LaserJet? Try LaserJUNK!

My boss decided to purchase this model fax machine when our other one died. We did not have much time to decide on a new fax, but this Hewlett Packard looked like a great deal. Especially since it could be a scanner, also.

It all started when our old fax (Panafax UF-788) started acting up because of old age. The big expense was that we were going through a thing of toner once every two months. This toner cost us $300 a pop! That got to be a bit excessive.

So, we ordered this fax machine and had no problem setting it up. The instruction booklet was very precise, and it also had easy to follow pictures. We did not set up the multi-function options. We were going to use it as a "stand alone" for a couple of months.

One month later, something went wrong. I spent two hours on the phone with the incredibly nice and understanding troubleshooters. We re-calibrated the machine twice. Then we unplugged it (because much to my dismay, there is NO power switch), punched, and held down a few buttons, then plugged it back in. It looked like the problem was fixed.

A couple of weeks later, it started acting up again. This time when I called back, I was told that the problem was the memory card was malfunctioning, and they would send a new one "right away." It finally arrived a week later. Then I had the opportunity to struggle with this little card. But I got it in correctly, and went about my business.

Here comes the kicker. A few weeks after that, it started acting up again. It wouldn't fax or receive, and the paper would jam. Back on the phone I went. The troubleshooters knew me by first name at that point.

They finally decided that we had a lemon, and sent us a new fax machine.

We thought our problems were over.

Not even a week after we received the second fax machine, we were having problems. This time we couldn't even get a dial tone. On the phone again, I was told to push this, hold this, unplug, etc.... Nothing seemed to help. We were all getting frustrated.

I had no fax machine, and I was losing my patience.

Here comes the fun part. I talked to at leas five different people wanting Hewlett Packard to buy back this useless machine. None of them wanted to do it. They all wanted to try and fix the problem. Yet, they were telling me to do what I had already been doing. The result? A broken fax machine.

I couldn't handle these people anymore, so I gave it over to my boss. I don't know what she said to them, but they agreed to buy back the machine. We finally got everything straightened out two months later.