Grafityp Machine Sales, your views please?

[Stewart Dawson]

Hi Ewan,

I bought a Roland printer from Grafityp a couple of weeks ago now and couldn’t praise the machine sales team enough. Really good service and very helpful all the way through the ordering process.

Sorry to hear you had troubles with yours, fingers crossed another printer comes up soon. I wouldn’t let this one experience put you off using Grafityp again as they usually do have a really good service.

[Gary Birch]

I have bought 4 printers and a plotter from them over the years and found the guys there to be nothing but professional. They also warranty everything anyway.

[Ewan Evans]

Thanks for the replies. The reason I chose to deal with Grafityp in the first place was the fact I have always reviewed good service apart from when I was expecting 1000 outdoor eyelets instead of 500 due to a misprint in the catalogue.

The reason I was wanting pics of the machine in the first place is due to the fact they always advertise with a 6 month warranty on used printers and I was told 3 month at first so I wanted to see the general condition of the machine before committing.

Printmax and Signmaster both have a couple of good machines I am interested in but the used SP540i was perfect for me as it’s simple to maintain, came with a take up and 6 months warranty.

Ewan

[Peter Munday]

I recently bought a GCC RX2 plotter from them as it was just what was required, but after the plotter arrived I was having major problems setting it up it would just not run on my software. I also tried to register the cutting software with GCC but the web site said that the registration number had allready been used 😮 so after looking a bit closer at the plotter it turned out that they had sent me the RX1 an older version that would not run on my software. I phoned Grafityp and was told that they were not stocking the RX2 as they thought it was too expensive 🙄 but why is it still in their catalouge even now months down the line……The machine went back and I lost confidence in Grafityp.

[Ewan Evans]

Sorry to hear you have also had a bad experience with them. Have you tried using Vinyl Master? I use the full rip, print & cut version and absolutely love it apart from a few niggles here and there. It has absolutely loads of drivers for printers and cutters, it may help you.

I am still absolutely raging about my recent experience with Grafityp as if they had sent me the pics I asked for to see the condition of the machine in would have bought it. I need a good quality printer by the end of this month as I have a big job to do.

Ewan

[Nigel Pugh]

Ewan I gave you all the info regarding this printer including the fact that it was only 3 years old and had been under Roland care for the three years and was in tip top condition, we like most dealers will have a long list of people wanting a good used machine and therefore offer them on a first come first served basis.

Ewan you told me you would confirm your purchase over a week ago once the weekend was over, you didn’t so this printer was still available, someone took the deal and you lost out and now we are the bad guys ????

Peter why would you lose confidence in any company if they gave you an honest opinion rather than just try to sell you something and not care, your purchase was fully refunded………..shouldn’t you feel more confident in dealing with a company who does this ?

Regards
Nigel

[Ewan Evans]

Yes Nigel I was to give you a decision the other week as we both know but running a one man window tinting company in the middle of a mini heat wave I had other priorities.

Your argument would be valid if I never phoned last Friday to be promised pics and a video of the machine printing. I was again promised on Monday and twice on Tuesday. If you remember correctly I was trying to negotiate a deal at £5000 + vat with a 6 month warranty and three people said the lowest would be £5300 + vat and a 4 month warranty. The machine popped up on the website at £5000 + vat on the Tuesday afternoon so I again phoned up requesting the pics to be told there was a person "fishing" for the machine at £5500 who’s name was "Ewan" (me of course) Your sales director realised this so told him to accept the deal to which I said not until I received a picture of the machine, this was at 4:50pm on Tuesday. Having another night to think about this I emailed the sales team on Wednesday morning stating the fact once again I would take the machine as long as I had the pics I requested. You personally replied to the email saying the machine sold late Tuesday afternoon even though your sales team were speaking to me just before you closed. I was then offered a used Mutoh instead which I no use to me.

Now looking at the facts from a customers point of view, would you agree to hand over £6000 for a printer, car or whatever else without seeing it? I think not.

Ewan

[Ewan Evans]

There was also conflicting views regarding the condition of the machine as your view was that it came in immaculate and had been very well looked after. Your colleague told me that it was pretty clean and wasn’t a dog like some other machines that come in. This further enhanced my reason to see pictures of a machine I was interested in without having to take the time to travel from Glasgow to Tamworth to view the machine.

I’m sorry but I recently sold my own SP300v and I would at least have the decency to advise anyone who had expressed a solid interest if there was another buyer seriously considering an offer etc.

Ewan

[Paul Hodges]

Sounds like you were a bit too much trouble for them Ewan – asking too many questions, easier to wait for a less demanding customer who isn’t asking as many questions!

I suppose I can see that from their point of view, but it is disappointing. You just have to deal with someone who has a bit better customer service.

I’ve had less than ideal experiences with Grafityp in the past also, you just get to know what to expect from each supplier you use in the end.

