all-in-one laser printers and high-speed inkjet printers all at price points not before seen and then hoped to realize profits through the associated sales of parts and consumables. Brother also sought growth in emerging markets. The company invested aggressively in Asia by promoting and selling low-cost '''monochrome laser printers''', which by now had became their strength and specialty.

Into the '''2010's''' Brother's financial results were flat if not declining. Its operating income and profits fell and net sales, though marginally up, had failed to meet forecast. Furthermore its Printing & Solutions ('''P&S''') segment had not shown the growth expected especially in Asia where Brother had invested heavily. Still, Brother's strategy remained largely the same:

# Maintain US/EU presence through retail channels and '''seek growth through''' '''SOHO''' & '''SMB''' customers.
# Target sales channels and support promotions to '''expand sales of mono laser printers''' in emerging markets.

But by '''2015''' investors and shareholders had started to ask some tough questions.

'''Brother Business Segment Return 2024'''
{| class="wikitable"
!
!Printing & Solutions
!Personal & Home
!Machinery
!Network & Contents
!Domino
!Other
|-
|Sales Revenue
|'''58.92%'''
|6.64%
|15.22%
|7.00%
|10.41%
|1.78%
|-
|Segement Profit
|'''72.50%'''
|5.55%
|13.61%
|2.50%
|5.42%
|0.55%
|-
|Operation Profit
|'''73.57%'''
|5.56%
|13.77%
|2.22%
|1.03%
|1.11%
|}

Brother

==Data Privacy==

==References==
<references />
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brother Refresh Subscription Service}}
[[Category:Subscription-based services]]
[[Category:Printers]]

Brother Refresh EZ Print Subscription Service

2025-02-10T03:18:04Z

Watchdog: added: subscription history, overview, brother sales outline, segment reliance, segment return 2024

File:Brother Sales Revenue 1928-2020.png

2025-02-10T01:29:10Z

Watchdog: A history of Brother's sales revenue and various historically significant product releases.

== Summary ==
A history of Brother's sales revenue and various historically significant product releases.

Brother Refresh EZ Print Subscription Service

2025-02-09T13:48:12Z

Watchdog: spelling, grammar

Brother Refresh EZ Print Subscription Service

2025-02-09T13:32:10Z

Watchdog: spelling, grammar

Brother Refresh EZ Print Subscription Service

2025-02-09T13:30:37Z

Watchdog: completed case study, cost analysis. Start data privacy concerns

Brother Refresh EZ Print Subscription Service

2025-02-09T11:45:57Z

Watchdog: finalised analytics, linked consumer reports and data, created real-world assumptions for price comparisons

File:PAE Business 2015-2016-2017-user-and-device-printing-statistics.pdf

2025-02-09T08:34:23Z

Watchdog: Metrics and trends relating to user device and printing (2015-2017)

== Summary ==
Metrics and trends relating to user device and printing (2015-2017)

Brother Refresh EZ Print Subscription Service

2025-02-09T08:15:22Z

Watchdog: added: analytics, assumptions, printer, table, references

Brother Refresh EZ Print Subscription Service

2025-02-09T04:49:25Z

Watchdog: added Pay-Per-Cartridge vs Pay-Per-Page, detailed notes on case study, documents to support analysis, various edits

File:Brother MFCL2710DW EZ-Print.png

2025-02-09T04:05:49Z

Watchdog:

Brother MFCL2710DW

File:Brother MFCL2710DW EZPrint.png

2025-02-09T03:54:08Z

Watchdog:

Brother MFCL2710DW

File:Brother EZ Print Subscription Terms-of-Use.pdf

2025-02-09T02:44:08Z

Watchdog: Official Brother Release Correct at:July 26, 2024

== Summary ==
Official Brother Release Correct at:July 26, 2024

Brother Refresh EZ Print Subscription Service

2025-02-09T02:31:13Z

Watchdog: added references, claim evaluation, misleading claim detail, pricing matrix, various reference link

File:Brother Refresh AutoReorder printer eigibility list 08025.png

2025-02-09T01:25:14Z

Watchdog: Current list for Brother printers eligible for the EZ-Auto Reorder subscription program.

== Summary ==
Current list for Brother printers eligible for the EZ-Auto Reorder subscription program.

