[Judas]

Love the monitors.. love em..

Love their laser printers.. brilliant... sold a few ML-2010's and they just keep churning out page after page fast as lightning....

but my first Samsung Laser Color printer i sold a little over 5 months ago decided to rage its way to a screeching halt.

I had the printer dilivered to me for my own various testing and cleaning to make sure nothing dirty wise or whatever was the problem. When i received it, cleaned it, plugged it in, aside from rather "i've heard" typical high pitched squealing at random points in time while printing, all seemed to going well..... seemed.... Printed off a report of the printer (damn handy little deal with samsungs) which stated about 3500 pages total have been printed.. of which only about 600 were color. This printer is only just getting started, considering it's work duty cycle listed for it.

After figuring things were A-OK, i slapped in a relatively large PDF file, and hit print to fire off 50 pages or so.....

about 13 -15 pages into the print job... a very alarming grinding sound started to occur.. even though it was still fireing off pages, it just kept getting worse, i went to cancel the print but the printer had already shut down claim "paper jam"... checked it all over and all was fine, no paper jam, but the sucker wouldn't print a damn thing else.

Called the people that had gotten it to confirm what it was doing.. indeed they said precisely what i had just experienced. I tore it all appart and put it back together makeing sure everything is correctly seated and in place and nothing is bent....

Turned it on, no go.... shut it off for a number of hours and fired up, printed yet again and it emediated grinded to a halt again.

This is where the "Please can i shoot you samsung" part took over.

Initially the RMA online system wasn't working for me..... so i contacted the phone number and was within about 30 minutes directed to "Charles" samsung support and rma. After explaining the situation, he approved that it sounded like it needed to be repaired/replaced and he'd setup an RMA... all i needed to do was fax him a titled page with "attention to charles" followed by the ticket number i had given him and then a copy of the orginal Receipt for the printer.

Did as asked, No reply, even tried phoning in again and no one could direct me to charles.

Well

Tried the online RMA this time again, it worked, filed the RMA, setup my own samsung account and proceeded through.

thought all was going well until..... the rma was processed and i was presented with the shipping stuff.

I was given a prepaid UPS pickup label and reciept, and that UPS would pick it up.

wtf... UPS doesn't come here, nor am i anywhere remotely NEAR some place that could get this package picked up via UPS.... wtf am i going to do.

Calling samsung and explaining the situation kinda turned sour as soon i mentioned that UPS was not available in my area, the person kept insisting that saskatchewan had UPS.... but what she neglected to understand is that at over 100 miles from the closest location in which i have no plans to drive, i'd prefer to ship it via Canada post. Technically speaking, it would be cheaper to ship via canada post rather then DRIVE up to and drop off at the closest UPS drop site.

And to boot, i've got under 10 days to do it. Brilliant.

[IvanV]

Ouch! It's awful how vastly things depend on who's picked up the phone on the other side in those situations. I had a very unpleasant surprise from my ISP not long ago (long story). Fortunately, a few days later, I phoned them again to clarify a couple of details and the woman who answered got interested and when I told her the whole story, she gave me a much better solution (basically what I originally hoped for but was told that it was not possible) and even said that what the first person I spoke with (ant to whom I also explained the whole thing) told me would be rude to a loyal customer.

P.S. Knock on wood, my ML-2010 is indeed cheerfully churning the pages.

P.P.S. As far as killing Samsung is concerned, it's not like it's one guy, so take lots of ammo!

[CDsDontBurn]

i've done an RMA with Samsung before on my sister's old 17in LCD monitor. i performed the request online, and the replacement is working just fine on my mom's desk as her monitor now.

but, i guess it's easier for me with the UPS part because i have a UPS store just about a mile down from my house .

anyways, that's beside the point. Samsung likely uses UPS only because they have some kind of contract between UPS and themselves. i'd say you call UPS up and ask them to build a location in your area so you can ship via UPS!!!

[BiGBrOwNPimpsta]

did you see my bfg warranty rma thread? took them over 2 1/2 months for a card replacement and to understand what to do. lifetime warranty is complete BULLSHIT

[CDsDontBurn]

Originally Posted by BiGBrOwNPimpsta

did you see my bfg warranty rma thread? took them over 2 1/2 months for a card replacement and to understand what to do. lifetime warranty is complete BULLSHIT

i did. and not to get any feelings hurt or make you mad or anything, but IMO i woulda gotten a new case for a BETTER card. that's just being lazy on your part.

