Needing advice on getting my customer the correct Ricoh machine...

[Foo]

Customer bio:
Major pain in the backside. Current machine is a MP 2550 with Print, Scan, Fax. Pretty much every service call I have been to over the years is a problem the customer created. MP 2550 has performed well over the last couple of years, but the customer sees it as a lemon (even when they are the problem not the machine).

So I get an email from my favorite customer *sneer* telling me they are opening a new office in another part of town and would like me to find them another machine.
And that this new machine will see more prints than the MP 2550 and they would like the next size (class) machine that would be able to handle this increased volume.
LOL...currently they make around 40K a year (they believe this to be a lot of copies).

So I'm thinking of proposing an "Off Lease" MP 4001 with 30K to 100K on the meter. My local off lease distributor has several to choose from.

He also has MP 4002's and MP 5001's. Also he has MP 3351's but the customer will see that as being too much physically like their current machine.

I have not had an opportunity to work on the MP 4001 or MP 4000 machines. I'd like to know the pro's and con's to this class of machine.
Are there things I should look out for before purchasing one? 95% of the machines I service are 20-33 copies a minute so this is a new journey.

Thanks you for any wisdom you can impart on me!

Jeff D.

[KenB]

Re: Needing advice on getting my customer the correct Ricoh machine...

Regardless of which model you decide to sell them, why oh why are you selling them something used ?

Unless, of course, you don't have access to new machines.

Some years ago, we had a very successful sales rep who left us as her husband was getting transferred iwithin his company.

When asked how she managed to perform so well, she said "I never sold a used machine !".

That was a really long time ago, but I never forgot it.

[blackcat4866]

Re: Needing advice on getting my customer the correct Ricoh machine...

Customer bio:
Major pain in the backside. Current machine is a MP 2550 with Print, Scan, Fax. Pretty much every service call I have been to over the years is a problem the customer created. MP 2550 has performed well over the last couple of years, but the customer sees it as a lemon (even when they are the problem not the machine).

So I get an email from my favorite customer *sneer* telling me they are opening a new office in another part of town and would like me to find them another machine.
...

Perhaps a brand new Xerox, or Canon, or <fill in other brand here> is the right choice. Look I have one of their cards right here.
If you do quote something, use you're extensive experience to properly estimate the service contract. =^..^=

[Foo]

Re: Needing advice on getting my customer the correct Ricoh machine...

I work(subcontract) for a large, mostly printer sales and service company.
I do all their copier service and have for years.
They do not sell new copier equipment only off lease, purchased locally and reconditioned by myself.
I thoroughly test and often reject a machine if it has issues and there are always more available for purchase.
This has worked well for the last 8-9 years for my business and that of the business I subcontract to.

Between my company and the printer company I subcontract to I have close to 100 happy customers that can count on
getting a quality piece of reconditioned equipment and quick professional service from me.

I'm the only copier tech for my business and the printer company.
LOL and yes I take care of the copier sales for both.

I am an aerospace design engineer (1985-1997) that hated office work and decided to walk away from that field.
I was tired of having a boss breathing down my shirt collar and wanted to be my own boss and learn a new trade. Then came Xerox...
I learned to service Ricoh copiers after spending 5-6 years working for and being indoctrinated into the Xerox way of thinking.
Loved Xerox for the training and management style..the equipment sucked as far as I am concerned but that was the end of analog and the beginning of digital boxes.
The last 13-14 years I have been servicing a variety of equipment brands. But I really enjoy the Ricoh's and have gotten pretty good at repairing and maintaining them. I like selling the "off lease" equipment for a couple of reasons...Great profit margins and great value to the customers. Most of the customers I serve are
small business, low volume folks. I have enjoyed selling and servicing mostly 20-45 ppm Ricoh's with the occasional 50-60ppm box thrown in . I haven't had to many bad curve ball service problems I couldn't solve myself, but when I do, I seem to get good advice here at Copy Tech Net.

I appreciate the "sell them a new one" idea. I have no desire to become a "dealer" with all the demands that entails.
I like being a 1 man show and keeping things simple for my customers and myself.
But I like where I'm at and my customers think of me as a friend, not just a service technician or a copier sales guy.

So how about those MP 4001, MP 5001's...

