
My fridge has an RFID chip in the water filter, so a generic filter doesn't work - mring33621
https://twitter.com/IamShaneMorris/status/1220367934947758080
======
bronco21016
I bought one of these as part of an appliance packaged when I remodeled my
kitchen. 6 months later I learned about all of this and did the filter bypass
‘hack’ mentioned elsewhere. This single act of stupidity by GE has solidified
I will never buy an appliance from them ever again. This act of requiring
‘authentic’ filters is intentionally and without question anti-consumer to
chase a few dollars but as long as the others don’t follow suit they’re
shooting themselves in the foot because consumers will flee.

How long before we see an article about consumers repairing and chasing down
ancient refrigerators that are sadly inefficient but at least repairable?

~~~
gvb
Note that you did not buy an appliance from GE, you bought it from Haier &
KKR. Haier & KKR bought the appliance division from GE and licensed the GE
brand until 2056.[1] _The home appliances business, namely Haier Smart Home,
has 7 global brands – Haier, Casarte, Leader, GE Appliances, Fisher & Paykel,
Aqua and Candy._ [2] Boycott the mothership for best effect!

(Most of the stuff you see with the GE logo on is licensed branding and GE has
nothing to do with it except collecting a fee for the use of their logo.)

[1]
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GE_Appliances#History](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GE_Appliances#History)

[2] [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haier](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haier)

~~~
vunie
The same with Samsung printers division which is actually owned by HP. I think
punishing a company for selling their trademark so that other companies can
mislead their customers is a good thing.

In my eyes, GE is just as guilty as Haier & KKR.

~~~
goatinaboat
There is literally no reason for one company to use another’s brand other than
to deceive the consumer.

~~~
bobbymasters
This is literally not true.

------
SilasX
The author, @ShaneMorris, says "Sound familiar?" and links to the Doctorow
"Unauthorized Bread" short story[1].

But you don't need hypotheticals! The defunct Juicero required a wifi
connection to "check the packet's expiration", but was enforcing use of their
proprietary fruit packets. (Can't find an authoritative source atm but it was
what everyone assumed and what their business model effectively required[2].)

And IIRC Keurig seriously considered doing this or had already implemented it.

[1] [https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2020/01/unauthorized-
bread-a-...](https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2020/01/unauthorized-bread-a-near-
future-tale-of-refugees-and-sinister-iot-appliances/)

[2]
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15154723](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15154723)

~~~
TylerE
The Juicero thing was so dumb. Even if you believe their reasoning, why not
just encode the expiration date in the chip?

~~~
nolok
If people had been willing to ask themselves basic sanity question like that,
the entire company / product would have never existed in the first place

------
xhrpost
As many are aware, this sort of "manufacturer parts only" tech is everywhere.
First printers, then k-cups, now water filters and I'm sure the list goes on.
While, initially I share the outrage at massive upcharges on parts that should
be super cheap, there's another problem they're fighting. The consumer will
often buy the cheapest appliance regardless of continued cost down in the
future. If you can offset that loss in profit with something else that's less
prevalent on consumer's minds, you can compete with other sellers. Best Buy
has to sell a TV for a couple bucks profit margin but then ask $50 for an HDMI
cable to make up the profit. Why? Because if WalMart has the same TV for $40
less, the customer will go there to buy. If given the option, I bet most
customers would not pay an extra $200 for a fridge even if you told them the
filters are $35 cheaper.

I state the above not to give these companies an easy excuse out, I still
think this is not the ideal solution. But what should they do instead? I
witnessed this first hand years ago when I worked retail, people would come in
and ask me questions about a printer and then drive to WalMart and buy the
same printer for $15 less.

~~~
pbhjpbhj
>Because if WalMart has the same TV for $40 less, the customer will go there
to buy. //

It used to be ready paying meant getting more quality, longer life, easier to
replace parts. Now, it seems unrelated. The cheapest one may well be the best
one, or a at least the expensive one has all the corners cut too.

There are situations where this isn't the case. And this may be a middle vs
bottom of market thing. But expensive stuff is often the same crap with a
brand logo.

