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Come take this piece of junk

Letterbox Mike

New Member
Has anybody ever successfully gotten a dealer or manufacturer to take back/buy back/replace a piece of equipment that is not performing as promised or expected? Without ending up in court? If so, how did you approach it? Any negotiating tactics I should consider?
 

Letterbox Mike

New Member
It's not much of a secret (on here anyway) that we've had a less than great experience with our Epson GS6000. It was purchased specifically to print wallpaper, but it can't handle the media and craps out in one way or another whenever we try to run it. It can't handle any heavy media, it won't even run 13oz banner without having a fit. In and of itself, while that's frustrating, we dealt with it by shifting thick materials to the Mimaki and running thin stuff on the Epson, because when it does print the quality is stunning.

But on top of that, we've had 8 tech visits in the year we've owned it, amounting to over $8k worth of repair work, thankfully under warranty (two of those visits were to address why it won't handle heavy media, both ended with them throwing their hands up and saying "not approved media"). But the thing is not built well, if you sneeze near it it will break. We had a "paper jam" yesterday while loading static cling vinyl in it, it bunched a little in front of the head (nothing major, pretty average, I've seen waaaaay worse on the JV33 or our old JV3s). Somehow that managed to burn out the carriage motor and destroyed a little solenoid that locks the head in place when it parks on the capping station. So it's down. Epson is very good about dispatching a tech quickly. They overnighted parts to us, and the tech came to make the repair. Problem is the little solenoid is back ordered apparently everywhere in the world; the printer won't run without it. So here we are busy as crap and down a critical printer (again). They have no idea when the part will be in.

We're just sick of fighting this thing tooth and nail. Between all the downtime we've had and ruined jobs because it won't pull thick media it's cost us more money that we've made on it. And we're only at the end of year 1. The warranty runs out very soon and I'm scared to death I'm going to have to shell out $8k+ every f'n year to keep the thing limping along, at that I'll never get the production out of it we expected or were promised...

Anyway, have a conference call with my dealer and a couple regional Epson managers this afternoon, I want them to replace the machine with a new GS or that new SureColor printer they have coming out next month, or even better, just give me my money back. Never been in a situation like this before, I don't really want to go in guns blazin' because I want them on my side so to speak, that's why I'm curious if anybody's ever been successful in similar situations and if so how...
 

Letterbox Mike

New Member
Oh, and somebody from Epson tech support did offer me a HALF SET OF INK for the trouble since the printer will be down waiting on the part...

A half set. For real.
 

SightLine

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Wow - a half a set of ink! You know what they say.... the squeaky wheel gets the grease. Sounds liek you need to squeak louder. I recently ran into a costly and frustrating ongoing issue with a consumable. Finally blew my top and got very loud in an email blast to the president of the company and the president of one of their major distributors who we buy from and got things resolved as well as concessions for our trouble.

Hard to say how far Epson and your dealer might be willing to go to keep you happy though. You can only try. Best of luck.... I know for all your posts on this that you have pretty much regretted this one from near day one. Sorry to say but your grief made me that much happier that we stayed with Mimaki and got the JV33.
 

ProWraps

New Member
isnt that thing a mutoh chassis?

ive had 5 1304's and other than one destorying the head because it kept printing at the end of the roll, ive never experienced the stuff you are going through.
 

Letterbox Mike

New Member
Sorry to say but your grief made me that much happier that we stayed with Mimaki and got the JV33.

I'm glad at somebody benefited, honestly! I'm regretting the decision not to go with another Mimaki as well, obviously.

The only leverage I can dangle out in front of my dealer is the money I spent with them last year and the flatbed we're buying any day now. If they want any future business, including a six-figure equipment purchase they're going to have to work for it. I don't even want to buy the flatbed from them, but if push comes to shove and it's the only way to resolve this Epson issue I'll consider it I guess. Talk about being between a rock and a hard place...
 

Letterbox Mike

New Member
isnt that thing a mutoh chassis?

ive had 5 1304's and other than one destorying the head because it kept printing at the end of the roll, ive never experienced the stuff you are going through.