[Phill Fenton]

Sounds to me like you were stringing them along haggling for a better deal. Meanwhile someone else came along and bought the machine so what’s your problem? Did you expect them not to sell it to someone else?

[Ewan Evans]

There’s a couple of problems as I have already mentioned.

1. I was negotiating with them as I was offered the machine at £5500 + vat with a 3 month warranty, I asked on numerous occasions for £5000 + vat with a 6 month warranty but was told the absolute lowest unless I picked the machine up was £5300 + vat with a 4 month warranty. On the same day of me being told this it was advertised on the website at £5000 + vat with a 6 month warranty without me receiving any notification. Does that seem fair to you?

2. I asked for a test print and pictures of the machine last Friday and was told this would be done that day, I was told the same thing on both mon and tue but received nothing.

I get asked more questions and have to send more pictures (proofs) for a £50 sign.

Ewan

[Ewan Evans]

Also while speaking to them at ten to five on tue afternoon saying I would take the machine subject to receiving the pictures and being told the next morning the machine sold late afternoon on tue. Does this seem normal practice?

If so then maybe I need to just be more ruthless when selling my own possessions.

I’ve just went out my way to source a printer for someone hoping to buy my already sold machine as that’s just the type of person I am. I had absolutely nothing to gain out of doing so but tried to help the person.

[David Hammond]

A negotiation works both ways… you wanted a 10% discount, with a 100% increase in warranty period. Where was your compromise?

I’m sure they would ensure it printed fine before installing it, it would make no sense to sell a machine, then spend time & money sending engineers out to fix them.

Until a deposit is paid, the mahines not sold, it’s that simple, it’s not personal it’s business.

[Ewan Evans]

That would be absolutely understandable if on the final day of negotiating while being told £5,300 + vat and a 4 month warranty was rock bottom only for the machine to be advertised at pretty much the same time for £5000 + vat with the 6 month warranty.

As I mentioned earlier, when phoning up to query the fact it popped up on the website for the price I was asking for I was told that there was someone who turned out to be me fishing for the machine at £5,500 + vat and even when realising that person was me continued trying to sell the machine to me at £5,500 + vat until the sales director told him to accept £5,000 + vat. I said I would buy it at that price when I received the pictures I asked for.

Why would 3 people offer to send at least one picture of the machine but never do so? That made me think something was wrong. I have never bought a machine from them and paying £6,000 for something in one go I want to see exactly what I’m buying.

I don’t think that’s too much to ask do you? If the price and warranty I was asking for was a problem then why advertise it at the price I was pushing for all along?

They knew I have an important job coming up so need a printer that’s in as close to new condition as I can get. It was between that or a new one and the second user one would have saved me loosing so much money with depreciation, if it was what they said it was.

Anyway I’m done with it now. The service I have been receiving from Printmax and Signmaster have given me nothing but confidence and I just wish I didn’t have to choose one over the other.

Ewan

[David Mitchell]

ewan pal, ye lost the machine haggling for a few hundred quid, that you would probably have made back by now had you just bought it! let it go, i very much doubt that a company the size of grafityp would sell a dodgy printer,

if i was selling something and someone was haggling price down and warranty up, and wee jimmy came along and offered me what i wanted for it, its a no brainer!

[Ewan Evans]

I really don’t understand how people are not getting the point here 🙄

If I was selling you a car would you buy it without seeing at least a picture of it?

Would you pay me an extra £300 to £500 + vat if I advertised it on my website for the deal you had been asking for all along?

Why let me wait for the pictures that would allow me to make an instant decision instead of just saying they couldn’t send any?

As far as I knew I was having them sent over to me and had the money waiting for a machine I thought I was getting.

Ewan

[Phill Fenton]

quote Ewan Evans:

Yes Nigel I was to give you a decision the other week as we both know but running a one man window tinting company in the middle of a mini heat wave I had other priorities

Ewan

Is this not the crux of the matter? You never got back to them with your decision so it’s reasonable for them to assume you weren’t really that interested, so when another interested party came along they sold it to them instead.

[Ewan Evans]

I was to get back to them with my decision 10 or 11 days ago before the machine was advertised, I never because my priorities had changed, If then I had lost out on the machine that’s tough luck and my own fault for not doing what I said I would do.

The issue is that I again contacted them last Friday, the machine was still for sale. When I was asking the person dealing with enquiries while Nigel was off he said he would send me pics to confirm the condition of the machine, it was him that suggested he would send a video so I could see there wasn’t a noisy scan motor etc. I waited the full day for the email but didn’t receive anything. I phoned again on the Monday and it was the same person on the phone, he said he had totally forgot to send them, asked for my email address again and promised them by close of business. Again nothing so on tue morning I phoned again asking if they had been sent in case my email had been noted down incorrectly, was promised the same thing. Later that afternoon the machine I was in negotiations with pops up on the site for the price and length of warranty I had been asking for but was told they could not do so I again phoned up stating that fact as previously mentioned there was a bit of a mix up. 10 mins before close of business I told them I would take the machine but not until I received a picture and was again promised this. At 11:44am on the Wed morning I sent this email

" Hi there, 

 I have been enquiring about the second user Roland Sp540i for a few weeks now, I am happy to purchase the machine at the price advertised on the website with the 6 month guarantee as long as it still comes with the take up system I was told it had.

