Copier guys - rant

[goodcanuck]

We decided to get a new photocopier for the office - last week.

A nice brand new Panasonic - networkable, fax and email - all the bells and wistles - almost everything but wipe my....anyhow.

The service techs (2 of them) show up with it - put it together and start to test it for copying...all fine and dandy. Then I ask about the networking and printing from our comps.

Literally, they looked at each other and went white (then I started to worry) - then I decided to see what happens - knowing I had control over the network - I knew they couldn't screw it up - I wouldn't let them.

So they fct around for awhile - I let them use a POS comp that doesn't have any vital info on it. They managed to install the panasonic document software - in reality - this has nothing to do with the print drivers its just a doc management utility.

So its lunch time now - and I'm a little bothered that these guys don't know what they are doing...so off to lunch - not together.

Back from lunch...

I decide to take a look whats on the disk....autostart - HOLY CRAP lowandbehold...one of the four links is a pdf of the instruction manual of all fckn things!!!!!

SO

I take a look - well I'll be a walkthru of how to set up the printer-network part of the copier...so...by coincidence the only thing they did do prior to lunch was give the copier an ip address...one that I TOLD them to use.

So I set up the server - using the "how to set up the printer with NT" section of the manual - print test- tada!

I just finished and one of the two service guys comes back from lunch - the other I find out - went to do some other calls.

"how's it comming" he says

I say "Well, the server is set up"

"it works? You got it working? How?

(sorry, I forgot to add earlier, that they had phoned the Panasonic tech support hotline before lunch - obviously - they said the copier worked - it was the network - I just let that go when he said that).

"The disk has a manual on it"

"OH" [said with that tone of enlightenment]

so, because of the way things went and the fact that, because the manual is 180 pages long. I only ran off the NT part using another printer so I could FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS! For some reason I listened to this guys comment "now we just need to share this printer link for the other computers to use" - so I did it this way - (it had been a long day and was only 1:45) after the copier was able to print from all the comps and I finished some of my actual work - now 5ish and noticing that the server was slow) I took a closer look at the manual and noticed the section on installing the connection with 98 (realize that I have NEVER worked with this before) so I reinstall the print stuff on my comp and it works-thus bypassing the server. so all the comps are changed to this.

I CAN'T STAND techies that come into my domain and try to do things that they either don't know or say that its my "stuff" causing the prob. There is a part 2 ( that is shorter).....but thats for another time.

By the way...I can't get it to recognize its own scanner...anyone have any ideas...I'll try to remember to post this scanner question in the proper forum tommorrow. The photocopier is a Panasonic DP2500 or something like that --2500.

Cheers.

[wedor]

I went to a job where a company had sold a Gestetner copier/printer to them. The "techs" came, installed the copier and after several days couldn't figure out how to get it to print from the systems. Same situation as yours, I had never worked on one of these before either. After a bit of playing around I was able to install the software (had to be done in an undocumented sequence) and loaded it on all the systems, took about 2 hours total. In the end the company was PO'ed because they had to pay me to fix what they thought should have been part of the original installation. I think most of the copier techs may know copiers, but the interaction between copiers and computers is a completely different world. Much like I run into many people who I am told are "really good" with computers but they have absolutely no knowledge of networks which doesn't surprise me because networking is an entirely different area. These people's bosses seem to think that because they are computer literate they should know "everything" about computers. I have a friend who has been an electronics engineer for years, people routinely ask him to fix their xxxxxxxx(insert, VCR, TV, etc.... any electronic appliance) because after all, he knows these things doesn' t he?

[Jenni]

You guys are right about networked copiers. A local company wanted to hire my brother, who has a computer repair business, to be their copier networking guy. There is a school in Dallas that they were gonna pay him to go to. He never went to the school, because he figured out how to do it without the school. (Installing drivers, assigning IP's, didn't sound complicated to him...).

He didn't end up working foir the company, but they have hired him on several occasions to go set up networks for them.

[Hot Rod]

Wedor, kind of funny how you mention your friend who is an electronics engineer and people expect him to know how to fix a lot of different things. At work, since I'm the "computer guy" and I know so much about technology, I've had people come to me with questions about the copiers, VCRs, coffee machines, phones, elevators....basically anything with electricity running to them.

[Paul Victorey]

Lol, I'm a Biomedical Engineer (mainly interested in electrical stuff) and I get all kinds of questions. I love it when a coworker asked me to install an electrical outlet, like that fell under my job (computer maintenance). I mean, I could do it, and eventually did, but it's not like I carry the parts with me to do that kind of work.

[doctorgonzo]

I love it when my boss calls me into his office. I think it is going to be something important and work related, but then he starts off by saying "I'm having a problem with my printer at home..."

[homer15]

Originally posted by Hot Rod Wedor, kind of funny how you mention your friend who is an electronics engineer and people expect him to know how to fix a lot of different things. At work, since I'm the "computer guy" and I know so much about technology, I've had people come to me with questions about the copiers, VCRs, coffee machines, phones, elevators....basically anything with electricity running to them.

i get this too... like i know anything about fixing the stereo system that broadcasts throughout the office. and for some reason, being the "computer guy" also means i change lightbulbs and stuff like that. oh well... it's a living.

[goodcanuck]

HOLY CRAP!

I'm not alone.

You KNOW me.

BROTHERS.

Cheers.


I didn't think this post would have such feedback....cool.

[Charliey]

Yeah, my friends and family get me to do everything tech related, even light construction. The good thing is that i am interested in almost everything technical, and i do know how to install outlets, and most things.

It can get a bit annoying at sometimes, so i just say im too busy, and i give long complicated directions, so that they just go find some other way to get it done.