Here's an email I received today from "K"
I am desperate for advice. I'm am in the process of leasing a color copier (of which I knew nothing until 2 weeks ago) for a non-profit organization that I work for. I am down to choosing between the Konica-Minolta Bizhub C360, Ricoh Aficio MP C4000 or Sharp MX 3100. We are coming off of a b&w copier with no networking so are really just looking to start up with some basic color copier features with networking that all these machines offer. My main concern now is durability and quality of service. I know that latter will depend on who we lease from but ANY insight to help would be greatly appreciated. THANK YOU!!!!
i.e. Tell me which you would choose!
First, I would rule out the Sharp, and here's my reasoning. Sharp is not a top tier manufacturer when it comes to multifunctional copiers. My experience is that they are inexpensive and built to stay that way, meaning alot of plastic and inexpensive parts seem to be used over and over.
KonicaMinolta and Ricoh are two very good choices. Durability wise...both should be able to last 5 years or longer. Feature wise they are both equal except for a few bells and whistles.
I can't tell you which to choose among these two. What I can tell you is to do a little digging with the company that is trying to sell you these units. Here's some questions I would ask.
1) How long the rep been with that company? The longer the better
2) If buying from a dealer, how long has the dealer been servicing that product line? 2 Years or less = not good
3) Ask for three to five references of service for that model from your reps, and then call those companies and ask them about billing practices, how fast they respond to a service call and if they think the service reps are competent, clean and friendly.
4) Take a trip to their web site, if their web site is out of date, so are they!
5) If you have the resource do a D & B check on them, if they are not paying their bills they are in dire straits and you will be too if you buy from them.
6) Ask for a sales contract for you to review first, read the fine print.
7) Ask for a lease contract to review first, read the fine print (especially about your option to own at the end of the lease)
8) Go see the units, ask if you can go to their location of business to get a demonstration. Seeing is believing, you can get a good look at their operation and if they conduct business in a professional manner.
Hope this helps, if you would like me to review sales contracts and leasing, I can do that also! Visit the New P4PCafe!
-=Cheers=-
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