I'm a small business owner running a digital printing business. My primary workhorse is a digital printer that I lease under a 60-month agreement with the printer's brand company. I'm halfway through the contract. Alongside the lease, I have a separate contract that covers printing costs, toners, parts, and technical services.
Recently, I encountered a significant issue. My printer stopped working, and when a technician came to investigate, he found that one of the write units inside the machine was infested with ants. It looked like they had made it their nest. The technician removed the affected part but was instructed by his boss to leave the machine as is, claiming it was essentially written off. I was told someone would contact me, but since then, I haven’t been able to use the printer.
For the next couple of days, I checked the machine regularly, finding a few stray ants, but they eventually disappeared. After a few days, my account manager brought another engineer to inspect the machine. The engineer checked the other write units and said the rest of the machine appeared fine but that a thorough inspection was needed to determine the next steps. However, this inspection never took place.
Unfortunately, my insurance doesn't cover damage caused by insect infestations, and I’ve never had insect problems in my premises over the 20 years I’ve been in business. This machine is my fourth upgrade with the same company, and we've had a business relationship for 16 years. Despite this, they've ignored my emails and messages and haven’t answered my calls, except for the new account manager.
I’ve even offered to have regular pest control to prevent any future issues, but now they've informed me that I need to pay out the lease and pay for the machine at market price, claiming that the cost of inspection and repair would be similar to the machine’s value. While I understand their concern about the potential for further damage, I’ve offered to cover the inspection and repair costs, but they’re refusing to negotiate.
Has anyone faced a similar situation or have any advice on how to handle this? I’m at a loss and not sure what my next steps should be. Any advice or opinions would be greatly appreciated.
Recently, I encountered a significant issue. My printer stopped working, and when a technician came to investigate, he found that one of the write units inside the machine was infested with ants. It looked like they had made it their nest. The technician removed the affected part but was instructed by his boss to leave the machine as is, claiming it was essentially written off. I was told someone would contact me, but since then, I haven’t been able to use the printer.
For the next couple of days, I checked the machine regularly, finding a few stray ants, but they eventually disappeared. After a few days, my account manager brought another engineer to inspect the machine. The engineer checked the other write units and said the rest of the machine appeared fine but that a thorough inspection was needed to determine the next steps. However, this inspection never took place.
Unfortunately, my insurance doesn't cover damage caused by insect infestations, and I’ve never had insect problems in my premises over the 20 years I’ve been in business. This machine is my fourth upgrade with the same company, and we've had a business relationship for 16 years. Despite this, they've ignored my emails and messages and haven’t answered my calls, except for the new account manager.
I’ve even offered to have regular pest control to prevent any future issues, but now they've informed me that I need to pay out the lease and pay for the machine at market price, claiming that the cost of inspection and repair would be similar to the machine’s value. While I understand their concern about the potential for further damage, I’ve offered to cover the inspection and repair costs, but they’re refusing to negotiate.
Has anyone faced a similar situation or have any advice on how to handle this? I’m at a loss and not sure what my next steps should be. Any advice or opinions would be greatly appreciated.
