GRIPES

[willedoo]

This would be worth looking into for people who buy specials in bulk. Take a photo of the sale tag and you know when the next sale period is.

 

https://au.news.yahoo.com/shoppers-reveal-secret-coles-and-woolworths-discount-code-102416155.html

[old man emu]

I've got a computer printer gripe.

 

My faithful HP printer looks like it died during a thunderstorm. The worst bit of that was that I had just spent about $50 on ink cartridges (about 1/6th the OfficeWorks price). So I headed to Officeworks to buy a replacement. I only need printing and scanning, so I bought a low end range Epson XP-2205. It is not a plug'n'play set up, so I had to go searching for setup software and drivers. Included in that software bundle was the owner's manual. Catch 22!

 

So I got it going then realised that the initial cartridges were only for setting up, and soon ran out. So I'll go into Dubbo and get replacements today. That's not my gripe - I have grocery shopping to do. My gripe is the quality of the printer itself. This morning over mt Weet-Bix I looked for reviews. The consensus was that, on a scale of  1 to 5, this printer is a big Zero. Now these reviews are 18 months old, so maybe Epson reacted to the reviews. (Pig 14U, you are cleared to land.)  So I am going to persevere, but if the reviews are correct, I'll be carting it back to OfficeWorks and demanding a refund on the basis that the printer does not meet its advertised performance specifications and is therefore "Not fit for purpose". Thank Whoever for strong consumer protection laws.

 

I don't expect any dramas with OfficeWorks. They are pretty good. But the gripe is about the frustrations suffered trying to set up the printer and the miserable accessibility of basic operator information.

[facthunter]

I've learned how to "tickle" my old CANON and she's going better than ever. Now having said THAT..... only Dog knows what will happen next.  Nev

[onetrack]

I think Epson were originally O.K., but they've gone downhill. I've never owned, nor ever had any time for HP products, every one I ever examined looked like a cheap POS.

 

I've nearly always used Canon printers, and they went from superb to just good. I originally had a ripper of a Canon scanner (1998) and had to throw it out about 2010, because the driver system for it became obsolete with newer versions of Windows.

 

I've had a Canon printer (an MG5300 - which also scans), and it has performed flawlessly for about 7 or 8 years. They were about $200, now the price has dropped even more with the newer models.

 

I bought a big Brother printer and scanner (MFC-6890CDW) about 15 years ago and it's a PIA. It's always showing error messages, it goes through a 5 min self-cleaning process every time you want to use it - and you can't use aftermarket ink cartridges in it, because it refuses to recognise them, and won't work. Of course, the genuine cartridges are twice as expensive as the aftermarket ones. 

 

It does do a great job of printing and scanning once it decides it's going to work, and it does have a great self-feeding setup, if you're doing a lot of copying. But I wouldn't buy another Brother, they're just to much of a PIA to operate, and the inability to use aftermarket cartridges is a costly stunt.

[red750]

Three or four years ago my wife bought a HP printer/scanner/copier from O-W for around $35.00 AFAIR.

We really haven't had any problems with it, although you could say the cartridges run out a bit too quickly. My son uses it mainly,working from home, but I scan, copy,print without problem. It connects to a couple of laptops via wi-fi.

[spacesailor]

My deceased Epson 440 had it's power transformer built inside , & it ge too hot, then dies , Bad revues online .tried to match a secondhand supply, only to throw it out with it's NEW transformer.

has anyone , tried the ' No cartridge ' type yet.

spacesailor

[octave]

There is a saying that I think is factually accurate.  "The cheaper the printer, the more expensive the ink ".    Many home printers are sold at a loss. The business these companies are in is ink sales.

 

Printer companies use an outdated business model so you pay more for ink cartridges than for the printer itself

 

For many years my work as a music teacher meant a lot of music copying.  I used to always need a printer and a supply of cartridges.  In later years I actually worked out how much it was costing me.  When my printer died I decided it may be more efficient to not own a printer and I started to go to Officeworks and use their service.   This ended up being much cheaper. The downside of course was that I had to be more organized and save a number of documents to print at once.  Later I started emailing students PDF files so they could print them out themselves.    In our house we rarely need anything printed, certainly not enough to justify buying a printer.

 

For us at least owning a printer encouraged us to print things that did not really need to be printed.  Whilst printing is sometimes a necessary evil we try to do as much as possible digitally.  

 

[old man emu]

The complete replacement ink set for my HP as sold by HP was about $160. I bought two complete replacement sets and an extra big size black thrown in for $50 - just before the printer chicked it in. I've been too busy to open it up to see if the fix is simple.