[BiGBrOwNPimpsta]

Originally Posted by CDsDontBurn

i did. and not to get any feelings hurt or make you mad or anything, but IMO i woulda gotten a new case for a BETTER card. that's just being lazy on your part.

oh i admitted to being lazy i refused offers lol... thing is i just rebuilt my comp and what would I do with this old one? I am lazy to sell that too thats my bigger worry.

anyways, RMAs all suck I hate building your owns system due to this reason . and for judas it wasnt even something you could deal with someone else with,

[CDsDontBurn]

Originally Posted by BiGBrOwNPimpsta

oh i admitted to being lazy i refused offers lol... thing is i just rebuilt my comp and what would I do with this old one? I am lazy to sell that too thats my bigger worry.

then why not use the same case for a new build, a file server or HTPC or something, for your own personal use with the case that prevented you from using a better card?

honestly, being lazy is no excuse. i would have been delighted to have a better card, and purchased a case that would fit the card and sold the original case or made use out of it in another fashion.

[BiGBrOwNPimpsta]

Originally Posted by CDsDontBurn

then why not use the same case for a new build, a file server or HTPC or something, for your own personal use with the case that prevented you from using a better card?

honestly, being lazy is no excuse. i would have been delighted to have a better card, and purchased a case that would fit the card and sold the original case or made use out of it in another fashion.

knowing me, it will go in storage, then ill buy an 8core when its out and then want a full tower. i wont be building an htpc because my one desktop is always my everything. i dont have a big house and live on my own or have money to build one.

[Judas]

i'm not overly concerned about RMAs.... but ones for customers is another matter imo.. as i tend to NOT like to have them without a solution ever....

What i really don't like is setting deadlines on when and how late it arrives.....

i'm just glad that when i shipped off my seagate hardrive the had failed, that after 5 months of walking around without any clear destination and anyone i had talked to not knowing what was happening, that it oventually made it to seagate and they replaced it and i received it a little while later..... no deadlines on when it is received.

[EcPercy]

Samsung CLP printers are crap. I had one 2-3 years ago I think it was a CLP-600. Thank goodness I bought the extended warranty because the printer died like 2 days before the warranty ran out. The fuser was just continually heating up until the top of the printer was hot enough to cook on...

I used the warranty and upgraded to an OKI 3200n. (Color LED) I just got done replacing the toner cartridges. Printer is still going strong after probably 2-3 years now.

Printers is one thing Samsung is not good at. I would get rid of the printer and go with something else.

[Zardon]

I wouldn't agree. I have had a samsung laser printer (as well as a HP) for well over a year and its been flawless, print quality is great, speeds are good and the toner cartridges don't cost much either and are widely available here.

I have to be honest I think both people complaining in this thread are being massively unfair. If you live in the asshole of nowhere you can't expect a company to break a contract deal with their courier to suit someone who won't drive 100 miles to drop something off. Its part of the deal with living in an inaccessible location. There are places in Ireland where its pretty much the same situation, but you accept the inconveniences, or you move nearer a more accessible location.

Pimpsta won't buy a new case when BFG offered an upgrade?

Seriously guys, reality check needed all round.

[Judas]

I'm not overly concerned about the drive.... it'll oventually make it up there, but to put restrictions on the RMA dilivery time is i think asinine... 10 days? i wouldn't have a problem with any of it if i had 30 days at the very least.. but 10.... 10!?

[Zelig]

I just shipped a package from middle-of-nowhere Nova Scotia to Islamabad that took a week, I'd figure someone who runs their own business can figure out how to ship something within North America given double that time.

[Zardon]

Originally Posted by Judas

I'm not overly concerned about the drive.... it'll oventually make it up there, but to put restrictions on the RMA dilivery time is i think asinine... 10 days? i wouldn't have a problem with any of it if i had 30 days at the very least.. but 10.... 10!?

That basically translates to two full working weeks man. seems reasonable to me.

[mike2h]

have u consdired posting it to to ups pickup or to one of those chains like mailbox etc? dont know if that is viable or not but a cpl of phone calls & u will know.
otherwise- ditto on post #11.