~~~
pergadad
I've given up on premium products. I'll either buy things that are for small
offices/businesses (eg OKI printers, Karcher vacuums, etc) or simply the
cheaper ones. Bought e.g. s €2000 Samsung fridge - only problems and
complications. Now I've got mold in the water dispenser with no way to
remove/replace it. Same with a >800€ Samsung washing machine - internal damage
that magically wasn't covered by the warranty.

------
Animats
I recently sent the following message to Fiat Chrysler Automotive's privacy
group:

 _I was considering purchasing a 2020 Jeep Wrangler, but after reading the
terms of service for your "UConnect" monitoring system, I no longer want to. I
will consider it if I receive satisfactory answers to these questions:_

 _Can a Jeep Wrangler with advanced safety be purchased without Uconnect?_

 _If not, is FCA willing to state in writing under penalty of perjury that
"Opt Out for Privacy Reasons" causes all data communication between the
vehicle and any other party to cease? Actual severing of communications, not
some weak claim that you will not use the data._

 _Currently the owner of an older Jeep Wrangler._

I have not yet received a reply.

~~~
tw04
This doesn't even make sense. The advanced safety feature is the FCA
equivalent of ONSTAR. You want to buy a car that has a safety feature based on
them tracking your vehicle, but you simultaneously want them to guarantee you
they won't track your vehicle??

If you don't want to be tracked, don't buy a truck with the advanced safety
feature, pretty simple...

~~~
chris11
Sure some safety features, like sending out a request for help when an
accident occurs, might require tracking. But other systems like adaptive
cruise control or active lane keep assist shouldn't require tracking. There
needs to be a good reason for disabling tracking to disable a safety feature.

~~~
Animats
The "advanced safety" option is auto-braking and lane departure warning. All
onboard sensors. That doesn't require phoning home.

It's supposedly possible to turn off tracking. There's a "privacy opt out".
That means you no longer get the "Monthly Vehicle Report" emailed to you.[1]
The question is whether it really means that communications with the
mothership stops. Companies lying about opt-out is common.[2][3]

[1] [https://www.mopar.com/en-us/my-vehicle/vehicle-health-
report...](https://www.mopar.com/en-us/my-vehicle/vehicle-health-
report/details.html)

[2]
[https://www.hoganlovells.com/en/blogs/hldataprotection/ftc-o...](https://www.hoganlovells.com/en/blogs/hldataprotection/ftc-
optout-should-mean-optout)

[3]
[https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-7804121/Face...](https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-7804121/Facebook-
says-locate-users-opt-tracking.html)

------
tw04
Everyone complains about Amazon selling counterfeit goods - so GE comes up
with something like this so you know you've got legitimate filters.

I love the concept, the execution is horrible. Give me a button to enable or
disable filter verification. If I want to spend money on an official GE
filter, I'd love for them to verify I got what I paid for. If I want to buy
third party, you shouldn't be stopping me...

~~~
yitchelle
Wait a minute. This is not a question of counterfeiting. This is case of
jailing the fridge user to use GE filters.

If the 3rd party are selling their cartridges with GE branding without GE's
consent, that would be counterfeiting.

GE could easily allow other cartridge manufacturers to build and to supplier.

Look at the CO2 cartridges used in the Sodastream machines.

~~~
IshKebab
What about the CO2 cartridges? Sodastream has attempted to stop people using
third parties to refill them by using a weird connector. Is that not similar?

~~~
yitchelle
That must be quite a while ago. I have a Sodastream and have been using non-
Sodastream CO2 cartridges with it for at least 5 years.

What they have tried to do is when you exchange your empty cartridges for a
full one, they will only accept Sodastream cartridges. However, 3rd party
cartridges are available quite readily everywhere.

------
pier25
We have one of those fridges. We do not use tap water to feed it so the filter
doesn't really filter anything. And yet, after 6 months of use the fridge
starts blinking a red LED that the filter needs replacing.

We changed the filter once because we thought the filter might be defective...
never again.

~~~
beerandt
Most things with a change light are based off a timer (or maybe a counter) and
nothing more.

There's no mini-lab or sensor in your fridge actually testing if the water
filter is working.

And even ones that claim to measure how much volume is dispensed are just
counting how long the water valve is open and assuming a flow rate.

That said, the filters do go bad, and sometimes even provide media for stuff
to grow on, once the contents become chemically and physically inert. If you
don't want to change the filter, get a "blank" to plug in. Don't just leave an
old filter in.

