Good job CanonFollow

I pick up a new cheap printer. Get it out of the box, insert the cartridges, plug it in, install the software, go to look for the cable to connect it to my computer...

and there is none.

So I do a double check, make sure everything is kosher then phone up Canon's 1-800 tech support number. I chat with a nice enough fellow named Jamal, and I ask 'I can't seen to find the cord that connects the printer to the computer". Jamal informs me that it is not included with the printer. I ask Jamal why a cord vitally important to actually hooking my newly acquired printer to the computer is not included. After a very long and awkward pause I am told 'it is considered an accessory'. So just to clarify 'the cord I absolutely must have in order to use the printer is considered 'an accessory', to which Jamal politely responds 'yes'.

That is when I told Jamal that he seemed like a nice enough guy but that his companies policy was horse sh'it.

I do not think printers have come with cables for awhile now. I have gone through two in the past year and half or so and neither came with one. They are supposed to tell you when you buy one.

Common tactic hardware producers use to take dollars off the retail price, but still get the money anyway.

The first time something like that happened to me was with the original NES. You -could- play it if your hardware had AV jacks, but if you were on a plain cable television without them you'd have to go back to the store and by the "accessory" hookup.

Yeah and I think thats why they don't waste the money because people still use Serial. Instead of putting in both or just one they just made the buyer decide which one they'll need.


Is your printer a Serial/USB combo or just USB or just Serial?


Edited, Apr 5th 2007 3:17pm by Soracloud

I hate non-mobile USB stuff. I dunno, a USB printer seems to be just a waste of a USB port to me.

The last three printers I've bought never came with cords. Luckily I break printers like crazy, so I had at tons of cords hanging around because I always forgot I already had one.

On the positive side though, I've gone through an HP laser, Epson, two other HPs, and the Canon is by far the best I've had so far. I have a PIXMA 850 I think.

I've dealt with Jamal on many occasions and can verify that he is in fact a nice guy.

this is standard on most low end printers and has been for close to a decade or more.

heck even in the days when you had to use paralel cables (boy i really can not spell today) you still had to supply your own cable for most printers.

it is ALWAYS a good idea to read the "includes" list on the side of the box. i refuse to buy a printer that does not INCLUDE all cables etc. to connect to my computer no matter how good the deal may seem.

big companies like best buy, compUSA, circuit city, etc, will rip you off for a simple USB cable, and god forbid you have to buy a cat5e ethernet, or firewire cable.

not one of those cables (under 10ft) is worth more then $4 USD, yet at the big stores you will pay as much as $50 for any one of them. total rip off.

You should have just bought a printer with Ethernet/wan compatibility.

n00b

Edited, Apr 5th 2007 5:03pm by PsiChi

other then being an ink jet, the stats on the printer look nice. canon typically makes nice printers with fair to good photo quality.

yeah the costco brand works rather well for a lot of things, not just their paper.

yeah all-in-ones are just begging for problems no matter the brand. i have yet to see one that does not end up being more of a PITA then it is worth.

the only advantage i can see of an all-in-one is space. the footprint of an all-in-one is much less then having 4 devices, but how many of those devices do you use on a daily basis?

for me i used the copier 1 or 3 times per month, the scanner less then 2 dozen times over the few years i owned my device, and the fax less then 5 times over the life span of my all-in-one.

ill not buy an other all-in-one again. top that off with over 150G of compressed drivers for win2k and ***** that.

oh and yeah, the reason i bought that HP all-in-one, as it stated in BIG BOLD letters on the side of the box that it was 100% win2k compatable. that was a lie, it was NOT compatible with win2k SERVER even though they are exactly the same kernel and OS.

had to fight with HP tech and get to level 2 before i got a work around for installing the bloody thing.

uhg.

im sticking with ink jet or lazer from now on.

There's this certain company that sells computers, via delivery only, that has a big blue logo (similar to Enron, of all things) that charges $25 extra for a USB cable.