Brother Refresh EZ Print Subscription Service
| Basic Information | |
|---|---|
| Release Year | 2021 |
| Product Type | Subscription-as-a-Service |
| In Production | Yes |
| Official Website | Brother Refresh |
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 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:
| 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 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)
| Printer Type | Models | Promoted | Free Trial | Cartridge Series Disclosed | Cartridge Yield Disclosed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mono Laser Printers | 13 | Yes | Yes | Unknown | Unknown |
| Color Laser Printer | 0 | Yes | No | Unknown | Unknown |
| Inkjet Printers | 8 | Yes | Yes | Unknown | Unknown |
EZ Auto Reordering (pay-per-cartridge)
| Printer Type | Models | 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 | Yes | Yes |
False or Misleading Promotion
- Brother clearly advertises color plans in the EZ-Print program yet no color printers are currently eligible.
- Brother clearly advertises discounted ink & toner in the EZ-Auto Reorder program yet no inkjet printers are currently eligible.
Subscription Claims
Brother states that the EZ-Print subscription program can save the end-user up to 50% on genuine Brother ink or toner.