We respond to the toner terror from this past weekend.

Toner cartridges seem harmless enough.

Then there was that time when I mowed over a pile of used toner in my back yard.  The spontaneous combustion shot a flame out from under the mower.  I jumped backward.  No harm done to the mower, or to me.

But this is different.  Terrorists put explosives inside a toner cartridge in an HP printer and packed it for shipping.  You've probably heard about it on the news.

It was interesting since SE Laser is in the business of selling and recycling toner cartridges.

First of all, the picture that was shown on many news stories was not a toner cartridge.  It was this printed circuit board (PCB), pictured above.  This PCB is said to be a mobile phone card.  It was actually inside the printer that looks like an HP LaserJet P2055.  It appeared to be grounded to the frame along with the standard PCBs, like the formatter and engine control board.

This is a picture of the toner cartridge which contained the explosives.  The toner hopper had been filled with white  material, said to be PETN.  Clearly, it appears to be wired for ignition.

Remember the "Shoe Bomber"?  Now, in airports, we are required to remove our shoes for inspection by TSA officials.  Will there be similar safety actions taken for printer cartridges?

I doubt any of our customers would have any worries about our cartridges exploding inside their printers.  But, just in case you were wondering, our cartridges are remanufactured in N. America.

Instant Savings.  Lasting Quality.

Is customer service dead ?

I recently had the experience of dealing with our department of motor vehicles at the Knox County Clerk's office.  The cumulative result is that I left feeling irritated and found myself being treated not as a customer, but rather a target.  This experience has got me thinking ..... 


Is customer service dead ?  


Caveat emptor is Latin for buyer beware, and many companies and organizations would be wise to take note of how many customers they are driving away.  Anytime, but particularly in these penny-pinching times, good customer service can make a difference.    


Establishing a reputation for excellent customer service is important to keeping the customers you have, and assuring that those people will help bring you others. Stellar customer service focuses on individual customer needs, solves problems and refuses to become wrapped up in red tape.  


So this got me to thinking about how we can improve our own customer service skills here at Southeastern Laser.


1.  Be Empowered: Allow your people to be extraordinary. 
Employees often may feel they lack the authority to make the decisions necessary to achieve extraordinary customer service.  The frustration of having a problem remain unsolved, or of being transferred from person to person, in search of someone who can fix it, only worsens a customer's impression of your business.


2.  Cater to Individuals:  Recognize that every person to walk through your door has different needs--and do what it takes to meet those needs.  What's appropriate for one customer may not work with another. Employees must be able to respond to different customer needs. 


3. Don't Take It Personally:  Listen to customer problems and make sure that they walk away with something, even if it is an assurance that you will follow up on the problem.


4. Be Positive:  Many businesses start off by telling customers what they can't do.  This projects an attitude where the customer is an enemy who must conform to the company's rules. Keep rules simple and flexible, recognizing that individual situations may require bending the rules or throwing them out entirely in order to meet a particular customer's needs.


We have all been guilty of taking the easy way out.  We all have room to improve.  At Southeastern Laser, we will do just that.  We work for you !!   Coach John Wooden once was heard to say "If you don't have time to do it right, when will you have time to do it over ?"


At Southeastern Laser we are as close as your e-mail or your telephone.  We want to make your experience a good one because this is YOUR company Knoxville.  We are just temporary stewards and if we can leave it better than we found it, we all win !!!


Contributed by Jim Seal, Co-Founder, Southeastern Laser.

Do new printer models lock customers in to Xerox brand supplies?

Today Xerox announced two new printer models:

• ColorQube 8570
• ColorQube 8870

These printers will replace the Phaser 8560 and 8860 models.  Along with the typical improvement in print speeds, there is a new feature that deserves our attention.

Non Xerox ink sticks will not be accepted by the printers.

This is an interesting move by Xerox.  Our experience has proven that genuine Xerox ink sticks work best in the solid ink printers.  But can they justify limiting the customer's right to choose?  Anti trust law suits will probably come as no surprise to Xerox, but they can afford it.  

Then what will that do to the toner and ink cartridge markets?  Will other manufacturers follow?  

Fans of Xerox solid ink printers, who know the cost of genuine Xerox ink, will be ok with these new printers. Otherwise, you might want to consider other printers.

Need help choosing a printer?  Contact us today.

Southeastern Laser

865-675-5900

What happened in 1989.

