Attention: Please take a moment to consider our terms and conditions before posting.

Printer repairs

Does anyone know anywhere to get a printer looked at and repaired? Mine at home has decided to make a horrible noise and not work! I don't use it a lot and have got a stack of spare ink cartridges, so don't really want to have to buy another - but also don't want to spend more getting my old one repaired than I would spend buying a new one. Any recommendations (for repair or replacement printer) welcomed.

Comments

  • Stig
    Stig Posts: 29,139
    I'm not convinced that they are designed for repair. Most of them are sold at lower than cost price because they make their money by hooking you in to buying their brand of hideously overpriced ink. Sorry, I know that's not the answer you wanted, especially with a stockpile of ink.
  • delroofer
    delroofer Posts: 857
    As Stig said above, the cost of repair would probably be more expensive than a new replacement. We recently had a problem with an old printer playing up and we had a large number of print cartridges for it. My wife recently saw a new printer in Staples and arranged a Credit Note for our stock of cartridges with them. She then
    walked out with a new printer and a few spare cartridges in return for our old cartridges, without spending any money.
  • Wilma
    Wilma Posts: 1,618
    Thanks for replies. I did think it would be just as cheap to replace my old one, which I have had for a few years now. I'll have a look around for something reasonably priced and will probably sell the old cartridges on ebay.
  • sillav nitram
    sillav nitram Posts: 10,184
    what cartridges are they, original makers brand or just alternatives? i've got an epsom printer it's very good when it's working but in terms of what's out there it's probably a dinosaur and i may be faced with just buying a new one. i've been quoted £125 to repair but that does include pick up and delivery? still seems a lot to me?
  • Wilma
    Wilma Posts: 1,618
    The cartridges are compatible, not makers branded. My printer is also an Epson, it's 3 in 1 print/scan/copy and is now around 5 years old. I'm sure I only paid around £80 for it, so will be doing some online comparisons to see what is available.
  • wickford
    wickford Posts: 863
    edited January 2013
    My epson (sx430?) print/copy/scan/wifi was £50 in Tesco's.
    Their own inks are about the same price as epson genuine but with approx twice the volume of ink.
    Some of that ink is wasted though, as when the cartridges approach being empty they become 'unrecognised'.
  • Bigmac
    Bigmac Posts: 121
    Average call out charge for an engineer would be about £65 plus parts so cheaper to buy a new one.This is why i no longer repair them.
  • daveaddick
    daveaddick Posts: 1,926
    Have a HP which is a printer/copier and scanner all in one, wireless and is now 5 years old. I buy my replacement cartridges at a sop at the top of Welling high street who refills the at a fraction of the cost of HP products. I think I paid abouty £80 for the machine and so far it hasn't let me down. But do buy refill cartrigest they work and are very cheap.
  • Unless you have a really really expensive printer it won't be economical to have it repaired against the cost of a new one.
  • Bedsaddick
    Bedsaddick Posts: 24,829
    The amount of printers I have thrown away in the last 20 years amazing . They must be designed to break within 2 years of purchase. Don't get me going on the price of cartarages either !

  • Sponsored links:



  • Wilma
    Wilma Posts: 1,618
    Thanks everyone, going to look online and see what I can get as it seems to be cheaper to buy new than repair.

    I buy my cartridges online but only ever buy compatible as the original Epson ones are so expensive.
  • Valiantphil
    Valiantphil Posts: 6,415
    Had this dilemma a few weeks back.

    It's £10 for a diagnosis of the printer fault, and then the cost of repair.

    A new Kodak colour printer/scan/copier/fax is £80 in Tesco.
  • Absurdistan
    Absurdistan Posts: 8,024
    Not economic to repair.
    Cartridges normally have a limited shelf life and the manufacturer ones won't work beyond a certain date. It's coded into the chip. Not sure about oem ones.
  • Stig
    Stig Posts: 29,139
    Why not look up the cartridges for your printer (the original branded versions) and see which of their current printer ranges they'll fit. I suspect that although they keep changing their printer ranges all the time that they'll be a lot slower upgrading ink cartridges otherwise they'd have a problem with shops not having enough shelf space.
  • Wilma
    Wilma Posts: 1,618
    Stig said:

    Why not look up the cartridges for your printer (the original branded versions) and see which of their current printer ranges they'll fit. I suspect that although they keep changing their printer ranges all the time that they'll be a lot slower upgrading ink cartridges otherwise they'd have a problem with shops not having enough shelf space.

    Good tip, thanks! Will check that out before browsing printers :-)
  • Saga Lout
    Saga Lout Posts: 6,845
    I once tried to be clever - my printer went wrong and I found one on ebay with a different fault going for 1p, so I bought it. The guy selling was a bit upset when I turned up on his doorstep because I think he was hoping to make a bit of money on the postage and packing!

    Anyway, took the two printers apart and made one good one... That was the theory - the problem was getting the bit that fed the paper in sync with the bit that did the printing. Gave up on it in the end and give it to a mate to fix, expecting it back after a week or two, at the cost of a couple of beers... That didn't happen either - he thought I'd given the thing to him, so he'd fixed it and given it to charity!
  • Ink for printers is more expensive per ml. than champagne.
  • Addickted
    Addickted Posts: 19,456

    Ink for printers is more expensive per ml. than champagne.

    Not if you purchase the compatable ones - they're dirt cheap on E Bay.

  • Absurdistan
    Absurdistan Posts: 8,024
    Saga Lout said:

    I once tried to be clever - my printer went wrong and I found one on ebay with a different fault going for 1p, so I bought it. The guy selling was a bit upset when I turned up on his doorstep because I think he was hoping to make a bit of money on the postage and packing!

    Anyway, took the two printers apart and made one good one... That was the theory - the problem was getting the bit that fed the paper in sync with the bit that did the printing. Gave up on it in the end and give it to a mate to fix, expecting it back after a week or two, at the cost of a couple of beers... That didn't happen either - he thought I'd given the thing to him, so he'd fixed it and given it to charity!

    Great story.
  • SE10Addick
    SE10Addick Posts: 2,970
    Addickted said:

    Ink for printers is more expensive per ml. than champagne.

    Not if you purchase the compatable ones - they're dirt cheap on E Bay.

    Nor if you buy cheap champagne from Lidl!