What's your most interesting installation?

[blackcat4866]

I don't think this actually qualifies as an installation, since you can't Copy, Print, or Scan.

Mine was a Copystar CS-8030 MFP with DF-650 finisher. As I was waiting for the delivery driver, I took a look at the proposed site: 59 1/2" between a wall and a countertop. I'm sure someone took a measuring tape and measured from the edge of the exit tray to the opposite edge of the base machine, but forgot to include any wiggle room, or any space to open the right hand doors. Perhaps with the use of a fork lift, and a few scraped walls I might have actually got it in that spot, but you couldn't use the machine.

I lined it up in front of the spot and called over the keyop. She said "Couldn't you just roll it out to remove jams?" I said "Go ahead. Give it a try." This machine weights 600lbs, and on carpet. It didn't budge.

Next, I tried to set it up in an alternate location. The room is 10' x 20' with a countertop down most of one wall, so there isn't much left of the room. I plugged it into a suitable 20A outlet, and it started warmup ... for about 10 seconds until the breaker blew. It may have 20A outlets, but not 20A wiring.

OK. So we're not going to place the machine, or power it up. How about the networking aspects? There are a plethora of network ports, maybe 8 in the one room. None, however would connect to my laptop. Back in the network closet I found the network connections, not patched through. And the switch was completely full. Not one open port.

It's a good thing that we send out site surveys. =^..^=

[gwaddle]

Re: What's your most interesting installation?

I had one years ago that was in a closet so tight you had to remove the front door to work on anything inside it, because with the door open there wasn't any room left in front of the machine. If any major work had to be done you had to roll the machine out into the hall.

Then of course there was the MX7040 that was sold without checking to see if the customer had a 220v plug in the room. They didn't.

[KenB]

Re: What's your most interesting installation?

I can't even count the number of times we've delivered numerous Ricoh, Canon, and Konica machines over the years that required a 208 volt outlet, and there were none to be found.

Various excuses have included, but are not limited to:

1. The salesman never told us.

2. The electrician will be here tomorrow... maybe.

3. Our old one didn't require it. Why should this one?

And my all time favorite:

4. We thought YOU provided that!

[fixthecopier]

Re: What's your most interesting installation?

About 12 years ago we sold 4 color Minolta's to Special Operations Command. We were to remove the Cannon machines we were replacing. That was not an issue until we got to number 4 which was the Intelligence section in the basement. They had issue with me taking the machine. I did my best to explain that there was no data kept in the machine. They did not know me and my answer was not good enough. I sat outside their door beside the copier, being watched for between 2 and 3 hours while they did research to see if the copier was a security risk. Finally they found a source they trusted and released the machine. The trusted source was their old Cannon tech. They have to put a lot of trust in techs because of what they don't know about the technology.

[RRodgers]

Re: What's your most interesting installation?

I recently had a customer that wanted me to come by and set up there two machines to print and scan. The machines had been mothballed for a couple of years in their original boxes. The customer took the machines out of the boxes and wanted me to set them up "from scratch" mind you and then get them printing and scanning. Nice people, I just went in not knowing I would be there the whole day setting two machines up with accessories and all. I even got a couple of guys to help me put the machine up on the system stand. (paper banks)

[atwageman]

Re: What's your most interesting installation?

A very long letter sorter. It breaks down in sections/modules. Site didn't have a freight elevator and the regular passenger elevators were smaller than normal. Customer had to immediately go out and rent a storage locker to store the machine. Thanks to the fine print on the purchase order/terms of sale, we were not on the hook.

They ended up getting the neccessary building permits and spent a shit load of money and had a big hole cut out of a exterior wall and had a crane hoist the machine sections up and into the building.

[brewster67]

Re: What's your most interesting installation?

Last summer we had one of our remote clients decide they wanted a color machine. There is no road access in the summer. We usually wait until winter and drive over the river to deliver machines. They couldn't wait until winter. So we put a Sharp MX4501 into a boat to get it across the river then loaded it in the back of a pickup to drive the mile in to where it was being set up.

[gwaddle]

Re: What's your most interesting installation?

Last summer we had one of our remote clients decide they wanted a color machine. There is no road access in the summer. We usually wait until winter and drive over the river to deliver machines. They couldn't wait until winter. So we put a Sharp MX4501 into a boat to get it across the river then loaded it in the back of a pickup to drive the mile in to where it was being set up.

