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  1. #1
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    Angry RICOH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    I have been in the office machine&nbsp;business for about 25 years, and have worked on several different brands of copiers and MFP's. The one manufacture that I have a problem with is RICOH! I have worked on Ricoh machines in the past and thought they were crap then, but I was also young and inexperienced then, and thought that over the years they would improve, well I was WRONG, they haven't gotten any better and what they thought worked back then still doesn't work today. For example: the toner adding system on most of there machines still uses a bottle and a paddle&nbsp;mechanism to deliver the toner to the toner hopper, I have had more customer complain about having to handle the toner bottle and getting toner all over them, most of you Ricoh techs know what I'm talking about,and this applies to color and b&amp;w machines. Some of their machines use tubes and toner pumps to get the toner where it's supposed to go but usually winds up in the machine all over the front door or the toner add system&nbsp;doesn't work at all and you have to go through a long procedure to get it back to normal. Most manufacturers have gone to a sealed toner cartridge where the customer just slides out the old one and slides in the new one "no fuss no muss".&nbsp;<br><br>A lot of the manufactures have also gone to modular&nbsp;design, so for us techs it saves time in the field, less time the machine is down for maintenance, the happy the customer is, and the more copies that are&nbsp;being&nbsp;made witch means more&nbsp;profit&nbsp;for our bosses/owners. Example: one&nbsp;particular machine Ricoh has(and it's a new model) has a web roller to clean the fuser,( as does other manufactures machines&nbsp but it doesn't take 45 minutes to an hour to replace it, and that doesn't include the rebuilding of the fuser unit.<br><br>Anyway, I know other manufacturers machines are no picnic either but it just seems to me that the ricoh machines have more issues and problems with the things that the other&nbsp;manufactures have overcome or&nbsp;re-engineered.&nbsp;<br><br>So if any one is having the same issues ( or any issues ) or feels the same way I do about Ricoh machines let me know!<img src="http://www.copytechnet.com/forums/images/smilies/mad.png" border="0" alt="" title="Mad" smilieid="8" class="inlineimg">&nbsp;<br><br>&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;<br><br><br>

  2. #2
    Glorified Parts Swapper 100+ Posts ptrflrs's Avatar
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    Re: RICOH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    why so grumpy grumpo? think job security, its all good. they all have their weak points and their strong points. i have only been working on ricohs about 5 years and i find them easy to work on -messy? yes but for the most part easy.
    jesus loves you! (everyone else thinks you're an assh*le)
    street cred: CompTIA A+ & Network+ Certified; Konica Minolta Gold Seal x2,
    Konica Minolta Outward ASSociate, Ricoh, Sharp, Lexmark trained

  3. #3
    Technician
    RICOH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    rav555's Avatar
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    Re: RICOH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    25 years, huh, about the same amount time for me in the Business. Back then-when Reagan was on his first term-I began working on Savin liquid units-made by Ricoh, they were well made, cheaper then big X and it was OK way to make a living in very bad economy just as now! By mid eighties the dry side of Ricoh was getting bigger in U.S. and it was the first dual component system i worked on, Canon NP process second, Konica, Mita, and Toshiba followed soon after.

    In comparatively speaking Ricoh does tend to have a penchant for hodge podge thinking in design of systems and subsystems. Serviceability is not thought out. Occasionally they have designed a decent workhorse, but they tend to have evolved poorly in designing system and have missed lessons from prior crappy designed systems, add toner system is obviously one of them, fuser design is way behind others! I also noticed that type of people who would put up with Ricoh are not same type of owners, let's say Canon or Toshiba. Canon owners would toss out a Ricoh out the first window they can find, this is similar to car owners, people become loyal and get attached to their copier, for all the hard times that they been through together, I guess??

    Herein lies a chance for us to make money, from their owners---who love Ricoh's too much--and who don't know that there is better system out there or don't care really, since that all they known is Ricoh and it was placed by the large purchase agreement. I take all comers--not that kind -- with added need for service, comes more need for my services, sometimes the owners are not bad looking either most of them are happy to have their friend repaired, and most are females at least in D.C. area they are 85% professional-- not that kind of professional--women.

    All in a day’s work!

