EPSON Stylus Colour 980 - UK -Crazy Repair Fee!!!!

[Wayne Youngman]

Hi,

didn't post here for ages.

Just had a bad experience. . .after three years of great use my faithful
printer started giving me problems. It would no longer produce high quality
prints without an awful streaking/banding running through the prints, see
below link for example,

http://tinyurl.com/3bupj

I did try nearly 10 head cleans (Used half a new ink cartridge) and even
though the test print/nozzle check was fine, any prints I did had this
horrible lines running though them. I did try different paper and different
driver settings, but no joy.

Anyway I called up Epson UK and explained to them the issue I was having,
and after going through all the options the Epson support technician
recommended an *Out-Of-Warranty* 3rd party company to have my Machine
*serviced*, they are called EQUINOX.

I phoned them and explained the situation, the lazy on the phone informed me
that I would need to pay £47.00 to have my printer sent to them by courier
so that there engineers could have a look. I asked her how much the service
could cost, but she said that it wasn't possible to give any prices until
they could have a look at the printer. Fair enough I thought, EPSON
referred me to this company, lets go for it, so I paid £47.00 by credit card
and the printer was dully collected.

4 days later I get an email from EQUINOX saying to repair my Stylus-Colour
980 it would cost £263.38 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Labour 29.79
Printhead 136.99
Black Ink 18.11
Colour Ink 19.26
Delivery & Collection 20.00

VAT 39.23

TOTAL £263.38
Deposit Paid £47.00

Balance to Pay £216.38


WTF!!!!!!!!!!!!!! how can this be?

I have been speaking to EPSON support/Customer Services about this whole
matter, something stinks!. Even the guy at EPSON was amazed at the repair
estimate.

This printer was bought brand new (3 years ago) and have been looked after
really well (dust cover etc). I paid about £215.00 for it.

This is my first EPSON product and I am surprised that it is *Broken* after
3 years of light use, and that it cannot be serviced. At the price this
company is asking, my printer is written off! and I could buy a brand new
one.

Worst off all I have been charged £47.00 for the pleasure of being told my
printer is *written-off*. So I am now without an expensive printer and I am
£47.00 less towards a new printer

The matter lays with EPSON customer services now, lets see what the outcome
is.

Will I ever use any Epson printer again? Time will tell

Wayne ][

 

[User]

The matter lays with EPSON customer services now, lets see what the outcome
is.

Will I ever use any Epson printer again? Time will tell

Wayne ][

You cant blame Eson here, the fault lies with a sales system that
requires the manufacturer to sell the printer at near cost, only to make
a profit on ink and paper.

HP, Canon, et,al. The cost of repairing ANY consumer level printer after
warranty expires will almost ALLWAYS exceed the price of a new printer.


Larry

 

[MC]

Hi,

didn't post here for ages.

Just had a bad experience. . .after three years of great use my faithful
printer started giving me problems. It would no longer produce high quality
prints without an awful streaking/banding running through the prints, see
below link for example,

http://tinyurl.com/3bupj

I did try nearly 10 head cleans (Used half a new ink cartridge) and even
though the test print/nozzle check was fine, any prints I did had this
horrible lines running though them. I did try different paper and different
driver settings, but no joy.

Anyway I called up Epson UK and explained to them the issue I was having,
and after going through all the options the Epson support technician
recommended an *Out-Of-Warranty* 3rd party company to have my Machine
*serviced*, they are called EQUINOX.

I phoned them and explained the situation, the lazy on the phone informed me
that I would need to pay £47.00 to have my printer sent to them by courier
so that there engineers could have a look. I asked her how much the service
could cost, but she said that it wasn't possible to give any prices until
they could have a look at the printer. Fair enough I thought, EPSON
referred me to this company, lets go for it, so I paid £47.00 by credit card
and the printer was dully collected.

4 days later I get an email from EQUINOX saying to repair my Stylus-Colour
980 it would cost £263.38 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Labour 29.79
Printhead 136.99
Black Ink 18.11
Colour Ink 19.26
Delivery & Collection 20.00

VAT 39.23

TOTAL £263.38
Deposit Paid £47.00

Balance to Pay £216.38


WTF!!!!!!!!!!!!!! how can this be?

I have been speaking to EPSON support/Customer Services about this whole
matter, something stinks!. Even the guy at EPSON was amazed at the repair
estimate.