[Judas]

even with the current shipping system preset in saskatchewan, the likely hood that making it from here to saskatoon is 3 days.... and then it usually is an exorborant amount of time to get to the location it needs to go.

Considering my business situation, i've been presented with an opertunity to get this under control likely within the next 4 days... however a 100 mile trip isn't a common occurance for such a thing, it's uncommon, it's actually not expected, we tend to combine as many things into a single trip to make it worthwhile. It's both cost effective and practical. So for samsung to expect this of anyone around the world is rather rediculious.

Talking to the canada post, yes i can ship the package to the closest UPS, ground shipping standard will cost me about 38 dollars and will take 5 business days (estimated) for the 100 mile trip (lol?) to the saskatoon UPS.

[clanman]

time you moved from the sticks into a location near people. you would probably make more money anyway, seems a stupid place to have your pc store.

[Tril]

Originally Posted by clanman

time you moved from the sticks into a location near people. you would probably make more money anyway, seems a stupid place to have your pc store.

But since it's far away from everything, it's unlikely for a big electronics store to get built there so people will go to Judas's store. You can beat the big stores customer service in a small store but you have less volume sales so I guess it's harder to beat their pricing.

I replaced a WD hard drive some time ago. I had to send it from the province of Quebec to the province of Ontario and they gave me a month. That's a resonable amount of time. You can choose a slow and cheap shipping method when you have a month to get it to destination.

[BiGBrOwNPimpsta]

Originally Posted by Zardon

I wouldn't agree. I have had a samsung laser printer (as well as a HP) for well over a year and its been flawless, print quality is great, speeds are good and the toner cartridges don't cost much either and are widely available here.

I have to be honest I think both people complaining in this thread are being massively unfair. If you live in the asshole of nowhere you can't expect a company to break a contract deal with their courier to suit someone who won't drive 100 miles to drop something off. Its part of the deal with living in an inaccessible location. There are places in Ireland where its pretty much the same situation, but you accept the inconveniences, or you move nearer a more accessible location.

Pimpsta won't buy a new case when BFG offered an upgrade?

Seriously guys, reality check needed all round.

The point in my complaint with BFG is they continuously kept me hanging and making bogus promises they would follow up, and continuously made mistakes. Give me the bottom line, not a run around and excuses. Example: my Accord muffler has a liftime warranty, if they give me the V6 muffler and it doesn't fit even though output would be better, its useless to me it doesn't fit. Wararnty service does it again its annoying. And so on and so on...I can understand something is on backorder but tell your customer or client that. Some people are just pissy and won't understand something out of your control, I respect someone who takes self accountability. But managers will try and make up BS to cover theirselves and its just so irritating. A lot of companies give a great product at low price, but the cuts to warranty service is just awful. Lexmark gives you a cheap printer with 5 year warranty, dealing with them after you want to cry and the ink is a ripoff (I work for Staples now so I see the complaints woth ALL printers). You might as well give a 6 month warranty and actually try to a holistic customr service culture that doesn't vary so much company to company. If something can't be done, just say it can't, find an efficient alternative and follow up. I worked for a company that had 50 000+ employees, I understand it is VERY DIFFICULT for employees to communicate. But a lot of time, management puts their news sales, acquisitions and shareholders ahead of exisiting customers and clients.

Given what I said, I respect the forum for the offer I was lazy to take, so I thanked everyone numerous times. And Judas, living in the boonies suck lol. That's 1 year of living in just the suburbs around Toronto killed me and my family.

Oh and Z, Samsung printers are normally reliable and low cost, but their cartridges are normally small and later add up to a higher cost per page for many people.

[Judas]

Originally Posted by clanman

time you moved from the sticks into a location near people. you would probably make more money anyway, seems a stupid place to have your pc store.

when read back and consider in the simpliest possible way.... this might sound logical... specially if the large center has absalutely NO stores that are a similar business.....

But unfortunately, simplicity isn't something in which we are dealing with... even when it's shook down to it's simpliest bear bones base.


The concept of even attempting to start a business near such a large location is absalutely absurd for a soul propriator with very VERY little to work with funding wise, and trying to start out by competing with about 30 other already well established stores, not to mention countless out of house businesses or alternative geek solutions. Nor being able to higher employees or anything. Living expenses in such areas would be astronomical as well.

