NEW-Refurbished P7000, Possible?

[Garnick]

Hello all,

This is something that has been nagging at me since I took delivery and then st up the "new" P7000, which was in mid June of this year.  I had placed the order through a retailer and was informed that the printer was back ordered and would not be delivered for 3-4 weeks.  That was somewhat upsetting, since I had promised a printing job much sooner that that time frame.  But of course that was my fault for not ordering sooner.  However, I talked with my contact at the retailer and asked if the delivery could be expedited in some way.  She said she would check,, but didn't hold out much hope for that happening.  I then had to bite the bullet and inform my customer that I had dropped the ball on that order, and referred him to another printer that might be able to handle the job, although he was adamant about me doing the printing.  Then, to my surprise, a week and a half later I was notified that my "new" printer was sitting in the local Purolator warehouse and asked when I would like to have it delivered.  Of course I said ASAP, and that's what happened.  Once I got the printer into my house and set up where I wanted it I noticed that the transparent cover had a lot of abrasion marks on it, both inside and out, as well as a couple of small and almost unnoticeable areas that seemed to have been touched up to cover some sort of abrasion as well.  Of course none of this has had any sort of bearing on the operation of the printer, and I am very happy with it after downsizing from the 9900 I had in my previous business location.  There's also a annoying "Squeak" if I lean against the left edge of the cover, which I think I might be able to fix.  And then there's the fact that I did not receive an Owner's Manual, just the "Setup" and "Quick Reference' booklets.  Of course that may be all of the reading material that would normally shipped with these units, since the Owner's Manual can be downloaded.  Now, this is the part that has been bothering me.  The fact that the printer was indeed available much sooner than first expected, along with the other aspects I have mentioned here, it has sometimes come to mind that this may have been a refurbished P7000, for which I payed the price of a new printer.  I very much doubt that would be the case, and I have been putting off posting this at all until now.  Just wondering if anyone has ever encountered such a situation.  To be totally honest, I hope the answer is a resounding NO, since otherwise I will be left always wondering.  I suppose I could call the Preferred Epson number and ask about the history of this printer, but I'd rather not take that step at this point.

One more question while I'm in the midst.  At this time I have the printer set up on a carpeted floor, and not sure if I should perhaps set it on some other sort of material.  My reason for that is the possibility of a static charge playing havoc with the printer's internal electronics, especially in the oncoming winter months with the lower RH values.  Or, could the printer perhaps be grounded so that the possibility of a static charge could be counted out?  Just a thought.

Gary

[Alan Goldhammer]

One more question while I'm in the midst.  At this time I have the printer set up on a carpeted floor, and not sure if I should perhaps set it on some other sort of material.  My reason for that is the possibility of a static charge playing havoc with the printer's internal electronics, especially in the oncoming winter months with the lower RH values.  Or, could the printer perhaps be grounded so that the possibility of a static charge could be counted out?  Just a thought.

Gary

A highly unlikely event.  Electronics are internally protected otherwise you would see everyone's personal computers shorting out when touched by someone carrying a static charge.  In my entire life I have only seen one instrument disabled by an electric charge (not counting lightning strikes which are another issue).  It was lab micro-ammeter that I was using for a series of experiments.  A lab mate who was doing something totally different involving high voltage temperature jumps discharged his system and you could see the spark go across the room and fry the innards of the ammeter.  It set my research back several weeks until we could get a replacement and needless to say we moved the piece of equipment to another room!!!!  The voltage involved was magnitudes above static discharge from a person.

[Mark D Segal]

Gary,

That's an expensive piece of machinery and as a customer for a new unit, you should be receiving it in pristine, new condition. What you are describing is not that. If it were me I would have called Epson as soon as I noticed all that and asked them to pick it up and replace it with a new one that is in the proper condition.

[deanwork]

Mark is right. That is unacceptable. Tell them to pick it up and replace it. Take lots of pictures, call Epson sales support and get their email and send them the pictures. If they give you any static, which they probably won't, tell them the next place thes jpegs will go is to all the online user groups.