This printer was bought brand new (3 years ago) and have been looked after
really well (dust cover etc). I paid about £215.00 for it.

This is my first EPSON product and I am surprised that it is *Broken* after
3 years of light use, and that it cannot be serviced. At the price this
company is asking, my printer is written off! and I could buy a brand new
one.

If your printer came with a lifetime guarantee for the print heads (Epson
stated this on their printers with integral heads when I puchased my Photo
700 a few years back. Not sure how old your model is but I think this
wording was remoed at some point.) then threaten legal action, and go
through with it, if they do not replace the heads for free. You can also
argue unfair costs in returning the printer only to find "inferior quality
heads". Also, remember that 3 years is not long for a printer like yours to
last after normal use.

It will be interesting to find out what happens. A friend of mine had a
similar problem well outside the guarantee period, albeit with a cheaper
model (Stylus 600 I think), and he argued the same lifetime guarantee for
the heads. They replaced the heads free, but only after standing his
ground.

MC

 

[free]

yes i have an epson phto stylus and the heard is broken.
I ask , in france, only two heard at half of a price of a nez printer...
now, i understand, for photo I can print at 1/4 $ 10*13cm in the street.
More : argentic, better in the time.
Now for my courrier, i use my very old laser HP, 1986 work fine, i can
repair.
I ask moe time a technician, he said that if HP dont stop to make this HP
laserjet,
HP down... the printer can print more than 20 years.
I have 4 HP, for the change because the entreprise put the HP in the street
and buy
printer ink jet!!!
Do the same..
XF

Hi,

didn't post here for ages.

Just had a bad experience. . .after three years of great use my faithful
printer started giving me problems. It would no longer produce high quality
prints without an awful streaking/banding running through the prints, see
below link for example,

http://tinyurl.com/3bupj

I did try nearly 10 head cleans (Used half a new ink cartridge) and even
though the test print/nozzle check was fine, any prints I did had this
horrible lines running though them. I did try different paper and different
driver settings, but no joy.

Anyway I called up Epson UK and explained to them the issue I was having,
and after going through all the options the Epson support technician
recommended an *Out-Of-Warranty* 3rd party company to have my Machine
*serviced*, they are called EQUINOX.

I phoned them and explained the situation, the lazy on the phone informed me
that I would need to pay £47.00 to have my printer sent to them by courier
so that there engineers could have a look. I asked her how much the service
could cost, but she said that it wasn't possible to give any prices until
they could have a look at the printer. Fair enough I thought, EPSON
referred me to this company, lets go for it, so I paid £47.00 by credit ca rd
and the printer was dully collected.

4 days later I get an email from EQUINOX saying to repair my Stylus-Colour
980 it would cost £263.38 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Labour 29.79
Printhead 136.99
Black Ink 18.11
Colour Ink 19.26
Delivery & Collection 20.00

VAT 39.23

TOTAL £263.38
Deposit Paid £47.00

Balance to Pay £216.38


WTF!!!!!!!!!!!!!! how can this be?

I have been speaking to EPSON support/Customer Services about this whole
matter, something stinks!. Even the guy at EPSON was amazed at the repair
estimate.

This printer was bought brand new (3 years ago) and have been looked after
really well (dust cover etc). I paid about £215.00 for it.

This is my first EPSON product and I am surprised that it is *Broken* after
3 years of light use, and that it cannot be serviced. At the price this
company is asking, my printer is written off! and I could buy a brand new
one.

Worst off all I have been charged £47.00 for the pleasure of being told my
printer is *written-off*. So I am now without an expensive printer and I am
£47.00 less towards a new printer

The matter lays with EPSON customer services now, lets see what the outcome
is.

Will I ever use any Epson printer again? Time will tell

Wayne ][

 

[Wayne Youngman]

You cant blame Eson here, the fault lies with a sales system that
requires the manufacturer to sell the printer at near cost, only to make
a profit on ink and paper.

HP, Canon, et,al. The cost of repairing ANY consumer level printer after
warranty expires will almost ALLWAYS exceed the price of a new printer.

yes i have an epson phto stylus and the heard is broken.
I ask , in france, only two heard at half of a price of a nez printer...
now, i understand, for photo I can print at 1/4 $ 10*13cm in the street.
More : argentic, better in the time.
Now for my courrier, i use my very old laser HP, 1986 work fine, i can
repair.
I ask moe time a technician, he said that if HP dont stop to make this HP
laserjet,
HP down... the printer can print more than 20 years.
I have 4 HP, for the change because the entreprise put the HP in the street
and buy
printer ink jet!!!
Do the same..

