Epson Stylus 950 - Third Party Inks - Void Warranty?

[Colin]

Hello,

Can anyone please help?

I have an Epson Stylus 950 which is about 6 months old (still under
warranty) and is producing heavily banded prints. I have replaced all
cartridges and carried out numerous head cleans.

I am using third party Inctonic cartridges. I have never had any
problems with these before (been using them for a few months). I did
not use the printer for a couple of months over Christmas and since
then the banding problem has resulted (maybe this is the problem?).

I have a couple of questions please:

1. If I take the printer to an Epson repair centre - will the fact I
have third party inks in the printer void the warranty?

2. If this is so - what is the best course of action? Should i remove
the cartridges and replace them with ultra expensive Epson ones so
they will fix the printer?

3. Can Epson (i.e. the repair centre) tell if I have used third party
inks or is it just a case of asking me when i take it in?


Has anyone had any experience of these repair centres? What is the
general opinion?

FYI - I live in the UK.


Many thanks in advance for your help.

Colin.

 

[Just Allan]

1. If I take the printer to an Epson repair centre - will the fact I
have third party inks in the printer void the warranty?

Legally no - practically, yes. They're not allowed to do it - by they
do it anyway.

2. If this is so - what is the best course of action? Should i remove
the cartridges and replace them with ultra expensive Epson ones so
they will fix the printer?

Try cleaning first. Search google for "unclog" & "epson" (and maybe
even the model number).

3. Can Epson (i.e. the repair centre) tell if I have used third party
inks or is it just a case of asking me when i take it in?

Not sure.

Has anyone had any experience of these repair centres? What is the
general opinion?

Well, you did ask... I bought my epson and it printed FANTASTIC
quality photos and text - for a week or so. Then it clogged. Took it
to an epson-trained service tech who:

1. Said head clogs weren't covered under warranty. Even when using
epson's own ink.

2. Charged me to unclog the heads by forcing windex through them.
(*I* could've done THAT myself.)

3. Left the biggest mess inside the printer I'd ever seen. Ink splash
around everywhere. (See next point for why.)

4. Used up about 75% of all my remaining ink in both colour & black
cartridges, and ***90%*** of two NEW cartridges he installed without
asking - the full retail price of which he added to the "service" fee.
(I could've bought them cheaper just about anywhere than what he
charged - and he gets them a discounted price.)

5. While black was clogged, and colour was ok - he ruined the output
of BOTH black and colour with his "factory trained" expertise.

As I said, it used to print fantastic. I download a scan of a CD-ROM
cover, and once printed it looked like an original. It now looks
worse than a 24-pin dot matrix colour ribbon printer.

I phoned Epson, who told me that it would have been under warranty
after all - but that now, because THEIR *technician* fooled around
with it doing the head flush, that my warranty on the print head is
now VOID.

I nearly wept on the phone, begging them to do SOMETHING to help me,
because as I said it took me months to save from my meager income at
that time, to buy it and it was their technician that did the wrong
thing every step of the way. Nope - bad luck pal.

Great attitude - huh?

FYI - I live in the UK.

Lucky you. : ) If you ever move to the Newcastle area in NSW
Australia - don't take your epson to a "technician" in the Whitebridge
area.

I am quite ill & so on a low income, therefore I had to save for
months to buy that printer. I also researched my choice for 3 months
before making my decision. The tech did the wrong thing on multiple
accounts & epson showed zero compassion for my situation, multiplying
their technician's error by refusing a refund or replacement.

(The tech was lucky I'm a Christian, else I'd implant the useless
piece of junk he left me with firmly into his car windscreen or
forehead - which ever one is thicker.)

Many thanks in advance for your help.

Colin.

The best help I can give is this: After recommending epson to many
people for a long time (I also am an electronic technician), I'll
never buy an Epson anything again. Their technicians are incompetent
and their own attitude to faithful customers who have supported them
financially - STINKS.

Good luck - I hope you get a better result than I did.

Allan.

 

[Si]

Legally no - practically, yes. They're not allowed to do it - by they
do it anyway.


Try cleaning first. Search google for "unclog" & "epson" (and maybe
even the model number).


Not sure.


Well, you did ask... I bought my epson and it printed FANTASTIC
quality photos and text - for a week or so. Then it clogged. Took it
to an epson-trained service tech who:

And what confirmed for you that he was Epson trained?....

A certificate he'd printed himself? It's just that your post seems to me
(reading between the lines) to imply that the guy you took it to could have
claimed to be the Queen of Sheba and you'd have believed him.

Let me get this right, you had a week or so old printer - and didn't
exercise the warranty?

Are things so different in OZ that you don't have warranties? If it was as
you claim almost new, then why not return it to the store?

Don't get me wrong, as I've had trouble with Epson myself - they are
delivering me a brand new (not refurbished) R300 tomorrow after previously
replacing a faulty 915 with a refurbished 915 which also clogged.

But we in the UK get next day on-site service. Obviously the UK is much
smaller than OZ, but Epson must have a system in place for such problems.

Si.

 

[Just Allan]

And what confirmed for you that he was Epson trained?....

Hi Simon... Epson directed me to him as their tech for the area.

Let me get this right, you had a week or so old printer - and didn't
exercise the warranty?

Yep - I rang Epson (Australia) and they sent me to the tech from hell
- who ruined it - and then said because he'd ruined it, it was no
longer covered by warranty. Actually thinking about it, he even said
to me that printheads were not even covered by warranty! (In case I
wasn't clear before... Because of what he did, epson said the entire
printer was no longer covered.)

Are things so different in OZ that you don't have warranties? If it was as
you claim almost new, then why not return it to the store?

: )
Bought it at a computer market that only comes to town once a month -
and all warranty here (was anyway) you rang epson Australia and went
to - you guessed it - their local tech.

Don't get me wrong, as I've had trouble with Epson myself - they are
delivering me a brand new (not refurbished) R300 tomorrow after previously
replacing a faulty 915 with a refurbished 915 which also clogged.

But we in the UK get next day on-site service. Obviously the UK is much
smaller than OZ, but Epson must have a system in place for such problems.

Si.

Things may be different now also - as this was a few years ago. I'm
still using it atm, because after the print quality declined there was
no use in using their expensive ink, so I purchased bulk refills. It
clogs about every two days - that's how much ink I've got! Once that
runs out I'll be driving my car over it and praying I don't make the
same mistake this time.

Epson is still welcome today to refund my $325 AUD that I paid
(without even adding inflation good natured fellow that I am), or
alternatively send me a new printer - which I'll sell and then stop
directing people that ask me day to day what they should buy, away
from their products. You would think they'd learn - since the tally
must be up to a few thousand by now, from my directing folks to other
companies that don't do the dirty on their customers.

Hey - I have to repay them for their outstanding service and attitude
somehow. : )

Allan.