Choose the right photocopier repair & maintenance service provider

After reading the last 2 blogs, you should now have a clear idea about the good housekeeping necessary to keep your printer running smoothly. Here we look at some of the possible issues you could encounter when deciding on taking out a printer or photocopier repair & maintenance service agreement.

Repair & maintenance service agreements for printers & photocopiers are now very common among many businesses. Some companies outsource the photocopier repairs to a printer service company, instead of trying to handle the repairs and maintenance themselves. Agreements differ widely, however, with some terms and conditions proving more bad than good for you and your company. So should you get a service agreement for your office printer repairs and maintenance, or not?

There is certainly an appeal, in the convenience that printer & photocopier repair and maintenance services undoubtedly give.  Allowing trained photocopier service professionals to deal with any printing problems which may arise is a simple alternative to dealing with such problems yourself.  You can then focus time and energy on your business, rather than spending time trying to get your printer fixed.  Lots of service agreements are also great value and actually help save your business money.

So what are the possible pitfalls of outsourcing photocopier service agreements and how can these be avoided?

1. Do some homework!

As with everything in life, with the good there is can sometimes be something bad lurking.  In the case of photocopier maintenance & repair service agreements, the bad can be hidden in all of the extra costs and fees.  So a good tip is to do some homework before signing on the dotted line.

2. Check the fine print
One of the main ways printer service companies make their profit is by offering inflated prices for printer supplies like paper, toner cartridges and ink. The fine print in some service agreements will specify that all replacement printer ink and toner cartridges have to be purchased directly from the service agency. Bottom line, if you aren't sure of something,ask!

A few other things to watch for

Many providers will maintain the right to replace older printers with a newer, leased version, even though the old one is still working.  As with the inks, prices for leasing could be hiked up.  Some companies will also redirect your print jobs to printers which they say are more efficient, even though this may not be what you want or need.  What's more, if your printer runs out of toner, your office could be floundering until a technician arrives.  This could cost you both time, and money.

Conclusion

So when considering a photocopier repair and maintenance service agreement, ensure that you investigate any hidden costs along with what is/is not covered. Many agreements specify a list of parts that aren't covered under the agreement and the provider will then charge you to supply them.  Some agreements might not even cover the cost of any parts and many providers will charge for callout and parts if the fault is caused by something like a drum or imaging unit, for example. You could therefore end up paying a lot more than you need too.   

The choice about whether a printer or photocopier repair & maintenance service is right for you is ultimately yours. They will certainly give you peace of mind, in that you know that just a phone call away is, (hopefully), an experienced engineer who can help and be with you fast. So the most important thing, in relation to photocopier service repairs and maintenance contracts, is to carefully read and understand the terms of the agreement.

• Paragon Comment

At Paragon Document Solutions, we recognise that taking on a printer or photocopier repair & maintenance service is often a big step for any company and that there are some less than scrupulous providers out there who will try to get you to sign on the dotted line without realising what you are getting yourself into.  You can, however, rely on our excellent record if you decide to take out a photocopier repair & maintenance service agreement with us, we will serve you well.

We know from our collective 50 years industry experience that due to widespread small print, hidden extras, unbreakable contract clauses and slow or unresponsive service, customers are often left feeling disgruntled with their supplier. Which is why we created Paragon, a company designed to give clients a club class customer service. This service promises;

• No small-print - Our leases are the best around!  We don't try to hoodwink you with small print and won't try to stitch you up by tying you into a lease that you don't want.  Our 'Free range agreements' mean that we don't have to lock our customers into a legally binding agreement to make them stay with us.
• Our flexible leases give you the option to upgrade according to your circumstances, and allow deferred payments should you wish. 
• Every customer has one dedicated and highly experienced consultant as the first and only port of call for any problems you may have.
• We are very proud of our 95% customer retention rate since our doors opened in 2002. So why not talk to a member of our friendly team and they will explain more.

For full details on of all our photocopier repair and maintenance services and our Price Match Promise, contact us today. Or email us directly on info@paragon-ds.co.uk.