Gary,

That's an expensive piece of machinery and as a customer for a new unit, you should be receiving it in pristine, new condition. What you are describing is not that. If it were me I would have called Epson as soon as I noticed all that and asked them to pick it up and replace it with a new one that is in the proper condition.

[Garnick]

Mark is right. That is unacceptable. Tell them to pick it up and replace it. Take lots of pictures, call Epson sales support and get their email and send them the pictures. If they give you any static, which they probably won't, tell them the next place thes jpegs will go is to all the online user groups.

Hi John & Mark,

Thanks for the replies and your advice.  Problem is, I'm afraid I might have left this too long to really have a case with Epson.  The fact is, the printer has been working as expected, with no issues at this point, so perhaps I'm reading too much into all of this.  Then, on the other hand, I'm thinking I perhaps should at least call Epson and ask about this particular printer and the possibility that it is a refurb unit.  I wouldn't phrase the question in exactly that way of course, leave that until I have described what I mentioned in my first post and lead up to the final question.  Then of course there is the possibility that I might not receive a totally true answer, in which case I would perhaps have no further recourse.  I think perhaps another approach might be to concentrate on the cover issue only and insist that they at least replace that part.  I guess the proper way to phrase my initial question to Epson is to ask about the "history" of this unit, and then gradually work toward the "refurb" possibility, but only if I'm not totally satisfied with their initial answer.  However, I will definitely make sure a get a new unmarked cover that doesn't SQUEAK with the least bit of pressure on the left top edge.  Yes indeed, a call to Epson in the very near future, and I'll let you know what transpires.  Thanks again for you replies gentlemen.

And Mark -- I just had a brain wave, or perhaps it's just the java kicking in.  I think I'll write to our friend, the other Mark, and ask his advice as well.  If he has time to drop in to take a look, that would be great.  He's such a busy guy I doubt that could happen, but definitely get an opinion if possible.

Gary

         

 

[Garnick]

A highly unlikely event.  Electronics are internally protected otherwise you would see everyone's personal computers shorting out when touched by someone carrying a static charge.  In my entire life I have only seen one instrument disabled by an electric charge (not counting lightning strikes which are another issue).  It was lab micro-ammeter that I was using for a series of experiments.  A lab mate who was doing something totally different involving high voltage temperature jumps discharged his system and you could see the spark go across the room and fry the innards of the ammeter.  It set my research back several weeks until we could get a replacement and needless to say we moved the piece of equipment to another room!!!!  The voltage involved was magnitudes above static discharge from a person.

Thank you Alan,

I vaguely recall a recent post that included a warning concerning placing one of these wide format printers on a carpeted floor, and the possible negative aspects of such a setup.  However, your response has set my mind at ease on this subject.  As I was writing my initial post about my concerns, I was also taking into account that all of the electronics should indeed be isolated from any such issues, and of course the fact that the power cord is grounded should also play a big part in protecting the electronics overall.

Thanks again Alan,

Gary         
 

[Mark D Segal]

Gary,

Mid June of this year is still recent enough to take up any issue with Epson as the printer is still under warranty. If you bought a new printer you should have been delivered a new printer. There is no need to tip-toe around Epson. Tell them what's on your mind and let them respond. It's normal business practice. My experience with Epson is that if they are supplying you with a refurb they will say so. It's illegal and poor business ethics to misrepresent the product, they know it, and as far as my experience informs me, they'll be correct about it.

[Garnick]

Gary,

Mid June of this year is still recent enough to take up any issue with Epson as the printer is still under warranty. If you bought a new printer you should have been delivered a new printer. There is no need to tip-toe around Epson. Tell them what's on your mind and let them respond. It's normal business practice. My experience with Epson is that if they are supplying you with a refurb they will say so. It's illegal and poor business ethics to misrepresent the product, they know it, and as far as my experience informs me, they'll be correct about it.