Yes. The chassis is built around the VJ1614, the ink train, heads and electronics, plus some other incidentals, are where the differences lie.

There are people who absolutely love the GS6000 and have zero problems with them, and there people who have identical problems to ours, very consistently. That says to me there's something going wrong on the manufacturing end. Whether it's a different shift or factory or something else I don't know, but I'm not alone in this. It's not overly common but those of us that have problems have them non-stop and the problems are identical across the board.
 

LarryB

New Member
Has anybody ever successfully gotten a dealer or manufacturer to take back/buy back/replace a piece of equipment that is not performing as promised or expected? Without ending up in court? If so, how did you approach it? Any negotiating tactics I should consider?


I was able to get the manufacturer to buy back a flat bed printer. I documented the 18 service calls within 1 year in my letter to the president of the distributor whom I bought it from requesting a buy back. I did mention I would be pursuing legal action against them and the manufacturer. Thankfully I was successful and they picked it up.
 

Letterbox Mike

New Member
Dude. Please tell me you are getting a CNC to go with that flatbed? PLEASE???!!!!

Haha! Not immediately, no space, but it's in the plans within 12 months if/when we expand next door.

Larry, good to hear you've had success facing what I'm facing. How much did you have to fight with the dealer and manufacturer before you elevated your actions?
 

10sacer

New Member
I usually make them sign a performance guarantee when I buy something and everyone gets a copy. It helps everyone understand what is expected and what my recourse will be should it warrant it. If they won't stand behind their product from inception in writing - then I buy something else.
 

BigfishDM

Merchant Member
Man that's a tough one but if they don't make you happy I would love to quote the flatbed! Holding that over their head might get them to take it back for sure. That's your best route I think.
 

LenR

New Member
Don't feel too bad. In the nineties I used IRIS printers.
Talk about maintenance hogs. I remember the service contract was $600.00/month! That's how bad they were.
I got a Mimaki @2001 and it's still working to this day.
I added another brand last year and I have really come to appreciate the hands down "Industrial" quality of the Mimaki.
 

Letterbox Mike

New Member
Man that's a tough one but if they don't make you happy I would love to quote the flatbed! Holding that over their head might get them to take it back for sure. That's your best route I think.

So far you were in the lead if I went the HP route, but they sell the same machine, and if it comes down to it, I'll seriously consider buying it from them if it's the only way I'll be able to get resolution out of this Epson issue. I hate being forced into that situation, and I'll have to think long and hard about it, but my options are limited, I have very little leverage in this situation and we're not talking hundreds of thousands of dollars at stake, it's an $18k printer, so I'm not above waving a hundred grand in their face to get them off their butts if I have too...
 

Letterbox Mike

New Member
Don't feel too bad. In the nineties I used IRIS printers.
Talk about maintenance hogs. I remember the service contract was $600.00/month! That's how bad they were.
I got a Mimaki @2001 and it's still working to this day.
I added another brand last year and I have really come to appreciate the hands down "Industrial" quality of the Mimaki.

Oh god I used to run an IRIS. Talk about amazing prints, but good god was it slow and troublesome. I don't miss that thing.
 

petepaz

New Member
we have had a supplier take back equipment before (inkjet printer and a scanner). the way we have done it is in the PO we put all the requirements we have for the machine and should it not uphold to those requirements they will take it back and we have the sales rep sign it. we have done it twice with different suppliers and no issues. the main thing is if the equipment doesn't perform as it is supposed to they should either make it work properly or take it back
 

LarryB

New Member
Haha! Not immediately, no space, but it's in the plans within 12 months if/when we expand next door.

Larry, good to hear you've had success facing what I'm facing. How much did you have to fight with the dealer and manufacturer before you elevated your actions?

It wasn't too bad of a fight. I have a good relationship with the distributor and he fought for me which helped. I'm sure with you buying more equipment, your distributor will try to help you in order to keep your business.
 
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