 I have been promised pictures of the machine showing the condition and the quality of the test print and was also told I would receive a video of it printing. I have spoke to 3 different people from the machine sales department who all promised this would be emailed and as yet have received nothing. As you can probably imagine this has set alarm bells ringing regarding the condition of this machine.

Can someone please take the time to have the pictures and the video sent to me or give me a genuine reason as to why not?

Regards

Ewan"

I then received a prompt reply from Nigel saying the machine sold late the previous afternoon even though I gave a conditional offer just before close of business.

Ewan

[Ewan Evans]

I’m not out to make things awkward for people as I like an easy life and try to treat others the way I like to be treated but when it comes to handing £6000 or more of my hard earned cash I like to at least see exactly what I’m buying before doing so.

Ewan

[Nigel Pugh]

Ewan, you had a busy week working which is a plus for you but we have people calling everyday asking for quotes and if we have used machines for sale, I did tell you that I knew where this printer came from and how well it had been maintained by the owner

Regards
Nigel

[David Hammond]

A car is on wheels, parked in a parking lot. Having seen inside one dealer where the second user machines are stored, they’re not sat in a fancy showroom, plugged in, ready & waiting to be sold.

What’s to say the machine you were interested in, wasn’t buried at the back of a warehouse, behind a load of other machines, media, and other stock? That the machine hasn’t had the ink drained, and was in a condition for storage? Perhaps the sales rep passed the request on to a techy guy who knows what you want, and how to do it?

All possible scenarios, grafityp is a well established, reputable company… Until you paid your money, the machine was still for sale, and someone else beat you to it.

[Ewan Evans]

Hi David,

I know exactly what you mean regards to the way machines can be stored as I know the people who own Radecal machine sales and have been to their Washington premises on many occasions. If there was trouble accessing the machine then that would be fine and three people would not have offered to send pics of machine if that was the case.

All seems a bit strange to me as all they had to do was say it was too hard to access instead of having me waiting around for pictures of a machine that I was expecting to buy.

End of the day I lost out on a machine that was going to help build that side of my business, I will get another one from another comapny but I am still not happy with the way that machine was sold in what must have been ten minutes of me being on the phone to them.

Ewan

[David Rogers]

The first one to hand over the cash is always the best offer…

They turn down the person who did buy it because you MIGHT buy it…what sort of business does that and stays in business?

Would you hold onto your last metre of pink vinyl for a guy who’s phoned a few times, says he’s interested but only once you’ve sent the manufacturers data sheets over, confirmed that it’s in perfect condition with a photo blah, blah or sell it to the man with money in his hand that appears to trust that you, as a reputable company won’t screw him over?

I feel your pain and disappointment but don’t think you were screwed over, just a victim of indecision. If I were in your position I would have 100% agreed the purchase on the understanding that you were sent all of the info to review and satisfy that it was as described. That way, with confidence in their goods they move the sale forward…and you have a clear "out" if and only if the goods don’t match the written description / are defective. Win-win.

[Unknown Member]

Excellent reply by David!

[Ewan Evans]

As I have said before that would be a valid point if the machine after 10 or 11 days of me first hearing about it never only appeared on the website on the Tuesday and sell within that day with me saying again I would take the machine if sent the pics.

They had 10 minutes from my call and closing time and someone apparently phoned up within that time and bought it straight away? I think not.

If that is the case and they know how much I wanted that machine but only wanted pictures as reassurance that’s fine but that part of my business is expanding pretty fast at the moment and I will not be considering Grafityp for any future machine sales etc.

Personally I would have at least picked up the phone and said " I’m afraid we need to hurry a decision as someone is interested in the machine, can you pay a deposit until you recievie the pictures? " something along those lines.

As I said before, if it sold after the time I was meant to get back to them and never then that was my problem but it never. 3 further days of talks and false promises and for the machine to supposedly sell 10 minutes after me giving a conditional offer on the phone I think not.

Ewan

[Ewan Chrystal]

Its hindsight now but easiest way as far as i can see is pay a deposit with the balance on receipt of said photos and videos.
Covers everyone then surely.

[Ewan Evans]

Yes that could of been a better solution. As far I was aware the machine wasn’t on sale publicly until the Tuesday though or that’s what I would have done initially.

Ewan

[David Rogers]

If they told you… presumably it wasn’t a secret and they offered it to other people too who were on the look out.

Move on… learn from it…always plenty of machines out there.