When do I Call for Repairs?
Why do certified service repairs matter?
As a copier and printer service provider we get dozens of calls per week asking if we can and will work on a little printer or desktop MFP that the individual has purchased from a local retail chain or from an online retailer.
The answer to that question is typically a list of follow up questions, that can leave the caller confused and sometimes regretful that they even called.
Unfortunately, there isn’t a clean one size fits all answer to “Can you fix my printer?”
There are many different manufacturers that reside in this category of small and inexpensive printers, both ink-based and toner-based laserjet devices, and our first question would be do you know the make and model of the device, followed by about how long ago you purchased this device.
Our business is an authorized service provider for Canon, HP, Kyocera, Epson, and Xerox and amongst those 5 manufacturers there are easily hundreds of models that fall into this category that they have produced in the last five years.
Not all printers were created equal, the number one type of little device we get calls for are small inkjet printers that someone has had for the last 5 years and everyone always follows that up by adding “it has been just the best little printer, until…”
When we ask what they printer is or isn’t doing, the response usually has to do with incomplete images coming out or the wrong colors are being printed or general voids in the image. Frequently the cause is a clogged print head due to inconsistent use.
In some ink systems the ink cartridge is also the printhead and with others the ink cartridge will supply ink to the printheads by sitting right on top of them or via a ductwork of hoses. Often running a printhead cleaning function from the devices system menu can resolve the issue or replacing an old ink. If either of those do not restore functionality to the device the repairs required will usually exceed the value of the device.
Back to our broken printer call..
Taking a little trip back to the caller saying “this was the best little printer”, or “I just love this printer”, we are no longer dealing with a little desktop MFP or printer, we are working on a member of their family and the life of that device lies squarely in our hands. You might think that I am joking or exaggerating when I say that, I only wish that I were.
Most repair facilities will charge a diagnosis fee and if they can repair it during the diagnosis that you would only pay for the initial diagnosis. If it is determined that parts will be needed to repair the device that would be additional often also starting a clock for billable time for the repair.
If multiple parts are needed it is not atypical to find that the sum of the parts will far exceed the replacement cost of the device. Alternately, it may be that there are no parts available for your device due to age or that the manufacturer never intended for certain devices to be repaired.
Does it matter where you take your printer to be repaired?
Yes, yes it does.
Each manufacturer works hard to maintain their image in the public eye. They do this several different ways, they restrict who can sell their product and they restrict who can repair their products.
What does it mean to be an authorized copier or printers service provider?
To become service authorized on any given product or product line it requires a company to have multiple technicians trained on it through a combination of online training courses and in person training courses hosted by the manufacturer.
After receiving service authorization, the repair company will receive access to manufacturer provided technical support to aid in diagnosis and repair, they gain access to service and parts manuals that are routinely updated, and they will gain access to order OEM parts ordering to repair devices. They will also be able to apply and use any factory warranty that a device has on behalf of a customer.
What if you need copier/printer service for a fleet of devices (printer fleet management)
Let’s say that you work at a small company that has a bunch of printers that have accumulated over the span of several years and every year you spend large sums of money every so often to get the devices cleaned and repaired and then you add ink or toner on top of that and you find that it is difficult to budget for all of these needs and would like to just hit the “Easy” button?
Let me introduce (MPS) managed print services.
What is MPS? (Managed Printer Services)
Simply, it is entering a service agreement with a service provided to send toner when needed, to repair their devices when they fail, to give you a simple bill at the end of every month. This is the easy button, the beauty of an MPS agreement is that it doesn’t require you to upgrade your entire fleet of devices to begin and the servicing dealer is always just an email or phone call again.
It is the come as you are, bring your own device type of deal. There typically are exclusions to the devices that can be covered by the agreement, usually following the guidelines up above about devices that are cost or labor restrictive to keep running. If there are devices in your fleet that need to be replaced your service provided can typically offer used printer/copier devices at a decent price or access to the extensive list of new devices that you could purchase or lease.
Upgrading printers and desktop units is usually seen as a big hassle and is put off until the device is dead and heavily needed by the users. Typically, the older a printer gets the more it costs to run and operate and repair and upgrading is usually the best idea. Newer devices are usually more cost-effective to run and come loaded with the latest network and security protocols to protect your office and network and have all the features consistent with your new phones, tablets and computers.
If you are in need of copier or printer service, please feel free to reach out to our chat or submit a form so that someone from our team can reach out to you.