You win.

[nmfaxman]

Re: What's your most interesting installation?

You win.

X2

[Venom]

Re: What's your most interesting installation?

1. A few years ago got a call from a new customer that had a scanner code on a brand new Konica 1015 they had bought from another dealer. I look and the shipping bracket for the scanner was still intact, I had a hunch so I took out the developer unit and sure enough, no developer was installed. They thought they saved $100 buying the copier in a box, cash and carry....ended costing more by the time I sold them developer and set it up.

2. I had an install on the 3rd floor of a building, we had to carry it up the fire escape because it wouldn't fit up their stairway inside.

3. I installed new Kyocera's at an office and every time I tried to receive a fax it would fail, they had 2 machines using same line, the new machine out back was picking up before the front machine could answer.

4. A Ricoh technician's common experience.... go to customer's to install new MFP and options are back ordered....how the hell can you pull old machine when fax option is back ordered.....techs told to just print a meter sheet so it counts as installed...customer's getting pissed because lease payments start and machine isn't connected.

[Akitu]

Re: What's your most interesting installation?

Had a customer move an MXM363N into a public pool despite being told not to by ourselves, Xerox and Ikon/Ricoh... They're still paying for the damaged boards as they continue to die from corrosion. Not exactly an installation though...

So far - 2 paper size detect pwbs, 1 fuser (the thing was so rusted it couldn't turn no matter what), a key op pwb, full maintenance set, pcu pwb and a whole new drive pack.

As far as crazy installations, I have nothing to compare to some of your stories. My worst one was installing 2 machines 2.5 hours away, their elevator had been broken for over a year and they had no plans to fix it, but they wanted the 2 new machines upstairs replacing the other 2 that had to come down... We had a stair climber but their stairs were very narrow, falling apart as well. It took far more effort than should have been necessary.

[Darren King]

Re: What's your most interesting installation?

Installed a KonMin C353 at a new customers, a couple years ago. It was an off lease machine that I had gone over at the shop quite extensively with no problems showing up. When we turned it on the first thing that popped up is a C2152. For those who don't know that code, it refers to the transfer belt retraction sensor, and it is buried deep, deep inside the machine. Remove everything from the back.
So there I am for almost three hours on my knees in a church (it was my first expreience with this code), at a new customers. Luckily they didn't tell us to take our broken machine and leave.
They have been very happy with the machine since then.

[HenryT2]

Re: What's your most interesting installation?

Last summer we had one of our remote clients decide they wanted a color machine. There is no road access in the summer. We usually wait until winter and drive over the river to deliver machines. They couldn't wait until winter. So we put a Sharp MX4501 into a boat to get it across the river then loaded it in the back of a pickup to drive the mile in to where it was being set up.

GEE WHIZ !!!!!

And I thought we had a bad time when a bull-dozier had to pull our work van through mud about 100 yards to the construction office for a new manufacturing plant .

[CompyTech]

Re: What's your most interesting installation?

With only being in this field 5 years, I can say I have had some real doosies before. Being from MS there have been some interesting ones and I could tell many but there are a couple that standout for me. ( btw the guy that delivered the copier in the boat, I lmao'ed on that one.. that is redneck there man!)

1. First install we did on a Kip wideformat, what a disaster. We delivered it on site in the box and set up there in this small room, had 5 of our salesman standing around laughing and goofing off. I was fairly green at the time and was so distracted and anoyed that I screwed up the DV unit (those that have set up kip3000 know what i'm talking about). Toner dumped all over the inside, I spent 3 days trying to fix it. Needless to say we picked up the machine at the end of the week.. It was only an F'ing demo unit. Fail


2. We delivered a CS8000i to a "home office" out behind a trailerpark. Nice folks though, we were hugged then greeted by their dogs jumping all over the place trying to lick us while unloading the machine. Meanwhile their current copier sales guy shows up, he looks like hes going to come unglued as the customer fires them by not signing a new service agreement while new equipment is being delivered by us.

[igi]

Re: What's your most interesting installation?

Hi all
my is not instalation,sorry but service
still good story,i was told to go to a location where helicopter was waiting
and after an hour of flying with very dark and large glasses
it was a huge battleship in the middle of nowhere
that all i can say