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 | N/A | N/A |
| 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 | 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.[1]
- Brother clearly advertises discounted ink & toner in the EZ Auto Reorder program yet no inkjet printers are currently eligible.[2]
- Brother does not state cartridge series or yield on their website nor prior to enrollment in the Refresh program.[3]
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.[4]
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 of 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 and 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.
Pay-Per-Cartridge vs Pay-Per-Page
Case Study
Here we have used Brother's basis for their purported savings in the EZ-Print program:
- Mono Laser Printer: MFC-L2710DW [5]
- Highest Cost Plan: Power Plan
- Standard Yield Cartridge: TN730 [6]
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 additional page cost or any other consumable outside to the plan limits, not subscription cost.
- bonus toner is supplied once and as a 'back-up' in case the "plan" toner shipment 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[7] drum unit which Brother states has a life-span of 12,000 printed pages.