~~~
hvidgaard
Our coffee machine at work has a filter. If we set the water hardness to the
actual value of our water, it needs replacing quite often. So I've dialed it
down and the filters last significantly longer. When we got it serviced last
time I asked the technician to look if it needed descaling - it was squeaking
clean inside the boiler, so I've dialed it down even more.

------
AWildC182
Coke has started doing this with their soda machines too. They found it's more
profitable to put an RFID chip on the bottom of every paper cup and a sensor
pad on the machines rather than just let people refill the cups.

I came across one in the wild when I made the mistake of visiting Universal
Studios Orlando recently :/

~~~
52-6F-62
That is unreal. Fountain soda/pop is already _dirt_ cheap for vendors.

~~~
WalterBright
Back in the olden days (1970s) the organization I was with threw a party. My
job was to go to the local McD's and get some gallon boxes of syrup. This was
then mixed at the party with carbonated water to make Coke.

The interesting thing was I realized that the syrup cost $.03 per cup, and
McD's was selling it for - I don't remember 45 years later but it was a lot.
Puzzled, I asked about it and was told that McD's lost money on the hamburgers
and more than made it up with the drinks and fries.

It's also how movie theaters make money. They lose it on ticket sales, and
make it up at the concession stand, especially on the soda.

Similarly for restaurants. The drinks are the big moneymakers.

Camera makers don't make money on the camera bodies, but on the lenses and
accessories.

Car dealers don't make money selling cars, they make it on the financing and
the service.

~~~
52-6F-62
My partner worked high up in a local small chain of boardgame cafes. She would
stress how little it cost and how much profit was made on those drinks. I
don't think the syrup costs much more than that, now! Somewhere in the few
cents a glass range, and they can easily charge $2-4 for a pint of cola now.

------
Yhippa
Please drink a verification can:
[https://i.imgur.com/dgGvgKF.png](https://i.imgur.com/dgGvgKF.png)

------
dwild
Why not link the original twitter post[0] instead? That page add nothing but
ads.

[0]
[https://twitter.com/IamShaneMorris/status/122036793494775808...](https://twitter.com/IamShaneMorris/status/1220367934947758080)

~~~
dang
Ok, we've changed to that from [https://boingboing.net/2020/01/23/proprietary-
carbon.html](https://boingboing.net/2020/01/23/proprietary-carbon.html).
Thanks!

~~~
pjlegato
The new title omits the interesting part, which is that the refrigerator
refuses to use filters wihtout the RFID chip.

~~~
dang
I would say that's implied, no? The overwhelming majority of IoT threads are
about this kind of situation. For example, the inkjet cartridge thread linked
elsewhere in this discussion.

~~~
Wowfunhappy
I probably _should_ have been able to guess, but it wasn't clear to me! I
clicked this thread thinking "uh, that's weird, what does the chip actually
do?"

~~~
dang
Ok, since there are two of you there are probably a lot of you, so I've added
the extra phrase above. Thanks!

------
sparkywolf
Wonder if you can get one official one and cut out the rfid chip, install it
permanently in the fridge

~~~
criddell
You can order a bypass filter from GE (they are free). Cut the RFID from it
and tape it to your fridge in the right spot and it will never complain about
the filter again.

The only downside is that when you dispense water it lights up a little sign
that says "water is not filtered".

I do this and buy cheap aftermarket filters from Amazon.

~~~
stjohnswarts
I think the problem is that you shouldn't have to. It's pretty anticonsumer
all the way around.

~~~
closetohome
Everybody wants to sell razor blades these days.

------
momentmaker
Interesting fact about Gillette from Peter Drucker.

Gillette sold their razors at 1/4 of the manufacturer's cost but they had a
patent on the razor itself which will only take Gillette's razor blades.

Those razor blades are markup 400% - 1 cent sold for 4 cents.

The "innovation" was people are willing to pay per shave instead of paying
upfront for a razor which was seen as an investment at the time.

