The number of unknowing customers extends to all manner of retailers. I was at Officeworks recently when an elderly woman, say 85 yrs, asked staff for advice on a printer to buy for her home, for simple and occasional printing needs. She was recommended a $359 laser printer when I am sure she could be equally happy with a $89 Canon multi function device. Ignorance in addition to oligopolistic markets is what the big boys in banking, retailing etc live for.
⊠may be quite a difficult problem. An inkjet printer may be unusable just when you need to use it because the ink has dried up during the long period of non-use.
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I would argue the salespeople are not at fault here. The staff arenât getting commission for selling the more expensive printer.
The fault is upper management, who are pushing staff to meet sales targets or get written up. The sales targets are always optimistic and the only way to hit them is to upsell regardless of ethics.
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That would be why we were shown a $20 printer cable at Officeworks when a perfectly adequate $5 one had come up on our online search. Iâm sure you can guess which one we bought. Itâs peanuts money, but we often shop there for tech and such experiences dent my trust in their recommendations on other products.
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This happened to our first inkjet printer many years ago. We used to print infrequentlyâŠprint off a few financial documents every 6 months. We bought a colour inkjet on the off chance of wanting to print photos. After a couple of years, the heads gummed up and couldnât print clearly any more. Tried manually cleaning using alcohol (as suggested online), to no avail.
As our (cheap) inkjet printer had fixed ink jet heads, couldnât be repaired and became eWaste.
We bought a mono laser printer and havenât looked back. It can sit for many months and no issues - with exception of paper absorbing moisture in humid Brisbane summer (less of an issue now in Tassie). If we need colour printing, we use Kmart/Officeworks as it is cheaper for occasional print. We also use generic toners which are very cheap and print costs about 0.75c per page.
The only thing I wish we has was scan functionality (multifunctional laser printer) as it would be very useful from time to time. Looking online the laser printer recommended by the Officeworks staff member is the entry level mono laser to have such functionality. The customer may have wished to have such functionality.
I wouldnât buy a fixed head (or head on a cartridge) inkjet printer again unless it was used very frequently.
I am against eWaste and think Officeworks advice is spot on for the customer. Otherwise they might have a printer destined for the bin if used irregularly and the heads dried out. If the inkjet cartridges had the inkjet heads, throwing out partially used heads becomes a very expensive exercise even though the initial printer may have been cheap.
It is likely that only hearing part of the conversation and then making assumptions which may not be in the interest of the customer. The sales assistant would have received full information from the customer and based recommendations on that information. Just because one thinks what it good for them, may not be in the best interests of others.
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I am on the side that may have been good advice as a âset and forgetâ product where a cartridge lasts years with little use (my laser cart is currently on year 4 and showing about half toner!) although if it ever needed cleaning it might be a mildly challenging experience but not nearly as bad as dealing with clogged inkjet heads.
My mid-range Brother inkjet MFC 4620 periodically runs a short clean cycle to keep its jets moist and clean. Two decades ago that was all but unheard of as the focus seemed to be not âwastingâ $$$$ ink. We print a page every few weeks on average and have yet to have a problem using compatible carts at around $20 per set of 4.
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I am with the others who are saying that cheap inkjet printers may not be a cheap as they look from the purchase price. These printers often use the razors and blades model as well as having problems with head clogging.
In some where they try for force you to use their overpriced ink they could give the printer away and still make a profit, especially the multi-colour cartridges where as soon as one ink is gone it ceases to function.
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Yes. I agree. The lack of training is widespread in many different retail situations.
I think there may be a misunderstanding here. Cheap printers (with expensive cartridges) such as HP ($40 or so) have NEVER been (for a host of reasons) my choice in any situation.
My point was that the womanâs need for a printer is identical to my parentsâ need: a few pages a week, if that. For such a requirement my family has been very happy with Brother mfc printers or Epson mfc printers that cost <$150. The only requirement is that one prints at least a page a week to keep the ink from drying.