File:Brother Live Assistance Transcript 080225.pdf

2025-02-09T00:03:17Z

Watchdog: A Brother US Live Assistance transcript which details the enquiry regarding Refresh program cartridge series. NB. Names are redacted for privacy

== Summary ==
A Brother US Live Assistance transcript which details the enquiry regarding Refresh program cartridge series.

NB. Names are redacted for privacy

Brother Refresh EZ Print Subscription Service

2025-02-08T23:58:21Z

Watchdog: added: references, misleading or false promotion, uploaded transcripts

Brother Refresh EZ Print Subscription Service

2025-02-08T22:58:53Z

Watchdog: updates, added detail on eligibility, grammar

Brother Refresh EZ Print Subscription Service

2025-02-08T08:41:54Z

Watchdog: added: subscription eligibility, claims and various tables

Brother Refresh EZ Print Subscription Service

2025-02-08T07:29:13Z

Watchdog: added: eligible printers in program, table listing attributes

Brother Refresh EZ Print Subscription Service

2025-02-08T02:05:54Z

Watchdog: launch date correction

Brother Refresh EZ Print Subscription Service

2025-02-08T01:59:12Z

Watchdog: launch date corrected, cartridge type corrected, grammar

ATSC 3.0

2025-02-07T11:17:03Z

Watchdog: image uploaded, URL linked, general grammar corrections

{{InfoboxProductLine
| Title = {{PAGENAME}}
| Release Year =May 2017
| Product Type =Television transmission protocol
| In Production =Yes
| Official Website =https://www.watchnextgentv.com/
| Logo =NextGenTVBug.png
}}

'''{{PAGENAME}}''', also known as '''NextGenTV,''' is a television protocol for terrestrial (over the air) broadcasting.<ref name":0"="" name=":1">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ATSC_3.0</ref> It promises to deliver 4K resolution broadcast television using modern standards like HEVC, HDR, Dolby AC-4 and MPEG-H 3D audio.<ref name=":1" />

==Consumer impact summary==
NextGenTV has had privacy concerns over internet based viewer metrics/analytics and targeted advertising,<ref name=":1" /> voiced by FCC commissioner Geoffrey Starks in 2020.<ref>https://www.tvtechnology.com/atsc3/starks-warns-of-potential-privacy-data-issues-with-atsc-3-0</ref> More importantly, NextGenTV marked the introduction of [[Digital rights management]] and encryption to freely available television airwaves.<ref name=":1" />

The authority for encryption in ATSC 3.0 is called A3SA.<ref>https://a3sa.com/</ref> According to a article on Techhive,<ref name=":0">https://www.techhive.com/article/2009693/nextgen-tv-drm-puts-future-of-the-over-the-air-dvr-in-doubt.html</ref> restrictions that could be imposed by A3SA's DRM might include:

*Blocking or setting expiry dates on recordings
*Blocking remote access of tuners
*Always-on internet being required for viewing/streaming/playback
*Pairing recordings to the tuner it was recorded from
*"Blessing" devices that pass the A3SA's DRM certification and licensing program
The Techhive article also describes that implementation of DRM could increase the cost of tuners due to the required licensing and certification programs on vendors.

On certified devices, it was also discovered by Lon Seidman that tuner decryption certificates can expire after 10 to 30 years.<ref>https://blog.lon.tv/2024/01/30/atsc-3-tv-tuners-have-an-expiration-date-slow-progress-on-gateway-devices-and-more/</ref>

==Incidents==
Many major US ATSC 3.0 pilot stations started encrypting their broadcasts in 2023,<ref name=":0" /><ref>https://blog.lon.tv/2023/05/15/broadcasters-roll-out-restrictive-drm-encryption-on-atsc-3-0-broadcasts/</ref> locking out users of all pre-certification ATSC 3.0 tuners without decryption support. This has led to some resource websites like [https://www.rabbitears.info/ rabbitears.info] to become concerned about their future providing information on channels due to encryption becoming more widespread. They warn the site may be unable to operate as the tools for analysis of channels become inoperable on encrypted channels.<ref>https://www.rabbitears.info/static.php?name=atsc3_encryption</ref>

In cases where encrypted channels were able to be decrypted using certified tuners, it has been reported an active internet connection is required to tune or switch between encrypted channels.<ref>https://blog.lon.tv/2023/09/03/the-adth-nextgen-tv-box-shows-us-just-how-bad-atsc-3-0-encrpytion-will-be/</ref>

LG has also encountered patent issues trying to incorporate tuners into their TVs, which resulted in a dispute with Constellation Design Inc. that ended ATSC 3.0 tuner support in new LG televisions as of September 2023.<ref name=":1" /><ref>https://blog.lon.tv/2023/09/26/new-lg-televisions-will-not-have-atsc-3-tuners-due-to-patent-dispute/</ref>

==See also==
[https://www.rabbitears.info/market.php?request=atsc3 rabbitears.info page on ATSC 3.0, listing encrypted channels.]