Hi,
well I am surprised!. I did not expect an EPSON printer to break after 3
years. It's annoying because it was an expensive model. I bought it to
last me. I didn't think it would wear out so soon. The PC products I buy
usually last me several years, this is because I *Look After* them, treat
them with respect. I am a photographer and I use a Nikon Camera that is 15
years old, still works fine and I get it serviced every few years, I was
hoping to do the same with my EPSON printer.

Well anyway I'm not sure what's gonna happen, but I don't think I will buy
an expensive printer again if they are deemed *Disposable*

3 years is not a very long lifetime, £260 is too expensive to fix a £200
printer don't you think?

 

[Larry Lynch]

Hi,
well I am surprised!. I did not expect an EPSON printer to break after 3
years. It's annoying because it was an expensive model. I bought it to
last me. I didn't think it would wear out so soon. The PC products I buy
usually last me several years, this is because I *Look After* them, treat
them with respect. I am a photographer and I use a Nikon Camera that is 15
years old, still works fine and I get it serviced every few years, I was
hoping to do the same with my EPSON printer.

Well anyway I'm not sure what's gonna happen, but I don't think I will buy
an expensive printer again if they are deemed *Disposable*

3 years is not a very long lifetime, £260 is too expensive to fix a £200
printer don't you think?

Yes, it is far too much to pay.

As for buying an "expensive" printer, I think that you
get far more printer for your dollar now than you did 3
years ago.

It also depends on what you consider to be "expensive".

Until you get into the 700 to 1000 dollar (US) range,
you are not buying heavy duty long lasting gear, you are
buying consumer rated gear at break-point pricing and
you are getting a design with 2-3 years of expected
life.

Some will last much longer than designed for, and some
wont. Yours didn't.

150 to 300 (US) dollars will buy you a printer (pick a
brand) that will give you photo-quality you couldn't
dream of 3 years ago, but the (recommended) consumables
are expensive.

I have said it before, but it bears repeating "There
ain't no free rides on the printer train.

 

[B. Peg]

Mine are usually scrapped once they break, and it seems they go awry in two
years. When I have had them repaired in the past, they didn't last very
long afterwards as something else pukes. Cost to repair isn't worth it once
parts are factored in. Besides , the newer ones have better resolution
anyway and are often faster. Epson's print head problems are renown.

BP~

 

[free]

yes I have a canon camera reflex FTB,20 years old.
"I *Look After* them, treat them with respect" also with camera and
printer (epson or HP).
But before and now, the design is not the same. Before : for a long time,
now for a short.
For exemple, Epson, you use strongly, you kill the head. Sometime: you have
the ink problems.
If i dont use the laser HP for 3 month, at start ist ok. Not for the ink.
All the soluce are 3/5 years. And dont hope to have service: why only 2
heard in the french country?.
If you ask Epson service, they give the "official" suplier for france: yes
only2!!.
Try two month later: 2.
Photo or not is not the matter, 3/5 years old is the max, for one very
beautiful picture, not for the other.
Now when you buy, you rent for a couple of the garantie time...
CQFD
XF

"Larry Lynch" <[email protected]> a écrit dans le message (e-mail address removed)...

Hi,
well I am surprised!. I did not expect an EPSON printer to break after 3
years. It's annoying because it was an expensive model. I bought it to
last me. I didn't think it would wear out so soon. The PC products I buy
usually last me several years, this is because I *Look After* them, treat
them with respect. I am a photographer and I use a Nikon Camera that is 15
years old, still works fine and I get it serviced every few years, I was
hoping to do the same with my EPSON printer.

Well anyway I'm not sure what's gonna happen, but I don't think I will buy
an expensive printer again if they are deemed *Disposable*

3 years is not a very long lifetime, £260 is too expensive to fix a £200
printer don't you think?

Yes, it is far too much to pay.

As for buying an "expensive" printer, I think that you
get far more printer for your dollar now than you did 3
years ago.

It also depends on what you consider to be "expensive".

Until you get into the 700 to 1000 dollar (US) range,
you are not buying heavy duty long lasting gear, you are
buying consumer rated gear at break-point pricing and
you are getting a design with 2-3 years of expected
life.

Some will last much longer than designed for, and some
wont. Yours didn't.

