4 ms·

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 conce

by tw04 7y ago

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...

frgtpsswrdlame 7y ago
I think you're attributing a motive to GE that you shouldn't be.
metalliqaz 7y ago
Because they aren't doing it to stop just counterfeit filters, but any other filters that they haven't made. We've already been through this with printer cartridges, and how did that turn out?
marcosdumay 7y ago
This is one place you don't need a switch. Put the sensor there, make it always on. If the filter is not official, display it to the owner somewhere. Done. A device you paid for refusing to work for just any reason is absurd.
catalogia 7y ago
> Everyone complains about Amazon selling counterfeit goods - so GE comes up with something like this so you know you've got legitimate filters. You're being naive if you attribute actions like this to altruism from corporations.
mr_toad 7y ago
That doesn’t stop people selling counterfeit goods, it just stops you using them.
yitchelle 7y ago
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 7y ago
  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 7y ago
    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.
pergadad 7y ago
As if copycats won't also figure out how to copy/spoof the chip...

by tw04 7y ago

frgtpsswrdlame 7y ago

I think you're attributing a motive to GE that you shouldn't be.

metalliqaz 7y ago

Because they aren't doing it to stop just counterfeit filters, but any other filters that they haven't made. We've already been through this with printer cartridges, and how did that turn out?

marcosdumay 7y ago

This is one place you don't need a switch. Put the sensor there, make it always on. If the filter is not official, display it to the owner somewhere. Done. A device you paid for refusing to work for just any reason is absurd.

catalogia 7y ago

> Everyone complains about Amazon selling counterfeit goods - so GE comes up with something like this so you know you've got legitimate filters. You're being naive if you attribute actions like this to altruism from corporations.

mr_toad 7y ago

That doesn’t stop people selling counterfeit goods, it just stops you using them.

yitchelle 7y ago

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 7y ago
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 7y ago
  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.

pergadad 7y ago

As if copycats won't also figure out how to copy/spoof the chip...