Mark,
 
I tend to agree, based on my extensive experience with Epson during the first two years with my 9900.  My "Issues" log spanned more than 80 pages in Word, and when the third warranty year finished the tech estimated that I would have bought two new printers had I payed for all of the labour, parts, etc.  However, had it not been for a space issue here at home the 9900 would have moved along with me.  Fortunately the fellow in Toronto who bought it is very pleased and no major issues.  Not a surprise, since Epson and I had taken care of all of those.  After about my 8th call to Epson I had it sown to a science.  There was one fellow I absolutely did not want to converse with.  He had a rather identifiable voice, so if he answered I would try again.  I just knew I would be spending a long time on the phone with him.  However, I think it's definitely time to get all my ducks in order and plunge into the Epson Warranty pool once again.  I'll let you know how all of that works out.

Gary     

   

[Mark D Segal]

OK Gary - I'll be interested to hear back.

[DeanChriss]

Hello all,

This is something that has been nagging at me since I took delivery and then st up the "new" P7000, which was in mid June of this year.  I had placed the order through a retailer and was informed that the printer was back ordered and would not be delivered for 3-4 weeks.  That was somewhat upsetting, since I had promised a printing job much sooner that that time frame.  But of course that was my fault for not ordering sooner.  However, I talked with my contact at the retailer and asked if the delivery could be expedited in some way.  She said she would check,, but didn't hold out much hope for that happening.  I then had to bite the bullet and inform my customer that I had dropped the ball on that order, and referred him to another printer that might be able to handle the job, although he was adamant about me doing the printing.  Then, to my surprise, a week and a half later I was notified that my "new" printer was sitting in the local Purolator warehouse and asked when I would like to have it delivered.  Of course I said ASAP, and that's what happened.  Once I got the printer into my house and set up where I wanted it I noticed that the transparent cover had a lot of abrasion marks on it, both inside and out, as well as a couple of small and almost unnoticeable areas that seemed to have been touched up to cover some sort of abrasion as well.  Of course none of this has had any sort of bearing on the operation of the printer, and I am very happy with it after downsizing from the 9900 I had in my previous business location.  There's also a annoying "Squeak" if I lean against the left edge of the cover, which I think I might be able to fix.  And then there's the fact that I did not receive an Owner's Manual, just the "Setup" and "Quick Reference' booklets.  Of course that may be all of the reading material that would normally shipped with these units, since the Owner's Manual can be downloaded.  Now, this is the part that has been bothering me.  The fact that the printer was indeed available much sooner than first expected, along with the other aspects I have mentioned here, it has sometimes come to mind that this may have been a refurbished P7000, for which I payed the price of a new printer.  I very much doubt that would be the case, and I have been putting off posting this at all until now.  Just wondering if anyone has ever encountered such a situation.  To be totally honest, I hope the answer is a resounding NO, since otherwise I will be left always wondering.  I suppose I could call the Preferred Epson number and ask about the history of this printer, but I'd rather not take that step at this point.

One more question while I'm in the midst.  At this time I have the printer set up on a carpeted floor, and not sure if I should perhaps set it on some other sort of material.  My reason for that is the possibility of a static charge playing havoc with the printer's internal electronics, especially in the oncoming winter months with the lower RH values.  Or, could the printer perhaps be grounded so that the possibility of a static charge could be counted out?  Just a thought.

Gary

I took delivery of a new P7000 in July of 2016. Unlike the days of the 7900, the only manuals supplied now are the Setup and Quick Reference guides, along with a few sheets of paper. You have to download the full owner's manual. The only difference between your printer and mine is the squeak.

Also, the metal parts of the case are connected to the ground prong of the AC plug. Any static charges are dissipated there, assuming the AC outlet you use is properly grounded.

