Art,
You're correct that the Xerox freecolorprinters.com deal is
essentially a consumables contract, but it's still the steal of the
century in printing, so long as you print the volume of >2000 pages a
month and want the color laser quality. You sound pretty negative on
the deal, so I'm not sure you've actually done it. I have, and it's an
awesome program. I'm 2 mo away from owning the equipment free and
clear. Here's a few points you didn't mention:
--It's relatively easy for any small business, even a business of 1,
to print 2000 pages (not 4000) per month. I shifted a lot of my
photocopying to printing duplicates, did my own Xmas cards and
business brochures, etc. If you do fall behind, Xerox is actually
pretty forgiving. If you need to print more, just print a bunch of fax
cover sheets or something to help you stock up. Or print an email a
100 times. It's still a great deal. If you don't print anything in a
given month, you pay the $100 charge for that month only, which is
comparable to a lease contract. This is perfectly reasonable, since
they are expecting to make money in the long run on the consumables
and need to give you an incentive to actually use the printer.
--When I got into the program almost 3 yrs ago, the program gave me
$5,000 worth of equipment and paid the shipping to get it to me. I
didn't have to spend a dime on the printer for 4 months, which is when
I bought new ink. Of course you could go spend this money on buying
the same equipment if you want, but you'd still have to buy ink, pay
for your own onsite support, and pay for the shipping to get it to
you!
--Yes, Xerox wants you to buy your ink directly from them, and why
shouldn't you...they have the cheapest prices anyway! Each month they
have something on sale even. Still, Xerox doesn't physically prevent
you from spending more at a 3rd party retailer if you insist.
--The equipment comes with a 3-yr onsite repair contract. I've had to
use it twice, and I've been impressed with the quality of service each
time. The 2nd time the tech was in my office the same day I called.
The 800-number tech support is top-notch as well and I've never had to
wait on hold.
Overall, I disagree with you entirely that this program is not
anything but an incredible deal. Basically it comes down to whether
you want to pay for a nice color laser printer or not...you're going
to pay for the ink and supplies anyway, so why not get the printer for
free? This deal is a no-brainer for small businesses who have a
reasonable amount of printing to do and want the color laser quality.
However, the printer does not have a straight paper path and can not
print on invitation-quality card stock over 110 lbs. I've done 110 lb
card stock very reliably, however.
--John
