I Love And Hate My Printer
Last week I asked our readers to respond to a poll to see which printer manufacturer has the best and worst customer service. I got mixed responses
but generally there were no horror stories. I'd like to summarize some of my
findings in addition rather than just provide numbers.
Canon wins overall with HP following closely. Epson kind of cancelled out with an equal number of good and poor reports. Dell is at rock bottom.
I received 19 responses from a mailing of 5000+ people. Anybody reading this? :-)
Canon - 1 negative, 7 positive
HP - 1 negative, 5 positive
Epson - 1 negative, 3 positive
Dell - 1 negative
Lexmark - 0 responses
Below I have summarized some of the responses.
Here are some of the comments in no particular order. Some were edited for
brevity.
I have found the Canon Support Group to be very helpful in the past. However,
after I cleaned the waste ink tank on my BJC-6000 and asked them how to reset the printer, they refused to provide the answer and told me only a service
center could do it. Fortunately, there are people on the internet that are willing
to share their knowledge for free and I found the simple solution on
fixyourownprinter.com.
Ed
Had an HP, didn't like it, Had a Lexmark, didn't like it, Had 2 Canons, loved both,
Have an Epson, wish I had My Canon back.
Jay Brown
I have three Epson printers and the few times I have called customer service
the wait time has be very minimal, the tech is extremely courteous, and the
problem has been resolved in a very short time.
Jo Ann Clark
In November of 2001, I purchased a new computer that used Windows XP. I discovered that Canon did not have, and did not plan to release, a Windows XP
driver for the BJC-5100, making my printer useless on my new computer. I called Canon and complained, and, since the extended service plan was still in
effect, they exchanged my BJC-5100 for a brand-new S500 at no cost. The S500
has operated fine and has met all of my expectations.
Bill McHugh
Canon ....was less helpful. I wanted to purchase a new printer I saw advertised
online. When I called their various customer service numbers I received different
answers ranging from: "That model is obsolete" to "That model is new and hasn't
been released yet. How did YOU find out about it?" I bought [an] HP.
Joel Kristal
I have been buying all my [Canon] printers at Best Buy for about $30 - $40. You
can buy a cover all service exchange. Even if you throw it out the car window
it seems they will cover it if they can't fix it.
Cliff Steele
I have a Dell A940 and the assistance is abysmal. No response at all. They divert
me to some web site with a bunch of amateurs who are of no help.
Anon
That's enough for now I think. It seems to me that almost all of the manufacturers
are courteous and will try very hard to resolve your problem. For a couple of
extra bucks you can get that extended service warranty that might come in handy down the road, especially if you don't have a budget for a new printer
every year. Seems to me that inkjet printers don't last more than a year or two.
***
Till next time.
Happy printing
Barry Shultz
Atlascopy, Inc.
PO Box 1292
Dover, DE. 19904
http://atlascopy.com
You may freely distribute this article as long as you include the following at the end of the article with the URL hard linked exactly as it is on this web page.
Barry Shultz is the author of Atlascopy News, and President of Atlascopy,
Inc. Atlascopy specializes in
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