[https://blog.lon.tv/2023/07/10/the-fcc-responds-to-my-atsc-3-encryption-complaint-they-want-to-hear-from-you/ Lon Seidman Blogpost on the FCC response to ATSC DRM]

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:{{PAGENAME}}]]
[[Category:Protocols]]
[[Category:Articles in need of additional work]]

File:NextGenTV logo.png

2025-02-07T11:11:47Z

Watchdog: NextGen TV logo

== Summary ==
NextGen TV logo

Brother Refresh EZ Print Subscription Service

2025-02-07T10:56:30Z

Watchdog: added category

Category:Subscription-based services

2025-02-07T10:35:15Z

Watchdog: Acronym correction

Information and articles in relation to Subscription-Based Services ('''SubS''').

[[Category:Services]]

Brother Refresh EZ Print Subscription Service

2025-02-07T10:33:10Z

Watchdog: acronym changes

Brother Refresh EZ Print Subscription Service

2025-02-07T10:28:32Z

Watchdog: table added, comparison added

Brother Refresh EZ Print Subscription Service

2025-02-07T09:55:55Z

Watchdog: updated logo

File:Brother Refresh 02.png

2025-02-07T09:54:43Z

Watchdog: Updated logo for Brother Refresh programs

== Summary ==
Updated logo for Brother Refresh programs

Brother Refresh EZ Print Subscription Service

2025-02-07T09:53:15Z

Watchdog: additions, scope, references

Brother Refresh EZ Print Subscription Service

2025-02-07T09:35:11Z

Watchdog: added EZPrint image

{{InfoboxProductLine
| Title = Brother Refresh EZ Print
| Release Year = 2021
| Product Type = Subscription-as-a-Service
| In Production = Yes
| Official Website = [https://www.brother-usa.com/supplies/subscription-info#plans Brother Refresh]
| Logo = Brother Refresh.png
}}

The Brother Industries Ltd.: '''Refresh EZ Print Subscription Service''' (hereby referred to as '''EZ-PSP''') is a Subscription-as-a-Service ('''SubS''') launched in August 2021. The program claims to offer domestic and business users the advantage of an on-demand, lower-cost printing solution that provides genuine Brother consumables directly to their door, without the need for end-user consumable management.

User:Watchdog

2025-02-07T09:32:52Z

Watchdog: /* Created Pages */

I live down under and support LR and CAT. I am NOT Paul Daniels.

==Created Pages==

*'''[[BROTHER]]'''
*[[Brother Refresh EZ Print Subscription Service|'''EZPrint Subscription Service''']]

File:Brother Refresh.png

2025-02-07T09:30:36Z

Watchdog: Image of EZPrint program offering from Brother

== Summary ==
Image of EZPrint program offering from Brother

Brother Refresh EZ Print Subscription Service

2025-02-07T09:29:15Z

Watchdog: initial page creation

{{InfoboxProductLine
| Title = Brother Refresh EZ Print
| Release Year = 2021
| Product Type = Subscription-as-a-Service
| In Production = Yes
| Official Website = [https://www.brother-usa.com/supplies/subscription-info#plans Brother Refresh]
| Logo = QuestionMark.svg
}}

The Brother Industries Ltd.: '''Refresh EZ Print Subscription Service''' (hereby referred to as '''EZ-PSP''') is a Subscription-as-a-Service ('''SubS''') launched in August 2021. The program claims to offer domestic and business users the advantage of an on-demand, lower-cost printing solution that provides genuine Brother consumables directly to their door, without the need for end-user consumable management.

Category:Subscription-based services

2025-02-07T08:22:25Z

Watchdog: spelling, grammar

Information and articles in relation to Subscription-Based Services (SBS).

[[Category:Services]]