~~~
Lev1a
When those disposable multi-blades were getting too costly for my taste, I
just got my father's old safety razor out of storage, purchased a packet of 10
Wilkinson blades for it at ~2-3€ and still haven't used those up today.

Seriously men, do away with the cheaply made but expensive plastic trash and
invest once in a nice safety razor. It's worth it.

~~~
vkou
I've done just that, and as a result, every time I shave, it's a bloodbath.

There's a reason people prefer the disposable multi-blade plastic crap. You
don't need the hands of a surgeon to use them, without cutting yourself.

~~~
fyfy18
Are you talking about a safety razor[0] or a straight cut razor? I also
switched, and find I cut myself a lot less than with a cartridge razor. If I
do cut myself it is usually not so deep. The cartridge razor I used was
Gillette Fusion, so not a cheap brand.

[0] [https://sharpologist.com/wp-
content/uploads/2015/11/34c.jpg](https://sharpologist.com/wp-
content/uploads/2015/11/34c.jpg)

~~~
vkou
Yes, a safety razor. I've started shaving with one, and I've shaved with it a
lot more than I have with a cheap cartridge, so it's not inexperience.

With a cartridge, I don't cover myself in nicks. With a safety razor, every
pimple, birthmark, and angle in my face is a potential cut point.

~~~
JibJabDab
Have you tried various blades? People swore by feather but I found those too
be too stiff and sharp. I absolutely hated them. I tried Astra Platinum and
they seem more flexible and provide a much better shave for me. There's a
"chart" out there that lists various brands from sharpest -> smoothest

~~~
vkou
Yes, I have, and yes, my latest have been Astoria, and yes, I pull, instead of
slicing, and yes, I've futzed with the angle, and yes, I've tightened the
razor, and yes, I've played with not tightening it as much, and the end result
is that despite all this work, the disposable plastic crap is easier and less
painful.

There's a reason for why the world has switched to the disposable plastic crap
- and its not because people are fools. It's much the same reason for why the
world switched from horses and buggies to automobiles.

------
Shivetya
On a side note, people really need to replace the filters more often. The
number of people I have run into who never have replaced any filters in their
kitchen disappoints me.

~~~
bluGill
The tap water in my current house is perfectly fine, so why should I even have
a filter? My previous house the water wasn't perfectly fine (I forget what was
in it, but the lab failed it) so I had a separate filter rated to take out the
bad things in my water - again why replace the fridge filter that wasn't as
good.

~~~
redbeard0x0a
Either replace the filters or use the bypass cartridge. You don't want to
leave a filter in forever so you don't get bacteria growing in your drinking
water.

~~~
JMTQp8lwXL
Given all the people that don't replace their filters, they're kind of an
anti-pattern.

------
anonymousiam
I am surprised that nobody has yet mentioned HP inkjet printers and the RFID
chip embedded in the refill cartridges.

~~~
rahimnathwani
Why do they use RFID instead of exposing the contacts (like on a SIM card, or
other ISO7816 card)?

~~~
chrisseaton
Physical contacts are usually the flimsiest part of a system aren't they?
Probably costs more as well to have connections! RFID is so cheap they put
them in paper clothes tags.

~~~
SketchySeaBeast
> Physical contacts are usually the flimsiest part of a system aren't they?

Sounds like a great way to sell some more ink or another printer early.

~~~
mrb
Not necessarily.

I used to always buy genuine HP cartridges, sold by Amazon (not a third-party
seller,) with official packaging, non-tampered unbroken sticker on the box,
and yet one day my printer reported a cartridge as "non-genuine" and
absolutely refused to accept it. Maybe the chip malfunctioned. But since that
day I have stopped buying genuine and I replaced them with recycled third
party cartridges. A third of the cost. And they never caused this problem. A
defective system caused HP to lose a customer.

