Experience with Dabs.com - Anyone here sell printers?

[J-Wholesale]

We're in the middle of a returns nightmare with dabs.com. I'm looking for some feedback, especially from anyone who actually sells printers themselves. This is the situation:

We bought a new laser printer from Dabs. It was a cheap model, kyocera.

After a couple of days it stopped printing correctly. Original toner that came with the printer ran out after about 3 days (expected for the freebie toner that comes with the printer - no problem with that), and we inserted the new toner, bought at full price (not from Dabs).

Problem persisted and we contacted Dabs and returned the printer.

After receipt, they're telling us that all the accessories need to be returned with the printer in order for a refund to be processed. Fine, but the accessory in question is the original, used toner that was tossed in the bin and replaced with our expensive new one. This sounds crazy to me. Who keeps used toners after they run out?

There's no way we would send them our brand new toner that cost half as much as the printer itself. Is this something they can insist on? It comes across as an underhanded way of not refunding, but I'd like to hear the opinions of anyone who actually sells printers or has ever returned one.

[GreenLaser]

Maybe try cusotmer services , speak to real person, explain your case ... suggesting they remove they toner before dispatch or promise to return after receipt.

If you want a refund its a difficult one , essentially you are both correct
and a solution can only be found by speaking to real person with authority to find a solution

PAUL

[benjamin_c]

tell them you will charge it back if they don't refund or replace...

[Scott-CopyandDesign]

Buy the cheapest toner you can find, pop that in and pretend that's the one you installed after the original.

[J-Wholesale]

Buy the cheapest toner you can find, pop that in and pretend that's the one you installed after the original.

I don't think that will work. They'll probably blame the unbranded toner for the problem and refuse to refund for that reason.

[TotallySport]

If one of your customers returned something that wasn't complete would you refund or replace? I am sorry but i think dabs is correct. If the printed didn't work with the old toner, you buy and new one and test it and it still didn't work you shouldn't have had time to throw the old toner away.

If you bought it though a personal account the DSR would insist you return the whole item including any wrappers etc as well. I know this is probably a business purchase but I would expect the whole item back.

[TotallySport]

one point you could do is, ask them to send you the printer (although it will be at your cost) and send it direct to the manufacturers for a replacement, they might not have a problem with the missing toner.

[J-Wholesale]

If one of your customers returned something that wasn't complete would you refund or replace? I am sorry but i think dabs is correct. If the printed didn't work with the old toner, you buy and new one and test it and it still didn't work you shouldn't have had time to throw the old toner away.

If you bought it though a personal account the DSR would insist you return the whole item including any wrappers etc as well. I know this is probably a business purchase but I would expect the whole item back.

What is anyone going to do with an empty toner? Fair enough if it were a full toner, they might rightly feel I was trying to hold onto it, as they are quite expensive. Or one of the cables, without which the printer is not complete. At the time of the return, it was unclear if the item would be fixed or refunded. It never occurred to me to include the empty toner. The presence or absence of the empty toner has no part to play in fixing/reselling the item.

one point you could do is, ask them to send you the printer (although it will be at your cost) and send it direct to the manufacturers for a replacement, they might not have a problem with the missing toner.

The printer itself only cost about £140, so it wouldn't be worth the time and cost. We need the/a printer now, not weeks from now, and it's already taken 3 weeks just to get to this stage (Dabs telling us they want the toner).

I can't help but feel that it's such a small and petty issue, that they're focused on 'The Rules' rather than The Customer. Fair enough, it's their company, and for B2B sales they can pretty much do what they like, but they've lost 2 business accounts over this.

[sysops]

The important question is is the printer faulty, or just not up to your expectations?

You say toner runs out after 3 days - I can't see how a printer fault could cause this. Maybe try using a good quality toner cartridge and see what happens?

As for Dabs insistence on all accessories, it sounds like they are treating it as an unwanted return, rather than a faulty return. In this case it is quite reasonable to ask for it in a ready to resell condition.

Toner doesn't just vanish, it gets used up. Where do you think your toner is going?

One thing to learn from this - I learned it 20 years ago - only buy HP printers, ever.

[J-Wholesale]

The important question is is the printer faulty, or just not up to your expectations?

You say toner runs out after 3 days - I can't see how a printer fault could cause this. Maybe try using a good quality toner cartridge and see what happens?

As for Dabs insistence on all accessories, it sounds like they are treating it as an unwanted return, rather than a faulty return. In this case it is quite reasonable to ask for it in a ready to resell condition.

Toner doesn't just vanish, it gets used up. Where do you think your toner is going?

One thing to learn from this - I learned it 20 years ago - only buy HP printers, ever.

No, it's faulty. After a couple of days it stopped printing correctly (faded to unreadable). Dabs accepted that the printer was faulty, and not just an unwanted return, that's not an issue. Neither is the toner running out. It was a cheap printer, and many of these cheap printers come with a toner cartridge on the brink of empty. We knew this in advance, and from a previous Kyocera printer we had bought from them, which is why we had a new toner already waiting. The fault existed with both toners (again, the fault and the initial toner lifespan is not and never has been an issue).

[sysops]

In which case they shouldn't be asking for the original toner cartridge, provided you can demonstrate the fault with a replacement cartridge.

[TotallySport]

you might not be in the right place but this is a bargain:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/HP-LaserJet-P2015_W0QQitemZ290400330959QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_C amerasPhoto_Printers_Printers_JN?hash=item439d3564 cf

[leemason]

I know it's probably not much help at this stage but I've always found Printerbase to be very good. Their cheapest Kyocera but the way is £89: http://www.printerbase.co.uk/acatalog/kyocera-fs1100.php.