In December the building next door to us had a huge fire and most of our office was drenched with water and experienced a lot of smoke damage. Somehow our SP540 survived all this and made it out after being in freezing temperature for 4 days. Traces of smoke was all over the place and as expected the printer wasn't functioning correctly. We had a tech come out to check it out, he cleaned it, changed the encoder strip and a couple of other parts. We also changed our black print head which was probably unrelated. With all that the printed does not seem to be functioning right, issues with printing and cutting keeps arising (as you may have seen by coming across some of my other posts). In your opinion, should i be concerned about long term effects? Could some of the parts be affected down the line? We have insurance on it and don't want to have the claim closed and then have us experience all kinds of issues with it. The tech who came out said it seems OK after replacing the necessary parts but it just doesn't seem to be the case. What do you guys think?
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SP-540 Smoke Exposure Ongoing Problems Concern
- Thread starter kmajid
- Start date
phototec
New Member
You are right about things could happen in the future, and if you close the insurance claim you will be up the creek without a paddle, if you know what I mean?
Because of the smoke and water damage, If I were you, I would demand all electronics, and both print heads be replaced (you could keep the existing heads as back up), before settling up with the insurance company. This machine is your bread & butter, and who knows what damage the intense heat, smoke, water vapor, and then the freezing weather has done to the electronic components inside the machine, even the service tech can't detect damage to the inside of the 1000's of small electronic components on the circuit boards.
The fire was NOT your fault, it was the building next door, they should also contribute to the efforts of making sure the printer is as good as it was before the fire damage.
As a mater of fact, now I'm thinking if this happened to my Roland SP540v, I would demand a full replacement, just like they total a vehicle, the insurance should get you a totally new printer, and they recover what ever they can from selling the present damaged printer. That way, you are assured of moving forward without the possibility of the current printer going belly up down the road and you having to pay for the damages out of pocket, because you closed the claim with the insurance company.
I'll leave you with a tip, the insurance company will always try and save money, most of the time they try and bluff you. Believe me in my younger years that tactic worked. Not any more, the last time I was getting the run-around from the insurance company of the gal who ran into my truck, I sent a complaint email to the Texas State Board of Insurance, and within a few days, got a call from that insurance company, and they wanted to know what they needed to do to make me happy and close the case.
I told them what I wanted, how much I wanted, which in the past they said NO WAY, now she said they would put a check in the mail TODAY, agreeing to all my terms. This was after fighting with them for 6 months. I guess my father was right, "The wheel that squeaks, gets the grease".
Words to live by: In life, you get what ever you except!
Because of the smoke and water damage, If I were you, I would demand all electronics, and both print heads be replaced (you could keep the existing heads as back up), before settling up with the insurance company. This machine is your bread & butter, and who knows what damage the intense heat, smoke, water vapor, and then the freezing weather has done to the electronic components inside the machine, even the service tech can't detect damage to the inside of the 1000's of small electronic components on the circuit boards.
The fire was NOT your fault, it was the building next door, they should also contribute to the efforts of making sure the printer is as good as it was before the fire damage.
As a mater of fact, now I'm thinking if this happened to my Roland SP540v, I would demand a full replacement, just like they total a vehicle, the insurance should get you a totally new printer, and they recover what ever they can from selling the present damaged printer. That way, you are assured of moving forward without the possibility of the current printer going belly up down the road and you having to pay for the damages out of pocket, because you closed the claim with the insurance company.
I'll leave you with a tip, the insurance company will always try and save money, most of the time they try and bluff you. Believe me in my younger years that tactic worked. Not any more, the last time I was getting the run-around from the insurance company of the gal who ran into my truck, I sent a complaint email to the Texas State Board of Insurance, and within a few days, got a call from that insurance company, and they wanted to know what they needed to do to make me happy and close the case.
I told them what I wanted, how much I wanted, which in the past they said NO WAY, now she said they would put a check in the mail TODAY, agreeing to all my terms. This was after fighting with them for 6 months. I guess my father was right, "The wheel that squeaks, gets the grease".
Words to live by: In life, you get what ever you except!
Thanks so much for the response. My feelings and thoughts are mutual. The only issue is that the tech who checked it out seems reluctant to write up a report saying what "could" be damaged in his opinion and the insurance company won't pay for anything unless there is a report from an expert who checked the printer out. Any thoughts?
Custom_Grafx
New Member
tell the tech the problems you're having, and that if he can't fix it he needs to do what's right (write a report saying that it can't be fixed).
You know with all that heat/cold parts expand and contract. you can easily show the manual as evidence to the insurance company which clearly states operating temperatures and the such. You can also do them a test print/cut and include it in your report, along with any receipts you had to pay your tech and the such for repairs, which also prove that it's still not functioning after so called repairs.
These machines are precision instruments, anyone can vouch for that. I would even be so bold to request a letter from roland support that clearly states that the machine has been through conditions which render it unreliable and incapable of achieving within its intended tolerances. Surely they would not suggest that a machine can perform as new after being put through that...
You know with all that heat/cold parts expand and contract. you can easily show the manual as evidence to the insurance company which clearly states operating temperatures and the such. You can also do them a test print/cut and include it in your report, along with any receipts you had to pay your tech and the such for repairs, which also prove that it's still not functioning after so called repairs.
These machines are precision instruments, anyone can vouch for that. I would even be so bold to request a letter from roland support that clearly states that the machine has been through conditions which render it unreliable and incapable of achieving within its intended tolerances. Surely they would not suggest that a machine can perform as new after being put through that...
phototec
New Member
No way I would keep that machine now, as mentioned, the heat in the building from the fire, all the water vapor in the air (if not direct water dripping on and into the printer), and then the freezing cold weather, this can only cause many, many problems down the road. And after you release the insurance company from their responsibility, all the bills to replace almost all the guts will fall to your pockets.
Like I mentioned before, the fire was NOT your fault or in your shop, yet the fire next door as caused this problem. If you need a a report from an expert, then I strongly suggest you get one, even if you have to get another expert like they do in a court trial, and I would submit the bill for this expert inspection to the insurance company as another expense resulted from the fire, after all they are requesting the expert report.
In this situation, you better stand up for your rights or the insurance company will walk all over you!
I think I may even get a layer if that what it's going to take to make the insurance company take notice.
Typestries
New Member
It's either time for 1. A new tech or 2. An independent adjuster. Or both.
Get what you deserve, a machine that functions like it did before the event that caused it to now not work properly.
Get what you deserve, a machine that functions like it did before the event that caused it to now not work properly.
klemgraphics
New Member
I would never settle for a machine that was repaired after something like that, maybe if you can keep it and get a new one, but just the moisture in the air after that is enough to cause problems down the road that will be on your dime.
