Dell 962 printer -- Programmed to stop working

My Dell printer stopped printing altogether (color and black&white) with an error message reading "right cartridge incorrect." The right cartridge is the color cartridge. I almost never use color printing and the printer had been working fine until this message showed up. I removed and replaced it numerous times. No change. I tried to print in Black&white. No change. I removed the color cartridge. No change. I switched the black&white into the color cartridge slot. No change. I disconnected from power source for 24 hours. No change.

I know better than to try Dell hell for a customer service solution. (Tried that -- to no avail -- when my DVD drive ceased functioning.) After doing some research online, with a simple google search of the error message "right cartridge incorrect" and the word "dell", I discovered that this is not at all uncommon. In addition, I discovered some disturbing allegations contained in various emails and forum blogs on the topic. IF the allegations are true, Dell cartridges and printers are programmed with secret coding such that the cartridges "expire" -- that is, after a certain date, the printer will cease functioning, regardless of the fact that there is nothing wrong, mechanically or otherwise, with the printer or cartridge. (Apparently Hewlitt Packard was sued for this same covert conduct in Georgia -- although I have not been able to find any follow-up after the initial press report on the suit.) I have come across a few blogs claiming to be from defensive computer technicians who defend the need for cartridge expiration dates as a means of preventing drying out of the ink. The ink in my cartridge was not dried out -- as my unofficial finger swipe revealed. For the record, my cartridge was not marked with any expiration date. In addition, Dell printers seem to anticipate customer frustration and problem-solving efforts: the printer set-up function contains an on-screen option to switch to black&white printing of color documents. That option however is disabled -- something also mentioned by other bloggers.

Bloggers' advice is to purchase another color cartridge -- even though you don't need one -- as this is the only thing that will get the printer going again. Forced sale by Dell of more Dell cartridges, all other cartridges being incompatible. Some bloggers, however, did not or could not wait for a mail-order-only cartridge or didn't know that a newer cartridge would restart their printers -- they went out and bought a new printer. If this isn't consumer fraud, I don't know what is. Moreover, the sales numbers reported by Dell contain no footnotes as to any secret expiration date coding that artificially boosts sales (certainly of cartridges and possibly of printers). I wonder what those sales numbers would look like without such tactics. And I wonder if word gets out, what effect this would have on Dell future sales. I bought another color cartridge (even though I don't print in color and I wasn't out of color ink in my existing cartridge). Whaddyaknow? The printer error message disappeared. No more "right cartridge incorrect" message. That message should be changed to read "Surprise: Dell is forcing you to fork over another $22.95 for a cartridge you don't need." I will never buy another Dell and I will continue spreading the word.