HP Product Discounts. HP/HPE Alumni

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Discounts on HP products and services for retirees and alumni.

From former employees of HP and HPE. (Apr 3, 2024) Question? Email: info@hpalumni.org

Menu of all discount topics: Retiree Discount Menu Discussed on the HPAA Benefits Forum.

Beneplace is not the place for employee/retiree discounts on HP products and services. (As with many companies, HP offers shallow "employee discounts" through various channels -- including via Beneplace -- an advertising company that promotes identical discounts to employees and retirees of thousands of companies.)

Discounts on HP products. HPInc no longer offers employee/retiree discounts on ink and toner. Discounts are still available on printers, laptops, desktops, Chromebooks, gaming systems, business laptops and desktops, workstations, monitors, accessories, paper, certain software, and most large-format printer/plotters. Discount percentages vary dramatically. Some may not be a good deal compared to reseller prices. Some products may be obsolete and without security updates.

If your HPShopping account is classified as an employee/retiree account -- and there is a discount on that product -- the list price is crossed out and "SAVE $xx.xx" is displayed next to it.

HP's rules and instructions: https://www.hp.com/us-en/jobs/retiree/epp.html

- "HP Continuum" is HPInc's official U.S. retiree social networking site. Includes details on retiree discounts -- plus benefits material not available on MyHPBenefits. Join at https://www.hpcontinuum.com (select "Discounts" from the menu)

- If classified as an HPE retiree, details are on the HPE retiree website

Using HPShopping. Call the main 800 sales number given at the top of the page at https://www.hp.com/us-en/shop . HPShopping chat and phone agents have access to a database of current HP/HPE employees and those officially classified as retirees. Members have reported that some HPShopping agents don't know about this.

Amazon for ink and toner. Members report that buying genuine ink and toner on Amazon with an Amazon credit card is a better deal than ordering directly from HP. (Employee/retiree discount is no longer offered on ink and toner; still available on most other HPInc products.) In addition, Amazon often carries two-packs at an additional discount.

Which HP-related companies have you classified as a retiree? Due to acquisitions and spinoffs, this may not be obvious. Check here: https://www.hpalumni.org/WhichCompany

Printer supplies via online sellers.

- Watch out for obscure sellers who have a high complaint rate or have been in business for a short time. Some sell supplies that don't work well or have short life -- with well-done counterfeit packages and security labels. Some sell refilled or cloned supplies with clever wording implying that they are genuine -- or no indication at all. Genuine cartridges with liquid ink may be unreliable if too old.

- HP's discussion of refilled, clone, and counterfeit ink and toner cartridges: Original HP Cartridges How to identify genuine HP cartridges: 4 easy ways to spot the fakes

Using a reseller. You can often do better buying HP products from a reseller -- especially if you are flexible as to which specific model you want and are careful about selecting the supplier.

- Many retailers now have lower prices for online orders than the prices posted on local store shelves. Before buying any product at a retail store, such as Staples or Office Depot, go to their website and print out the page with the online price. The store will match their own company's online price. Impulse shoppers pay more than people who plan ahead.)

- If you purchase from a reseller and you have early problems with the product, the reseller's return policy may be more flexible than HPShopping's policy. For example, HPShopping has been known to replace a prematurely-failed product with a "refurbished" one.

Why a reseller may have a lower price than the employee/retiree discount:

- Advertised to draw customer traffic. Salespeople are heavily incented to upsell to a more-profitable product, add high-margin accessories, and sell software installation or an extended warranty. A website will try to do the same.

- Less-desirable models: Limited features or performance, poor reviews, discontinued or obsolete, excess inventory, returned, display units, damaged cartons -- or merely out-of-fashion. (Note that the term "Factory Refurbished" used by resellers does not mean that the work was performed by -- or under the control of -- the original manufacturer. Just that it was done in a "factory" somewhere.)

- Some online sellers don't collect sales tax; HPShopping is required to collect and remit your local sales tax.

Also check the HP Business Outlet. A public site (not just for retirees) that sells refurbished, closeout, and overstock products. Shop here: https://h41369.www4.hp.com/pps-offers.php You can also sign up to be emailed a daily inventory spreadsheet. "If you provide your HP employee ID, you can usually get free ground shipping, and sometimes get a 10% discount on items not already discounted."

Heads-up! Obsolete and without security updates. If you see a steep employee/retiree discount on a hardware product, research the product -- including Amazon and Newegg reviews. The product may be discontinued -- but still fine for your purpose. On the other hand, it may be another HP TouchPad -- which was discontinued 49 days after announcement but heavily promoted to employees and retirees, some of whom may not have been aware of the downside of owning a computer that runs on a defunct operating system with no future security updates.

Support for HP Inc products. There is no special product support channel for retirees. HP Inc Customer Support including software and drivers, manuals, diagnostic tools, and "contact an HP agent." Check the warranty status of an HP product: Warranty Check. HP has a set of official public forums.

Company-matched charitable donation program.

- HPInc: Limited to current employees. Source: HPInc Sustainable Impact Report -- page 16. (Was available to retirees In the distant past.)

- HPE: No data yet.

See also: Menu of all discount topics: Retiree Discount Menu

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