 

Bought the cartridges for the Epson today for $80, and they are wee ones compared to the HP ones. Spoke to the staff at O-W and they weren't fazed about accepting it back for a refund.

 

I'll give it a run this week and see how it goes. The frustrating part of it is having to do that long round trip just to take the Epson back and then buy another brand and set it all up.

[Jerry_Atrick]

I have an old Brother B&W laser printer I purchased second hand about 10 years ago. It still goes well a and I have yet to have to change the toner. In its early years, it got a reasonable amount of work and still gets our pure B&W prints. It is connected to a wireless print server, that connects to our LAN, so although it is a USB printer, it is available to all of our computers.

 

I upgrade to a fancy shmancy Brother colour lasr MFP, because, penny for penny, the B&W last smashed my previous inkjets as the toner lasted so much longer. Well, the newer model gets moderate work and it goes through the toner at a greater rate of knots, but not as much as others on inkjets seem to go through. The prorblem is,. after market toner suppliers are hit and miss, so I stick with Brother toners.. which are not cheap. It is probably now costing the same as an inkjet, but the results are so much better. 

 

The drum and the spools have to be cleaned - but that is about it.

 

The cost of the new one was around £350, though. About £200 more than its inkjet comparable model - but the quality of print is excellent, throughput is good, and I am reasonably happy with it.

 

 

[Jerry_Atrick]

Gripe of the week.. New Zealanders! Up until last week, I was the only antipdean in the village. Then, an East Australian accent turns up.. And he is a decent bloke, younger and with more hair... Bar-steward!

 

(thankfully, only I can give the authorative info on Aussie rules, though... And thankfully, no Sydneysiders here, yet (*Kevlar jacket on!))

 

Although, in the next village, there is a Sydney-sider!

 

That's it! I am moving back to Aus!

Edited February 19, 2023 by Jerry_Atrick

[nomadpete]

If it upsets you that much, you better cancel plans to move back downunder.

You'd find quite a few more of those intolerable Aussies down here.

[Old Koreelah]

Crickey, only 8 posts with gripes about printers! I expected dozens more to join in. I recently dumped quite a collection of printers that don’t like me (or anyone else who tried to get them to work).
 

During forty years using computers I learned a lot and could get most machines to do their stuff, but I’ve totally lost interest in that sort of problem-solving. These days, a new iPad and iPhone every six or eight years is all I need.

[Bruce Tuncks]

I once read that Apple deliberately sabotage their own products when they reckon its time for you to buy a new one.So I've always thought Apple stuff was for the rich.

[Bruce Tuncks]

But I don't think you are that rich old K

 

[facthunter]

it only takes ONE rotten Apple to ruin the whole Bin.  Nev

[spacesailor]

Sony did the same with it's Pyxis GPS.  ( http://retro-gps.info/Sony/Sony-Pyxis-IPS-360/index.html )

They put a capacitor in that counted the startups then, it needed to be '' serviced '' to replace the capacitor .

spacesailor

[Old Koreelah]

5 hours ago, Bruce Tuncks said:

But I don't think you are that rich old K

 

It’s alright Bruce- I’m richer than most of humanity! 
The pension I worked a lifetime to earn arrives each fortnight.
The food and beer is always in the shop.

The electricity (almost) never goes off.

The servo always has diesel.

The sun comes up each morning.

Ian’s forums are always open.

 

[nomadpete]

So, so true.

I too count myself as being truly rich in the ways that matter. No matter that many cannot see it - because they only see wealth in terms of dollars.

[facthunter]

Not much more important than good health.. Kerry Packer's dead .I'm not.  Nev

[old man emu]

5 minutes ago, facthunter said:

Not much more important than good health.. Kerry Packer's dead .I'm not.  Nev

Yeah, but he's the richest man in the cemetery.

[facthunter]

DEATH- The FINAL Leveller. "the Beggerman and the Mighty King"... Nev

[Old Koreelah]

[Jerry_Atrick]

17 hours ago, facthunter said:

Not much more important than good health.. Kerry Packer's dead .I'm not.  Nev

True, but without his money, he would have died long before he did

[facthunter]

If he'd lived a different lifestyle he might have lived a lot longer too.. Good health doesn't come from pills all of which have side effects.   Nev

[Jerry_Atrick]

Undoubtedly, but many who lived as unhealthily as he did but didn't have the means would have died a lot earlier