------
nameistaken
I'm conflicted, because I'm tangentially in this space. While I completely
understand the whole DRM bullshit for certain things, this is in another
category (for me at least)

There is a huge problem with knockoffs and "off brand" items, most are
harmless. Since this is something you put in your body there is reasonable
concern that there is opportunity for unsavory or unscrupulous actors to make
an <appliance brand> water filter that makes you sick, because it has some
shitty chemical or compound in it. The genuine filters are indistinguishable
from the knock offs. So when there's lead or something terrible coming out of
your refrigerator your going to blame the brand. Even if the blame gets
redirected, consumers will be upset the brand didn't do more to protect them.

Maybe I drank the koolaid on this, but there are a number of other accessories
for products up and down the line that I staunchly oppose this scheme for. I
don't necessarily buy the "control the experience" bit. I think it applies
sparingly but a "works best with our brand's stuff" sticker is generally
sufficient.

~~~
ashtonian
Right cause knock offs can't fake rfid.

Problem with this argument is yielding liberty.. It doesn't work.

------
sholladay
I wonder if this is why my fridge no longer dispenses water, as it happened
around the time I ordered a new filter from Amazon. It is supposedly an
official filter, and looks official as far as I can tell, but Amazon is
notorious for fakes and I remember thinking it looked different than my
previous filter. The only thing is, my fridge still dispenses ice, just not
water.

------
jl2718
Seems to me that there is a huge opportunity in open source programmable home
appliances. I only want the hardware from the manufacturer, and I’d be willing
to pay a lot more if it could run open source software. It seems theres no way
a monolithic supplier could compete, but why don’t we see anything like this?

~~~
JohnFen
I would actually prefer appliances that didn't require software at all.

~~~
bluGill
Software is everywhere and can do things that cannot be done without it.
However the software needed is hard real time embedded and shouldn't run on
the same CPU as the stuff we are complaining about.

~~~
JohnFen
> Software is everywhere and can do things that cannot be done without it.

Yes, I know (I am a software engineer with a large amount of embedded work in
my resume), and I don't mind it at all when the software is actually doing
useful things that can't be done well otherwise.

But there's a lot of things that are being computerized where there's no
actual user benefit to doing that. All that does is increase the number of
points of potential failure.

------
wayoutthere
I really don't understand this kind of behavior. In the real world, this means
that there will be a bunch of GE fridges out there where the ice / water
doesn't work and only the person who decides the filters are too expensive
really knows why. That can't be a good look for the brand...

~~~
ngneer
You are dealing with two separate feedback mechanisms. One allows the creation
of revenue via consumer purchases. That is the quantity companies hope to
increase, and limiting a consumer to authorized components allows for higher
margins by artificially limiting competition and increasing the revenue.
Albeit inflationary, that works until a competitor figures out an effective
forging method. The other is brand reputation, whereby future purchases are
dependent on how a consumer feels about the brand. You state that such tactics
cannot look good for the brand, but remember that there is a delay between the
large bulk of appliance purchases and the time when consumers would be writing
bad reviews, affecting future purchases. By the time this cause and effect
chain concludes, most of the benefit for the first feedback mechanism has
already realized, and the vendors can move on to the next deal. Keep in mind
that consumers do not necessarily look at filter compatibility when making a
purchase, and companies can capitalize on that. Both mechanisms contribute to
stock value, but your surprise might stem from the fact that their
contribution is uneven. In other words, short term monetary gains trump long
term brand gains, because consumers have short memories.

~~~
mark-r
I will never buy another GE appliance, based on my bad experiences across a
range of them. I can't be the only one.

------
rsync
Setting aside this abhorrent behavior and the entire question of "smart"
appliances and anti-consumer behaviors, I would like to point out:

It would be _trivially easy_ \- as in, as easy as Legos - to use push fittings
(such as sharkbites) and a short, extra length of hose and cheap in-line
filter to insert a _pre-filter_ just before the refrigerator.

You would then gain the ability to change the filter with any you like,
anytime you like, and the interior filter of the refrigerator would last,
basically, forever.

Seriously - no plumbing involved - you are putting together 2-3 pieces from
the hardware store, like Legos.

~~~
rpdillon
GE offers a bypass filter that has a chip that lasts forever for exactly this
use case.