The funding for such an operation that would be competative not to mention stocking that would meet the standards in that area would be in the several hundred thousands... that's $100,000x2/3/4/5... for a single year start.

Considering the fact that a business typically has a rough 1-2 year start, and that on average over 90% of the businesses that try to start up from the grass roots typically go bankrupt within that first few years.

And really what advantages would i gain and what disadvantages?

Pro: More people i could possibly reach out to
Easier/cheaper shipping

And that's just about it as a starting business doesn't get wholesale supplier deals without spending rediculious amounts of money to fall into the right catagory to get the real good deals.

So Cons: Several times higher operating expenses and livng expenses
Must higher employees
My pull out huge loans and likely try to pay for the rest of my life living in poverty
no time available to properly build or repair machines to my own personal high quality standards.
this list could technically go on and on.

Nothing kills a business faster then "to big, to fast" And drowning in dept.

The most intelligent thing to do considering all possible circumstances such as economic changes and personal issues, is establish a small business operating and providing service in an area that currently doesn't have such. Build a name for a few years before growing a little larger. Oventually after a few years, start stretching your legs as the smaller more manageable loans are paid off and carry more stock, get into more things in terms of saleable goods such as expanding from computer related things to general electronics such as tvs and such.

I've SEEN and Talked with people that have started a similare business as i did, with even better funding then me, with smaller loans, in the more populated areas. Both before i did and after, and nearly all of them have been unable to make a go of it. Actually some of the previously major name stores and such have had to close there doors, even more recently due to several reasons.

Meanwhile my business has steadily grown and even today seems to be doing considerably well, even though this time of the year is usually the slowest for several reasons (seasonal, when the sun shines, and outside becomes a desireable daily activity zone, obviously computer related anything takes a pretty damn good dip).

I'm still without employee's. I don't need them, and i don't really want them, i know what happens to most businesses that start out as a great place with a single owner/operator and then expand and need to employ.

I deal with Quality, not quantity. My prices on things are EXTREMELY high in comparison to "similare" products available, Although i wouldn't call them anything remotely close to similare. Some of you would likely jump on me for building such overkill machines for what the machines are being used for. But i've set a standard of power and performance, and quality components that has done me 100% excellently since i started january 31st 2006, "renting" 175 square foot area, and essentially paying a premium without any exchange of funds in a small early 1900's built bank that housed a sears department and another business that i ran as well to get off my ass and onto my feet.

I've since moved into a more then 1500 square foot building, that i OWN, (and currently in the process of slowly renovating as needed) I may well not have a bloody bathroom, but damnit, i've got everything that i need to do my job to my fullest capabilities within reason.

Sadly, people wonder why small towns, the very life blood of the cities, are dieing, and the economic, health, etc are failing.

[Judas]

Originally Posted by BiGBrOwNPimpsta

And Judas, living in the boonies suck lol. That's 1 year of living in just the suburbs around Toronto killed me and my family.

IMO completely the opposite...

Aftering growing up in the very area in which i live now.... i had spent nearly a full 4 years in the center of the city and while my first few months up there (where i spent majority of my time where i REALLY made a big splash on driverheaven as a newer newbie member), the excitement of being in the city with highspeed internet, and easy access to movie theaters, games, computer hardware, bars or everything conceiveable basically basically wore off fairly quick. In the long term, i found it to be actually quite detrimental to life, the pase in which everyone was forced into, fixated, and completely oblivious to wasn't good. And unfortunately, anyone born or growing up in such a place is without realizing it, more addicted to it then they will ever care to admit or will even acknowledge. Even in such a small city as saskatoon, people have lost touch or can't even conceive life outside of that nasty box. I find it extremely funny when people that i know that swear by the city, can't stand the country, figure the country boonies style living is terrible, and that they love the faster pased living style of the city abruptly realize they've been lieing to themselves after spending a little more time out here in the boonies and finding thier health, eating habits, life in general is just so much better.

Also not to get confused with alot of other countries that work with a near boonies style attitude in the cities, but in north america from my understanding, they don't,

[BiGBrOwNPimpsta]

Originally Posted by Judas

IMO completely the opposite...