150 to 300 (US) dollars will buy you a printer (pick a
brand) that will give you photo-quality you couldn't
dream of 3 years ago, but the (recommended) consumables
are expensive.

I have said it before, but it bears repeating "There
ain't no free rides on the printer train.

 

[JhnWil876]

4 days later I get an email from EQUINOX saying to repair my Wayne wrote,

Stylus-Colour
980 it would cost £263.38 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Labour 29.79
Printhead 136.99
Black Ink 18.11
Colour Ink 19.26
Delivery & Collection 20.00

VAT 39.23

TOTAL £263.38
Deposit Paid £47.00

Balance to Pay £216.38

A friend of mine bought an Epsom Stylus Photo printer a year ago and it cost
him 100 pounds to buy, Argos, WH Smiths and Maplin were all doing a Lexmark
photo printer PZ706 printer at half price for 30 pounds, I bought one and my
friend who does a lot of photographic printing found it far superior to his
Epsom, consequently he has binned his Epsom and is now the proud owner of 4
PZ706 printers and I am the proud owner of 6 of them, the rationale is that we
keep 2 spare printers as back up and sell the rest of them in a free ad
newspaper, as each printer comes with cartridges worth 42 pounds we feel we
have struck a bargain.

Interestingly the only difference between the PZ707 which has replaced the
PZ706 is that on the PZ707 you can plug in a memory card from a digital camera
directly into the printer, a feature that both myself and my friend dont need,
I dont know how good your Epsom was when it worked properly but somehow I
suspect that I got better value for money with my 6 Lexmarks than you did with
your printer..

If you are very quick you might, just might be able to buy a PZ706 for 29.99
pounds from www.maplin.co.uk, there is a problem with their website at the
moment but you can order by telephone, the number is 0870 429 6000..

Regards,

John.

BTW, I previously owned a Laser printer and am new to Inkjets, do these inkjet
refill kits actually work?

 

[Kennedy McEwen]

A friend of mine bought an Epsom Stylus Photo printer a year ago and it cost
him 100 pounds to buy, Argos, WH Smiths and Maplin were all doing a Lexmark
photo printer PZ706 printer at half price for 30 pounds, I bought one and my
friend who does a lot of photographic printing found it far superior to his
Epsom,

Wow, a review that concludes the photo output quality of a Lexmark to be
better than an Epson Stylus Photo printer - that's a first!

Comparing the output of any printer in the Epson SP range with these
Lexmark machines is like comparing gold with sand, but don't just take
my word for it. The most promising review I have ever seen of the
Lexmark P706/707 printers is that the photo quality was mediocre (CNET),
whilst most are much more forthright. Quoting from "Inkjet printer
review" of the P707:
"Text output was just OK... color graphics were good overall... draft
outputs were not clean... biggest letdown, though, was the photo
printing... Lexmark P707: The Photo Printer That Isn't!"
Meanwhile, IT Reviews describe the P706 as:
"Lexmark's P706 has the 'P' prefix that denotes it is a photo printer,
and sure enough it can hold either a photo cartridge or a black
cartridge, as well as the standard colour cartridge.
....
Unfortunately, despite that photo cartridge the P706 failed to impress
and print quality was poor. In fact it was little better than Z605. The
problem isn't one of colours, but instead seems to be rooted deeper in
Lexmark's printing technology."

we feel we
have struck a bargain.

That would certainly appear to be a feeling unique to the two of you!
;-)

 

[Temp999910697908]

That would certainly appear to be a feeling unique to the two of you!
;-)

I dont care if it is, as long as the machine does what is required of it and so
far it prints photographic images which are very hard to distuinguish from a
conventional photograph even when expanded to A4 size.

It is possible that my friend had a Dud Epsom to begin with because both he and
I thought it was very poor quality from the beginning.

I can only talk from personal experience. I just bought another four of them
yesterday, so at least Lexmark have two satisfied customers.

My Monochrome Lexmark Laser Printer is still going strong on it's first
cartridge 9 years after I bought it, although I only use it for printing
letters and printoffs from the Net.

Regards,

John.

 

[Kennedy McEwen]

It is possible that my friend had a Dud Epsom to begin with because
both he and I thought it was very poor quality from the beginning.

In which case I would suggest you actually take a look at what Epson
printers deliver rather than ploughing even more money into something
which, quite frankly, is very poor by everyone else's comparisons.