~~~
LeoPanthera
How much does the "bypass filter" cost?

~~~
rpdillon
It's free if you order from GE directly through support. I was lazy and
ordered mine off Amazon for $15.

------
j_z_reeves
It is definitely good to have a choice between OEM and aftermarket parts. That
is important! I am willing to bet that if GE allowed aftermarket replacements,
the majority of customers would have still chosen OEM replacement parts.

For example, if my Nintendo Switch controller breaks, I will not even hesitate
to get an official Nintendo controller. However, it would be nice to have
aftermarket controllers work. However, if for example my IPhone earbuds fail,
I would hate to not be able to use spare earbuds I have lying around. If my
Macbooks trackpad fails, and I see the choice between using a compatible
aftermarket trackpad or a genuine Apple trackpad, I would get a genuine Apple
trackpad. That is my choice. Someone else would want a cheaper option, and
that is fine.

Now, I could see the angle of wanting to force customers to choose GE
replacement parts. Less support. They will be able to diagnose or troubleshoot
issues without considering aftermarket compatibility issues. Also, yes, they
will have another potential recurring revenue stream!

------
jerkstate
I have one of these, it's trivial to cut the RFID off of the "passthrough"
plug and use non-branded filters. Honestly it's hard for me to get too worked
up about easily circumvented rent seeking like this. I would probably return
the fridge if it wasn't possible though.

------
pcurve
Hrm.. sounds awfully like Juicera. Possibly worse. I wonder how these kinds of
decisions are approved at the management level. Do they have their heads
buried in sand? Is their appliance business so unprofitable that they're
willing to take any risk?

------
a3n
I wonder if a note to Consumer Reports would be more effective than a tweet.

------
aurizon
Well, the Mars mission was sponsored by Disney and you had refillable air-pacs
for $200, good for a day. 1 hour before they expired they nagged you. Then the
belters started to sell bootleg air-pacs - Disney shit the bed and implemented
uncrackable DRM, we lost 230 settlers - before the revolution...

------
aSplash0fDerp
Bottom-feeding upsells (after the sell) need a better analogy for the consumer
to visualize.

We'll see if automation leads to an open-source era for appliances. The hype
about robots building robots should start seeding more projects this decade to
"cut the cord" from obsolete business models.

------
vinaypai
I don't know which model this is, but my GE fridge (bought 1.5 years ago)
works just fine with a third party filter, and they even include a bypass cap
which is just a plastic piece that goes in place of the filter and lets it
work without a filter.

------
mfer
What happens in 20 years when GE stops making water filters for it? Maybe as
an attempt to push people to buy a new frig.

How ecological is that?

I know of refrigerators in use today that are more than 40 years old.

~~~
bargle0
Nothing built today is going to last 40 years. Value engineering has ensured
that it's going to fail eventually one way or another.

------
SergeAx
Won't be surprised if the fridge also checks how long the filter is in use and
will stop producing water and ice after six months. Unbelievably greedy
bastards.

------
gwbas1c
Easy fix: Someone buys used filters and turns them into bypass filters. Then
use a filter on the water line. The water line filters last for years.

------
jayd16
I'm kind of curious about the RFID in question. Does it make sense to buy an
RFID writer instead of pulling it out of the bypass filter?

------
reaperducer
Haven't we been though all of this with Lexmark printer ink and Keurig coffee
pods? Do companies never learn from each other?

------
jiveturkey
Title should be updated to better match article. The fridge continues to work,
except for the water/ice dispensing function.

------
heavymark
Our GE fridge allows third party filters like the very popular amazon one. Is
this just in the very latest GE models perhaps?

~~~
samfriedman
It seems like the filter changed between models from type RPWF to type RPWFE,
and the latter type is RFID-restricted.

------
eqdw
Couldn't you just graft the old water filter's RFID chip onto whatever new
filter you wanted?

~~~
rpdillon
It keeps a database of all the filter IDs it's ever seen and won't allow one
ID to be in use for more than a certain period (6 months?) The reason folks
use the bypass RFID chip is that it's the only chip that can remain intstalled
"forever".

------
gbrown
Hey, at least it might alert people who've been buying counterfeits on Amazon.
/s

------
buboard
The Internet of Cringe

------
cryptonector
Just like inkjet printers.

Is this disclosed when you buy the fridge?