[Garnick]

Hello all,

This is something that has been nagging at me since I took delivery and then st up the "new" P7000, which was in mid June of this year.  I had placed the order through a retailer and was informed that the printer was back ordered and would not be delivered for 3-4 weeks.  That was somewhat upsetting, since I had promised a printing job much sooner that that time frame.  But of course that was my fault for not ordering sooner.  However, I talked with my contact at the retailer and asked if the delivery could be expedited in some way.  She said she would check,, but didn't hold out much hope for that happening.  I then had to bite the bullet and inform my customer that I had dropped the ball on that order, and referred him to another printer that might be able to handle the job, although he was adamant about me doing the printing.  Then, to my surprise, a week and a half later I was notified that my "new" printer was sitting in the local Purolator warehouse and asked when I would like to have it delivered.  Of course I said ASAP, and that's what happened.  Once I got the printer into my house and set up where I wanted it I noticed that the transparent cover had a lot of abrasion marks on it, both inside and out, as well as a couple of small and almost unnoticeable areas that seemed to have been touched up to cover some sort of abrasion as well.  Of course none of this has had any sort of bearing on the operation of the printer, and I am very happy with it after downsizing from the 9900 I had in my previous business location.  There's also a annoying "Squeak" if I lean against the left edge of the cover, which I think I might be able to fix.  And then there's the fact that I did not receive an Owner's Manual, just the "Setup" and "Quick Reference' booklets.  Of course that may be all of the reading material that would normally shipped with these units, since the Owner's Manual can be downloaded.  Now, this is the part that has been bothering me.  The fact that the printer was indeed available much sooner than first expected, along with the other aspects I have mentioned here, it has sometimes come to mind that this may have been a refurbished P7000, for which I payed the price of a new printer.  I very much doubt that would be the case, and I have been putting off posting this at all until now.  Just wondering if anyone has ever encountered such a situation.  To be totally honest, I hope the answer is a resounding NO, since otherwise I will be left always wondering.  I suppose I could call the Preferred Epson number and ask about the history of this printer, but I'd rather not take that step at this point.

One more question while I'm in the midst.  At this time I have the printer set up on a carpeted floor, and not sure if I should perhaps set it on some other sort of material.  My reason for that is the possibility of a static charge playing havoc with the printer's internal electronics, especially in the oncoming winter months with the lower RH values.  Or, could the printer perhaps be grounded so that the possibility of a static charge could be counted out?  Just a thought.

Gary

Yes, this is an update.  Not one that I am totally happy about.  On Oct. 26 I talked to an Epson Tech and told passed along my concerns, as listed above.  He asked me to reply to an email he would send to me with pics of the front cover showing the abrasions, as well as a video of the annoying squeaking of the cover if I were to apply very light pressure on the left end.  Later that day I got all of the material together and sent it along as required.  Four days later I sent another email to the tech to make sure he had indeed received the vid and pics.  Still no reply, so Nov.3 I called again and asked to speak to the tech I had been dealing with, but was told he had left for the day and the tech I was talking with said he would leave a message for the original tech to be in touch with me.  I had a call yesterday, Nov.6, from the original tech to let me know that since the issues I had put forth were simply cosmetic, Epson would not be doing anything them.  On that note the conversation ended.  I am including the pic I sent of the front cover, showing the abrasions, which were there from day one.  I will refrain from boring you with the video, but it did indeed demonstrate the squeak quite well. 

I wonder what degree of cosmetic issue Epson is prepared to overlook.  I definitely take ownership of that fact that I probably waited too long to approach Epson with my concerns, but I'm not sure that would have any influence on their decision.  And by the way, it was made very clear that the printer I have is neither a refurb nor a demo.  I asked again yesterday and the answer was verified once again.  As I mentioned in my initial post, I am very satisfied with the printer overall, so that's not an issue.  Perhaps I'm being too picky, but you will be the judge of that I'm sure. 

I just wanted to bring this thread up to date, so no replies necessary.








       

[BrianWJH]

Hi Gary, absolutely no way is the cover in new condition it looks like someone has used a kitchen cleaning scotch brite pad on it, were all the securing tapes and internal packing in place when you received it?

Brian.

[Mark D Segal]

Nasty pic. Something fishy going on. Call Epson back and ask for escalation. Tell them this is totally abnormal and you will pursue the matter to any level necessary for getting satisfaction.

[Garnick]

Nasty pic. Something fishy going on. Call Epson back and ask for escalation. Tell them this is totally abnormal and you will pursue the matter to any level necessary for getting satisfaction.

