Extra charges for heavy coverage????????

[buckeyewta]

We have a Xerox 550 on contract since about a year ago. yesterday they called and said my account is flagged and all supply orders are on hold because we are using too many toners. What they want to do is lower the service plan by .009 and make us pay $120 per toner on top of that. This would about double operating costs for this machine. Is this normal or are we getting taken for a ride?

 

[Possumgal]

Look at your original contract. It might be based on a certain average percentage of coverage. If you go over that consistently, they are liable to get more money from you one way or another.

They get so sensitive that we've been questioned on toners when we get a series of big jobs in at a certain time of year. During a toner shortage a few years ago, people were selling them on E-bay, so that's why they're so quick to jump on you.

 

[Keith]

That's odd to hear from Xerox. That's why I like them. Had my 252 for 5 years and never a word about excessive toner usage. On the other hand, when I considered getting a Konica, Canon or Sharp, in some way they would mention a review of the contract if my toner usage got high or their eyes would go wide when I showed them some of the types of jobs I do. I think it has more to do with the specific dealer than the manufacturer.

 

[buckeyewta]

So now they are holding back my supplies. Does anybody have any suggestions on how to get supplies so we can continue to operate?

 

[Keith]

So now they are holding back my supplies. Does anybody have any suggestions on how to get supplies so we can continue to operate?

Here are some suggestions based on my experience. Your results may vary.

1. Ask your sales rep if he can help you out.
2. Ask your service tech if he has any supplies.
3. Find a print shop within driving distance and ask them if you can barrow some.
4. Buy supplies on Ebay.

 

[kdw75]

On our C75, I got it in writing from the salesman, though I don't know how much weight that would carry, that there would be no restrictions on our toner usage. I think we average around 40% coverage.

 

[Craig]

Unless it's in your contract.... well you can figure the answer. I would call the sales rep and get them to go to bat for you. It has worked for us in the past.

 

[buckeyewta]

Unless it's in your contract.... well you can figure the answer. I would call the sales rep and get them to go to bat for you. It has worked for us in the past.

The sales guy was the one to call and tell me that we are on hold. Is seems everything they promised when we signed now means nothing. We are not with Xerox Direct but with a company owned by Xerox that services a ton of printers in the area that has a non-compete deal with Xerox. The contract does say there can be additional charges for excessive usage but the sales guy told me that will never happen when we signed. It also says on the contract that service rates may not increase by more than 10%. They way I understand it if they charge extra for toner or drop service they are breaking the contract and that should allow us to drop the lease. Has anyone on here ever had any success in getting out of a lease because of poor service or supplies not being delivered?

 

[buckeyewta]

On our C75, I got it in writing from the salesman, though I don't know how much weight that would carry, that there would be no restrictions on our toner usage. I think we average around 40% coverage.

Based on the toners they say we used and number of pages printed we average 32 percent coverage on 12x18. They say our toner usage is off the charts, 4 to 5 times what it should be.

 

[kdw75]

Our contract said they could up the prices and limit toner. Then we got it in writing that they wouldn't do either. The people who write the contracts didn't seem to have anything to do with real world practices, at least in our cases.

We bought directly through Xerox though.

 

[poppin]

The sales guy was the one to call and tell me that we are on hold. Is seems everything they promised when we signed now means nothing. We are not with Xerox Direct but with a company owned by Xerox that services a ton of printers in the area that has a non-compete deal with Xerox. The contract does say there can be additional charges for excessive usage but the sales guy told me that will never happen when we signed. It also says on the contract that service rates may not increase by more than 10%. They way I understand it if they charge extra for toner or drop service they are breaking the contract and that should allow us to drop the lease. Has anyone on here ever had any success in getting out of a lease because of poor service or supplies not being delivered?

"but the sales guy told me that will never happen when we signed." Never trust sales rep on anything they promise while you are holding the pen with the tip touching the sales document, unless it is penned down in the same document you are endorsing to procure their equipment.

This general rule of thumb has always been put on practice and never fail me.

 

[Mark H]

Has anyone on here ever had any success in getting out of a lease because of poor service or supplies not being delivered?

Who holds the lease on the machine? In most cases it's a 3rd party financier with little or no ties to either the servicing organization, the manufacturer, and in some cases the seller.

Your best bet is to seek legal advice pronto.

Mark H

 

[buckeyewta]

They say it is a third party but all the papers we signed along with the monthly payments have Comdoc's name name on them. I am pretty sure it the lease is owned by the company. We will be talking to an attorney shortly.

 

[Possumgal]

The sales guy was the one to call and tell me that we are on hold. Is seems everything they promised when we signed now means nothing. We are not with Xerox Direct but with a company owned by Xerox that services a ton of printers in the area that has a non-compete deal with Xerox. The contract does say there can be additional charges for excessive usage but the sales guy told me that will never happen when we signed. It also says on the contract that service rates may not increase by more than 10%. They way I understand it if they charge extra for toner or drop service they are breaking the contract and that should allow us to drop the lease. Has anyone on here ever had any success in getting out of a lease because of poor service or supplies not being delivered?

Keep specific track, with dates and times, of all jobs delayed or postponed because of their refusal to deliver toner. Also keep track of any money spent on toner from additional sources. Their refusal to keep you supplied is interfering with your business, and these details will be useful if you have to take this dispute up the food chain or take it to court.

 

[buckeyewta]

For those of you that get charged for heavy coverage, at what level do they start charging? I got a letter last week that said I would be billed for anything over 2 toners per 34,000. The toners are rated at 5% coverage on 8.5x11 so basically what they are allowing me is 3.8% coverage on 13x19. Does this seem ridiculously low or not?

 

[Craig]

You are getting screwed! What does Comdoc say normal coverage is? Does that match the industry standard measurement of 5% coverage/yield?

 

[mattf-BCDDirect]

I haven't dealt with Xerox much, but it seems to me that you should be able to get out of the lease. At best, you could try to leverage them into honoring the original contract by threatening to go with another vendor. There are a wider variety of digital presses and copier companies that make high quality machines that can compete with or even surpass Xerox on quality and price. I have had success with Kodak's NexPress and with Konica BizHub 8000 and have never had an issue with "too much toner usage".

Just my 2 cents worth.

Good luck!

 

[mattf-BCDDirect]

Based on the toners they say we used and number of pages printed we average 32 percent coverage on 12x18. They say our toner usage is off the charts, 4 to 5 times what it should be.

Why in the world does the company think it has the right to dictate what kind of printing you are supposed to produce? Are they saying you are only allowed to print a small amount of text on a sheet of 12x18 paper? This is obnoxious at best and illegal at worst.

Good Luck!

 

[wonderings]

Our sales rep has been very good, any issues we have he looks after it. We have not really had any issues with Xerox, they have been very good to deal with. I am surprised they would hold your supplies, if you cannot print, they cannot make any money per click. I think the only thing you can do is start talking to your rep, if he cannot do anything, go above him, and keep going till you find a solution that works for you.

 

[Possumgal]

Raising prices is one thing; withholding supplies is another altogether. If you can print, you can't pay them. Contact somebody at their company's headquarters and have your contract in hand to read the pertinent parts to them. The higher ups may not know how their peasants are treating the customers.