  4. #4
    Service Manager 250+ Posts Ianizer's Avatar
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    Re: RICOH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    Bad attitudes, bad attitudes.
    Tsk tsk tsk
    Wish I still had a B023 to play with.
    -I

  5. #5
    ALIEN OVERLORD 2,500+ Posts fixthecopier's Avatar
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    Re: RICOH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    I feel ya brother. i am a Konica tech and we sell the Ricoh line. They are cheap pieces of crap, but they are sometimes easy to work on. I guess if it is all you work on it is OK, but if you have a better brand, the Ricoh starts to look like crap. When I had 2 contracts on base, I had 1000 machines. At the end of one of the contracts, the 650 machines for that contract were 7 year old Minolta's, and my second contract was 300 2 year old Konicas. Once a month I would handle all service on the 1000 plus machines while the other guy did meters on the 650 old machines. The big contract went to a competitor who placed Ricoh's out here. That contract is now 2 years old and has swelled to 1000 machines. My competitor has 3 full time techs, sometimes a 4th, an I.T. person and a lot of times I see a field supervisor out there to smooth out problems. This is all to cover the same amount of machines I was doing myself. Oh, and they bought a giant UPS style truck to fill with supplies and park in the middle of the territory so they do not have to make the 10 minute ride to the shop. The 330 Konica Bizhubs I have left are 3 years old and I may get 4 or 5 work orders a week on them. Sadly I have to spend my extra time working on Ricoh's. If you go into it knowing they are cheap, it may help. Yesterday I learned that Ricoh will use plastic as bushings on fusers. Plastic bushings wear out and the pressure roller loses pressure. Never had that on a Konica.

    Also try not to intimidate your Ricoh by staring at it, as I have had parts fall off by looking at it wrong!
    The greatest enemy of knowledge isn't ignorance, it is the illusion of knowledge. Stephen Hawking

  6. #6
    Service Manager 1,000+ Posts
    RICOH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    prntrfxr's Avatar
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    Re: RICOH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    I started out in Ricoh machines. They were great. At the time, I was also working on Toshiba's. I would have to have half my body in a machine (clamshell type) to rebuild a fuser and Ricoh fusers came out and you could rebuild them on a table in a comfortable chair. I'm not saying they were the best built, mind you, and they have their weak points just like everyone else, but I would never say they were difficult to work on. You should try working on a Canon. You sure you aren't working for a competitor of Ricoh trying to give them a bad name?
    Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well-preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways - Coke in one hand - chocolate in the other - body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming "WOO-HOO, what a ride!".

  7. #7
    Service Manager 250+ Posts Hemlock's Avatar
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    Re: RICOH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    Quote Originally Posted by prntrfxr View Post
    You sure you aren't working for a competitor of Ricoh trying to give them a bad name?

    Look at the formatting of the post, the unsupported tags; I'm thinking this was a hit job that someone created and plans to copypasta across the web rather than one of our own simply venting.

    Bad form, Grumpo!

  8. #8
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    Re: RICOH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    Just to ease the conspiracy theory copier brotherhood....this was not a hit. I in fact work for a Ricoh dealer. But having been in the field for 25 years and extended experience on many brands of machines, this was a vent.
    This was in no way intended to crush anyone's love affair with Ricoh. I say to each his own. I was merely observing some of the workings of the machines that are less than efficient. Other brands have been guilty of some of the same flaws but have dealt with or overcome these issues as I stated before.
    A shout of congratulations to HEMLOCK for so eloquently pointing out "Look at the formatting of the post, the unsupported tags;" I do have to point out you didn't catch your misspelling of "copypasta" unless this is a new term that I am unaware of, if so, thank you for the 411.
    This was simply a venue for me to state my opinions based on my experience as allowed by my constitutional rights. I had no idea there would be a test for my knowledge regarding the usage of this site. Geez...good thing not every reply came with a twist in their panties.
    @fixthecopier...yes, I did stare at a Ricoh one day...that kind of deep, deer in the headlights, wth (what the hell) kind of stare. It suddenly shut down completely and....hey, how did you know about that??

  9. #9
    Service Manager 250+ Posts Hemlock's Avatar
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    Re: RICOH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    Quote Originally Posted by Grumpo View Post
    I do have to point out you didn't catch your misspelling of "copypasta" unless this is a new term that I am unaware of, if so, thank you for the 411.
    copypasta

  10. #10
    Service Manager 1,000+ Posts
    RICOH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    Lagonda's Avatar
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    Re: RICOH!.. may I say a word in their defence?

    After 25 years of working on the Big Red R I've just gone numb to all their bad points.

    However I'd rather work with Ricoh Tech Support then with any other brand we have to deal with. I'm on first name bases with all the guys that matter in Ricoh Oz head office, all the way from the storeman to Dealer Support Manager. If I have a problem, it may take a while, but someone will get back to me with some information to point me in the right direction.

    If I have dramas with HP or Lexmark I dread ringing their helpdesk knowing I'm going to end up in a third division country trying to explain a complex problem to someone that hasn't got english as their first language. And as for waiting for them to get back to me, don't hold your breath.
    At least 50% of IT is a solution looking for a problem.

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