Brian and Mark,

Thank you very much for the replies.  Of course I agree totally with your assessment of the situation and I value your support.  I'm still wondering what it would take now for Epson to step up to the plate and hit a home run in my ballpark concerning this matter.  I had a lot of issues with the 9900 I bought in 2010, and I expressed many of them here on this forum.  I kept a log that eventually spanned 80 pages in Word, and I extended the warranty for the full three year coverage, which I will probably also do with the P7000.  However, with all of the issues and service calls I had concerning the 9900, Epson never questioned the validity of the situation and a tech showed up and replaced parts etc. as necessary.  As a matter of fact I also had an issue with the front cover on the 9900, although not exactly the same as this situation.  They sent a new cover and a tech to install it within a couple of days.  I guess their priorities have changed, and not necessarily for the better unfortunately.  I'm going to wait another few days and see what others have to say about this, but I definitely will be perusing it further within the very near future.  And of course there's also the fact that it took a follow up email and a phone call from me to light a fire under someone's behind and finally get in touch again.  Not a good way to handle such a situation in my opinion.

Thanks again fellows,

Gary   
   

[Garnick]

BREAKING NEWS!  Watching too much CNN obviously.  Gosh, I wonder why 

But I do digress, quell surprise.  I spent the better part of an hour on the phone with Epson Service this morning, again.  I first talked with the tech I got in touch with during my initial call on Oct. 25.  To catch up a bit, this whole issue with Epson has been lingering for more than three weeks, until I decided to place another call this morning.  I had prepared very carefully with all of the dates and times chronicled, along with a a couple of questions that had nothing to do with the original issue.  I talked to Chris and let him know once again that I was not at all satisfied with the way this had been handled, or to be more correct, NOT handled.  One of the questions he could not answer, but he said he would ask another tech.  I then asked to speak to his supervisor.  He said that his super was not in today, but he would pass me along to another super.  I waited on hold for about 5 minutes and then talked to a very nice lady who asked more questions.  I told her up front that although I wasn't actually expecting any further action on this issue, I felt that I had to voice my disappointment at the way Epson had chosen to handle the initial situation.  I also mentioned that I was well aware that this is basically a cosmetic issue and has no bearing on the operation of the printer, however, I felt that a new printer should look and sound(no squeaks) like a new printer.  I also mentioned that this is not what I had been used to with my 9900 and the issues I experienced then, and the fact Epson was very cooperative and every issue was taken care of quickly and efficiently.  She then asked why I hadn't called sooner.  I responded that it was a very busy time then and I just let it slide, possibly too long.  She seemed to understand that and did not push any further, although that would not have surprised me.  She was right, I should have called earlier.  I also mentioned that I was not holding Chris responsible for the time lag, but I was not impressed.  She said she wanted to talk with Chris again and put me on hold.  She returned in about 10 minutes to let me know that I would be receiving a call soon from the local tech to set up an appointment to install a new front cover for the printer.  At first I wasn't at all sure I had heard correctly, so I asked her to repeat, to which I offered a big "Thank You" for her work on this issue.  She then passed me back to Chris and I thanked him as well.  He apologized again for the lag, but that was quite OK at that point.

In all, it seems that Epson is still concerned about their reputation.  Of course the fact that I mentioned I had communicated with several people on two forums concerning this issue, may have held some sway as well I believe.  Either way, it was a very good use of an hour of my time.

Gary   
           

[Farmer]

Good result.  That's what I would have expected.

[Mark D Segal]

Very glad to hear it is being addressed properly now Gary.

[Garnick]

Very glad to hear it is being addressed properly now Gary.

Thanks Mark, and to all how joined in and convinced me that it's never too late to try a second go-round.  I had a call today from one of the D1 techs as a follow up.  Said he would call as soon as they get the part(s) and set up an installation date.  I think he might be one of the fellows who worked on my 9900 several years ago, not sure.

To paraphrase - It would seem that the squeaky cover does indeed get the grease. 

Thanks again fellows,

Gary 

[Mark D Segal]

You are welcome Gary.