“Bargain prices” of non-original toner cartridges come with hidden costs
Educating customers and making them aware of the scourge of non-original toners being sold across South Africa is important, not only for the longevity of our industry, but also for the sustainability of our environment and the reliable management of printing costs.
We would like to pool our collective efforts of our channel and highlight the benefits attributed to the use of original toners that extends to sustainability of our environment, warranties, technical aid and ongoing backup.
Customers need to be informed about the risks associated with using non-genuine toner and spares. It is not only about educating our clients on the pitfalls of purchasing non-original products, but it is also ensuring that they are armed with the right information, which in turn enables informed decisions. As an example, not everyone is aware that Kyocera takes health and safety seriously and in order to satisfy Germany’s Blue Angel eco-label requirement to create a safer working environment, KYOCERA toner does not contain harmful substances such as mercury, cadmium, lead and nickel, Chromium VI compounds, dyes that might release carcinogenic particles.
We have been saying for years that clients need to be made aware of the risks associated with the use of 3rd party non-genuine toner and spares, as any failure in a relatively minor piece of non-original kit could have a knock-on effect that impinges warranties, quality, uptime and reliability within an organisation’s printing system; thereby putting both the vendor and supplier’s reputation at risk.
With economies under strain, the real challenge is addressing budgets that are under constant pressure and cost cutting initiatives that are put in place. At first glance, it is tempting to go for non-original toners since such product is not illegal, and therefore the question: “why pay more?”
Many may argue that vendors discourage users from taking advantage of 3rd party consumables because it diminishes our revenues, but various independent studies have proven that buying non-genuine toner poses a variety of risks, ranging from variable quality to printer down-time.
Non-genuine imports may seem to be a bargain in the short term, but the consumer needs to take a long-term view of total cost of ownership. Clients may be able to save a couple of hundred rands per non-original toner, but if the product causes printer failure, it could mean a mission-critical component of the business goes down and that could be a loss of hundreds of thousands of rands. Initial cost savings can also be eroded by the need to purchase maintenance and support, as it will not be covered by the vendor if non original parts are being used.
Despite the tempting savings, the print quality, up-time, device health and warranty of the printer are in jeopardy, which means non-original comes with a multitude of hidden costs.
Yunus Docrat - Service Operations Manager - KYOCERA Document Solutions South Africa
