"excess usage of toner" on production machines

[lfelton]

A question for business owners? Do you have an "excess usage of toner" clause in your contracts, i.e. any more than 5% black or 20% colour and you get charged for the toner use? This is on a "mid production" engine, not an office machine. I'm being told it's there to "protect" the vendor in case of misuse, is never invoked and "every vendor has the same clause". What's your experience, have you accepted this and it's just never an issue? It's made me a bit nervous of the vendor, but maybe I'm worrying about nothing. I'd appreciate you sharing your experience - PM me if you like.

[csudman]

There is a thread about a canon(I think) about this very issue. search.

[chrisg42]

A question for business owners? Do you have an "excess usage of toner" clause in your contracts, i.e. any more than 5% black or 20% colour and you get charged for the toner use? This is on a "mid production" engine, not an office machine. I'm being told it's there to "protect" the vendor in case of misuse, is never invoked and "every vendor has the same clause". What's your experience, have you accepted this and it's just never an issue? It's made me a bit nervous of the vendor, but maybe I'm worrying about nothing. I'd appreciate you sharing your experience - PM me if you like.

I did have a vendor try this about 5 years ago. We received an invoice for a large sum claiming overuse of toner for six months or more. I asked to see the detailed calculations and then never heard anything more. I also explained that if a credit note was not forthcoming then it would be the last piece of equipment that they would supply to us. They didn't repeat the attempt to charge for toner, but more recently I invoked the same threat over other accounting/admin issues and now they are no longer a supplier.

[andy1]

This is a common clause, however I insisted it be removed in the contracts I've signed and suppliers have done so. Smaller suppliers are likely to enforce this due to costs involved, however when purchasing from a large supplier if their finances are so bad they want to charge you for toner this would be the least of your worries (compared to losing your service provision in the event of bankruptcy).

Demand it be removed or find another supplier, is my advice.

[Mark H]

Your supplier's click pricing is all based on an assumed maximum average coverage. If your coverage exceeds this they loose money. Hence, the qualifier.

Yes, you can certainly get them to give you more coverage. However, you should also expect your click cost to increase.

But at the heart is the question - "how much coverage will I actually sell?" You really have to understand your market's needs, as well as how you fit into that market, and plan accordingly.

Mark H