------
mycall
Sounds like a quick fix from hackaday.com

------
toolslive
but the economic theory of complementary goods tells us they should not do
this?

------
continuations
GE fridges also refuse to work unless the orange juice you put in it is GE
Orange Juice (TM)

------
vearwhershuh
The year is 2035.

Your refrigerator refuses to work because of a comment overheard by your
thermostat that was construed by AI as being insufficiently supportive of your
countries corporate foreign policy objectives.

If you have nothing to hide you have nothing to fear.

~~~
ASalazarMX
Reminded me of Phillip K. Dick's "Ubik", where the door refuses to open for
free:

The door refused to open. It said, "Five cents, please."

He searched his pockets. No more coins; nothing. "I'll pay you tomorrow," he
told the door. Again it remained locked tight. "What I pay you," he informed
it, "is in the nature of a gratuity; I don't have to pay you."

"I think otherwise," the door said. "Look in the purchase contract you signed
when you bought this conapt."

...he found the contract. Sure enough; payment to his door for opening and
shutting constituted a mandatory fee. Not a tip.

"You discover I'm right," the door said. It sounded smug.

~~~
dsr_
The unbelievable part is that he could find the contract.

~~~
Wistar
... especially while locked out.

~~~
faleidel
If I recall right he was locked inside, not outside.

~~~
ASalazarMX
That was the most kafkian aspect. How could he earn more money to pay the door
if it locked him inside?

In another instance, the door also didn't want to let him in without paying.

------
josephorjoe
This seemingly constant ratcheting up of anti-customer behavior by product
manufacturers is starting to feel more and more like symptoms of the end of an
economic cycle where executives desperate for One More Good Bonus are willing
to risk damaging the company's reputation to hit the next quarter's sales
target.

~~~
verelo
To play the devils advocate here (and to be frank, i think people should be
able to use compatible products), it's possible the manufacture is concerned
that products they didn't make could cause an issue. I.e. filter is too
restrictive and burns out the pump. Then the fridge comes in for warranty
repair and there's no way of proving what caused the issue. From the
perspective of the manufacture, i kind of get it, but i still think there has
to be a better middle-ground than it stops providing a service.

~~~
gambiting
Yes, the middle ground is called designing the pump so it doesn't burn out if
the filter doesn't allow the right amount of water through. Having an RFID
chip doesn't prevent the genuine filter from becoming clogged.

~~~
criddell
The RFID chip doesn't prevent that, but the fridge will no longer dispense
water after a certain number of gallons passes through the filter.

------
JohnFen
That is despicable. The next time I'm in the market for an appliance, I'll
make sure it wasn't made by GE.

~~~
m-p-3
It sucks, this is becoming a trend and my list of blacklisted company is
growing, including this recent Logitech dick-move

[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22126021](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22126021)

Stop trying to penny-pinch your customers that way, a reputation is hard to
build and so easy to lose.

------
CharlesMerriam2
If it is labelled clearly when you buy the fridge, its far. If it is hidden,
then it is not.

Perhaps Libertarians would jump in? Choice made with knowledge founds their
original philosophy.

~~~
stjohnswarts
Of course it's probably mentioned in the user manual and mentioned in the
warranty if you use unapproved filters your warranty is null and void.
However, those are almost never read by the buyers.

------
chrisseaton
I think their argument is usually that they shouldn't have to provide support
for people putting consumables that they don't have any quality control over
into their machines.

Which seems reasonable to me?

You could say that they should just invalidate the warranty, but can you
invalidate a statutory warranty?

~~~
cujo
I think their unpublished argument is that they can make money by forcing
people to use their own filters by making the argument publicly that they
shouldn't have to provide support for people putting consumables that they
don't have any quality control over into their machines.

~~~
chrisseaton
That seems a little uncharitable.

~~~
cujo
I have a hard time believing that GE has been dealing with a lot of warranty
claims because people are using after market filters. Couple that with that a
filter that runs more than 2x the off-brand one runs, and it looks a lot like
a money grab.

~~~
t34543
You can’t even really get genuine warranty claims addressed. There’s always a
catch: labor not included, part in order, no fridge for 4 days until tech can
return.