Aftering growing up in the very area in which i live now.... i had spent nearly a full 4 years in the center of the city and while my first few months up there (where i spent majority of my time where i REALLY made a big splash on driverheaven as a newer newbie member), the excitement of being in the city with highspeed internet, and easy access to movie theaters, games, computer hardware, bars or everything conceiveable basically basically wore off fairly quick. In the long term, i found it to be actually quite detrimental to life, the pase in which everyone was forced into, fixated, and completely oblivious to wasn't good. And unfortunately, anyone born or growing up in such a place is without realizing it, more addicted to it then they will ever care to admit or will even acknowledge. Even in such a small city as saskatoon, people have lost touch or can't even conceive life outside of that nasty box. I find it extremely funny when people that i know that swear by the city, can't stand the country, figure the country boonies style living is terrible, and that they love the faster pased living style of the city abruptly realize they've been lieing to themselves after spending a little more time out here in the boonies and finding thier health, eating habits, life in general is just so much better.

Also not to get confused with alot of other countries that work with a near boonies style attitude in the cities, but in north america from my understanding, they don't,

its what you are used to... even I am bored of downtown toronto now at 22. Great to find girls but eh too congested often

[Judas]

Originally Posted by BiGBrOwNPimpsta

its what you are used to... even I am bored of downtown toronto now at 22. Great to find girls but eh too congested often

Na i don't think it has much to do with what you or I are used to if you honestly look at it. I left the farm and country for saskatoon hating it mostly, figuring things would be just so much better in the city, but after experiencing it, i have to admit, "Grass ISN'T GREENER" on the other side. The cities pros turned into cons, so many people, to many to really know or recognize a commmunity, from my point of view, it's one hell of a rat nest of chaos imo vs the country/open areas with small towns.

Heres the kicker, 99% of the time, people in the country will know more people, recognize them, even by name in the small towns and villages then any average city person even though they have 10,000 TIMES more people situated around them, litterly saturating there living zones.

[humonous]

Judas if you own a store, quick question. Don't you get better prices direct from distributors? I notice you have ordered hardware from retailers directly http://www.hardwareheaven.com/retailer...ml#post1264473 which seems weird to me. I know my friend owns a store and he wouldn't order hardware from newegg as his distributors offer hardware at much better prices.

[Judas]

No i don't, they either won't deal with me because i have low volume purchases, or will charge me an arm and a leg DUE to low volume purchases.

And some of the distributors i deal with don't handle everything, i've been asking for the APC backups for several months now as well as the corsair for a couple of weeks and have basically gotten a "sorry, can't get it for you"

I technically have to pay just about retail price for everything simply because no one will ship me true wholesale.

The prices are rediculious, anything i do get a good deal on say from toronto or vancouver, by the time it gets out to me the shipping has exceeded what i would have paid from a more local smaller supplier even at their retail prices.

The only reason i tend to order anything online through such places as newegg or amazon.ca or whichever is simply because i've exhausted all alternative solutions and they've been the only one that present a reasonable dollar for the product and possibly sooner.

It's hard to order anything in small numbers, I've called up direct suppliers or distributors, wanted to order for example some specific routers, they said 28 bucks a peice (which was excellent considering i was paying nearly 60+ before taxes) and then stated a minimum order of 10,000 units. I couldn't sell that in my lifetime here lol.

But that's about what i'm dealing with, the smallest minimum order i was offered for real wholesale cost on products was 50 units... or $10,000 on any combination of units which are provided by the case which usually means about 10 per case in this example.

[humonous]

thats a tough break man, i mean its logical if you pay the same price as everyone else from newegg and you go to sell the hardware you will have to charge more than newegg to make money. People will obviously just bypass you and go to newegg themselves.

[Judas]

that is the catch 22.... and people do..

that is why i don't really sell any hardware much..... it's all labour that i work off of.

Cause there is no way even any major stores can even compete with wal-mart... this is where the whole system is self defeating.. oventually there can only be one if the mindset of counter productively supporting the ones that are making billions because they are selling in such huge quantities that they can undercut the competition's own whole sale purchased price...

This is where community support kicks in, and actual logic. If you don't support your community, your community will no longer be around, therefore shooting yourself in the foot or biting the very hand that feeds you. People don't grasp this, and more people are losing sight of it alltogether even after explaining it they just don't get it.... and that there is a very sad thing.