Your key has been emailed Rachel ( I am assuming its you who just ordered one haha)
Yes, the approach Epson have taken is a bit bad. But it has been that way for the past 15 years that I have supplied inkjet printers. Canon are the worst as there is no software or fix for their waste pad error messages. So at least with an Epson there is an option to pay a small fee to fix the issue yourself.
The waste pad error message is just another way the manufacturers can make more money or prod the customer to get a new printer.
Alex