Some experience with Epson

[Kim Laine]

I purchased an Epson Stylus Pro 3800 on Thursday the 30th October from a very reputable local dealer. When at home I opened the box to start to use the new printer. Some great sites on the net helped a lot, like

Eric Chan

http://people.csail.mit.edu/ericchan/dp/Epson3800/index.html
Vincent Olivier: http://www.photo-i.co.uk/Reviews/printers/...800/page-1.html and
Giorgio Trucco: http://www.outbackphoto.com/printinginsigh...i045/essay.html[/li][/list]

BTW, thank you guys for these valuable sites.

Everything went just fine according to the easy to follow instructions until I tried to print  the first test print. The result was a clean white paper. The initial ink charging had reported everything was OK. After some examination it was clear that the lines leading from the ink cartridges to the printhead where clean, no ink inside them. Also the waste tank was clean and it should have plenty of waste ink after a successful initial charge. Looking into the cartridges showed that they where ok, a small drop of ink could be seen on the cartridge as well as on the printer where the cartridge is connected to the printer. Tried also the testprints using the printer menu to verify the problem was not in the driver or computer. The nozzle check from the printer menu did not help either. Analysis was clear, something wrong with the printer.

It was quite late in the evening so I could not call to the local Epson support but sent an e-mail telling them about my experience. No response from Epson during the next day, Friday, until I had to leave from my office so I called the dealer. Very responsive help and after some discussion they asked me to bring the printer back so they could verify everything to Epson to continue with a replacement. Took the printer to the dealer and againg very good service and my analysis was confirmed by the dealer. Unfortunately they did not have an immediate replacement so I had to wait.

When I arrived at my home noticed Epson had sent an email just before their closing time on Friday afternoon while I was returning the printer to the dealer. A very typical first level Help-Desk support ticket asked me to verify everything I had done already the previous evening. Was not very happy about that but answered the mail.

The real horror story starts next week. As I did not have any further response from Epson I called them on Monday. They told there would not be any replacement but I had to wait for them to verify everything with their own tech personnel. On Tuesday I hear someone from Epson had visited the dealer and they would repair the printer, of course as soon as possible, within 24 hours I was told. Not satisfied with that either but demanded again an immediate replacement. Since that day it has been the same, a technician has been on location but needed some spare parts. I have been promised immediate action as well as replacement cartridges as the original ones would not contain the amount of ink after the repair they should. The later was definitively not proposed by Epson but promised only after I demanded it. Nothing happened.

Today (Monday the 11th November) we are still in the same situation. Epson claims they need follow their support process. I have been accused by Epson support of doing wrong when I had contacted the dealer and that actually everything went wrong due to that action from me. The dealer should not have been even mentioning the possibility of a replacement.

Quite a sad story. Epson is blindly trying to follow a process that has gone terribly wrong from the very start. They are not capable of admitting the mistake but want to continue the track. I understand it is not anymore the support personnel, she is told to follow the rules by book and is not allowed to correct the situation. I understood she has been asking to be allowed to organize a replacement to me from European level management but without success.

I’ve been using Epson printers earlier and experienced all the typical glogs etc but I have been very happy with the results when the printers have been up and running. Photography is not my profession (but IT) so I have the possibility to see where this ends. I wanted to share this experience. Before making a decision of  buying a printer from Epson consider what kind of support you expect with faulty equipment.

Kind regards,

Kimi

Edit: Corrected some typos, sorry for that.

[jdemott]

I'm sorry to hear of your frustrating experience.  It certainly isn't representative of the experience I've had with Epson printers here in the US.  The 3800 includes a certificate for professional support from Epson USA.  Fortunately, I haven't had to call frequently, but when I did, I was immediately in touch with a high-level, knowledgeable technician.  After confirming that the problem couldn't be resolved over the phone, I was offered my choice of an overnight shipment of a replacement printer or the name of a local authorized repair center.  I had a similar experience with the Epson 2200 a few years before--immediate response from a knowledgeable technician who dealt with the problem to my complete satisfaction.  In that case, Epson voluntarily sent me some replacement ink and paper to compensate me for some spoiled prints.  I rate Epson's service here very highly.

[Kim Laine]

Hi,

That would be something to expect. It's hard for me to believe Epson could be a successfull company if this would be their normal behaviour. But still, now on Tuesday, nothing happening in Epson support. The fact that Epson management seems to stop all the action around this and do not allow the reseller or their own first level support to correct this but insist in holding to their defined process is so frustrating.

Anyway, thx for your thoughts.

Kimi