A fancier laser printer is IMHO not needed for such limited use of the device.
Good point. But thatâs not to say that cheaper generic cartridges are always a better bet. Recently I found that many generic ink cartridges I bought all failed to work. All were faulty. I took them overseas (I had the right model etc) and bought them at two stores and every one of the single (black) and multi pack (4 colours) did not work. This was proven when I inserted an original equipment cartridge, which worked fine.
If one has a smart phone or tablet device the need for an MFC for for occasional use is questionable. Nearly all handheld devices can photo/scan and convert to pdf. Most can also print to a wide selection of printers. A low cost Brother (Black only) WiFi capable laser printer does the trick for us. A home WiFi network is not required for those relying on mobile data rather than the NBN.
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May I suggest you put yourself in the shoes of 80 year olds who have better things to do and perhaps a limited capacity to implement chronic demands to download this app or that app.
Also, having lived in the US I am constantly amused by Australians (and I am one myself) reminding others that life would be so much easier if only they downloaded an app here or there. In the US phones and printers, not to mention connecting to a telco costs a small fraction of what it costs in AU.
Also, customer service over there is so much better there that even if an app is suggested, anyone calling a printerâs call centre receives so much understanding and assistance that negates the need even to buy a smart phone.
As to your comment on a low cost Brother, first I congratulate you on choosing, as I have and friends have, a Brother device (simply awesome quality IMHO). Second, a low cost laser will as far as I have seen, ocst more than a low cost mfc. Case in point: Big W recently had a Canon Pixma on special for $59. I have never seen a laser selling for within cooee of that price.
Looking to the extended family who range into their 90âs - One size does not fit all. Itâs a misconception often repeated to suggest one size will fit. What might be suitable and recommended for one may not necessarily be the best for another. As some of the previous relies in this topic have indicated, there are different pros and cons for each alternative. The relative ease of replacing a laser toner cartridge compared to ink cartridges stands out for me. It may better meet the needs of less nimble and arthritic hands.
How does one conclude
from just one overheard part of the shopping experience and of someone we donât know anything of?
How did it turn out for the lady at Officeworks?
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I did not follow it up with her, but did see she bought the item there and then. Not much questioning on her part. I suppose she just wanted a printer ASAP, regardless of what type or if it is the most suitable option for her.
At the risk of opening a different can of worms ⊠how do you know? One of the goals of the ârazors and blades modelâ (which these days should perhaps be called the âprinter and cartridges modelâ) is that you canât substitute cheap, knock-offs for the money-making consumables. So the printer works hard to detect when a cheap knock-off is inserted. It may reject it outright. It may semi-unintentionally not work (even though the cheap knock-off is a workable cartridge). They may claim that it voids the warranty of the printer. Many scenarios are possible, none really transparent.
I try to go with: AVOID PRINTING, where possible.
Many things, that in the past one might have printed, can be carried on a smart phone and shown on request, including QR codes and the like that protect against alteration and outright forgery.
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Officeworks pointed me to a multifunction HP laser printer. The ink replacement is very costly and the scanner feed does not work. Itâs junk out of warranty and still on the first ink thank goodness. Itâs for recycling only.
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The day has gone when experts were in shops it might be still around. Most times the staff on duty either do not have time or do not know. I may be drifting of here but an example is bunnings some people are good whilst others are not as proficient. I still preferred days when the owner of a shop knew everything.
I worked at a speciality pet supply store for 5 years. Staff who actually know stuff are absolute gold for any retail manager. The problem is upper management who donât see why they should pay someone enough to stay when they can hire a teenager with no experience for half the cost.
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That is probably because printers these days have a chip that â readsâ the cartridges. If it cannot recognise them (i.e. they are not the brand name required) the printer wonât work. It is the latest way for the manufacturer to make even more money since the generic inks we all bought will no longer work. Much harder now to save money with ink jet printers.
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