jbuch said:
Perhaps we should go back to the "GOOD OLD DAYS" when a Laserjet II
cost $2700.
If it meant the machine was designed to last (and today, even upgrade),
the consumables were at reasonable costs which were more like the cost
plus a reasonable profit margin, and parts were made available, customer
service was more than a phrase, and overall it reduced the desire of the
consumer to replace the whole printer every time they needed a toner or
ink refill, then yes, perhaps we should.
Would that make you feel better?
I would.
Don't you just hate to see companies make money to stay in business.
I'm gonna quote someone here, tell me if you recognize it:
I don't see how anybody coulld make a living repairing cheap electrical appliances.
You buy a new coffeemaker for $30. It breaks, and you get charged
$10.00 for the replacement heating element and $20 to install it. So,
for the consumer, it doesn't make sense to have a small appliances
repair system, except for a $200 expensive appliance or a ship it
back for a new one type of warranty service.
The bulk of the printers today in the hands of consumers are "cheap".
There are only a few shoe repair shops around these days, much less
than in the past. It is too expensive to repair most inexpensive shoes.
But, there are expensive shoes where repair makes good sense. $30 shoes
resoled for $15 vs $150 shoes resoled for $25 is a whole different
ball game.
The piezoelectric print heads are alleged to cost more than the
thermal/bubblejet heads to produce.
So, the profits on the headless full inktank cartridge are higher
than the profits on the inktank with built in thermal/bubblejet printing
head.
I really don't see the viability of expecting to make a living repairing "Cheap" products.
Jim
Now, you see, if the printers cost let's just say $800, since they now
sell for under $100 here in Canada, as maybe they should, and the toner
refills cost $40, rather than $150, people would keep their printers and
pay a couple hundred for a repair, keeping the repairman in business,
and they wouldn't want to chuck the printer every time it needed a new
toner fill, a slight repair, or a new one with a new bell or whistle
came out.
Not only that, but the inhabitants of the whole planet might benefit.
How much longer to you really think we can go down this wasteful road
before it is blocked by someone else's garbage in front of us?
They should lose money so as to give the customer the best bargain?
They already do on many products. We have become so craven to "the new
and best, we refuse to buy a printer that has been on the shelf over 6
months, so they are dumped below cost. In fact, many of the NEW
printers are sold below cost to try to get the "ink I.V. drip" started.
Lexmark lives on this concept. I almost never see Lexmark printers for
SALE in Canada, by far the large majority are "given away" with purchase
of just about anything computer related.
If this keeps up, you'll get one free with the purchased of a blank DVD.
Art
