I talked to a company the other day that was gathering bids for a maintenance agreement. I was surprised to hear they were nearing the end of a three year maintenance agreement that was not part of the copier lease. They also had issues with their current vendor over a reoccurring problem. If your copier maintenance agreement is not part of the lease (financing) you have options. We offer month to month agreements because if the customer is happy they stick with us. I don't believe in long term contracts laden with penalties. Most competition offers a one year agreement and that is okay. However, anything longer than that is unnecessary and takes away your options if you become unhappy. Most people can suffer through a year if they are having a bad experience. Make sure you know the cancellation terms so you can avoid penalties. Most one year agreements want to be notified ahead of time. Make sure you get all your things fixed before you turn in the cancellation notice. … [Read more...]
BEFORE YOU BUY THAT COPIER ONLINE
I am seeing a lot of disappointed people that buy something cheap online and then have connectivity issues that can't be resolved by the guy who sold the copier that resides in another part of the country. Please remember, their job is to move a box and then hope they can find someone locally to bail them out if there's a problem. … [Read more...]
BEFORE YOU BUY THAT SUPER CHEAP DEAL BEWARE
Before you buy that super cheap deal off of Craigs List or Ebay find out the age of the copier and current meter reading. Also find out if all the features work properly. If you're not careful you may spend more on repairs than what you paid for the copier. … [Read more...]
SHOULD YOU USE A SURGE PROTECTOR FOR THE COPIER
This debate has been going on for years within our copier industry. The consensus among us wizards is that yes it may eliminate a service call or two someday but not as dramatically as the manufacturers portray. After all, their job is to sell protection devices. However, copiers are getting more electronic and it's an issue. … [Read more...]
BUDGET MAINTENANCE AGREEMENTS
A lot of the people who call us are trying to save money. They may of left their original copier vendor because the previous maintenance agreement got too pricey. We are happy to do work on a 'break fix' basis. However, we can also do a type of hybrid maintenance agreement to make it affordable. … [Read more...]
SHOULD YOU TAKE OUT A MAINTENANCE AGREEMENT
Well, everybody is different but you need to look at a maintenance agreement like you look at car insurance. You may not use it every month but you'll be glad you had it when you need it. Make sure the maintenance agreement is customer friendly though. … [Read more...]
ANOTHER REASON TO HANG ONTO YOUR COPIER
Today more businesses are keeping their copiers at the end of the lease instead of trading them in. One of the benefits for this decision is detailed in this blog. The longer a copier is out the more choices you have on finding a good generic toner that is considerably less expensive then the original OEM toner you had to buy. … [Read more...]
HOW MANY PRINTERS DO YOU OWN?
Businesses don't mind paying for copier service because the copier was initially an expensive investment. Printers weren't. However, those occasional PM kits and toner/drum cartridges add up. On a yearly basis it might be a lot higher than you think. A new and popular cost savings program for printers is called Print Management. The best way to see if this makes sense for you is to call a copier rep since it's copier companies pushing Print Management. That's because the copier business is flat and people buy about 6 printers for each copier. So they took cost per copy maintenance agreements for copiers and adapted it to printers For those new to Print Management here are the main benefits: All printer service and supplies are quoted on a per print basis. You simply call when you need something. Similar to how your copier maintenance agreement works where everything is included except paper. Even though printers don't break often the toner cartridges are expensive and … [Read more...]
DON’T BE SHY ABOUT FREE CALLBACKS
It always amazes me that businesses don't call when the vendor doesn't fix something right Always ask what the warranty is on the service call. Most copier service companies offer a 30 day warranty that's limited to the work they performed. Old copiers are like old cars meaning there may have multiple problems. Most people just want the immediate problem fixed such as jamming. If it starts jamming again after they left call them and ask for a free callback. The only argument a dealer could offer would be if they left you an estimate clearly stating that they fixed the problem but to fix it properly it needs the following parts. Most businesses want to try the least expensive option first. You should get even more aggressive about callbacks if you just spent a lot of money to fix a problem. We've been to places that just spent $500 for a fuser rebuild and are having the same problem. It's none of my business but I sometimes wonder why the business didn't call the copier … [Read more...]
TIPS FOR SAVING MONEY ON SERVICE CALLS
Without a maintenance agreement it's a hassle to have problems and then pay for the technician so I would like to point out a few things that will help. Copiers will break because of all the paper handling. The reason your printer never breaks is because it doesn't do anything other than print. Therefore, I recommend a maintenance agreement if the budget allows. If you don't have a maintenance agreement everything is billable if it's not related to the previous service call. Plus, there's usually a limited period on callbacks such as thirty days. One thing that causes unnecessary callbacks is when the tech shows up and is given a brief explanation. Be as descriptive as possible. If the person having the problem went to lunch get her on the cell phone and ask for a detailed explanation of the problem. For example, if you tell a tech that the copier jams he or she will troubleshoot the problem. Something inside probably needs cleaned or replaced. Then they pack up and … [Read more...]