Thanks
Jeff

[sandmanmac]

Re: Needing advice on getting my customer the correct Ricoh machine...

Your situation sounds very similar to mine Jeff -minus the aerospace engineer part of course
I've been a one man show, along with some assistance from my brother, for about 17 years myself, and solely dealt with used/ off lease equipment, small businesses, and with the same general ranges of machines as you.
I/we used to be a dealer and had all the privileges of support that came along with that, but we didn't do enough NEW boxes for them to feel like keeping us on. Frankly, with the pricing we got, we couldn't compete with RICOH direct!
It's often assumed by others that we all should have access to TSC, or else we have no right to be working on, and selling them, but many of us have found ourselves left to our own devices, with no manufacturer support through no fault of our own, and simply needing some external support and advice to continue to support ourselves.
I can't hold a candle to most of the techs on this site as far as their knowledge, and experience, but I take pride in being as familiar as possible with the brand I sell, by spending several hours every single week, reading and learning from the posts of others here, tearing machines apart at my shop, and trial and error of course.
This site is a godsend on the odd occasion that I find myself 'up against a wall' so to speak, and there are several regular contributors here that have gone above and beyond to help me, and I can't thank them enough! (they know who they are)
I have generally very close and personal relationships with my clients too, and since I deal exclusively with the Ricoh brand - at least as far as MFD's go, my familiarity with the machines is a big help in troubleshooting over the phone to (most times) at least get the machine partially functional to buy me a little extra response time, or to isolate the exact problem, in order to have the right parts to fix it the 'first time'.
My clients love the fact that they call a number and they get me, and right then and there, I can assist with anything from a paper jam to an SC code, to a networking problem, etc.
I know several guys that are one man operations too, but they sell whatever type machine they can get their hands on, and know very little about any of them! Then they call me when they have the simplest little problem with a Ricoh, or even just silly little operator setting stuff. It makes my blood boil, because it's the same stuff over and over!
I'll help anyone who has at least taken some initiative, and tried things to help themselves first, but I can't stand these guys that are just out for the quick buck and do nothing to better themselves.
Ok, I'll get down off my soap box now

As for those MP4001/5001's.... I only have a handful of them out myself (actually the older MP4000's mostly), and they're excellent. They're really just an updated version of the MP3500/4500, and for a company doing 40K/year, and starting with low usage one - 100K or less? I'd basically do a PM of drum, Dev, etc., and all the usual cleaning that I'm sure you normally do anyway, and you probably won't have to touch it for a couple of years.
There's a post somewhere here about modding the fuser cleaning web (which is a pain in the a$$ to replace) to use an Oil roller instead, and once it's done, makes swapping it out a snap.
PM me if you have trouble finding it. I saved a copy
EDIT: The mod is at the end of this thread: http://www.copytechnet.com/forums/ri...ssembly-2.html

[rob.lafady]

Re: Needing advice on getting my customer the correct Ricoh machine...

I prefer the 01 series over the 02's, I wouldn't bother modding the fuser, once you've done a few it only takes 20 minutes to change the web. Fusers will go a few hundred thousand, so no worries there. Change the drum and developer, check the feed tires, clean it real well and that's usually it!

[Bantams]

Re: Needing advice on getting my customer the correct Ricoh machine...

Id try get them onto a MPC4000 or newer as you will probably pick one up cheaper than a MP4001 and it should last a lot longer and save them money in being able to replace there color inkjet machines with a color copier.

[TonerMunkeh]

Re: Needing advice on getting my customer the correct Ricoh machine...

I agree with Bantams, however try for an MPC4501. They are nuclear weapon proof. PCU's do well over half a million, fusers are easy to rebuild and I haven't had a toner pump go down yet.

[88hawkfan]

Re: Needing advice on getting my customer the correct Ricoh machine...

We are a full line Lanier dealer and these *L())$ing LD 040's, LD 140's and MP 4002 are an absolute nightmare for certain customers. The color machines are bullet proof in nearly every environment, the mid volume black and white is hit and miss. The over toning and hazing of the mag rollers gives us a reason to try and sell a color machine every time. I've had brand new machines with less than 10,000 copies pop an SC 324 and others run well past 500,000 with no problems other than routine maintenance. If they don't like the low volume machine, they will not like this one either.