The Year:  1989

Southeastern Laser Products is created.


In September 1989, HP introduced the first "personal" version of the HP LaserJet printer series, the LaserJet IIP. Priced at US$1,495 by HP, and half the size and price of its predecessor, the LaserJet II, it offered 300-dpi output and 4 ppm printing  Retailers predicted a street price of $1000 or less, making it the world’s first sub-$1,000 laser printer.  

Jim Seal turns 26
Andy Brasfield turns 21 old and legal
Jennifer Perkins turns 21 years old and legal
Zack is 13 years old.

First release of Microsoft Office.
The 486 series of microprocessor introduced by Intel. 
Average Price for new car $15,3500.00 
1 gallon of gas 97 cents 
US Postage Stamp 25 cents 

George Bush Snr becomes president of the United States

Yugo Cars go bankrupt

The US Government provides a $150 billion bail out for hundreds of saving and loan associations 

Nintendo begin selling the Game Boy in Japan 

• The first episodes of the Simpsons are shown

Popular Films

• Batman
• Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
• Lethal Weapon 2 
• Back to the Future Part II
• Ghostbusters II 
• Driving Ms Daisy 
• Honey, I Shrunk The Kids
• When Harry Met Sally.

Many things have changed, but some have stayed the same.  After 21 years, Southeastern Laser is still helping businesses save money with high quality toner and ink cartridges.

Remember to check out our Birthday Special, Half Priced Toner.  Hurry!  It's almost over.

Tips for solving HP printer error 49.xxxx.

It's the dreaded 49.xxxx error.  I cringe every time someone calls with it.  It can be one of the most difficult errors to solve.

Experience has taught me that changing the printer driver is often a very common and easy solution to Error 49 in an HP LaserJet printer.

Our friends over at Market Point have written an excellent post on this error.  No need to redo it here.  So go over there and check it out.
Market Point's Weblog

If you need help with your printer or MFP, contact SE Laser today.

-- 
Andy Brasfield
Southeastern Laser

Phone 865-675-5900 x 103
Mobile 865-235-1DAD (1323)

PS.  If you know anyone who is looking for a better printer cartridge, please give them my name.  Thanks.

Matthew 10:40

Xerox Education Discount - Additional 10% Discount Ends July 31st

The discount
The Xerox Education Discount Program offers eligible educational institutions exclusive discounts. These discounts are in addition to existing U.S. customer rebates to make purchasing Xerox award-winning printers and multifunction printers more affordable for schools than ever.

Effective April 1 – July 31, 2010, the Xerox Education Discount will increase to give you:
1. Up to an additional 5% off Xerox printers and MFPs.
2. Up to an additional 10% off top selling products to educators.

Eligible products
The Education Program applies to current, predefined printer and MFP models only. Service, supplies, remanufactured or used printers and MFPs accessories are not eligible.

Eligible customers
Non-profit, tax-exempt, public or private, full-time, college or university that awards diplomas or degrees. Eligible institutions include 4–year colleges and universities, 2–year colleges, vocation and technical schools and K–12 schools.

For more information or to take advantage of this offer, click here or contact us today.

SE Laser
865-675-5900
www.southeasternlaser.com

When it comes to laser printers, how old is too old?

 

 

 

“For most enterprises, more than half of their printer fleet is over five years old.”

 

Like any piece of equipment, a printer is more likely to break down more often if it is an older model. Consequently, service costs go up due to the number of breakdowns that occur, and productivity goes down every time a printer is out of commission. 

 

In addition, older printers tend to be inefficient; it is not unusual to find printers tucked away in the enterprise somewhere that print no more than eight pages a minute. 

 

Finally, the cost of supplies for older devices tends to be higher; ink cartridges for older models, for example, often have lower yields and therefore need to be replaced more frequently, adding to the cost per page for printing. 

 

For all these reasons, eliminating older printers helps to reduce hardcopy costs. The older devices may be phased out altogether if the ratio of

printers to users is unnecessarily high. Or, they may be replaced by reliable, efficient new printers or by MFPs, which consolidate print, copy, fax and even scan functions into a single device.

 

To find out just how old you printer fleet is, contact SE Laser today.

--
Andy Brasfield
Southeastern Laser

Phone 865-675-5900 x 103
Mobile 865-235-1DAD (1323)

PS.  If you know anyone who is looking for a better printer cartridge, please give them my name.  Thanks.

Matthew 10:40