Beware Ebuyer's £150 Canon PixmaMP780 all-in-one offer. It doesn't print to CD/DVD!
I ordered one of these "award-winning" Canon Pixma PM780 multi-function printers on Friday from Ebuyer thinking I'd got a massive bargain.
It was £50 less than the best priced I'd seen anywhere else - at Amazon UK.
I'd already placed an order with Amazon but had been quoted delivery towards the end of the month. Not surprisingly, I chose to cancel the Amazon order (a very simple process to carry out - thanks Amazon for not making a fuss) and buy from Ebuyer who had stock and were able to deliver on Monday (today) if I paid a small premium - which I was happy to do, given that I thought I'd just saved £50.
Doing this has turned out to be a serious mistake.
The printer WAS delivered today but is NOT as specifiied by Ebuyer.
It does NOT print directly to CDs and DVDs - one of the key features I wanted - which almost certainly explains why it's £50 cheaper than anyone else's price!
It looks like what Ebuyer delivered to me (and others) is the US model, which doesn't have any CD/DVD direct-print capabilities.
Another thing to note - the courier tried to deliver two of these printers to me!
This was because when I'd done the original order with Ebuyer, it had appeared to fail, so I started all over again. To my horror, I soon after received two emails confirming I'd bought two printers - despite the fact that the first "order" wasn't completed because the final credit-card verification never took place.
Oh, and naturally, I did try to cancel the first "order" but simply could find no way to achieve this in sufficient time. The only option open to me was to leave an "enote" and these, it transpires, are seemingly not read for days after they're posted.
D'oh!
Today, I've tried repeatedly to ring Ebuyer's customer support number to sort this all out on the phone but failed there, too.
The phone is auto-answered, I'm told that "Calls may be recorded for training purposes", and then the call is immediately terminated with this advice, "Please replace the handset".
So, now I've got to figure out:
a/ Whether or not I keep this or get Ebuyer to take it back (ie is the CD/DVD printing worth £50 to me?)
b/ Either way, how to get Ebuyer to refund my credit card for the order I tried to cancel.
Out of curiosity and to try to help out others in the same position as me (and because I'm a tight git), I've asked Canon UK to check and let me know whether the US model can be modded to print to CD/DVD.
By modded, I mean, removing the blanking plate which appears to cover the CD/DVD printing slot, and also buying a CD/DVD printing tray and getting hold of a UK installer CD for the printer.
Of course, all this begs the question - when will we ever learn?
If a deal looks too good to be true, it almost inevitably is.
Bob C
It appears that ebuyer now know about this and is doing nothing!
It appears that ebuyer now know about this and is doing nothing to correct the situation.
How so?
Well, when I went to the company's site this morning, there was one review that had been posted (dated Saturday but not visible, I think, until this morning) and which pointed out that the product was the US version and thus did not include CD/DVD printing.
I've just revisited the relevant page and that review - which, admittedly, was a little harsh in its wording - appears to have been pulled.
So, that must mean that someone has read it and - in at least one way - acted upon it but the production description still says (my emboldening):
"Productive features include a 35-page Automatic Document Feeder, dual paper trays, direct printing on CD-R/DVDs and an automatic duplex unit."
I suspect, now, that Ebuyer is skating on VERY thin legal ice and is in danger of getting itself into rather deep, hot water - if you'll forgive the somewhat contradictory mixed metaphors.
Bob C
Clever, money-saving strategies - they'll be the death of me, one day!
Thanks for the suggestion.
You are right in thinking that this strategy may be the one that saves Ebuyer most money (and maybe, me too) but my guess is that my inability to communicate the idea to Ebuyer in anything approaching a timely fashion - simply because the company's systems don't allow it - would mean that I'd be kippered completely.
I've just put in a request - on the company's web site - for a full refund and await with interest the company's response (including whether they attempt not to refund the delivery charge if they do refund for the printer itself).
Nonetheless, I will report back here (and attempt to do so via Ebuyer's reviews facility) what my contacts at Canon say about the practicality of using the UK software and a UK-bought CD-tray to turn the US model into something that will work properly for CD/DVD printing
And now I'm off to put in another RMA request for the duplicate printer that they attempted to deliver and which I refused!
Ho hum.
Bob C
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rave
Since ebuyer have advertised the printer as being able to print on CDs/DVDs, you have the right to a refund as the goods were not fit for the purpose for which they were sold. Since ebuyer will then end up with a printer that has been opened, they'll clearly have to attempt to resell it as b-grade stock, so if I were you I'd press them to supply you with the tray and software for free if it is indeed possible to mod the printer- it's surely in their interest.
However, you may find that as well as the tray you also need all the internal gears and switches etc. You may want to do some research and see whether Canon USA sell the CD tray as an upgrade option (if you already have then sorry). If they do then you're sorted:).
One refund agreed - one to go. May be.
I got this response from ebuyer via email (about the duplicated order):
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We have been contacted by Initial City link who have confirmed that the goods have been refused by yourself.
As this is the case we have requested your order returned to us and a refund will be processed once this is received back.
Please accept our sincere apologies for any inconvenience you have been caused by this situation.
If you do have any further difficulty please get back in touch.
Kind Regards
- SNIP-
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So, that's one down and one to go (assuming I do get refunded, of course).
Bob C