"Beware of DLL, a business nightmare..."

Bad Leasing Story part Trios...or is it quatre It's gotta be bad if the very first line in the article is, "The following is a fictitious account of a business nightmare."

And it must be true if the names HAVE NOT BEEN changed, to protect the innocent.

This article from a paper in Philly, written by John F. McKenna an attorney with MacElree Harvey of West Chester, goes on to describe a bad experience with DLL.

"About DLL

Based in the Netherlands, DLL is a global provider of leasing, business and consumer finance solutions. They are listed as a Michigan corporation with United States headquarters in Wayne.

DLL never guarantees the performance of the equipment; it merely provides the financing. You are responsible for the payments regardless of the performance of the equipment, even if it never works."

I have a copy of their contract, and it is "standard" but is very one sided - as the article states :

"The standard contract states that you cannot have a jury trial. You further agree, that in the event of default, DLL can declare the entire balance of the unpaid lease payments for the full term immediately due and payable."

"payments for the full term immediately due and payable" - you gotta love that too.

His last two sentences sum up nicely,

"Sometimes you just have to take a risk when you lease equipment. Clarifying upfront what your duties and obligations are is always a good course of action."

I notice in the comments this guy takes some pretty good hits, but the overall information is valid.

Leasing is tough all over.

Bad Experiences with Leasing - Toshiba, IKON, Canon, Saxon

Again With The "Leasing"! Enough!

Citigroup Limits Meetings, Pares Color Photocopies

LOL!!! A little too little, a little too late...fact is funnier than fiction.

It seems that Citigroup has got to have one of the worst PR firms working for them.

"...Under the new policy, employee meetings must be held within Citigroup offices and client events will require approval, the memo said. Color photocopiers will be removed from some locations and their use will be limited to client presentations. The memo didn't say how much money the new rules will save."

How in the world is "returning color photocopies" and "limiting color use to client presentations..." going to help in any way shape of form?

I see a great deal of "Reductions In Field" in their future.

But if they are serious about reducing costs associated with printing, they should drop me a line.

Here is the article.

Citigroup cuts down on office waste

Posted Aug 26th 2008 5:20PM by Zac Bissonnette
Filed under: Citigroup Inc. (C)

"If you recently sent your CEO packing in the wake of $17.4 billion in writedowns, you need to do something to stop the outflow of cash.

For some that might mean eliminating the dividend or cutting back on out-sized executive pay. For Citigroup (NYSE: C), that apparently means cutting back on color copying and BlackBerry use.

The Associated Press reports that John Havens, the head of the company's institutional clients group, sent a note to employees admonishing them that "color copying and printing should only be used for client presentations," and "presentations should be printed double-sided to reduce unnecessary paper usage."

That's right:

when you're pulling that stunt that involves sitting on the copier and printing 20 shots of your derriere, use the black and white machine, thank you very much.

BlackBerry use will also be more closely monitored, and there will also be a cutback on outside management consultants and training, and functions held outside of the company's offices.

Of course the savings from measures like this are a pebble in the sand of hideously bad mortgage investments, but it's good to see that the company is clamping down on the waste of shareholder resources.

But doesn't it seem a bit, I don't know, hypocritical to be yelling at employees about wasting paper when the failed CEO left the company with a 9-digit parting gift?"


...I am still laughing...

The Death of the Copier Dealer - Rise of the "Hybrid"

2008

Things ain't what they use to be...

I was reading Ed's post over at the Imaging Industry News site about "Hybrid Dealers".

Ed states, "...No longer is it acceptable for the dealer to only provide the stellar technical insight of an IT VAR or Reseller, or conversely, only the stellar service and traditional click charge based financing options of the copier dealer.

Now the end-user expects the dealer to be able to provide the best of both worlds, the technical excellence of an IT reseller and the service excellence of a copier dealer..."

Ed and his group are right on with this observation - I see the need every day; I see the prospect changing too.

I would venture a guess that larger companies are experiencing this change and the need for a Hybrid Dealer or a Partner. 

Your typical small company does not have an IT and Facilities staff - sometimes, one person will fill both requirements. And this is why most smaller companies have embraced the MFP and its full function.

On the "dealer" side, I have been in the presence of the owners of successful Copier Dealers - they do not see "MPS" as a major interest of their customers. Interesting. They see MPS programs as another "arrow in the quiver" - arrows to be shot at the prospect. (Another interesting metaphor/cliche.) In the same light as duplexing, color, or scan to file. Just another "add".

"Hybrid" - according to Dictionary.com, "... anything derived from heterogeneous sources, or composed of elements of different or incongruous kinds: a hybrid of the academic and business worlds..."

So, yes, I would agree that a VAR/Dealer/Reseller "composed of elements of different or incongruous kinds" is a reasonable, Darwinian, expectation. The result would be an entity that takes "the best of both worlds" - CPC and IT knowledge.

My question is, "Can today's dealer change on its own, or will the Hybrid be grown from the ground up?"

Time will tell - meanwhile, I need to take my computer to the nearest Inacomp, ComputerLand, MicroAge - oh wait...they all changed their name to Best Buy, didn't they?

Check these out:

The Death of The Copier Dealer

The Death of The Copier Sales Person

Leading Edge and Bleeding Edge

Managed Print Services - Everybody Sells

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